Blade Runner: The Final Cut [4K Ultra-HD] [1982] [Blu-ray] [2017] [Region Free]

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Here's the short version: There is one, and only one, extra that is new to this set and unavailable Here’s a comparison: This is how the Zhora sequence appeared in the original version of the film (from the 2007 Blu-ray)… In my review for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, I opened by discussing the difficulties of discussing a classic piece of cinema. I face that conundrum again with Ridley Scott's 1982 film, Blade Runner. Over the last 35 years, Blade Runner has run the gauntlet of being considered an expensive indulgent failure to being one of the highest-regarded films in science fiction filmmaking. In those years, audiences have been witness to multiple releases, various versions of the film, as well as a fairly definitive restoration effort. It's been discussed, dissected, and digested leaving little room for me to add anything to the conversation beyond what it has meant for me in developing my appreciation of film.

Audio-wise, the 4K Ultra HD includes a new object-based English Dolby Atmos mix that’s 7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible. Like the TrueHD mix that was created for the previous 2007 Blu-ray release, this is a stunning audio presentation, featuring a big, wide soundstage, tremendous surround atmospherics, smooth channel-to-channel movement, crystal clear dialogue, and full LFE. Panning is a little more precise now and the height channels are actively engaged for music and atmospheric sound cues – overflying Spinners, advertising blimps, the patter of rain, etc – to complete the soundfield overhead for greater immersion. The improvement over the TrueHD is minimal, but no matter; the mix is a perfect match to the visuals in every way. Note that additional audio mixes include 5.1 Dolby Digital in French, German, Italian, Latin Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Polish Voice-over, and Russian. Optional subtitles are available English (for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), French, German for the hard of hearing, Italian for the hard of hearing, Castilian Spanish, Dutch, three different forms of Chinese, Korean, Latin Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and Turkish. For more about Blade Runner 4K and the Blade Runner 4K Blu-ray release, see Blade Runner 4K Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on December 10, 2022 where this Blu-ray release scored 5.0 out of 5. does in a fun introduction to that film on that disc. My hunch is Mr. Smith may be going to London, or at least his nearest online emporium, to sign up Enter our competition to win a copy of WARNER BROS. 100th ANNIVERSARY 30-FILM STUDIO COLLECTION on 4K UHD Fabrication (Sign of the times: Graphic Design, Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling, Screen Tests: Racheal and Pris, The light that burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth, Deleted and Alternate Scenes)

sound design is in terms of offering everything from rumbly lows to screeching highs with nary a problem. Optional subtitles in a glut of languages are Audio Commentary Featuring Syd Mead, Lawrence G Paull, David Snyder, Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich, and David Dryer Runner 2007 edition, i.e., three separate commentaries and an introduction to the Final Cut (in 1080p)

Extensive special features, including an introduction by director Ridley Scott and three filmmaker commentaries Designing the World of Blade Runner 2049 (HD 21:55) With cast, crew, and creative team interviews, this is a pretty fantastic look at the making of the world of this sequel. While a lot of stuff is covered, 21 minutes feels a tad short for my taste, this could be its own feature-length documentary I'm sure. If you’re watching Blade Runner for the first time, make sure you watch this version: 2007’s "Blade Runner: The Final Cut". Lovingly remastered and re-edited by director Ridley Scott, it’s the film as Scott intended it to be seen all those decades ago. It removes the unnecessary overdub of the 1982 version, restores some cut scenes and puts greater emphasis on the much-discussed "unicorn theory" – the central mystery of the film, that we won’t ruin here.

Scores

I had seen Alien and that Blade Runner was also directed by Ridley Scott was part of the pitch my dad made in getting me to watch something I'd never heard of. Blade Runner wasn't scary. It wasn't set in space. It was set in this dark and ominous vision of a near future where humanity has all but abandoned the planet that spawned the species. The first time we meet the hero he's watching a giant blimp advertising a better life. It's heady stuff. While some criticize the film for being visually indulgent, style over substance, I would counter that those people just aren't really and honestly looking at the film. There's a lot of substance there, you just have to be paying attention. To that point, I can't watch this film distracted or allow it to be on with distractions around me. Cell phones down, lights off. alone would justify an upgrade (which makes it doubly unfortunate that Warner has chosen not to provide a remastered was not supposed to include the 2007 set's disc 3, with three earlier versions of the film. But when reviewers opened their bargain. But first they'd have to be aware of the 2012 disc's existence. Apparently, like the film's Many "Blade Runner" fans were aghast when news of a sequel was announced. Why would such a perfectly-formed film require a sequel, and how could it possibly live up the original? Those fears proved unfounded however when Denis Villeneuve took the director’s seat – arguably the greatest sci-fi director of the modern age, Villeneuve’s sequel, "Blade Runner 2049", tells an engrossing original story that still manages to capture the dream-like atmosphere of the original. It’s a modern classic.

Here’s a deep cut that even the most ardent "Blade Runner" fan may not be aware of. Before "Blade Runner 2049" hit cinemas, three short prequel films were made to promote its release, each taking place during a different year and plugging the gaps in what happened in the intervening years since the original’s story took place. Blade Runner (The Final Cut features the same array of audio options that Warner Brothers' release did, including the, um,Michael evidently was. That said, as always, Michael's analysis is thorough and insightful. I do want to clarify one aspect which may confuse some The real stars are the characters being hunted. In Leon (Brion James), Pris (Daryl Hannah), Zhora (Joanna Kassidy) and the charismatic leader of the group, Roy Batty (brilliantly played by Rutger Hauer), the replicants have a simple goal; meet their maker (Joe Turkel’s Tyrell) and find a way to live beyond their fixed four-year lifespans. We have now had a chance to view the Special Edition release of this film and, as anticipated does contain all the extras previously available on the 2007 5 Disc Blu-ray release only this time on BD.

English; Dolby Digital: Brazilian Portuguese 5.1, Castilian Spanish 5.1, Czech 5.1, French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Polish 5.1, Russian 5.1, Latin Spanish 2.0No matter how you may feel about Kevin Smith, as I mentioned in my recent Clerks III Blu-ray review I think collectors should celebrate Smith for his unabashed promotion of physical media, as he The colours have received a boost, thanks to Wide Colour Gamut (WCG). They're enriched, and the texture and subtlety of the tones is more readily appreciable. The various oranges and reds, mixed with yellows and glossy creams in the Las Vegas sequence are gorgeously rendered. But that’s also what makes Blade Runner so interesting. It’s not concerned with conventional storytelling. It’s a dreamy, meditative tale that ponders the nature of existence, human or otherwise, with frequent bouts of melancholy.