"Blade Runner: The Final Cut" OK, Ridley, You Can Stop Now

First off, let me start out my review by stating that I love the movie "Blade Runner." I saw the movie for the first time on video when I was much younger than I am now and the images and storyline were so compelling and amazing, they never left me. For the longest time, though, I did not realize there was a controversy surrounding the movie. Apparently the version that made it into theaters was not the original visions director Ridley Scott had in mind. He didn't want the Harrison Ford narration, for example. Apparently there were suggestions that the Harrison Ford character himself was a "replicant" or artificial human that the story is based on. I knew none of these things.

For those of you who may be new to the "Blade Runner" story, I guess I should explain the plot. It is set in the future where cars are flying and huge buildings the size of mountains cover the landscape. Down on the streets, where the regular people dwell, it is always dark and always rainy and everyone is always in the shadow of these huge corporations. It is also a time when artificial animals and human beings, known as replicants, are created and used in everyday life. However, some violent uprisings among the humanoid replicants has lead to them being banned from Earth and are only used off-world.

However, these replicants sometimes make it back to Earth. They are then hunted down by special policemen known as "Blade Runners." They do not bring these replicants in for questioning or anything. They hunt them down and kill them.

In the movie, Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, has been retired from the business for sometime. However, four replicants, have come to Earth. It turns out that the Tyrell Corporations that makes them, has only given each replicant a four year lifespan. The leader of this group of rebels, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), wants more life. Deckard is brought back out of retirement to hunt these replicants down.

The plot is filmed very much in a film noir style. Deckard wears a long brown trenchcoat and it's the kind of movie you could almost picture a Humphrey Bogart making back in his day. If it weren't for the flying cars and replicants and things, this could be your standard detective movie from the 40s and 50s. It's an amazing movie visually. It has influenced filmmakers down the line since it first came to screens in 1982. For an example, just watch "The Crow" and you'll see a movie that almost steals scenes from this one wholesale.

After the movie was released, there was some controversy. Apparently the film Ridley Scott turned in to the studios was not accepted by them. They felt the plot was too complicated and they insisted that a narration be added. So, if you have seen "Blade Runner" and heard the droning Harrison Ford narration, then you have not seen a version officially endorsed by the director. It turns out, there were other inconsistencies throughout the film as well. For example, in the original version the man who bring Deckard back into the police force states that there were originally six replicants who hijacked a ship to come back to earth. He then says, along the way, one got fried. Technically this would leave five replicants for Deckard to hunt, but he only hunts down four, which always left a question in the minds of fans as to who the fifth replicant was.

The movie's plot does get sort of complicated. There is another replicant named Rachel, whom Deckard meets and realizes she is "more human than human." He then falls in love with her but at the same time, she is illegal and should be hunted down and killed by another Blade Runner, most likely Graff, played by Edward James Olmos.

Not too long ago, Ridley Scott released a Directors Cut back into theaters. I went and saw it in the theaters. The narration had been eliminated and a very brief dream sequence that Deckard had involving a unicorn was put in, but the movie itself did not seem that different from the version I had seen before. I was still blown away by the visuals and was impressed with finally seeing "Blade Runner" on a big theater screen. Since then, more versions, supposedly each on closer to the original vision Ridley Scott had have come out.

Now, thanks to Blue Ray and DVDs you can get all versions of "Blade Runner." Included in this impressive package is something called "Blade Runner: Final Cut." According to the press materials, this is the one that is absolutely the closest to Ridley Scott's vision and the most likely you will see that would match his original plans for the film.

I have watched this movie. I would be exceptionally hard-pressed to tell you what the differences between this version and the version I saw in the theaters were. There was the unicorn dream sequence. The narration was still gone. Apparently they cleared up the discrepancy of the number of replicants on Earth. Now we are told that six replicants escaped, but two got fried, leaving only the four. Nothing further is added as to whether Deckard himself is or is not a replicant, which is something that is still debated amongst fans.

The film has been digitally restored. As such, the special effects look as crisp and clean and impressive as they did in 1982. The story is still compelling. The visuals are still stunning. The acting is still exceptional, particularly on the part of Rutger Hauer.

However, is there really anything in "Final Cut" that is so new and radical it should be purchased right now and seen by fans of the movie? Eh, not really. If you have seen any of the releases of previous director's cuts, I think you'll have seen this movie. Heck, if you are still a fan of the original 1982 version complete with narration and minus the unicorns, I think you can still be happy and enjoy the version you saw.

In short, I think Ridley Scott can really stop with the various director's cuts at this point. Unless he has a version that introduces new characters or that radically changes the movie in some significant way, this is just milking it. For those of you obsessed with movies and who have a true and intense passion for this movie, it may be worth the investment.

For the rest of you...don't bother.