Which version is the better Blade Runner?

[Celia Cyanide]

well, which is it?

[tourdeforce]

The original version blew me away when I first saw it and has gone on to be one of of the most influential films ever made (if you go by interviews with directors, cinematographers, set designers, etc who seem to cite this film over and over again).

And the Director's Cut was great as well... however I do take note that viewers had the added benefit of having already processed the information learned in the hated voice over but not having to listen to it again. This cut played better than the original but I wonder if it would have done so without that boost.

With the new cut, I am a little concerned about the re-worked special effects. Ideally, directors cuts and new edits (like Apocalypse Now Redux and even Star Wars) present fascinating insight into the filmmaker's creative process. But re-working orginal effects needs to be approached very carefully.

[Celia Cyanide]

Originally Posted by tourdeforce

And the Director's Cut was great as well... however I do take note that viewers had the added benefit of having already processed the information learned in the hated voice over but not having to listen to it again. This cut played better than the original but I wonder if it would have done so without that boost.

Great point. Lots of people, including Harrison Ford, hated the narration, but I think it revealed a lot about the story and characters. For example, I love the comment Deckard made about Bryant. It showed that "skin job" is a slur for "replicant," and that Deckard, who kills replicants for a living, still seemed to think it was insensitive.

Ford did not give the voice over a bad read on purpose so that it would be cut, as some might assume. He said he just couldn't make it work.

There was originally a 5th replicant, Mary, who was written out because of budget and time constraints. Mary's scenes were never filmed, and I wonder if they will try to add her back in somehow. Even though I don't know if I want them to mess with it too much, I have always wondered what Mary would have been like. The replicants all had such distinct personalities, and I wanted to see more.

[Simon Woodhouse]

I prefer the unicorn version. Not for the unicorn scene, but for the ending. I like the way Deckard looks at the origami unicorn Gaff made, nods, and that's it, cue music and end titles. The look on Deckard's face says it all.

It'll be interesting to see if the new version has the original dialogue in the scene where Deckard goes to talk to Abdul Ben Hassan (the snake maker). In both of the existing versions, the dialogue in the scene doesn't match the actors' lip movements.

[Mr. Fix]

I am a huge BR fan!!!

I thought the original was better because of the 'Film Nior' concept. But I have to admit the Director's Cut is growing on me. The DC version changes the story into a stunning visual trip whereas the Original is simple a Detective story - a really good detective story - but not quite as amazing as the DC version. Also, I think Mr. Scott has a great touch with detail (like the moving picture of Rachel's picture as a child with her 'mother' on the porch.) We (my friends) often thought that if you could 've read the newspapers blowing by on the street that they'd have the date 'November 2019' printed on them.

[Jabs]

Original with the voiceover.

[dolores haze]

I often hate voice-overs, but not in Bladerunner. Thought it worked perfectly.

[Chumplet]

I liked the director's cut better. The voiceover was annoying and condescending.

I was wondering about the extra replicant. When they said six escaped, they then did profiles on only four, not including the one that got fried during escape.

Love, love, looooove Vangelis.

[Shadow_Ferret]

What? There is more than one version? I'm confused. I saw the one with Harrison Ford back in 1982. Have there been others released since?

[Jacob]

Original for sure. Did anyone here see " A Scanner Darkly"... I thought Linklater did a brilliant job with that one.

[maestrowork]

Did you see Sean Young at ComicCon? That woman is a walking modern (medical?) marvel. She looked like she's 35 years old.

[ALLWritety]

I have seen it but don't know which version it was.

Kevvers

[CaroGirl]

Originally Posted by maestrowork

Did you see Sean Young at ComicCon? That woman is a walking modern (medical?) marvel. She looked like she's 35 years old.

Sean Young's insane. She's been had up for stalking her male co-stars, from Kevin Costner to James Woods.

I liked the original Blade Runner, voice-over and all. I admit to not having seen a version with a unicorn. I read the book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) and thought it was terrible. Score ONE for a movie that's actually better than a book.

[Summonere]

The original release seemed more open-ended and less tidily resolved, which I liked.

The director's cut seemed all neatly tied up at the end, which I didn't care for. Hitting us over the head with Deckard's replicantness was simply overkill, although it was very nicely done with Gaf's origami and that unicorn dream.

That said, it's been years since I've seen the two versions, so maybe I'd feel different about them, now.

Did anyone here see " A Scanner Darkly"...

Saw A Scanner Darkly. Much, much, much prefer the novel.

I read the book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) and thought it was terrible. Score ONE for a movie that's actually better than a book.

Bladerunner sort of gets it plot from DADOER, but if memory serves, it's assembled from the parts of about six other PKD novels. That the "Electric Sheep" one -- yes, perhaps PKD's weakest -- keeps getting credit as the source material always surprises me.