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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I'll be getting the four-disc set myself. I haven't seen the theatrical narrated version in at least ten years.

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Originally posted by CharlieBZ:
The only problem is I have to choose between the Twin Peaks DVD set and this one.

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Originally posted by reginaroadie:

It's weird. I've really tried to get into and like BLADE RUNNER, since everyone says it's one of, if not THE, best sci-fi movie ever made. But every time I see it, I just think it's pretty looking, but totally cold and emotionless.

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Originally posted by reginaroadie:
I just think it's pretty looking, but totally cold and emotionless.

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Originally posted by ImNotHere:

Another thing which is not obvious from the film is that the bustling streets are not due to overpopulation - rather, the earth has been depopulated by nuclear war and emigration to space that the remaining population - still on Earth because they are either gentically flawed or are needed to do an important job - are huddling together for comfort.

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Originally posted by reginaroadie:
Do we have so little faith in our children and how they will shape the future that we constantly depict them fracking up the state of the world?

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Originally posted by chrisisall:

The voice-over makes all the difference IMO. It gets you a little bit into Deckard's head, and by the end you see that he's just been trying to shut off his feelings like so many others.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
While the nuclear war thing isn't so obvious,

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Originally posted by asarian:

Which is why I'll pass up on it: I *need* the voice-over. Without it, it feels barren to me.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I remember (or maybe I'm misremembering) an interview with Ford where he said he didn't want to do the narration and did not try to do it very well in hopes they wouldn't use it.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I remember (or maybe I'm misremembering) an interview with Ford where he said he didn't want to do the narration and did not try to do it very well in hopes they wouldn't use it.




wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
They asked him to read it, so he read it. As flat as he could, hoping it wouldn't be used.
Turns out, IMO, that that reading was perfect for a world-weary guy like Deckard.

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Originally posted by Storymark:


If he really didn't want them to use it, maybe he should have used the voice he used when he questioned Zora?

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
It's too bad she won't live
Chrisisall

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Originally posted by Storymark:
Probably the International, so that I can spot all the subtle changes in the Final Cut more easily.

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Originally posted by Storymark:
All I've watched so far is the "Dangerous Days" doc, which was excellent (and looong).

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
Holy crap was Batty's intro in the storyboards cool- climbing out of a mass-grave of replicants!?!?!?!!
DD's is so long, it'll take me another day or so to finish...

Inceptisall

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Originally posted by Storymark:

Pretty cool.

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Originally posted by Storymark:
Watched it last night. Loved it - but I already did. I prefer the non-narrated version, so it was really just a cleaned up version of what I already liked.

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Originally posted by Storymark:
Christmas break (15 days off, starting in 2 hours - YEAH!).

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Originally posted by Storymark:
Finally did, partially on your recomendation -

LOVED IT!

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Originally posted by Storymark:
Another groovy featurette is the deleted and alternate scenes on disk 4. It comes off as a 45 minute version of the film, as if Deckard was re-telling the story later... leaving some things out, adding some inconsequential details and such. Pretty cool.

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Originally posted by chrisisall:
BR 4 disk set

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Originally posted by deadlockvictim:
hey the doors open on the spinner car...!

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It was absolutely, completely worth it. Watched the Workprint version last night, the "All Our Variant Futures" documentary, and the deleted/alternate scenes, and finally a little of the Paul Sammon commentary on the workprint before I finally had to concede that my body required sleep. This is without a doubt the release of the year, from what little I've been able to watch of this so far. My deepest appreciation and congratulations go to Charlie de Lauzirika and everyone else who worked on this set, from the people who researched and restored elements, all the way to the people in Warner Bros. Legal who had to clear everything; they all had their work cut out for them, and delivered big-time.

It's really something when you can be reading about a DVD release for months before it comes out, know exactly what's on it, and still be blown away. This isn't just a home run; it's a grand slam.

Quite frankly, this may be the greatest special edition ever produced. I don't mean to say that as a fanboy (which I probably am anyway), but just objectively looking at all of the content on it, it's hard to think of any single release that matches it, especially when one considers the interesting and problematic history of this film. Even the best sets that I can think of have something or other that make them not as good as this set. Think of the Extended Editions of The Lord of the Rings -- amazing sets, but they lack the theatrical versions of the films, as well as the special features from the theatrical DVDs. The Ultimate Set of Superman that came out last year was also amazing, but lacked the extended television cuts of the first two films, as well as a commentary for Superman Returns, a workprint version of Superman IV, etc. Or the Fantasia set, one of my all-time favorites, that unfortunately lacks the original Deems Taylor narration from the original film, as well as the shorter version that had been known to audiences for years, and probably should have been included anyhow.

That's not to knock any of those sets, which are fantastic and among the best of the best. Rather, that's to point out just how good this new Blade Runner set is. Every version of the film. A huge three-and-a-half-hour-long documentary. Deleted scenes assembled as a watchable, stand-alone quasi-feature in its own right. Commentaries. All sorts of featurettes. Unbelievable what they were able to put together. And that doesn't even include "The Final Cut" itself, which wasn't originally getting a theatrical run, and was just being made for this DVD.

With all of the bonus material here, it's easy to forget how awesome it is that there's a "Final Cut" version in and of itself. PLUS all of the other versions out there, so there truly isn't any revisionism here, no attempt to replace the earlier versions of the film or to wipe them from our memories. If you prefer either of the 1982 original theatrical releases, they're there, and better looking than they've ever been on any home video format. (I noticed that the four-disc set was only $25 at Best Buy, which is an amazing price to get "The Final Cut," the older 1992 "Director's Cut," and the original theatricals with the narration, so you can't even complain that you're being forced to spend an arm and a leg if the 1982 version is your preferred cut. Classy all the way.)

Incidentally, I've just gotten a notification from the UPS website that my delivery from Amazon that was scheduled for today will not happen because of some shipping error, or some other bull****. So I definitely don't regret buying one at Best Buy now, as I wouldn't have had it tonight anyway.

The real point I'm trying to make, and probably could have done a better job of doing, is that for me at least, this is *the* release of 2007, and one of the best special editions ever produced. They opened up the vaults and gave us just about everything they could have. I might not be as impressed by that in and of itself for some other films, but considering all of the legal issues that have surrounded this film since the beginning, it's practically a miracle just to have anything, and I definitely take that into account in my opinion of the set.

(I think the most recent James Bond releases had the potential to be among the great special editions, for instance, but that it ends up being an "almost, but not quite" affair...had those features been provided for Blade Runner, I would have been ecstatic, but since James Bond hasn't had the sort of legal nightmare that Blade Runner has had, they had no excuse not to have done better.)

Also, I like that with the briefcase set, Warners are essentially saying, "This has everything, and you won't need to hold on to your earlier edition of the film, or buy something else that's already been out, to have everything." If you want everything for Lord of the Rings, you have to buy what? -- three different versions, now? That counts for a lot with me.

Like I said, it's all a matter of taste and preference, and for me, this Blade Runner briefcase set gives me everything I could have ever hoped for and much more.

Stellar, stellar work.

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Originally posted by ecgordon:

Blade Runner is still my second favorite SF film of all time (and no, Chris, Serenity is still not my #1 :) ).

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Originally posted by ecgordon:
I consider 2001 the best

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Originally posted by ecgordon:

It wouldn't come anywhere near my Top 10 however.

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