The sci-fi masterpiece will be getting its highest resolution home entertainment release in September 2017 with the arrival of the Blade Runner 4K Ultra HD Special Edition containing Ridley Scott’s Final Cut. It’s the version that puts right the movie executive wrongs that were inflicted on the original release, and with the upcoming arrival of Blade Runner 2049 it’s clearly going to be a big year for Ridley Scott.
It’ll be out on 4K UHD on the 25th of September 2017, a little over a week earlier than Blade Runner 2049, which is due out at the box office in the UK on the 6th October. It’s going to be a busy time for Scott as he’ll also have Alien Covenant out on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on the 18th September and with rave reviews following its release on the big screen, he’s pretty much guaranteed two home entertainment hits within a couple of weeks.
The 4K version of Blade Runner: The Final Cut will see Ridley Scott’s 1993 re-cut of the film getting the full Ultra HD treatment. The original film, which was released in 1982, had a number of studio enforces elements included on it, but the 1993 re-work did an exceptional job of stripping them out, doing away with the schmultzy happy ending and stripping out the story hand-holding narration.
The narrator was none other than Harrison Ford himself, so you might imagine that it should have been as impeccable as the rest of his performance in the film. However, as it was a studio insisted addition to the film, the production’s heart clearly wasn’t in it and Ford later admitted that he’d done it badly thinking that it wouldn’t be used as a result. Needless to say that it made it in, which is something to think about the next time you mess up the washing up on purpose in the hopes of never doing it again.
In addition to the notable omissions, The Final Cut version also adds in a few scenes that had been taken out of the 1982 debut. It includes more character development and the fantastical unicorn scene, which hints at Deckard’s true origins, as well as his closing “brothers” lines.
It’s a sequence that has led Scott and Ford to differ on the background of the character with Ridley saying he’s a replicant and Harrison countering with a little more middle ground ambiguity. As the inspiration for the story is Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, it’s not really either of their call, so you can decide for yourself, no matter how Blade Runner 2049 works out. Although, if Ridley Scott is to believed then androids actually dream of unicorns. Whether or not they’re electric is another matter.
The oversized black box for the Blade Runner 4K Special Edition release includes an exclusive art book, along with the 4K Ultra HD Final Cut version of the film, along with three other finished versions – Director’s Cut, Original Domestic Cut and Original International Theatrical Cut. You can see all of the extras for the bumper release below.
Blade Runner 4K Special Edition extras:
4K UHD Disc
- Final Cut Feature
- Intro by Ridley Scott
- Commentary by Ridley Scott
- Commentary by Screenwriters
- Commentary by Technical Crew
Blu-ray Disc 1
- Final Cut Feature
- Intro by Ridley Scott
- Commentary by Ridley Scott
- Commentary by Screenwriters
- Commentary by Technical Crew
Blu-ray Disc 2
- Director’s Cut
- Original Domestic cut
- Original International Theatrical Cut
- Intro by Ridley Scott Director’s Cut
- Intro by Ridley Scott Original Domestic cut
- Intro by Ridley Scott Original International Theatrical Cut
Blu-ray Disc 3
- Workprint featurette
- Workprint introduction by Ridley Scott
- Workprint commentary by future noir author Paul M. Sammon
- Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner documentary
- The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick featurette
- Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film featurette
- Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews featurette
- Signs of the Times: Graphic Design featurette
- Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling featurette
- Screen Tests: Rachel and Pris featurette
- The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth featurette
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes – Including introduction by Ridley Scott
- On the Set featurette
- Convention reel
- Behind-the-scenes outtakes
- 1981 teaser trailer
- 1982 theatrical trailer
- 1982 TV spot – trailers and TV spot
- 1992 Director’s Cut trailer
- 2007 Dangerous Days teaser trailer
- 2007 Final Cut trailer
- Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art featurette
- Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard featurette
- Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers featurette
- All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut featurette
- Blade Runner Stills Gallery containing 1,042 images
There will be more from the sci-fi genius of Philip K. Dick shortly with Channel 4’s Electric Dreams, which will feature a new adaptations of a number of his stories. You can also check out our video below too see more DVD, Blu-ray and 4K release dates scheduled for September, including Blade Runner 4K and Alien Covenant.
