Blade
Runner: The Final Cut 4K
(1982/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-rays + DVD/four disc set)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A 1080p Picture: A- Sound: A-/B+
Extras: B Final Cut/Film: A-
After
being attacked politically, exploited and misunderstood as a result,
Ridley Scott's Blade
Runner
(1982) still amazes, impresses and influences filmmakers, viewers and
much more while being more accurate in its predictions of a dystopian
future than anyone would have liked to have had when it arrived in
the early years of a supposed 'bright new day in America' that was a
big hoax. Several years ago, Scott got to finish his Final
Cut
from all the saved extra film footage, plus original camera materials
in 35mm and 65mm film in 2007. We reviewed the 5-disc set that
resulted and was also part of a now highly-collectible box set in no
less than two formats (a third DVD set was also issued) at this
link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6722/Blade+Runner+%E2%80%93+5-Disc+Complete+Col
The
upcoming sequel imagines that Harrison Ford's Deckard is still alive,
replicant or not, he has not expired, which could still fit most
interpretations of the film people have and all endings unless one
surmises the final point is the shortness of life makes it precious
and priceless no matter what form of life you are and you expect he
does not have long to live. He apparently has outlived Sean Young's
Rachel, but more on that when it arrives on 4K Blu-ray.
The
original 1982 film was criticized at the time for being 'too dark'
and that had some validity, but that also came from bad projection,
bad video copies, bad film copies and some expecting everything to be
too well lit like bad TV. Now that the arrival of digital post David
Fincher's Se7en
has offered presentations so dark that Blade
Runner
looks like Wizard
Of Oz,
more people will finally realize what we fans of the film have know
all along: the film has a superior use of color even against the
darkness it brings with it.
I
stick by everything I've said about the film in the previous review
and elsewhere, but recent political events prove it a work of art,
that many still
have not caught up with it or understood it and too many never will.
Its re-release timing, along with its sequel hitting screens soon,
could not be better.
Thus,
that leaves me moving onto the technical performance (for now) of the
film here, easily one of the best back catalog and 4K titles on the
market to date.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10-Bit color; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra
High Definition 2.35 X 1 image is as stunning as expected, color
accurate throughout, stable, rich, warm, deep, with jet blacks, ivory
white, wide-ranging reds and offering clarity the older 1080p 2.35 X
1 digital High Definition image transfer on the regular Blu-ray could
not and cannot deliver, a disc also included here. I wish the late
great Director of Photography Jordan Cronenweth, A.S.C., was around
to see this looking as amazing as the best 35mm prints and 70mm
blow-ups of the film. Despite all of its imitators (especially
lately in the few filmmakers smart enough to even try and imitate it)
over the years, the
film is a classic and one of the reasons is it has a look like no
other film and one that will never be totally duplicated again as it
should be. In this form, the film is a must-see, especially in 4K,
which delivers the film in its most undeniable form and impact.
Sonically
for 4K, the film has been further upgraded for Dolby Atmos 11.1
lossless sound, whereas the regular 1080p Blu-ray still offers a
really fine Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix, but the Atmos opes up the film just
that little bit more showing how creative and even innovative the
sound design was and it has an even more accurate soundfield. Since
the Blu-ray was originally issued, the Vangelis music score was
issued in a limited edition, audio-only, ultra high definition Super
Audio CD edition from Audio Fidelity, so the Atmos upgrade was a good
move, even if those SA-CD tracks were not used for any of the discs
here. Not bad for a film originally a Dolby 70mm 4.1 magnetic stereo
surround release in its best theatrical presentations. It also looks
like the film was meant to be the fifth Warner release in their
MegaSound bass format, but the format was cancelled as .1 LFE low
bass sound effects became the norm in the industry.
Extras
include Digital Copy of the film, while the 4K disc includes the
Final
Cut
trailer in full 4K, plus the three older audio commentary tracks that
are also on the 1080p regular Blu-ray, one of the three discs
repeated here from the previous 2007 multi-disc set we reviewed at
the link above. That 1080p disc was the #1 disc from the original
set, while Disc #3 from that set becomes #3 here with three cuts more
cuts of the film in its International
Version,
U.S.
Theatrical Version
(both from 1982) & 1992 Director's
Cut
that eliminates the infamous Ford/Deckard voice-overs and was the cut
Warner issued after Criterion made the film an upscale home video
hit. The two Blu-rays also offer these same three audio commentary
tracks on the 4K disc, plus...
The
Electric Dreamer: Remembering Phillip K. Dick
Sacrificial
Sheep: The Novels vs. The Film
Phillip
K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews
Sign
of the Times: Graphic Design
Fashion
Forward: Wardrobe & Styling
Screen
Tests: Rachael and Pris
The
Light that Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
Deleted
& Alternate Scenes
1982
Promotional Featurettes
Trailers
and TV Spots
Promoting
Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art
Deck-a-Rep:
The True Nature of Rick Deckard
Nexus
Generations: Fans and Filmmakers
[NOTE:
We were told we have a different set of discs by accident since we
posted this ands never got the official content list, et al, so some
of this might not be accurate. We'll updatewhen we get the official
update...]
We
do sadly lose the two Blu-rays from the older set that included the
interesting Workprint
version and the other a bunch of extras, so the fourth disc here that
is a DVD, has trailers for 4 other releases from years ago, but
includes the Dangerous
Days
documentary that producer of the restoration Charles de Lauzirika
directed among the many he was making at the time. It was shot in HD
of the time like all the studio featurettes were, so why is it not on
Blu-ray here? Did they lose the HD master? Is that master somehow
degraded? Are they mad at de Lauzirika for some unknown reason?
Does the HD just not look that good today and needed to much work to
fix it?
As
interesting and melodramatic as those possibilities are, I would
guess it is so anyone without a 4K set-up or (gasp...) even Blu-ray
set-up (there are more people out there without players than you
might think!) might get the set by accident, only have a DVD player
(sad) and like or love the film. They might even just be curious
about the film. So what can they watch? Only this featurette, which
is very thorough and well done. Thus, they might just be inspired
enough to go get a 4K or Blu-ray player and set up to enjoy the film
the way it is meant to be seen and is so extremely well presented
here.
Lucky
for them, they'll not only be not disappointed, they'll be amazed and
stunned because Blade
Runner: The Final Cut 4K
is not only one of the best 4K titles now on the market, it is one of
the best demo titles on home video in any format and is a must-own
for all serious motion picture fans. Get it!!!
You
can also read about the sequel Blade
Runner 2049
(2017) in its own 4K set at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15125/Blade+Runner+2049+(2017/Warner+4K+Ultra+HD
-
Nicholas Sheffo
