Best way to watch Bladerunner

Fred Quimby · 21-02-2008, 4:23 PM

Whats the best way to watch the above. The final cut first or last or the directors cut first or the international cut etc etc etc.

Im waiting on the 5 disc version and want to enjoy this so much.

I know their is a huge thread on bladerunner somewere,but mebbe this question is not posed.

KeanosMagicHat · 21-02-2008, 4:36 PM

If I was you I'd watch the Final Cut first as that is as close as possible to how the Director, Ridley Scott, originally intended it to be.

Upon theatrical release the studio (having performed test screenings on some members of the public) forced him to include a narration by Harrison Ford as they felt some parts of the story were too complex without it.

They also made him change the ending to one more acceptable to that audience.

He made some changes on the Director's Cut but was not allowed as free a rein as he was with the Final Cut.

As a classic movie, I think it's excellent to have all the versions in one package.

Who knows, you may prefer one of the other versions?

Sonic67 · 21-02-2008, 4:40 PM

I think the final version (Final Cut) is the one with all the work on it so I'd go for that. This is the only version over which Ridley Scott had complete artistic control. I think the others are more about completeness. You might want to watch them one day so you can see why they are 'wrong'.

Pincho Paxton · 21-02-2008, 4:48 PM

The final cut has so much invisible work done to it that it makes the old versions look faulty, although I do miss the nice ending with voiceover.

KeanosMagicHat · 21-02-2008, 4:48 PM

Forgot to say, if time is an issue and you only want to watch two versions, I'd recommend watching the "International Theatrical Cut" after the Final Cut.

This was the first one to be shown in European cinemas and as well as the studio imposed narration and ending that Scott did not like, it also includes a couple of additional scenes that were censored from the US version.

bosque · 21-02-2008, 5:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pincho Paxton

The final cut has so much invisible work done to it that it makes the old versions look faulty, although I do miss the nice ending with voiceover.

That voiceover at the end killed the movie stone dead IMO and any preference for it over the other versions is surprising, to put it mildly, sounds like another Pincho wind-up

Pincho Paxton · 21-02-2008, 5:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bosque

That voiceover at the end killed the movie stone dead IMO and any preference for it over the other versions is surprising, to put it mildly, sounds like another Pincho wind-up

My comments aren't wind-up comments, I like the ending. I have read other posts that like the ending too. The posts that you call wind-up comments keep coming up true in the end. Just keep reading them.. and you will keep seeing that I end up correct. Although this current post is just an oppinion, my other posts about Matrix being brown was corrected when they bought out the black version later, and the post about the sound in Moulin Rouge fading out was corrected later too, when somebody posted a digital capture of it.

Sorry to go off topic. I will stop now.

Fred Quimby · 27-02-2008, 3:04 PM

Thanks guys

Tankman · 28-02-2008, 8:56 AM

Hi Nikon Kid,

I've been watching various versions of Blade Runner over the last 25 years and basically fans tend to fall into two categories -

BR with voice-over and BR without.

Personally I like both versions. The Final Cut is excellent - lots of time and care have been taken over it. Probably watch this first.

I have a soft spot for the voice-over version as this is the one I saw at the cinema when it was released in '82. The Private Investigator narration was a hand-rail into this amazing and scary new world of sci-fi.

KeanosMagicHat · 28-02-2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tankman

Hi Nikon Kid,

I've been watching various versions of Blade Runner over the last 25 years and basically fans tend to fall into two categories -

BR with voice-over and BR without.

Personally I like both versions. The Final Cut is excellent - lots of time and care have been taken over it. Probably watch this first.

I have a soft spot for the voice-over version as this is the one I saw at the cinema when it was released in '82. The Private Investigator narration was a hand-rail into this amazing and scary new world of sci-fi.

I agree in that you can almost treat those with and without narration as different movies.

So I guess you'd also recommend Final Cut first then International Theatrical?