Blade Runner was shot on 35mm film, 65mm for the effects shots, in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio and, in 2007 as part of its restoration, was subject to scanning (at 4K for 35mm and 8K for 65mm), clean up, grading and finishing as a 4K digital intermediate. It is this 4K DI that has been used here for this
Ultra HD Blu-ray. The film is presented with a 3840 x 2160p resolution and in a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the disc uses 10-bit video depth, a
Wider Colour Gamut (WCG) and
High Dynamic Range (HDR), and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec. We reviewed the Region free UK Ultra HD Blu-ray release of
Blade Runner on a
Panasonic 65DX902B Ultra HD 4K TV with a
Panasonic DMP-UB400 Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
The image on this Ultra HD Blu-ray is nothing short of a revelation
The 4K master affords this UHD disc an image that is a revelation. Detail is slightly sharper when it comes to finite edging; skin texture, clothing weaves, the illuminated windows over the cityscape, the neon signage, the definition of the light beams through smoke filled rooms are all prime examples. But it is with the WCG and the HDR where the real gold is. There is an added depth to frame that really pulls you into the screen; looking down the crowded streets as the light glints off glass and steel; while the rain soaks through everything. The Tyrell Corporation entrance hall is stunning in this regard, with a depth and roundness given to the pillars that is unmatched. See the glint of the glitter on Zhora’s body, the ice sheen on the artificial eyes, the verve of the advertising illuminations and the brightness of the spinner’s lights as they travel in the dark sky. Black levels are terrific, with even more hiding in the shadows, that help to add even more depth, while the white end of the scale is blistering without losing any detail. The grain level has also been sypathetically retianed. There is so much to praise with this image, that some feel it's like seeing the film as for the first time; I’d be slightly more reserved, but just like
Unforgiven, it has given the print a new lease of life with an immediate impact that is reference all the way.