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Rotton Tomatoes: Scott's Final Cut of "Blade Runner" is Coming!

Posted by Scott Weinberg on Friday, May. 26, 2006, 03:29 AM

Scott Weinberg writes: "After years of anticipation, the fans of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" will soon be able to experience the director's "intended cut," which promises to be different from the theatrical cut, the international cut, and the previous director's cut. It's all very confusing, but this particular flick is worth the trouble.

Variety irons it out nicely: "Warner's rights to "Blade Runner" lapsed a year ago, but the studio has since negotiated a long-term license. The pic, now considered a sci-fi classic, has had a troubled history from the start: When Scott ran overbudget, completion bond guarantors took control of it and made substantial changes before its 1982 theatrical release, adding a voiceover and happy ending. That version was replaced by the much better-received director's cut in 1992, but Scott has long been unhappy with it, complaining that he was rushed and unable to give it proper attention.

The restored "Director's Cut" will debut on homevid in September, and remain on sale for four months only, after which time it will be placed on moratorium. "Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th anniversary theatrical run, followed by a special edition DVD with the three previous versions offered as alternate viewing: Besides the original theatrical version and director's cut, the expanded international theatrical cut will be included. The set will also contain additional bonus materials."

That's a lotta Blade Running."

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"Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007

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To be followed in 2009 by the SuperDuper Ultimate Cut
 

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Posted by Aaron Haney (Member # 747) on 05-26-2006, 03:16 PM:
 

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"Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th anniversary theatrical run

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My prediction: not only will it be 35mm only, and not only will it probably not be printed on Kodak 2393 like it should be, but also all those gorgeous 65mm SFX shots will be ruined from passing through a crappy, low-res 2K digital intermediate.
 

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Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 05-26-2006, 03:19 PM:
 
Well at least there will be prints of it! its been awhile since its played on the big screen in my neck of the woods.
 

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Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 05-26-2006, 04:06 PM:
 
That'll be awesome to see on the big screen. I've seen the Original Version and the Director's Cut. Can't wait to see it in theatrical release, plus buying the DVD Set.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-27-2006, 04:18 AM:
 
Ran the original in 1982 .. what a flik that was..loved Harrison Ford's voiceover in that version. Then three years later out came, with an slightly new actor named Tom Cruise..Scott came out with "Legend"

-Monte
 

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Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 05-27-2006, 09:49 AM:
 
I could care less about the latest perversion of the original release film, but I sure am glad to hear the the original release version is FINALLY going to be out on DVD. They've been hagling over this release for years.

Now it's a classic, but when it was released, it bombed at the box office and was panned by the critics. Not Star Warsy or Alieny enough I guess.

What drives me nuts, is everybody loves to slam the narration. I guess they don't understand that it's supposed to be a detective (Marlow) type film (1940s) set in the future. I guess they have never seen one, so they don't know.

Anyway, glad they are finally going to put out the original
 

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Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 06-01-2006, 09:22 AM:
 
The problem is when they took out the narration, they did not trim the scenes. What was left was sections of the film with absolutly nothing happening for extended periods of time, which worked when you had the voice over, but didn't work without it.

Like Greg, I am a fan of the original version of the film. The Director's Cut was very poorly done.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-07-2006, 06:33 PM:
 
My vote's for the voice-over version as well. Everytime I saw the 'Director's Cut' I couldn't stop thinking the centre channel's gone when there was no v/o.

Loved this film from the first moment I saw it. Bring on the DVD.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-07-2006, 06:52 PM:
 
Just make sure the audio is 5.1 and the video is anamorphic enhanced. Those two points are why I have militantly avoided the previously available shit version.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-07-2006, 08:37 PM:
 
They can double-dip as much as they want. As far as I'm concerned the final cut was released in 1982.
 

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Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 06-09-2006, 03:47 PM:
 
In excess of 99% of all the people who like versions of BladeRunner without the voiceover are nuts BECAUSE EVERYONE OF THEM HAS THE INFO FROM THE VOICEOVER STILL STUCK IN THE RECESSES OF THEIR MINDS whether they like it or not. They come to the film already knowing the content of Deckard's musings. And Mitchell's comment about how the scenes die without the voiceover are so correct.

BTW, anyone know how many words in all the voiceovers? In 12 pt. type the entire series of voiceovers takes up 2/3rds of a page and is only 416 words. I wonder how many words have been used about those 416 words?

I just tried to book this from Warner Classics two weeks ago and Marilee said the producers and others are "fighting" over rights and no film rental are available at this time. Horsepucky!
 

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 07-31-2007, 02:11 PM:
 

It has been 416 days since the last post.

 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 07-31-2007, 02:11 PM:
 
Bump for an update. In this day and age, where's the HD DVD / Blu-ray release???
At least it's going to get a limited release in theaters again.

From MSN Movies:

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A Final Cut For Blade Runner

It's hard to believe, but there have already been three different versions of Ridley Scott's landmark sci-fi thriller "Blade Runner" released in some form or another. There was the 1982 theatrical version that featured Harrison Ford's controversial character narration as Deckard and the Deckard-Rachael (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape. The version most people saw was the cut that was released on home video and played on cable up until 1992. It was actually the international version that was unrated and featured extended action sequences.

After years of rumors about the ending, Scott released a 1992 director's cut in which he removed the Ford narration and the "happy ending" and added the infamous "unicorn" sequence, which suggested that Deckard was a replicant as well -- all how he originally intended the movie to be cut. Most recently, though, a rare version of the film was found in the Warner Bros. archives that was radically different in more ways than can be described here. Confused? Don't be, because Scott and Warner Bros. have now teamed up on a new "Blade Runner: Final Cut" just in time for the film's 25th anniversary. This new "definitive" version, according to Scott, contains added and extended scenes, new and cleaner special effects, and that all-important 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. And it should be the version you judge the film by.

Scott's legendary career includes "Alien," "Legend," "Thelma & Louise" and the Oscar-winning "Gladiator," but "Blade Runner" arguably still stands as his greatest artistic achievement. Scott came down to speak to the fans at San Diego's Comic-Con this past weekend and spent hours indulging questions from the press. This work on a new "Final Cut" all came to be after the Santa Monica Film Festival asked for a print of the movie. Someone in Warner Bros.' archives found a 65-millimeter print of the movie that it turns out had been the last preview version of the film (Scott recalls them "previewing it to death").

"It started off with Vangelis music and a little bit of Jerry Goldsmith's, and at the end of it, people sort of sat there flabbergasted, thinking, 'Wait a minute, that's not the film I remember,'" Scott says. "That's what really created this interest and also showed the studio there is a lot of interest still in this film."

Although Scott had come off "Alien" and thousands (as he puts it) of award-winning TV commercials, he wasn't prepared for all the "cooks" who wanted a say in the editing of "Blade Runner." The producers and studio executives had forced the new ending and voice-over (which angered Ford for years), and Scott says he just didn't have the energy to fight it at the time.

"There was a lot of hell and I think I did get cross doing it and making it," Scott recalls. "But out of it came, remarkably, a film that still stands on its own legs after 25 years. It gets better as it gets older."

"Blade Runner: The Final Cut" opens in New York and Los Angeles Oct. 5. It debuts on DVD Dec. 18.

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• Final Cut
  Director's Cut
  Theatrical Cut
  Unrated International Cut
  Workprint Cut (Preview version)

quote: Aaron Haney

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My prediction: not only will it be 35mm only, and not only will it probably not be printed on Kodak 2393 like it should be, but also all those gorgeous 65mm SFX shots will be ruined from passing through a crappy, low-res 2K digital intermediate.

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News

Warner to Restore Films On Blu-ray, HD DVD
Classics such as Blade Runner will get 4k resolution.

By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2007) -- Warner Bros. is planning to issue high-def DVDs of several classic films which will offer more picture resolution than ever before.

That's according to an article by The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication reports that the studio is planning to give a "4k resolution" to such films as Blade Runner, Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, Sudden Impact and Magnum Force.

The 4k resolution offers four times the picture detail found in today's 2k prints.

"When you are doing restoration, you want to re-create a new element to support the title for years to come," Chris Cookson, president of Warner Bros Technical Operations, told the Hollywood Reporter. "It is critical that you retain as much of the original information that the filmmaker created as possible. Unless you are willing to work at 4k, it is inevitable that you will lose a great deal of the information that was created and included in the (original) finished film."

Warner did not reveal when the newly restored films would be launched on Blu-ray and HD DVD, the new high-def DVD formats. However, the Blade Runner edition is expected this year for the film's 25th anniversary.

"I think the basic notion is (that) we owe future generations the best possible elements in the vault," Spencer Stephens, vice president of motion picture imaging at Warner, told the publication.

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Source: tvpredictions.com

Oliver
 

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Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 08-10-2007, 08:11 PM:
 
I've been watching some of the older restored or first time to HD films on HDNET Movies, and I must say, they look stunning. Someone, at least to my untrained eye, is doing a bang up job on these restorations/conversions.

I just last night watched Warners/Clint Eastwoods Bridges of Madison County. Wow, Clint's face never looked so pock marked.

And my TV is a lowly 3 year old 720P.
 

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Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 12-19-2007, 09:00 AM:
 
I have only one word for this set, wow! I got the HD-DVD version and watched the original theatrical version last night, the picture and sound was stunning.
 

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Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 12-20-2007, 09:30 AM:
 
I have watched about half the "Final Cut" version on HD DVD, and I agree, it looks incredible!

Someone at Warner did a good job with this title, all releases should look this nice.
 

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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 12-20-2007, 02:49 PM:
 
Some Blu-ray users got mislabeled disc 5's. Disc 5 has the "Work Print" version, so the mislabel gave them another disc 1 "Final Cut".
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-20-2007, 03:25 PM:
 
I "impulse" bought the 2-disc DVD last night at Wal-Mart -since it was only $15. I'll certainly buy one of the better HD versions of the movie once I get my HD setup in place.

Having seen the old DVD with 2-channel audio a number of times (my parents own a copy for instance), I can say without question this new version looks and sounds a LOT better. It goes without saying the HD versions are an even more impressive leap. Warner Bros. had the special effects elements scanned and processed at 6K resolution.

I haven't been able to watch the entire movie yet unfortunately. Last night my hot water heater "died" so a I spent a good part of the evening making phone calls and then buying a decent replacement today. With Christmas nearing, I was lucky just to get an appointment for Friday morning to have a plumber install it. Once all this crap is settled I'll be able to spend some of the holiday "off time" checking out the Bladerunner: The Final Cut DVD.
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 12-20-2007, 04:37 PM:
 

quote: Bill Gabel

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Some Blu-ray users got mislabeled disc 5's. Disc 5 has the "Work Print" version, so the mislabel gave them another disc 1 "Final Cut"

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Uh oh, time for Blu Ray to call it a day. It's all over now. Mark's beard hairs must be doing the happy dance.
 

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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 12-20-2007, 06:08 PM:
 
You can also add the problems with the Harry Potter: Years 1-5 HD-DVD giftset. The "Goblet of Fire" disc was Blu-ray.
Disney is doing a Blu-ray disc replacement for their "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" for framing issues in the transfer.
 

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Posted by Tom Mundell (Member # 4555) on 12-21-2007, 08:50 PM:
 
Well how about that! After double checking it looks like my Blu-Ray copy of Pirates is one of those affected by the framing issue; having not seen the movie in theaters for quite a long time I had just assumed that's what was intended, oops!

How on earth do framing issues like this happen when creating the home versions? This now makes the second disc I have with a framing problem (Back to the Future being the first), which really seems like far too many!
 

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Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 12-29-2007, 10:45 AM:
 
I recently purchaed the Blade Runner: The Final Cut on DVD at Target for only $14.95 and was pleased with my purchase. The sound and visuals were awesome. I've seen a lot of posts about HD-DVD and Blue-Ray DVD. Interesting to read. But, I haven't decided which way to go yet and will most likely wait until I see who will win out before making an investment.
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 12-29-2007, 12:14 PM:
 
I just checked my 5 disc Blu Ray set and fortunately my 5th disc is the workprint.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-03-2008, 12:02 PM:
 
I picked up the Blu-Ray version of the 5-disc Complete Collector's Edition of Bladerunner Thursday (with a couple other movies) when I was buying my new HDTV.

As good as the 2-disc DVD is, it isn't anything compared to the Blu-Ray version. The anamorphic 35mm film elements were treated very well, but the visual effects shots are what really blew me away. I had a big grin on my face watching the opening sequence that transitions toward the Tyrell Corporation tower.

The 6K scanning and digital processing of the 65mm effects plates delivered outstanding results. The movie is 25 years old, but those practical/optical effects look every bit as good -and in some cases even BETTER- than a lot of the visual effects we see in modern movies. I've complained about bad CGI in movies over the years.

I think the way Bladerunner looks would really suggest that modern movie productions should consider making "practical" models and use motion control cameras for some camera shots instead of doing everything in CGI.

The 5-disc collector's edition effectively has 5 different versions of the movie. After watching the Final Cut version, I loaded disc 3 and watched the original 1982 US theatrical version. One of my coworkers prefers the narration added to it. I sort of liked it years ago, but now the narration just seems really stupid. The narration isn't written very well at all. It isn't clever or funny. It's just broad, obvious stuff that assumes everyone in the audience is an idiot and needs everything explained to them. Even the added on happy ending doesn't seem to fit. Overall, I think Ridley Scott's Final Cut version is really the best version of this movie.

The other versions of the movie are in 1080p HD, but aren't as sharp, steady and colorful as the Final Cut version. You see that difference right from the opening titles and logos.

1080p HD is great at showing a lot of detail. But sometimes there's drawbacks with that. Joanne Cassidy made a hell of an impression on lots of male viewers in her short amount of screen time in this movie. But the detail with her scene is revealing enough that you can see blue color of blood vessels under the skin on her breasts. That's just a natural thing; there's nothing wrong with it. But you can still see it.

Fortunately, my 5-disc copy of the movie was correctly packaged with the work print disc, not a mislabeled disc 1. Obviously the work print doesn't look nearly as good as the other versions of the movie. But it's interesting to watch for its differences from the other versions of the movie.

BTW, I like how the BD version of Bladerunner goes right into playing the movies. You just have an FBI warning thing and that's it. The DVD version has some really nice animated menus which don't seem to be included on the Blu-Ray version. But they're not taking up your time either.
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 02-03-2008, 12:45 PM:
 
Yup, WB seems to be on the ball with authoring. It shouldn't really come as a surprise since they were pretty much the pioneer of SD DVDs back in the day.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-20-2008, 01:56 AM:
 
I finally saw Blade Runner again last night for the second time. The first time was when I rented some Criterion LaserDisc back in the 40s or whenever people actually thought LaserDisc was cool. Anyway I really like the movie and would like to add it to my collection, but therein lies the problem.

I have no clue which "version" I saw last night. I know there are about 40 or 50 different versions for some super-retarded reason. The version I saw (and liked) did not have any narration. It would definitely be worse if narration were present. I have no idea if the LaserDisc I rented way back when had narration. Who cares? That was 90 years ago! I want to buy Blade Runner on Blu-ray. There are two versions available and even www.blu-ray.com does not list the differences.

There is a cheap one which comes in normal, sane packaging. Is this one the version that I would like? Does it have the 7.1 sound and the final cut and all that crap? Then there is the $100 version which comes in some retarded suitcase and would never fit on anyone's shelf. Why do they package shit like this? I was so disappointed in the Close Encounters Blu-ray packaging because it doesn't come in a normal box, but instead some fold-out mess. Anyway this version would likely have the version that I enjoyed but I don't want to have to pay for it or attempt to find somewhere to store it.

Give me the answers. The fact that this movie even has so many different versions really crustifies my stool.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-20-2008, 07:43 PM:
 
The 5-disc Bladerunner Collector's Edition Blu-ray has every version ever released, as well as a "work print" version. Five cuts of the movie. You can buy it for $30 at Wal-Mart or order online for perhaps a few dollars less. It comes in a normal looking Blu-ray case; the case is just thicker since it holds 3 BDs and 2 DVDs. All of the content is the same as the $100 super duper collectors package. It doesn't have the extra printed materials and bigger case.

The "Final Cut" version is on disc 1. It is the best version. There's no stupid narration (it's my opinion the narration is stupid and needless). The "Final Cut" version had the digital intermediate treatment. The audio is Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

The other cuts of the movie (on disc 3 and disc 5) had HD telecine transfers. They look decent but not nearly as great as the "Final Cut" version on disc 1.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-21-2008, 12:09 AM:
 
Excellent! Thank you for the answer. Not sure why anyone would want to pay $70 more for some printed material and a special case, but whatever.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-21-2008, 09:25 PM:
 
OK Bobby you lied to me. You said it was $30 at Wal*Mart. I went to Wal*Mart but it was only $29.99. Since I am not quite classified as white trash, it is against the law for me to buy anything at Wal*Mart. Besides, I decided I'd rather spend $29.99 at Target than at Wal*Mart (who wouldn't?), so I left and went to Target. But Target had it for $24.99! For once, being better than white trash netted me a lower price!

I skipped Best Buy because they charge rip-off prices for their BDs.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-21-2008, 10:48 PM:
 
From Wednesday to Sunday I was in Rogers, Arkansas for the AMBUCS National Conference (AMBUCS is a civic club that helps children and adults with disabilities and raises money to provide scholarships to physical therapy students). Rogers, Arkansas is next to Bentonville, home of Wal-Mart corporate headquarters.

The Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in that area of NW Arkansas are pretty damned nice. They actually have lighted pylon signs! I visited the brand new Rogers Wal-Mart Supercenter with a couple friends in search of certain University of Arkansas Razorback memorabilia for a joke (fake pig noses). We didn't find any. The Razorback store at Pinnacle Hills shopping center didn't have any either. If I had the time I would have toured the all-digital Malco theater at that glitzy "lifestyle center" mall. The Rogers Wal-Mart had a Blu-ray section more than double the size of any Wal-Mart here in Lawton. That store also now ranks as the only place I have ever seen the 80GB Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle in stock.

I'm still tired from that convention. Lots of seminars. And lots of partying in the hospitality suite. I think the highlight was meeting Dan Keplinger, an artist who was the subject of an Oscar winning documentary, King Gimp. He's a pretty inspiring fellow with a good sense of humor (he's not afraid of making disabled jokes -and told a few in the hospitality suite).

Anyway, $24.99 at Target? That's a pretty good bargain for that 5-disc title. You might have been able to get it for under $20 from Amazon -if you wanted to wait. I paid $29.99 for my copy at Circuit City and still feel it was a bargain.

Now that you have the title, what do you think?
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-22-2008, 02:46 AM:
 
I love it, of course. The only difference in the Final Cut version that I noticed was that Roy Batty clearly says "Father" here, but he clearly said "Fucker" in the other version. I didn't notice any other changes, but I haven't seen the movie trillions of times so other changes may have gone unnoticed. The picture was great for the most part. No real complaints at all. The sound was also mostly great, save for the slight clipping distortion on a few of the ancient sound effects. Then again, I really do need a new receiver. Obviously this version was edited in Final Cut Pro, or they would have called it the Premiere Version or maybe the Windows Movie Maker Version.

I doubt I'll watch all of the other discs. I don't really care much about different versions of the film. I may watch the "Making of" nonsense. Who knows, curiosity may eventually get the best of me.
 

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