(Disclaimer: As fans of this film know, there have been several versions of it that have been screened over the years. In total, 7 different cuts of the original Blade Runner have been known to exist. 5 of these can currently be found on the 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray release. And while I’ll admit that my original plan for this film was to look at all 5 available versions of it, I soon realized that this would be too much to handle, especially in such a short period of time before the release of the sequel this weekend. Thus, today’s review will be of the film’s ‘Final Cut’, released in 2007, as this is director Ridley Scott’s preferred version. However, I will be addressing the major differences between all the various cuts after the review. Also, there will be spoilers, which are okay in this case given that the film came out in 1982. Still, I just wanted to put that warning out there for those who have yet to see this film.)
Sometimes a film manages to overcome its initially tepid critical and commercial reception to become one of the most beloved entries in its genre. That was exactly the case with Ridley Scott’s 1982 seminal sci-fi classic, Blade Runner. The film was an adaptation of author Phillip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and was Scott’s first big project after helming another sci-fi classic, Alien. However, upon its initial release, Blade Runner did not fare well at the box-office and was subjected to many a mixed review. It wasn’t until after its initial release that it would eventually go on to become a staple of the science fiction genre, touted especially for the production and visual designs that went into creating its futuristic setting. And, of course, this weekend sees the release of the film’s long-awaited sequel, Blade Runner 2049. While Scott is still involved as an executive producer, Denis Villeneuve, director of critically-acclaimed hits like Sicario and Arrival, takes on directorial duties for the sequel, set 30 years after the events of the original film. But before we see what happens next to Blade Runner Rick Deckard, it’s time to look back at the film that started it all and ask one simple question. Is the original Blade Runner truly the sci-fi masterpiece that everyone says it is? Well, based on my first viewing of its ‘Final Cut’, I’d say that yes, yes it is!
In the year 2019, the Tyrell Corporation has revolutionized the field of bioengineering with the development of ‘Replicants’, life-like androids that possess superior strength and intellect over their creators. However, after an incident on an off-world colony, Replicants were then deemed illegal on Earth, requiring the use of special police officers known as ‘Blade Runners’ to ‘retire’ them (‘retire’ being the term used to describe the killing of a Replicant) if they ever trespassed there. One such Blade Runner is Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who, despite having retired from the job, is called back into action by his superiors. They then proceed to task him with the job of hunting down four trespassing Replicants; combat model and leader Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), nuclear-head loader Leon Kowalski (Brion James), ‘basic pleasure’ model Pris Stratton (Daryl Hannah), and murder squad model Zhora Salome (Joanna Cassidy). Due to the limited lifespan of their design (four years, to be precise), the four Replicants have arrived on Earth looking for a way to extend their lives. Thus, Deckard now finds himself on the hunt for these four Replicants before they can achieve their goal. Along the way, he also becomes romantically involved with Rachael (Sean Young), the assistant of Tyrell Corporation founder Dr. Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), who is also revealed to be a Replicant.
Now, of course, one of the most iconic elements of this film is its visual/production design. In a time where CGI effects still weren’t fully realized yet, a lot of effort went into creating the futuristic landscape of 2019 Los Angeles in a practical manner, from matte paintings to models to having to film certain scenes several times with different lighting set-ups. Bottom line, these visuals still hold up incredibly well today, and it’s easy to see why this film’s futuristic setting became the standard that many sci-fi films have borrowed from in the years since, like Ghost in the Shell and The Fifth Element just to name a few. But, of course, this film is much more than just a bunch of pretty visuals. It’s also a well-layered story with a lot of deep themes… which I won’t go into here because, simply put, there are people out there who can analyze this stuff far better than I can. Now, admittedly, this film is a bit of a slow burn, and although there are some good action sequences in it, they’re not exactly grand-scale affairs like most other films in the sci-fi genre. And yet, just like Scott’s other sci-fi classic, Alien, this film manages to keep you fully engaged throughout. Whereas Alien’s slow burn mainly helped to build up the suspense of its horror plot, Blade Runner’s slow burn allows the audience to become fully immersed in its world… that and it also gives you more time to appreciate the film’s gorgeous visuals.
Nowadays, Harrison Ford has generally been known for his rather grumpy behavior as witnessed in several interviews. Thus, you could say that this is what ultimately made him a perfect fit for the role of Deckard in this film, as the character is initially established as someone who’s forcibly pushed back into the business of hunting Replicants. All joking aside, though, Ford does do an excellent job as per usual in the role. Rutger Hauer is also quite excellent as the main antagonist, Roy Batty. Hauer commands the screen whenever he appears thanks to Batty’s calm and collected composure, especially during his iconic final monologue when he remarks about how the things that he’s seen will be forever ‘lost in time, like tears in rain’. And yes, as it’s been well-documented, Hauer himself wrote much of that monologue. As for the other members of Batty’s Replicant squad, admittedly they don’t get as much to work with by comparison (e.g. Joanna Cassidy’s Zhora only appears in one scene; an iconic one for sure but still brief) but they too do great jobs in their respective roles and they all have their standout moments. The same applies to the other main Replicant in the film, Rachael, played by Sean Young, as the overall conflict surrounding her having to come to terms with her identity as a Replicant that’s so advanced that she genuinely thinks she’s human provides the film with some of its best emotional moments.
In short, what more can be said about this film that hasn’t been said before? Blade Runner truly is a landmark entry in the sci-fi genre. It’s a film that countless others have taken inspiration from when it comes to creating a futuristic landscape. But, of course, at the end of the day, this film still holds up after all these years. Sure, it’s undeniably slow-paced, resulting in a more cerebral sci-fi thriller than an action-oriented one. However, thanks to Scott’s excellent direction and a strong ensemble cast, you’re fully invested in everything that’s going on in this film. Like any good film, it ends up leaving quite the impact on the viewer by the end of it, whether it’s through Roy Batty’s famous ‘tears in rain’ monologue or the final scene that has led to much debate over the possibility of Deckard being a Replicant himself, especially depending on which version of the film is being watched. And, of course, the film’s pre-CGI era visuals still stand as some of the best to ever come out of a science fiction film. Thus, Blade Runner is easily one of director Ridley Scott’s best films, and while the copious amounts of cuts that this film has may seem daunting to those who haven’t seen it, it’s still a masterpiece any way you look at it.
Rating: 5/5!
THE VARIOUS CUTS OF BLADE RUNNER
As we all know, Blade Runner has gone through quite a number of iterations over the years. After some disastrous test screenings, the film was edited down by the studio for its initial theatrical release against the wishes of Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford. In the years since, however, new ‘cuts’ of the film have been released that have provided audiences with some interesting new additions to this sci-fi masterpiece. In fact, some of these changes even alter the nature of the plot entirely, specifically during the ending. Ultimately, though, many argue that the film is always great no matter what version you’re watching. And today, we’ll be discussing the major differences between the 7 known versions of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.
We start things off with the original Workprint cut of the film, which was shown to test audiences in March of 1982 in the cities of Denver and Dallas. However, the response to this version was mediocre at best, which then led to the various cuts that were made to the theatrical release. A few years later in both 1990 and 1991, this version was shown again in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where it was touted as a ‘director’s cut’. However, these screenings were unauthorized and Scott did not approve of the ‘director’s cut’ designation. Still, it did fare better with its audience this time around compared to the initial screenings, which then ultimately led to the creation of a true director’s cut the following year. This version did not feature the ‘happy ending’ that was added to the theatrical cut and it also opened with a different intro. Instead of starting with the opening crawl that explained the history of Replicants, a definition of the term ‘Replicant’ was used in its place. It also didn’t include the famous unicorn dream sequence. Two months after the initial screenings, another Sneak Preview version was shown in San Diego. This one was more like the impending theatrical cut but featured three scenes that ended up getting cut in the latter version. These three scenes, consisting of a different intro scene for Roy Batty, a shot of Deckard reloading his gun after his fingers are broken by Batty, and a scene where Deckard and Rachael ride off (which would’ve presumably tied into the theatrical cut’s ending) have not surfaced since, not even with the recent Collector’s Edition release.
Which brings us to the original Theatrical Cut of the film; the one that was re-edited following the initial test screenings. This version introduced the ‘happy ending’ where Deckard and Rachael escape from Los Angeles. By comparison, other versions of the film simply ended with them leaving Deckard’s apartment without any indication of what lied ahead. Some of the final shots of Deckard and Rachael’s departure were unused aerial shots from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. This version also featured voice-over narration from Ford; however, this narration was ultimately poorly-received by most audiences. Ford himself would later quell rumors that he intentionally performed the narration poorly in protest of the film’s changes, instead stating that he simply did his best with the poor material. Internationally, a different ‘theatrical cut’ was being shown, with a few more violent moments that were later included in the Final Cut (e.g. Batty’s brutal killing of Dr. Tyrell). Four years later, the film had its Broadcast Premiere on CBS. As was the case with almost every major film that airs on network television, it was edited down to meet broadcast standards, which meant toned down violence, language, and nudity. It also implicated that Deckard is, indeed, human via a teaser that aired immediately before it and featured a slightly different opening crawl compared to the theatrical cut.
As the film began to attract a cult following during the late 80’s, paired with the previously mentioned unauthorized ‘workprint’ screenings in 1990 and 1991, an official Director’s Cut ended up getting released in 1992. This version added in the big unicorn dream sequence, which helped to fuel the flames of the long-running ‘Is Deckard a Replicant?’ debate brought upon by the origami unicorn that fellow officer Gaff (Edward James Olmos) leaves in Deckard’s apartment in the final scene. However, the full sequence is not featured in this version as the original footage wasn’t of good quality at the time. It also removed the controversial voice-overs from the Theatrical Cut along with the ‘happy ending’. While Scott did have a hand in the development of this cut, he would later state that he wasn’t able to give it the full attention that it deserved because of time constraints, money constraints, and his commitment to 1991’s Thelma and Louise. Thus, we come to the Final Cut, which was released in 2007. Scott had complete creative control over this version, which reinserted the violent scenes seen in the International Cut along with the entire unicorn dream sequence. It also featured a re-edited version of Zhora’s death scene. Originally, Joanna Cassidy’s stunt double performed most of the scene, resulting in some obvious tell-tale signs that it wasn’t Cassidy doing the scene. Thus, with the Final Cut, Cassidy’s head was digitally transposed onto the stunt double, thereby fixing the continuity error.
And that’s my review/discussion of Blade Runner and its various cuts. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own thoughts on the different cuts of this sci-fi masterpiece. Heck, while you’re at it, feel free to chime in with your stance on the whole ‘Is Rick Deckard a Replicant’ debate too. You can also expect a review of the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, sometime in the next few days.
“It’s too bad she won’t live! But then again, who does?”
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