Blade Runner (1982)

[Zen Butler]

Title: Blade Runner

Tagline: Man has made his match... now it's his problem.

Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James, Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, James Hong, Kevin Thompson, Hy Pyke, Kimiko Hiroshige, Ben Astar, Dawna Lee Heising, Alexis Rhee, Bob Okazaki, Morgan Paull, John Edward Allen, Carolyn DeMirjian, Judith Burnett, Leo Gorcey Jr., Sharon Hesky, Kelly Hine, Tom Hutchinson, Charles Knapp, Rose Mascari, Jiro Okazaki, Steve Pope, Robert Reiter

Release: 1982-06-25

Runtime: 118

Plot: In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

Where: The Landmark Theater Los Angeles
Cine Alta 4K Digital Projection
Dolby Digital 117 Minutes
Extended Run One More Week

How does one start to sift through notes jotted down in my Moleskine in the dark? Let me stray from those notes and save them for the discussion thread when it arises.

Blade Runner and it's arduous journey to dvd in an acceptable presentation is one of the reasons I've been a member of this site. Tonight was the night of all nights. A nailbiter of a day as I anxiously waited to get out of work and up to L.A. So, I suppose the question is, was I captivated?

I can say honestly that I have never seen Blade Runner look and sound better than it did this evening. The colors in some scenes absolutely took on a new life. A flawless presentation escpecially in the dark scenes; the neon vivid and bright. Most notably scenes like animal row, the bicycle scene, Deckard's balcony were lush. Deckard and Gaff's spinner flight to the Tyrell Pyramid though, was breathtaking. The restoration was, simply put, gorgeous!

The Dolby Digital sound, was very solid. Dialog clear, some effect tracks still showing signs of age. Vangelis's score though was the star. From the icy harp type highs bouncing through the surrounds to the low string drones emitting from his Yamaha CS80 to his shakey mock violin vibrato. The film's sound was nothing short of stellar.

All of you fans with the anxiety of Scott pulling a Lucas can rest at ease. No wild CGI'd characters. I'm going to be vague here but I will say, in my opinion, the additions, ommission etc. were very subtle. Well...until...yes, except for one. Yes, one word changed mid-way in the film and I'm still scratching my head as to why? This was and will be the one thorn, the sore thumb in this near-perfect version. Was it enough to kill the experience? No, but if the discussion thread emerges, I know this change will come up. Not enough to murder the experience but enough to dock it a 1/2 star.

Still, I lived to see it. Now, I can shut up

:star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2 of
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

ADMIN: please merge this with the proper thread if there is one.

 

[Ruz-El]

Sounds pretty awesome. I have to wait for the DVD since I live in the barren wastelands.

 

[Haggai]

Thanks for the review, Zen!

I'm pretty sure the line you're referring to is the one that's recently been discussed over in the big BR thread in Software.

 

[ErichH]

Zen - Thanks

Nice to hear about the score. It gets so little attention in the discussions. I know V did a remix for the new cut. Supposedly there were many new or improved cues available. As to how many were redone or just upped in the final mix?

 

[joshEH]

"I want more reviews, fucker!"

Er...wait, I really meant "fa..."

 

[Zen Butler]

 

[Shawn.F]

Can't wait until November 1st: I'm going to a DLP screening here in Boston.

 

[Jonesy]

Shawn, what theatre in Boston will be showing it?

Jonesy
Movie Theatre Reviews

 

[RobertR]

I saw Blade Runner today, and I'm in agreement with nearly everything Zen said. The presentation was tack-sharp, and the sound track was very well done. The one-word change was the only "big one" that stuck out. I do have to comment, though, that the presentation confirmed what I've always felt about digital projectors--that they aren't quite up to snuff with respect to black levels. Other than that, very impressive.

 

[Michael Reuben]

There's already been a lot of discussion of it in the Software thread about the upcoming DVD release. I'm kind of surprised that's the one that stood out, because both versions have existed for years. To me the more striking changes (and they're unequivocally improvements) are the fixes to Bryant's dialogue during his first meeting with Deckard.

I've already explained in the Software thread why I found the choice of which f-word to retain later in the film to be right within the context of the entire scene as it played in The Final Cut. It's one of a series of choices that, IMO, give the sequence a power and a resonance beyond any previous version.

M.

 

[Jefferson Morris]

Thank God this is going wider. The magnificent Uptown theater in Washington DC gets it starting tomorrow.

--Jefferson Morris

 

[AlexCremers]

Yes, Vangelis' score is the star. I noticed how refreshingly different his music (still) sounds. Imagine how Blade Runner would've been ruined if it had one of those generic Media Ventures scores! Vangelis saw and understood the sad poetry of this film and was somehow allowed to record his majestic and yet melancholic interpretation to the images. He was going straight against the bold symphonic power of the then extremely popular Jown Williams. That none of the producers stopped them during the process is still an enigma. Say what you will, but Vangelis gave Blade Runner its essential depth.

Another star and probably the most overlooked one, certainly when it comes to this movie, is Harrison Ford. The general opinion is that Rutger Hauer, and his exuberant portrayal of Roy Batty, "stole" the film from him. From now on, I shall disagree with this assumption. The young and charismatic Harrison Ford displays "disinterest" in the most interesting way. Rick Deckard represents a tired humanity. He no longer cares (on the outside). He's the anti-Batty. He's the perfect yin for Batty's yang. Now notice the subtle differences during the last scene when Deckard goes back to his apartment for Rachael. His performance, his voice, his appearance: all this has softened up. We see the beginning of a transformation. Something of the replicants wore off on Deckard.

Also, it's precisely this lack of involvement for his surroundings, the neutral, impassive expression on Deckard's face, that makes Ridleyville work. It's all in the contrast.


Alex

 

[Shawn.F]

I saw this yesterday at a press screening in Boston in DLP. Man, this movie just gets better with age. And the print looked extraordinary. For those in the Beantown area, I believe this is opening at the Coolidge on either November 9th or 16th and it will be playing for a week. I am definitely going back for another round prior to the Blu-ray release in December.

 

[Claire Panke]

Heads up Chicagoland. BR starts today at The Music Box and also at the South Barrington 30.

No bookings noted for Indianapolis yet :-( at the website, which means I either drive 3 hours to Chicago now or 3 hours to Columbus OH to the Drexel in February.

I love the Music Box Theater, but lordy, it's so reverberant I'm not sure I'm gonna like the sound there, my one criticism of this otherwise wonderful venue.

 

[ZacharyTait]

Roger Ebert puts Blade Runner in his Great Movies section:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...EWS08/71103001

 

[Chris Lynch]

Anybody know if/when this may be coming to Austin, TX? Man oh man, I love this movie. I think I'd quit my job to see this if I had to. Maybe it will come to the Alamo Draft House? My wife loves going there, even if it is to see one of my "dorky movies."

 

[Claire Panke]

Ask and you shall receive:

According to the official website http://bladerunnerthemovie.warnerbros.com BR opens November 18 at the Paramount in Austin.

You didn't *really* think BR would miss a great geek town like Austin, didja????

 

[Chris Lynch]

Umm, err, of course not! I was just checking to see if you knew.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Since Shawn didn't reply, I can tell you I saw a trailer for it at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Coolidge Corner stop on the C Line at the corner of Harvard and Beacon.

 

[Zen Butler]

Well, I certainly wont beat "a dead horse" here. Yes, the two lines have existed but one of them most certainly has not been viewed by too many including myself. I never saw the WP and never saw it aired on television. The line was shocking despite having prior knowledge of its' existence. What I didn't know of was, its' inclusion in the Final Cut. It caught me off-guard. I've since seen it again and I'm okay with it.