Blade Runner: The Final Cut - Retrospective Film Review

I just spent last weekend watching the Blu-Ray version of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which was the 2007 version of Ridley Scott's film based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep. I must admit, Blade Runner did not influence me upon its original release at the cinema. I was only 10 when it came out, so the prospect of a 10 year old getting in to see an M-rated film wasn't great. I was familiar with it, as Starlog had been covering it for months prior to its release and Fantastic Films did a great issue that featured both Blade Runner and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I had insisted that my mum purchase me that particular issue, as it had so many great images from both films.

The film's 1982 theatrical release one sheet poster.

I didn't see the film until the following year on video. I remember hiring it during the school holidays and watching it on my own. Unlike many science fiction films around that time, I don't recall whether or not I really liked it. That's why, in retrospect, I say it didn't really have an influence upon me. As an 11 year old, I think the film's story was beyond my understanding.

From the first time I saw it to May 1993, I must have watched Blade Runner on video or TV broadcast about a dozen times. Over that 9 year period, I came to understand how important a film it had become. In May 1993, I was in Sydney at a Star Trek convention and I took the opportunity to see the first 'revised' Director's Cut version of the film on a cinema screen. This version was notable for the removal of the Harrison Ford narration and the insertion on the Unicorn sequence - implying that Harrison Ford's Deckard character was himself a Replicant. This version also removed the "happy ending" where Deckard and Rachel are seen driving through the wilderness supposedly living happily ever after.

Since 1993, I have purchased each new DVD and Blu-Ray release of the film if, for no other reason, to keep up with whatever new remastering technique has been applied to heighten the visual and audio experience of the film. In 2007, my wife and I went and saw 'The Final Cut' on the big screen at The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, where the film played for a very limited time to packed out sessions every day.

So, what do I make of Blade Runner today?

Blade Runner, in all its different versions, is a beautiful looking film. Each scene makes me feel that what I'm seeing is a real world. The film runs just shy of 2 hours and, not once, do I feel as though I'm not part of what's happening.The credit for this goes to the film's Director Ridley Scott. During this early part of his film directing career, Scott was already renowned as a Director who took his production design very seriously. I have heard some people describe Blade Runner as "filmed art". Watching some of the behind-the-scenes content on 'The Final Cut' Blu-Ray release, it's clear that Scott was totally committed to setting his film in a "world"; not just on a film set. On this level, all the different versions of Blade Runner succeed.

Blade Runner's narrative is harder to assess because the story's meaning changed when the "unicorn" sequence was included in the Director's Cut. Scott filmed the sequence after principal photography had been completed and two of the film's financial backers were pushing to have the running time reduced. Upon seeing the "unicorn" sequence they had it removed from the film because they felt it didn't make sense. So, what exists is the 1982 to 1991 version with all of its "Hollywood" conceits such as the narration and happy ending. This is a very straight forward story where Deckard hunts down the Replicants, does the job and ends up escaping with Rachel, who has been revealed to be a Replicant earlier in the film.

From 1991, upon the release of the Director's Cut, Blade Runner's story became less straight forward. Certainly, Harrison Ford character of Rick Deckard is fundamentally changed by the inclusion of the unicorn sequence, but this is not revealed until the final moments of the film. With this change, Edward James Olmos as Gaff becomes much more important to the story. From 1982 to 1991, Gaff seemed like a junior partner who didn't add much value until the delivery of his last line of dialogue. From 1991, his presence means so much more and, if Deckard is indeed a Replicant, Gaff is a legitimate presence ensuring that Deckard does the job that Captain Bryant has told him to do.

The removal of Harrison Ford's narration helps to make the recent versions of the film more enjoyable as thought-provoking near-future science fiction. As a viewer, I feel like I have to work harder to make sense of what is happening; but that's not a bad thing. Good science fiction, in any form, should make the audience think about what they are seeing, hearing or reading. Harrison Ford himself has stated that he disliked the narration and, as far as vocal performances go, the monotone delivery may well have been his protest against it being included. The removal of the "happy ending" also challenges the audience to contemplate where Deckard and Rachel may end up. At one point in the 'The Final Cut', Rachel asks Deckard whether he would come after her if she went on the run. He tells her that he wouldn't, but someone would. It's natural to assume that,beyond the film's final scene, somewhere in our imagination, Deckard and Rachel were chased down by another Blade Runner. Since the 1991 version, I've thought that the term Blade Runner may have more meaning than simply a description of the job. Perhaps, it's a term used for Replicants whose job it is to hunt down other Replicants and 'retire' them. It's this type of thought-process that makes the post-1991 version of Blade Runner a much better piece of science fiction.

'The Final Cut' also makes Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty character more sympathetic than earlier versions of the film. Some the character's dialogue is changed to make him seem misguided in his quest for more life, as opposed to resentful for having his life prematurely ended. His death scene, however, remains the same poignant, beautiful recital on life & death it's always been. Hauer's performance is one of the great supporting performances and, in reality, he's the film's co-star, as he has a huge amount of screen time and carries the film's story forward in every scene he's in.

It would also be an injustice not to mention the film's effects. At a time when effects were being used to "dazzle" audiences, the effects on Blade Runner exist to reinforce the environment Ridley Scott had created at ground level. In the same way that the opening effects shot of Star Wars set the tone for that film, the opening Hades-sequence, depicting a polluted smog-filled mega-Los Angeles, sets the tone for Blade Runner. The Spinners, the 'Off World' Blimp and the Tyrell Towers all help to reinforce what is going on down at street level. As with so many films form the 1970s and 1980s, effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull played a significant role in creating the film's effects. Brothers Richard & Matthew Yuricich were also significant contributors to the film, with Richard as one of the senior effects supervisors and Matthew creating some incredible matte paintings.

As science fiction, I think Blade Runner: The Final Cut is the best version of the film. It's the version that makes me think the hardest about what's happening in the story. My belief, in this version, is that Deckard is a Replicant. Reading the web forums dedicated to Blade Runner, there are many people who feel that it's a topic still open for debate. When it comes to the film's production design and supporting effects, no debate exists. The film is universally admired and is now considered a benchmark in these areas.

Is 'The Final Cut' the deepest? I believe it is. It is certainly the version I would recommend to my family and friends. It is the version that I would recommend to anyone. Unlike Gaff's parting words to Deckard, Blade Runner will live forever and that is something that will always bring joy to science fiction fans and film enthusiasts alike.