Blade Runner: Director`s Cut (UK)

Blade Runner is a great film, but this print is slightly wanting in sharpness and there is excessive grain on some shots in the film. Apart from that the DVD is a visual feast.

Bladerunner is an all time classic cult sci-fi and the Director`s Cut is the only way to see this film.

Unfortunately the DVD is not. Well not, if like me, you love buying DVD`s not just for the film but its collector value too. There is so much feature`s wise they could have added to this disc but there is nothing. Not even inspirational menu`s based on the film`s props. A very poor effort in terms of presentation but with no other version around that I`m aware of its your only choice.

I have to admit to only seeing Blade Runner on perhaps two or three occasions before I bought the DVD. Only one of those viewings was of the director’s cut of the film. The last time I saw Ridley Scott’s cult sci-fi flick was over three years ago, so I sat down to watch with great expectations.

The film is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019, in a world where artificial humans known as replicants are able to walk amongst us unnoticed. Replicants are used off world as slave labour, undertaking all the tasks deemed too menial or dangerous for humans. Unfortunately, they tend to have a predisposition toward murder, and so a special police department has been created to deal with any troublesome specimens. They are the Blade Runners. Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, one such Blade Runner who is charged with hunting down and “retiring” a group of renegade replicants. The replicants, Roy (Rutger Hauer), Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), Leon (Brion James), and Pris (Daryl Hannah), have returned to Earth in search of a way to extend their four-year life span (a fail safe device installed by their creators).

This version of Blade Runner removes the annoying voiceover that used to accompany the film, developes a few scenes, and drops the original ending in favour of a more ambiguous one.

Unfortunately for all devoted fans, Warner have seen fit to release the film on a decidedly bare bones disc. In fact, you could go as far as to say it’s very poor. The first thing I noticed was the video quality; the transfer has more in common with VHS than the DVD format. The image is filled with grain, and there are many noticeable scratches on the print. Things do get better after the hour mark, but on the whole the video is inadequate.

Sound, which is presented in the Dolby Surround format, is functional if unspectacular. Dialogue is, for the most part, clear, and the surrounds are occasionally used to enhance the atmosphere. This is limited to sporadic claps of thunder (it never seems to stop raining in the future), hover-cars (or spinners as they are known) flying overhead, and the eerie soundtrack. It is the brilliant Vangelis soundtrack that creates most of the atmosphere, and while it is an acceptable rendition, it lacks any real depth. This is a film that is crying out for a 5.1 mix that really draws you into the futuristic world.

The extras on the disc are comprehensive; comprehensively bad that is. There is nothing on offer, not even a trailer. In fact the disc menu is also the worst I’ve ever seen, with a static shot of the Warner Brothers logo with just two selectable options (play and scene access). The film must have so much in the way of extra content available, and it’s a crime that we are fobbed off with this barren disc.

Overall then, a good film ruined by a below par DVD. It is better quality than the VHS edition, but not by much. Warner needs to give the film the respect it deserves, and re-issue the disc as a special edition. A good remastered anamorphic transfer, a 5.1 surround mix, animated menus, a commentary track, trailers, documentaries, deleted/restored scenes and an isolated score should do nicely. I’d love to be able to rate this disc more highly, and I usually reflect the content of the feature as my deciding factor when awarding marks, but in this case the poor quality just has to drag the whole thing down into the realms of mediocrity.

This is a brilliant film and one of the best of its genre. A good cast, original story and very nice efffects make it one of the best sci fi films around.
I have only seen the directos cut version and was very impressed by it. However the DVD has no extras and average picture and sound. Still, a must have DVD

Everyone should know all about this film, and at nearly 20
years old it`s more than stood the test of time. The DVD quality is not brilliant and there is some grain, but the colours
are good with some breathtaking scenery of the city. The sound again, is not brilliant but some of the effects and the use of the surround are very good, setting the mood. Unfortunatly there are no extras, which is a shame for I`m sure commentry from Mr Scott could have been done or even
a trailer!!!! All in all this is a `classic` film that should be added
to your collection, as some point, but which could have been better with a few extras. Get yourself a beer, pump up the volume and chill/melt to this classic film!

"Blade Runner" was the first DVD I purchased, being one of my favourite films, and It certainly was not a very good introduction into the world of DVD. I won`t go into any detail about this disc as the paucity of its features and quality is dealt with in the other reviews. However, if you are checking out these reviews with a view to picking up a copy of this version for £12.99 or cheaper - DON`T! A special, all whistles and bells collectors edition is planned which should contain all the features that a film of this calibre deserves; DD 5.1, remastered transfer and lots of lovely extras.

Save your money, people!

Still a good film all these years later and certainly the more "complete" version of the film.

Looks and sounds good on DVD - what more could you expect from a film over 20 years old?!

`Blade Runner` is by far one of the biggest science-fiction films of all time. Even today it still has a large following. You`d imagine that a film of its success & calibre would have hours of special features, even maybe a two disc set (as with `The Silence Of The Lambs`). However, `Blade Runner` has no special features not even a trailer. Although, the transfer is good and the audio quality very clear. But I still can`t understand why they`ve put no effort into giving this film the added content it deserves. Overall an excellent film on a poorly presented disc. Another wasted DVD release!

Hmm. Phnnarrr. Meow. Aye.

Content:- I don`t think I can really add much to this, other than to simply say that it is a truly classic film. It doesn`t really have any faults in my opinion. I can`t slag any part of it, even if I try! Brilliant acting, superb pacing and outstanding special effects that are perfect even today. Yes.

Video:- A not *too* bad show here. There was plenty of grain at the start but it seemed to clear up later on and some of the scenes looked very good, but most of them were so-so with a few scratches and things. Not awful, but not great.

Sound:- A so-so soundtrack that doesn`t do anything wrong, only in that it could be better. There are so many parts in this film that would sound fantastic (ships flying past for example) such that it is very dissapointing that there isn`t a full 5.1 soundtrack on show here. Oh well.

Features:- What`s that?

Overall:- Not too bad transfer of a brilliant film, but this is something that truly deserves the 2-disc special edition treatment which is on it`s way.

Blade runner is simply a classic Science Fiction film. A story which in itself leaves the viewer up until recently with many
un-answered questions.

Who was the Sixth replicant ?
Did Rachel have a termination date ?
What does the Unicorn dream mean ?

Well fans of the film now know the answer to those and others but the dvd release makes the film as a compulsive watch as it has always been.

It`s only a shame it lacks extras which could have been added, yes there are deleted scenes, alternative ending, and a documentry to boot.

Finally the shots of the tyrell building are breathtaking.

Oh dear, ive read all the other reviews for this film and oh dear me. For any on reading this review please listen to this reviewer, do not buy this film, its crap. The entire film is a farce, ther are so many editions of this film im amazed any one even understands it real ending or message. I understand Mr. Scott is currently producing a new version of this disc, no doubt the complete idiots who enjoy this film will go out and buy that edition too.AWFUL

This film is an aquired taste, you either love it or hate it. If you already own a copy on DVD or VHS then you already know this. Personally I love it!

If you`re thinking of buying this version (it can be purchased quite cheap), hold on !!

There is a definative version due out either later this year or early 2003 with at least 2 cuts of the film and lots and lots of extras (possibly 3 discs).

Quality film… just a shame about the disc. With no extras, not the greatest of transfers and a pretty average soundtrack, the disc really does not do itself any favours. Having said that while the poor video quality is noticeable, it isn't that noticeable, to totally spoil the film. Still it would be nice to have a proper version of this disc with a better transfer and at least some extras - there's not even a trailer!!! Still. great film, poor disc.

A classic saga, as someone said, you either love it or you hate it.. I`d like to think that most people love it though...

I honestly cannot understand how come this movie earned its cult status.
This was the very first time I ever watched this legendary movie, and to say I was disappointed would be the understatement of the millennium.
While the atmosphere is dark and creepy, the plot is incoherent and the characters lack any depth.
No background information is ever given and the viewer is expected to fill in the blanks by himself.
The video transfer is average. While there aren`t any compression signs, the transfer reveals a lot of scratches and dust particles. It`s quite obvious no restoration work has been done here.
The Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack is very flat. The surrounds are barely used and most of the action comes from the front speakers.
The menus are still and silent.
The disc contains no extras at all.
Bottom line - despite the cult status, you`d do yourself a double favor by avoiding this one - it`s a crappy movie and the disc itself is truly awful.

Intro- There has been quite a lot of controversy regarding which version of Blade Runner is better. Discussed in many forums (specifically imdb forums), one half says that the original theatrical version (one with Harrison Ford narrating and a happy ending) is better than the 1991 Director`s cut (the one lacking the corny narration and an ambigious ending) and the other half of the audience say that the Director`s cut is better. I`ve heard about this movie for a very long time until I got the oppurtunity to rent the cult film for a week. The character developement is as thin as paper but the visual effects are very stunning. The theatrical version was slammed by many critics including Siskel and Ebert, it seems to the beginning of the end of Ridely Scott`s directing career. 10 years laters, a so-called director`s cut (popular to contrary, it is NOT a Director`s Cut, it is botched director`s cut as some of the scenes that Ridley Scott wanted to put in are still missing.). This new cut raved positive reviews and Siskel and Ebert give 2 thumbs up. A highly influential movie which inspired subsequent sci-fi movies from Akira to Batman Begins (Trivia: Chris Nolan showed Blade Runner to the crew).

You must watch it.

Video- Released in 1999, the video quality on this disc is absolute mediocore. The quality is reminiscent to that of a VHS, in fact it is VHS quality! The video quality doesn`t live up to Scott`s cyberpunk vision of a dystopic Los Angeles. The only plus side is that the picture is released in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.

Sound- There are audio options; English, French and Italian DD 2.0 surround and the sound quality is no better than the video quality. Don`t expect to be immersed into the movie with the spinners whizzing around the streets etc. A very disappointing soundtrack.

Extras- There are no extras whatsoever, not even a theatrical trailer. There have been rumours speculating around the net including the release of the ultimate edition of Blade Runner. In this edition, Scott promised that there would be 3 versions including his real Director`s cut and the existing 2 cuts along with cleaned up picture and sound. The extras will include a commentary from him and a lengthy documentary. Unfortunately, Warner Bros were going ahead until the project came to an abrupt end. The guy who holds the rights for this movie had pulled the plug on the ultimate edition project. This reason for this is because of legal disputes began with the film`s original bond guarantor Jerry Perenchio who basically took ownership of the film when it ran over budget. Poor.

Overall- 23 years later and it still is a cult classic. It has hugely influenced many sci films after this including Batman, Robocop and The Matrix. It also influenced many anime including Akira, Bubblegum Crisis, Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. It`s a pity that the dvd doesn`t live up to the films expectations. Lets hope the ultimate editon gets a release sooner than later.