T5W#331-Top 5 Versions of Blade Runner

This Friday on First Impression Fridays, I’ll be taking a look at the first two episodes of the long anticipated Blade Runner Anime-Blade Runner: Black Lotus.  While not the first Blade Runner Anime to ever exist (that honor goes to the short Blade Runner: Blackout 2022), Black Lotus is the first Anime TV Series to ever come out of this long standing inspiration of cyberpunk and Anime alike.  If you’re new here, 1982’s Blade Runner is my favorite movie of all time and I could talk about how awesome it is all day.  I’ve been digging deep into its mythology and behind the scenes production since I first saw the movie on SciFi Channel in 2000.  Most people might not realize that there are 5 Official Versions of Blade Runner in existence.  And today, I’m gonna rank them in a Top 5 list and whether or not theyre worth a watch: Spoiler Alert-Most of them are..  These are the Top 5 Versions of Blade Runner.

 
#5-The International Cut

I love Blade Runner, I do.  And truthfully, any version of the movie is worth a look…except maybe this one.  The International Cut is virtually identical to the Theatrical Cut of the movie save for a few literal seconds of extra violent scenes that all come very late in the film.  The only reason this Cut continues to show up in all the collections is this is the version that was released on Home Video and as part of the Criterion Collection Laser Disc selection.  In my opinion: this is the one Cut of Blade Runner you can skip without a lot of fuss.  Those extra few seconds of bloody and violence, they show up in other cuts down the line.

 
#4-The Workprint

The Workprint is the original Rough Cut of Blade Runner that was shown  to test audiences in March of 1982 and was subsequently rediscovered and shown at unofficial screenings in the early 90s which prompted the creation of another Cut we’ll talk about later.  The Workprint is certainly unfinished but is still unique in its own right with new edits, rare music not seen in any other version of Blade Runner (including a more appropriate song for Deckard and Rachel’s “Romance” scene) and even a couple bits of new narraration from Deckard towards the end.  I’m not sure how I would’ve felt about Blade Runner had I seen this first.  The test screenings in 81 were negative, leading to our next Cut.  However, the residscovery screenings had a more positive reception, even I liked it…so maybe it’s a good idea to watch it after you’ve checked out everything else.

 
#3-The Theatrical Cut

This was the version that showed up on Scifi Channel in 2000, my first ever exposure to Blade Runner.  This is the Cut that features all the cuts made thanks to the reception around the Workprint and also features full Deckard narraration for most of the movie.  Neither Ridley Scott or Harrison Ford wanted narraration included but I kind of like it, even if it does a bit of hand holding.  It adds a bit more film noirness to the story.  Regardless about how one feels about being told a lot about the world from Deckard’s narraration, that old Blade Runner magic is still intact.  Thanks to this movie, I came to love certain Anime that it inspired down the line like Ghost in the Shell and Psycho Pass thanks to its themes of identity, mortality and that ever blurring line between Man and Machine…plus I was quoting Blade Runner like crazy, still can and still do.

 
#2-The Directors Cut

This is kind of a misleading one because while it’s called “The Director’s Cut” it’s not really that kind of Cut.  Ridley Scott was busy filming Thelma and Louise at the time but thanks to the resurrection of The Workprint and the positive response from audiences, he gave Warner Bros. his blessing to work on the Cut without him.  This version of the film contains several heavy changes to the original narrative including the removal of Deckard’s narraration and the “Happy Ending” from the Theatrical Cut.  Most importantly, The Director’s Cut marks the first appearance of the extremely important Unicorn Scene.  It may look like a deleted bit from Ridley Scott’s “Legend”.  But the bigger implications from this short scene opened up the Blade Runner universe for me like never before and actually made me really study the film and ponder the biggest question always surrounding it: Is Deckard himself a Replicant? (Personally, the answer is Yes and the movie is far more fascinating for it).

 
#1-The Final Cut

For the 25^th Anniversary, Ridley Scott returned to Blade Runner with his full investment and finally perfected his vision from 1982 with enhanced visuals, touch ups, and basically everything from every other edit combined into one final product.  No Narraration. No Happy Ending. The inclusion of small snippets of long lost footage. All the extra bits of Violence.  Even the original version of the Unicorn Scene restored to its proper self.  When people ask me which version of Blade Runner to watch before watching Blade Runner 2049 or any other story in the franchise, I’ll tell them to watch The Final Cut.  After all, this is the way Blade Runner was always meant to be experienced and its rare a movie can reach a level of completion so long after it originally came out.  While I wont say every version before it was bad (the International Cut is just pointless) it definitely feels like we were being provided several negatives before we reached this positive (See i can still quote the movie like that, cant stop wont stop).
 

Bonus Suggestion: The Deleted Scenes

When the Final Cut was released on DVD and Blu Ray, several Special Edition sets included every official version of Blade Runner in existence (including the Workprint).  There’s also a treasure trove of behind the scenes specials, interviews, storyboards, everything you ever wanted to know about Blade Runner and how it was made.  I mention this to recommend The Deleted Scenes, which can be played in sequential order as one continuous and uninterrupted 45min feature.  The way they’re all edited together it feels like you’re watching a companion piece that’s slightly abridged.  And most of these scenes are “new” in that they’ve never shown up in any version of Blade Runner out there.  New stuff includes Deckard seeking advice from his Blade Runner successor, Holden, who was shot and almost killed in the films intro; an expanded role for Deckard’s partner Gaff, including more City Speak; and a ton of Deckard narraration.  It’s like you’re watching an unofficial 6^th Cut of Blade Runner and its one of the most fascinating gems in what I consider a treasure trove of filmmaking history.