Blade Runner (4pc)

Blade Runner (in its various cuts) has richly deserved its controversy and its place in cinema history. Sir Ridley Scott's followup to Alien is a complex story involving a sullen detective who's been ordered to terminate renegade androids who have made their way to Earth. The eye-popping art direction and the catchy music are noteworthy. However, the downbeat tone and pacing turned some people off upon the film's original 1982 release. This was due to the casting of Harrison Ford in the leading role. He had just scored with Raiders of the Lost Ark (& The Empire Strikes Back before that), so people were expecting Blade Runner to be similar to Raiders in its tone. The advertising for the film enforced this perception as well, and the studio insisted on putting in forced narration by Ford (to the chagrin of both the actor & director). As a result, the film didn't last long at the box office, but, fortunately, the home video market was just coming into being. This led to the movie being rediscovered and, hence, gaining its well-deserved cult audience. This eventually led Sir Ridley to put out his delightful final cut of the movie for its silver anniversary, which, among other things, removes Ford's narration and changes the ending. Whatever cut you prefer, Blade Runner will always be noted in the annals of film history, which is the finest compliment any film can be given.

This is one of my all-time favorites. Blade Runner follows a police officer named Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) assigned to terminate renegade androids. Much of the movie explores what it means to be Human. Whether or not being Human is just a matter of birth or if there is something more to Humanity is the main subject matter of Blade Runner. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and Rachel (Sean Young) are both androids who act and feel more Human than some of the Human characters in Blade Runner, Roy Batty especially comes to the verge of becoming Human (metaphorically if not literally). As for Deckard, he comes to question whether or not he is doing the right thing and even questions his own Humanity. All three characters are brilliantly played by thier respctive actors, Rutger Hauer gives an Oscar caliber performance in his role and you come to feel for all three of them. The visual effects are fantstic and draw you in to the dystopian world of Los Angeles in the not-to-distant future. The music by Vangelis is exceptional and his mysterious tones really set the feel of the movie. This four disc set features the theatrical, director's cut and final cut of Blade Runner, I like the final cut the best. The DVD restoration and transfer is flawless, all scenes are clear and sharp with no trace of a blemish. There is also an extras disc with extensive documentries on the making and impact of Blade Runner. Blade Runner does have violent content, a little too violent in one or two scenes, so I would not recommend this for children (the movie warrants its 'R' rating). This is really one of the finest films ever to come out of Hollywood, no science fiction collection could be considered complete without Blade Runner.

This is Ridley Scott's masterpiece, a dark dystopian film noir about Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a bounty hunter sent to eliminate four androids in a nightmare version of Los Angeles in the future. The film is as visual stunning as it is cinematically significant. Blade Runner had a very troubled production history. As a result, several versions of the film exist, all of which are present in this amazing set. The theatrical version, released in 1982 contains a voiceover narration by Harrison Ford and an extended "happy ending", which contrasts harshly with Scott's original vision. The 1992 Director's Cut is considered overall superior, and is largely responsible for the reason why the film is so highly regarded. It differs from the theatrical cut in that it has no voiceover and has a darker ending. There are plenty of features in this set. For anyone who loves this film, it is a must-have. Contrasting the different versions of the film really puts it into perspective. The only disappointment I found was that the "Final Cut" that initiated the production of this set really bears little noticeable difference from the Director's Cut. However, that doesn't in any way take away from everything else in this set.

The movie is dark, very intense, and suprisingly great with Harrison Ford and Rutger... whatever his last name was. The end of the movie is EXTREMELY AWE DROPPING! Nothing bad happens.

Perfect. A movie that will touch your inner soul, in understanding that we as humans cannot create life with out a price.

A fan of the original theatrical version, I was quite frustrated when Ridley Scott started feeling it was necessary to release several different cuts of the film, starting back in the early 1990's. Overbudget and indecisive, as has often been the case for many of his projects, Scott apparently lost control over the film at a certain point. Therefore, 'Blade Runner' is a visually beautiful film that is just a mess to make any sense of, even more so now that it has 5 different versions. However, there are lots of bonus features here to delight the fans who deserve much credit for sticking with this disaster of a movie for as long as they have.