To begin with, the movie is loosely based on a Philip K. Dick novel called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", by having some elements from the book be the basis for Ridley Scott's film. When it was first released back in the summer of 1982, it bombed in the box office. The movie was released alongside E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which made more than Blade Runner's budget. Compounding this was that Warner Bros. released a version that didn't meet Scott's vision. Such as having Harrison Ford's narration be unnecessarily dull and have a happy ending which conflicted with the themes of the movie. Subsequently, another cut of the film was released called the director's cut which removed the narration and inserted a dream sequence.
Which leads us to this recent cut dubbed the "Final Cut". This specific one is the one which Ridley Scott had total control artistically. With that out of the way, this is Blade Runner: The Final Cut. Spoilers will appear.
The film takes place during the futuristic rendition of Los Angeles in 2019. It took me out of the moment since we still don't have flying cars or explored further into outer space for colonization. Priorities I guess. We have a text crawl explain what a "replicant" is. It explains that they are androids who appear to be human but are mainly used for hard labor due to them having superior strength. We then transition to a very futuristic industrialized Los Angeles, where there flame stacks which remind me of an oil refinery. Overlooking the entire city is a pyramid like building housing the Tyrell Corporation which assembles and builds the replicants.
I love the zooming shot of the pyramid. I feel that the music by artist Vangelis contributes to the mysticism of the building and the wonder of what's inside it. More so is when we still zoom into a series of windows which has ceiling fans. I wondered if it was either spliced in footage or miniatures being used.
Inside the building we meet Holden who is a "Blade Runner". He interviews a worker while using a machine called the "Voight-Kampff test". Think of it like a lie detector test, but to weed out a human who may be a replicant. The testing go south and the employee named Leon kills Holden. Just seeing them actually kill someone is an example in either film or literary terms called "Chekov's Gun". Meaning that a specfic thing that is described to do something has to be shown.
We then transition to the main star of the film. Harrison Ford plays a retired Blade Runner called Rick Deckard who is shown eating at a noodle shop in the city. He is confronted by a man named Gaff who tells him that his superior needs to speak to him. They both fly to what I assume to be an LAPD headquarters, to have Deckard be interviewed. He eventually sees his old boss Bryant, who tells him that four replicants have run rampant and needs Deckard to "retire" the replicants. Rick doesn't take the job but Bryant manages to tell threaten him with something incriminating which leads to Rick taking the job.
The whole scene plays out like an old detective films of the past. By having Deckard be a weathered guy who only reluctantly agrees to do a final job before actually retiring. I want to say that having Gaff be in the background doing his own thing such as assembling metallic origami figures, makes me think that he is a replicant but doesn't know it.
So they watch footage of the runaway replicants who rebelled in their off world facility and took a shuttle to Earth. Six of them tried to barge their way into Tyrell Corp.'s building but only four are still alive. What makes them so formidable is that they are the updated version of the replicants dubbed Nexus 6s. The surviving group is led by: Roy Batty, played by the late Rutger Hauer, Pris who is played by Darryl Hannah, as well as a "pleasure model" which confuses me since they don't use prostitute and Leon who we've seen earlier. There is some key moments such as having them be built to have a four year lifespan. Bryant then tells Deckard to test out the Voight Kampff on Tyrell's replicants, but Rick wonders if the new models can manage to outmaneuver the test.
Both Rick and Gaff go to Tyrell Corps and man, this set is so beautiful. It looks something out of royalty and mostly divine. There's also an owl which is actually artificial meaning that most living biological animals are all gone. Deckard meets Rachael who is so attractive and the hairstyle so, weird. She introduces him to Dr. Tyrell who wants Rick to try and "test" Rachael. We see the test in its methodical usage. I love the shot of Rachael smoking, the lighting is otherworldly. It gets to a point where Rick uses 100 questions on Rachael before the machine tells him that she is a replicant.
Tyrell tells her to leave the room, as he confesses to Deckard that she is an android but doesn't know it. He elaborates further that newer models have implanted memories that make them not go aggressive since the emotion is triggered when they realize that they have a short manufactured life. This what helps the theme of being human. Imagine knowing that everything you have known is a lie, knowing that you have just 4 years to live, that would make anyone be aggressive.
The only complaint with the film that I personally feel is that the moments with the replicants are just not interesting to me. Particularly the moments when we follow Pris. She is supposed to be the femme fatale in the movie but I always assume that its Rachael since she is closer to Deckard. Regardless, Roy should've been the one with the most screen time since he's the one that is actively pursuing Dr. Tyrell. Since he wants to gain the ability to live forever. Since he is told its not possible, Roy justifiably kills Tyrell.
When we're with Rick in his apartment, there's a specific moment where its alleged that he is a replicant. He briefly dreams of a unicorn running in a forest. Many assume that particular shot of the animal is a clear signal that Deckard is a replicant. Although, there seems to be not clear since Ridley Scott says he is while Harrison Ford disagrees that his character is one. In my opinion, he is but it doesn't really matter.
After Deckard manages to kill off (with some help) the remaining replicants, he confronts Roy. This scene is really the best out of all the scenes with the humans and replicants. Roy just toys with Rick in the abandoned apartment building. It's refreshing there wasn't any type of violence such as gun fights or a fight sequence. With just Roy going after Rick like a predator is really refreshing for this kind of film. The real highlight is when they're both at the rooftop when it's raining. Both are drained of energy and Roy monologues in front of Deckard. Saying to him that although he has memories that aren't his, the moments that he has seen will nevertheless be gone. As he puts it "like tears in rain".
I feel that this film should be looked at by more people who love science fiction. It has a certain aesthetic that makes it feel unique. The special effects, while made in the early eighties still hold up. The music is the most memorable in any film. There are tints of noir sprinkled in the movie as well as emphasizing the futuristic aesthetic.
Overall, Blade Runner: The Final Cut should've been released back in '82. While it could've not performed well due to competition from an acclaimed director. It wouldn't be the first time where Warner Bros. had interfered with other movies. Where they butchered a director's vision due to the huge gamble the studio had but feared for the millions lost in their investment. The point is that the film is great and must be watched by any film enthusiast.
Blade Runner:The Final Cut gets a 4 out of 5.
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