BLADE RUNNER: The Final Cut

Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Hampton Fancher, David Peoples, Phillip K. Dick (original novel) Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer Music by: Vangelis Cinematography by: Jordan Cronenweth Editing by: Marsha Nakashim, Les Healey (final cut) Distributed by: Warner Brothers Once in a while you have one of those moviegoing experiences that will stick with you for the rest of your life. For me, seeing Star Wars on the big screen in 1997 was one of them. This is another. To sum up my review: WOW. The experience of watching BLADE RUNNER theatrically was one of the best times I have ever had at the movies. Seeing this film on the big screen was like seeing a totally different movie. The scale, the detail, the colour--to witness Ridley Scott's tapestry the way it was meant to be seen was a complete revelation. It was a complete visual overwhelment, a total immersion into an environment that you might swear you can touch and feel. Perhaps the biggest impression I was left with was the sound--this film is an aural experience! I have never had a very good home theater system, but even still what I heard last night was something far beyond what my DVD and VHS tapes ever even hinted at. The subtlety and detail, the atmospherics, and the punctuations when they briefly arise--the new mix brings the sound design to a new level and it really requires a theatrical experience to appreciate. The first sound you hear in the film is a loud boom--it almost sounds like thunder--that begins the opening credits. Now this has always had a lot of "oomph" to punctuate the start of the film but experiencing this in the theater--it was like something else. When that opening thunder clapped it felt as though the entire screening room was blown apart, like some bomb had been detonated. It was a literal punch in the face to how different the theatrical experience is--so please, go out right now and see this in the theater while you still can. With that out of the way lets look at the film a little closer. When BLADE RUNNER was released in 1982 it was met with so-so reaction and poor business--many found the visuals and design hypnotic but felt the film lacked heart and character, and others found it oppressively bleak and incoherent in its storytelling. From the director whose previous hit was ALIEN and starring action-man Harrison Ford-- fresh off the smash success of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and the two STAR WARS films-- a futuristic detective thriller about renegade androids sounded like a recipe for a sure-fire hit. But far from "French Connection in the Future", Ridley Scott's film was thoughtful and slow-paced, immersing the audience in the texture and reality of the environment and letting the audience soak in the atmosphere. Ten years later the film was a cult hit and Scott had a chance to re-jig the film for a limited release-- the theatrical cut, far from being any kind of edit endorsed by Scott, was in many ways a studio abortion that was wrenched away from the director, but now was presented a chance to put things as they should have been. Once again, however, history repeated itself--with only mere weeks to complete the new cut, Scott hastily removed the narration and happy ending he so despised and inserted a "unicorn" dream that revealed a new nature about the protagonist. While 1992's "Director's Cut" was not quite that, it was far superior to what came before it and cemented the film's reputation as a classic. Flash forward a decade and with DVD offering a chance to revisit the film Scott finally finished what he started more than a decade earlier--with another limited theatrical exhibition. 2007's Final Cut is the definitive version of the film, flawless and seamless. For those expecting a retread of Star Wars: The Special Edition, you may be disappointed or relieved. Indeed, someone who was not intimately familiar with BLADE RUNNER would never even notice that anything was changed. Far from drastic overhauls, The Final Cut is simply nips and tucks, sewing up the seams that were visible and fixing a few errors--it is simply a completion of what was already there so that the audience can enjoy the film. The most standout change is the original unicorn dream--in the 1992 version we see a shot of Deckard drunk at a piano, there is a dissolve to a unicorn and then a dissolve back to him. While the meaning of the scene came across it was clumsy and poorly constructed--this was because the original version of the scene was lost. With no time to compete the edit they instead slapped in the unicorn footage with a dissolve. Thankfully, the original cut of the scene has been found. Now we see the original shot of Deckard slumped over the piano--but it plays out normally. We then cut to a close-up of him as he stares off vacantly--then there is a short cut of a unicorn; we cut back to Deckard's face, then back to the unicorn as it gallops to the camera, then back to Deckard shaking his head, as if to get the vision out of his mind, and he proceeds to inspect the photographs. It is a massive improvement. The other most obvious change is the alteration of the shot of the dove flying away at the end--the original shot was filmed second unit...against a blue sky? It was jarring and inappropriate. Now a new matte painting shows the bird flying into the rainy cityscape with dark clouds and gleaming skyscrapers, and it works seamlessly. One of the more interesting changes comes during Roy Batty's confrontation with Tyrell--in the original version he said "I want more life, fucker"; now, an alternate take has him say "I want more life, father" (this was usually used in TV edits of the film), giving a different emotional twist to the scene. Editorially there are a few nips and tucks to make things flow better--Deckard's introduction at the noodle bar reading a paper has been shortened a bit; the original edit was prolonged to accommodate a voice-over which was since removed. There are a few more wideshots of Deckard making his way through the exotic crowds at the animal district and a brief scene of him entering the strip club. Really attentive fans might notice that some (but not all) of the extra violence in the "International Cut" has been included. There are more audio changes as well--Bryant has additional dialog describing Leon's job in the briefing scene and now says the correct information regarding the number of replicants, for instance, and Gaff says "Kowalski" as he enters Leon's apartment, among other changes. Most of the rest are just touch-ups to improve the viewing experience--wires visible holding up the prop spinner are removed, some optical effects are re-composited, Zhora's stunt-double now has her face replaced with the real McCoy, some "lip flap" from mismatched dialog now matches, among other minor, practically invisible changes. Visually, this film looks extraordinary, truly one of the richest experiences that the entire medium has to offer. The picture has been restored and remastered--and, though I know it may sound like hyperbole at this point, it really is flawless. I didn't even see grain in the digital print I saw, let alone artifacting or damage. The film literally looks like it was filmed yesterday, in both its aesthetic visual style that hasn't aged a day (and in fact still looks cutting-edge) but simply in the quality of picture. I never thought that a twenty-five year old film could look this slick. On top of that, Ridley Scott has re-color timed the film, giving it a richer and more pleasing palette that is faithful to the original photography. The biggest change I noticed was that while the original version seemed more favoured to the cold blue tones this version has a much more green bias to the image, giving the feeling of fluorescent lighting in more places. Colors jump off the screen, and contrast was drastically improved, with rich deep black levels and a detail level that is astounding--viewers watching this on Blu-Ray next month will have a new demo disc to show off with this thing. BLADE RUNNER continues to remain one of the most important films in cinema history and here is the completed version of it, a rich, deeply satisfying experience that will only knock you out if you see it on the silver screen the way it was meant to be seen. The film will sadly disappear from cinemas in but a very short while and take it from me--you'll regret letting it pass you by. Forget seeing the new cut--just to see the film, in its pristine remastered form with the sounds and sights that only the cinema can offer will give you a newfound appreciation for this masterpiece. The theatrical presentation of BLADE RUNNER: The Final cut is a cinema experience that only comes around once in a short while.

rating: 5