Blade Runner: The Director's Cut

I cannot sight enough praise for "Blade Runner" as it is impossible to express just how perfect this movie is in words. It's one of those timeless classics that simply reeks "masterpiece" - it is without a doubt, the greatest science-fiction film to have ever been made. I personally regard it as one of my five favourite films ever.

The story, put simply, deals with Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a "Blade Runner", a cop who hunts replicants (artificial humans), after they are declared illegal on Earth. He sets off around a futuristic Los Angeles, now a smoking wasteland of crime and poverty, ironically a place that is tragic and frightning and beautiful and stunning all at the same time - it's spectacular.

The plot isn't justified through a paragraph of description, you simply need to watch it and form your own opinion on just what this movie is about. Ridley Scott proves himself to be a masterful director as he unleashes a range of varied human emotions, poignant action-sequences, thought-provoking questions and mesmerising shots.

Of course, I refer to the "Director's Cut" version in what I am saying here - for me, it is the better of the two cuts and actually the only one that is available on DVD right now. I prefer it on the whole, having seen both several times.

"Blade Runner" poses many questions, mainly "what does it mean to be human?" I'm not totally sure, but I know for a fact that being human requires everybody to watch this marvellous film... it really is fantastic with superb performances from everybody involved and an incredible score composed by the wonderful Vangelis.

Perfect.

Based on Philip K Dick's surrealist sci-fi novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Ridley Scott's masterful adaptation makes a belated but welcome DVD bow. Harrison Ford's voiceover has now gone, along with that tagged-on happy ending, which famously used up some of Kubrick's aerial outtakes from The Shining.
Despite its familiarity - having inspired every sci-fi dystopia from James Cameron's The Terminator to Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence - what continues to amaze is Blade Runner's inability to date; it may have been made when computers were the size of tenement blocks, but the stunning visualisation of a corroded near-future LA still steals the breath like no other.
Arguments over the Directors Cut aside, this is an essential addition to your widening DVD shelf.

If you are a sci-fi fan you must get this for your collection. This was the first film that I saw on VHS and even as a youngster was gobsmacked by Ridley Scott's vision of the future. As with Alien, I think they did a fantastic job with the sets, costumes etc. Watching this film now, its hard to believe that it was released in 1982. It has deep meaningful messages but is a sheer delight to watch with great performances from Ford and Hauer. In the top 5 Sci-Fi films ever.

Harrison Ford is was without a doubt one of the greatest actors of all time and still is today. His ability to portray a wide array of characters from the loveable rogue Han Solo to the hardline detective Rick Deckard. As the world's most successful male actor of all time, it is no surprise that this masterpiece is a legendary classic.

If you only watch one Sci-Fi film in your entire life, make sure that it's this one.

Blade Runner (BR) is a film that has been described as being "style over substance" in the past. This is simply not so and represents a misguided, short-sighted view of this classic movie. BR is a multi-layered film that reveals a little more of the bigger, complex picture after each viewing. The plot centres around the protagonist, Rick Deckard, who as a Blade Runner is given the seemingly straightforward task of locating and "retiring" several renegade androids - Replicants - who are on the run. The visuals are undeniably stunning but supplemented with a believable, intriguing and emotional plot. Most of the main characters in BR have been well fleshed out (with the intentional exception of Gaff), leaving the viewer with a real sense of affinity to their trials and tribulations, specifically to the plight of the Replicants. Fine performances all round from a strong cast, especially Rutger Hauer. Considering BR was made 25 years ago, if has hardly dated at all which is more than can be said for some of its far lesser imitations. Vangelis's soundtrack is simply stunning and ranges from the hauntingly beautiful "Rachel's Song" to the sheer brilliance of "BR End Titles". BR is my favourite film and never ceases to amaze me every time I watch it. It is awe-inspiring, packs an emotional punch and will leave you thinking long after reaching for the eject button - until the next viewing reveals yet another piece of the jigsaw....
Unreservedly recommended, BR will have pride of place in my DVD collection for many years to come. (Director's Cut features the omission of Deckard's voiceover and a different ending).