To help commemorate the film’s 35th Anniversary and as a tie-in to the upcoming theatrical release of Blade Runner 2049, Warner Bros. has released Blade Runner: The Final Cut on 4K UHD Blu-ray, utilizing the 4K digital intermediate and upgrading the audio to Dolby Atmos. Although there has been some confusion over what special features were supposed to be included in this multi-disc set (due to a packaging error), the transfer alone validates an upgrade to this release.
The Production: 4.5/5
Much has been written about Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, a cult film turned science fiction classic, that writing a plot summary or trying to provide my two cents on what I thought of the film are almost pointless. It’s been 35 years since its initial theatrical release, and possibly more versions of the film than you can count on one hand. The definitive version, though, is most definitely The Final Cut, the only version that was personally supervised and approved by the director. In 2007, for its 25th anniversary, had the original camera negatives scanned at 4K resolution (with 65mm effects elements scanned at 8K), a few effects elements re-created to fix very noticeable flaws in the film (such as Zhora’s death scene), re-edited to Ridley Scott’s original vision (adding footage such as the infamous unicorn scene and deleting the tacked on happy ending and mind-numbing narration), visual cleanup (including removing noticeable wires, as well as baked-in scratches and dirt), and re-mixed in 5.1 surround. This all culminated in a 5-disc set released on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD that included five known versions of the film (including The Final Cut with three commentary tracks, US Theatrical cut, International Cut, the so-called Director’s Cut from 1992, and the infamous 70mm workprint), a nearly 3 ½ hour documentary on the making of the film entitled Dangerous Days, and a disc of archival supplements.
Five years ago, Warner re-issued much of that same material in a 3-disc Bliu-ray digibook as a 30th anniversary edition, keeping the four theatrically released versions (over two discs) and combining the two discs of supplementary material on to one Blu-ray, yet deleting the workprint version.
It is now 35 years since Blade Runner was released to theaters, with a sequel, Blade Runner 2049, due in theaters next month, and Warner Bros. has released Blade Runner: The Final Cut on 4K UHD Blu-ray. The film, essentially a film-noir set in the future, still holds up very well, with terrific performances by Harrison Ford as Blade Runner Rick Deckard, Sean Young as replicant love interest Rachel, Rutger Hauer as the rebellious replicant Batty who wants to live beyond his four year life span, Edward James Olmos as Officer Gaff, and the great character actor M. Emmet Walsh as Captain Bryant. Of course, the only thing dating the film is its setting, Los Angeles of November 2019. Look beyond that, and Blade Runner is a visual and cerebral treat.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
As I mentioned above, Warner Bros. created a 4K digital intermediate of Blade Runner: The Final Cut back in 2007, so it is no surprise that the film looks splendid on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Detail is unsurpassed, colors more life-like, thanks to HDR, which also provides stronger contrast that yields deeper blacks with very strong shadow detail. The opening shots are even more breath-taking than ever before, with the smoke and smog, as my wife put it, so realistic you could almost feel it. Film grain has been kept intact, never obtrusive. This is how classic movies should look, and is definitely yet another disc worthy of being called demo material.
Audio: 5/5
Warner has upgraded the original 5.1 mix to Dolby Atmos with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core. I recently moved and do not have Dolby Atmos set up yet in my new home, but my current environment is equipped with 7.1, and Blade Runner with the additional rear surrounds, is a very active track, with vehicles travelling from one end of the room to another, yet also can be very subtle during its street scenes with discrete crowd or traffic sounds emanating from behind you. LFE is strong, too, without being overly boomy. Yet, dialogue remains intelligible throughout, never getting lost in the mix. I’ll report back on how it performs in an Atmos 5.1.2 environment as soon as my other room is completed.
Special Features: 3/5
There has been some confusion over what discs and extras should be included on this set, and that is due to an assembly issue during the initial production run, which affected mostly screener copies that were sent out by the studio, although apparently some of those did make it to retail shelves. This set is supposed to include the three Blu-ray discs from the 30th Anniversary Edition, but some copies went out with only discs one and two on Blu-ray and a DVD of Dangerous Days (from the 5-disc 25th Anniversary Edition). If you received the DVD instead of the Blu-ray of extras, I believe if you go to https://www.warnerbros.com/customer-service and complete the form, the studio should get back to you on how to obtain a replacement disc. Anyway, here is a list of what is supposed to be included in this set:
Blade Runner: The Final Cut 4K UHD Disc
Introduction by Ridley Scott (1080p; 0:35)
Audio Commentary with Director Ridley Scott
Audio Commentary with Writer/Executive Producer Hampton Francher, Writer David Peoples, Producer Michael Deeley, and Production Executive Katherine Haber
Audio Commentary with Syd Mead, Lawrence G. Paul, David L. Snyder, Douglas Trumbell, Richard Yuricich, and David Dryer
Blade Runner: The Final Cut 4K Remastered Trailer (2160p w/HDR; 2:31)
Blade Runner: The Final Cut Blu-ray Disc 1
Introduction by Ridley Scott (480i; 0:35)
Audio Commentary with Director Ridley Scott
Audio Commentary with Writer/Executive Producer Hampton Francher, Writer David Peoples, Producer Michael Deeley, and Production Executive Katherine Haber
Audio Commentary with Syd Mead, Lawrence G. Paul, David L. Snyder, Douglas Trumbell, Richard Yuricich, and David Dryer
Blu-ray Disc 2
Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner (480i; 3:33:57)
The Electric Dreamer: Author Philip K. Dick (480i; 14:23)
Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film (480i; 15:10)
Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews
Signs of the Times: Graphic Design (480i; 13:41)
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling (480i; 20:41)
Screen Tests: Rachel and Pris (480i; 8:55)
The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth (480i; 20:03)
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (480i; 47:41)
On The Set (480i; 14:21)
Convention Reel (480i; 13:16)
Behind the Scenes Outtakes (480p; 8:44)
1981 Teaser Trailer (480i; 1:42)
1982 Theatrical Trailer (480p; 3:38)
1982 TV Spot (480p; 0:33)
1992 Director’s Cut Trailer (480p; 1:35)
2007 Dangerous Days Teaser Trailer (480i; 1:36)
2007 Final Cut Trailer (480p; 2:27)
Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art (480i; 9:38)
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard (480i; 9:34)
Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers (480i; 21:52)
Blu-ray Disc 3
Blade Runner (1982 US Theatrical) (1080p; 1:57:16)
Blade Runner (1982 International Theatrical) (1080p; 1:57:25)
Blade Runner (1992 Director’s Cut) (1080p; 1:56:34)
Introduction by Ridley Scott: 1982 US Theatrical (480i; 0:34)
Introduction by Ridley Scott: 1982 International Theatrical (480i; 0:28)
Introduction by Ridley Scott: 1992 Director’s Cut (480i; 0:37)
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy through Ultraviolet partners.
Overall: 5/5
Despite the mix-up regarding special features on some copies, the video and new Dolby Atmos audio mix make this a worthy upgrade.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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