Blade Runner: The Final Cut Review- A Classic For Sure, But Is It Actually Good?

Blade Runner first hit cinemas and blew minds in 1982. The film that proved Ridley Scott wasn't just a one trick pony after Alien in 79', Blade Runner joined his previous cinematic entry becoming yet another must watch science fiction masterpiece. Blade Runners legacy is long and filled with much fan fare and with a long anticipated sequel, Blade Runner 2049 only days away, we re-watched the original in its "Final Cut" format to review for you guys. Question is, how has it held up?

Firstly, Blade Runner still looks beyond incredible. The practical set design, atmosphere and real world props have kept Blade Runner looking fresh and real almost 4 decades later. Featuring one of the most original and bold sci-fi worlds ever to hit the big screen, Blade Runner is a testament to the longevity capable thanks to the use of sets and props over green screen, something 2049 looks to be carrying over. Even without all the sharpening of the image with all of its many remasters, this would still look good in its original format based purely on the sets alone.

Secondly, the score. Wow, we'd forgotten just how mind blowing and powerful Blade Runners score was. Perfectly capturing every moment and backing it to a T. There are too few films where you could sit baack without looking at the screen and simply appreciate the music in the background. A perfect blend of synths and orchestral instruments creates one of the most compelling and rich scores in cinema. 

Blade Runner joins the likes of Star Wars Han Solo and Indiana Jones with Deckard, one of Harrison Fords best roles. It's no wonder he is reviving these classic roles. Sure there is the opportunity to make an awful lot of cash (in particular if Star Wars: the Force Awakens was anything to go by) but these are the roles that put  him on the map and they're all straight up cool, why wouldn't you want to revisit them?

Now we fully agree that Blade Runner is a masterpiece of film making; one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made for sure, but we don't agree that it is perfect. We feel due to its density and the weight of all of its themes, it is a hard film to watch in quick succession like other classic sci-fi movies such as Star Wars, Back to the Future and Alien to name a few. It also feels a tad jumpy in its first act quickly skimming through scenes then later lingering on some a tad too long. If these choices were made for effect, we can't quite figure out what effect that is. Blade Runner: The Final Cut comes in at over 2 hours, which is pretty standard now-a-days though we feel that the pacing and theme heavy nature of the film may make it a hard slog for some. These are all forgiveable of course as these aspects are heavily out weighed by the good and great of Blade Runner.

For a more detailed review, please jump on over and check out our review of Blade Runner: The Final Cut!
 

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