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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Ridley Scott's "Blade
Runner" is an apocalyptic postmodernist vision of
the future. The story involves a bounty hunter,
Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is assigned to
kill three replicants -- androids that look
identical to humans, but who have come to earth to
seek revenge on their creator, Eldon Tyrell (Joe
Turkel).
Sean Young costars as Rachel, the latest replicant
model that is so incredibly lifelike that not even
she knows that she's not human. Also in the cast
are Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty -- the ultimate
replicant killing machine -- Edward Olmos as a
police detective, and Darryl Hannah as the
psychotic replicant, Pris.
Flawed in its narrative, but visually stunning,
"Blade Runner" has developed a cult following --
and it is easy to see why. The production is
layered with multi-references to the steady moral
and social demise of our own society that stir the
mind into rethinking this movie as much more than
a sci-fi adventure. This version of the film is
the re-edited director's cut that audiences were
never shown in 1982. The subtle tweaking of story
and plot elements really doesn't enhance one's
viewing experience so much as it just alters the
story in a different direction. It also lacks
Ford's noirish voice-over narration.
But what a shame about the transfer! Though the
general color balancing and attention to fine
details, even in the darkest scenes, is adequate,
there is simply no excuse for leaving the chips,
scratches and in some cases, tears in this DVD
transfer. Pixelization crops up now and them, but
the most disturbing part of the transfer is that
it fails to pay attention to the dirt and (in some
cases) hair, stuck to the film negative. The
result is a dirty looking picture that, while
perhaps in keeping with Ridley Scott's vision of a
dank, hard universe of the future, is most
definitely not what the director had in mind.
Saving grace: the transfer is anamorphically
enhanced for widescreen televisions.
The sonic characteristic of the 5.1 audio is rich,
though dated. Strong bass and reasonably
well-balanced dialogue and effects are undermined
on a few occasions by the dubbing in of dialogue.
And one final insult from Warner Brothers, this
disc has no extras -- not even a theatrical
trailer! |
