Outside of this question, you also have other elements of the story that seem to make it even deeper than it already is. You have the question of morals. Is it morally right for someone to create another being and have complete control of when they live or die? Then you have religious questions of whether or not this is how each one of us is trapped in our own life, uncertain of how long we have to live and how quickly it all comes to an end at any given point. Finally, you’ve got an abandonment issue, where everyone in the movie has been abandoned in someway and shape. You have the replicants who have abandoned their jobs to find more life, you have Deckard who has abandoned his post as a blade runner, you’ve got Rachel who has abandoned Tyrell and you’ve got Tyrell who has abandoned his own creations/children.
If you add all of these things up: Mortality + Morals + Abandonment/Needing Love = Life. And that’s what Blade Runner is mainly about, the quest for finding life.
With that said, the perfect people had to come together to make this movie work and they did. Harrison Ford’s Deckard is outstanding. An emotionaless man who seems to have lost everything, even himself, and hates what he does. Sean Young’s Rachel who is innocent until she finds out the truth of her being. Then you have the replicants played by Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty), Daryl Hannah (Pris), Brion James (Leon Kowalski), and Joanna Cassidy (Zhora). The brilliance of their acting separates them from each other in the film. Pris is the sexy, playful replicant. Zhora is the sexy, killer replicant. Roy is the leader who thinks for the group. Leon is the brute who does what he’s asked by Roy. Add in there William Sanderson’s J.F. Sebastian and Edward James Olmos’s Gaff and you can see how this cast had so many different elements and personalities.
In my opinion, the Final Cut of this Blade Runner is the best cut of them all. Adding voice overs to certain scenes, touching up effects (not in a George Lucas way, in a respectful manner) and adding a few more scenes to bring the story into a tighter fit makes this Blade Runner perfect. The only regretable thing about this is that those people who didn’t enjoy the movie the first time around may not find the movie anymore interesting. That’s quite sad. Blade Runner is a brilliant film that was beautifully created by Ridley Scott and his production team. It brings so many questions out about humanity and how someone truly lives, which could be some of the most important elements that a person has to think about not only for themselves but for their loved ones as well. If you can find the time to understand this film, you’ll certainly find what some of us have already found about it, it’s one of the greatest movies of all-time. That especially goes for this Final Cut.
Only one feature? And it’s how long???
I was a bit surprised to find only one feature on this DVD set, but what was even more surprising is that this one feature was quite possibly the best feature I had ever seen on a DVD. The single feature is titled Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner. What this entails is the complete story of how they made the film. The feature is nearly four hours in length and you get from conception to completion. In-between you have interviews from the actors, writers, the director himself, studio heads and a few other folk. You also get to see sketches for scenes that weren’t shot, you get to see deleted scenes, such as the hot sex scene between Rachel and Deckard that never went on a final print. You get the most in-depth explanation of the film that will make the film that much better.
This single feature beats out any feature on any other DVD to date. I’ve been reviewing DVDs for nearly seven years so that’s quite a statement. And the sad thing is, it’s completely true.
Sad, but happy
I’m sad because I know that this will probably be the last time I see Blade Runner on a specially made DVD. It’s a classic of epic proportions and one that has been finally treated with the respect that it deserves from Warner Brothers. I’m happy because I’m hopeful that this version of the movie will bring in new fans and possibly get back those naysayers that didn’t fall in love with the film the first time around. Blade Runner: The Final Cut is the best DVD I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this year and I encourage you to take part in this experience as soon as you can.
You don’t know how long it’s going to last on the shelf.
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