- Database
- Fanedit Listings
- FanFix
- Blade Runner 2049: The Lifespan Cut
Blade Runner 2049: The Lifespan Cut
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2017
Original Running Time:
163
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
136
Time Cut:
27
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
A streamlined version of the original movie, with snappier dialogue and action but no major scenes removed. The same film you remember, yet half an hour shorter.
Intention:
Blade Runner 2049 was a good film which suffered from unnecessarily slow pacing. I don't have a problem with long movies but they have to earn their run time, which I don't feel Blade Runner 2049 quite does. So my main objective was to trim the length of the film without chopping any major scenes or drastically altering the plot.
Also, as a fan of the original Blade Runner I wanted to evoke a few more memories of that in my edit. As such I've inserted some musical cues from the original soundtrack by Vangelis. I haven't gone overboard with this, just enough to bring back the nostalgia. I also feel that 2049 is too "clean" looking. I've played with the colours and contrast throughout the movie to make it look a bit grimier.
Also, as a fan of the original Blade Runner I wanted to evoke a few more memories of that in my edit. As such I've inserted some musical cues from the original soundtrack by Vangelis. I haven't gone overboard with this, just enough to bring back the nostalgia. I also feel that 2049 is too "clean" looking. I've played with the colours and contrast throughout the movie to make it look a bit grimier.
Special Thanks:
To my brother for his opinions during the editing process and credit and thanks to jswert123456 for making the cover art.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
The main question I asked myself during every frame of the film: "Does this need to be here?". I wanted to be ruthless in trimming overlong scenes, unnecessary pauses between the dialogue, lingering camera shots (and Ryan Gosling staring off into the distance for far too long a time) – drawing from the kind of general pacing films had in the 1990s / 2000's when directors had to be more economical with their screen time.
Cuts and Additions:
- Thousands of trims related to pacing (such as having Officer K strike Mr. Cotton abruptly, rather than staring all around the room before doing it). Far too many little cuts to list specifically so I'll let the video itself do the talking.
- Created a brisker pace by tightening up dialogue throughout the movie.
- Shortened or tweaked the speed of various scene setting shots (for example, flying over the synthetic farms).
- Removed the scene with Luv pouring tea for a prospective client (this is the only scene in the movie that was entirely cut).
- Trimmed the Niander Wallace scenes / god complex dialogue as much as possible.
- Removed Wallace killing the replicant. This is the only "major" change this edit makes in terms of the characters.
- Added Vangelis score and original sound FX from Blade Runner (a few little easter eggs for fans of the original!)
- Altered colours and contrast throughout the picture.
- Created a brisker pace by tightening up dialogue throughout the movie.
- Shortened or tweaked the speed of various scene setting shots (for example, flying over the synthetic farms).
- Removed the scene with Luv pouring tea for a prospective client (this is the only scene in the movie that was entirely cut).
- Trimmed the Niander Wallace scenes / god complex dialogue as much as possible.
- Removed Wallace killing the replicant. This is the only "major" change this edit makes in terms of the characters.
- Added Vangelis score and original sound FX from Blade Runner (a few little easter eggs for fans of the original!)
- Altered colours and contrast throughout the picture.
User reviews
2 reviews
Overall rating
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
8.5(2)
Audio Editing
9.5(2)
Visual Editing
9.5(2)
Narrative
10.0(2)
Enjoyment
7.5(2)
(Updated: September 15, 2018)
Overall rating
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
7.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
5.0
There were three spots where BR2049 Lifespan Cut really worked for me: the trimmed furnace discovery scene, the inspired use of “Rachael’s Song” from the original BR soundtrack album, and the pulsing yellow light in K’s apartment, which was a nice touch.
Unfortunately, a handful of good moments didn’t add up to an enjoyable experience for me. I was immediately put off by the opening scene being sped up (and the audio pitched back down to sound more like the original pitch), which was obvious in aerial shots of the solar farms, or in images like the crawling maggots or the garlic pot steam. Other scenes seemed sped up, as well.
The colour filters to pump up contrast and saturation weren’t my cup of tea, which is fine, but what irked was the inconsistent use of these filters. For example, in K’s flight back into LA from the farm, there are flash frames without the filters. Certain shots in the scene have filters applied, and then others don’t, for no reason I could discern. This was distracting. (Perhaps the editor has cleaned up this aspect since I viewed the release, I don’t know. The same goes for video quality, which was lacking in the version I watched.)
Another major change is the use of Vangelis tracks from the original Blade Runner. These are well inserted into the soundtrack, but they took me out of the movie because they’re so iconic and closely connected to the original. For example, “Memories of Green” has the perfect woozy sound for Rachael and Deckard drinking, but the sound doesn’t connect to Joi in the rain. And neither do these two scenes really resonate with each other when they get to share the same piece of music.
Cuts in audio and video are seamless. This edit is almost 30 min shorter than the theatrical, so you do get nearly the same movie in a shorter run time. Where all the little trims were made, I generally couldn’t tell.
Unfortunately, a handful of good moments didn’t add up to an enjoyable experience for me. I was immediately put off by the opening scene being sped up (and the audio pitched back down to sound more like the original pitch), which was obvious in aerial shots of the solar farms, or in images like the crawling maggots or the garlic pot steam. Other scenes seemed sped up, as well.
The colour filters to pump up contrast and saturation weren’t my cup of tea, which is fine, but what irked was the inconsistent use of these filters. For example, in K’s flight back into LA from the farm, there are flash frames without the filters. Certain shots in the scene have filters applied, and then others don’t, for no reason I could discern. This was distracting. (Perhaps the editor has cleaned up this aspect since I viewed the release, I don’t know. The same goes for video quality, which was lacking in the version I watched.)
Another major change is the use of Vangelis tracks from the original Blade Runner. These are well inserted into the soundtrack, but they took me out of the movie because they’re so iconic and closely connected to the original. For example, “Memories of Green” has the perfect woozy sound for Rachael and Deckard drinking, but the sound doesn’t connect to Joi in the rain. And neither do these two scenes really resonate with each other when they get to share the same piece of music.
Cuts in audio and video are seamless. This edit is almost 30 min shorter than the theatrical, so you do get nearly the same movie in a shorter run time. Where all the little trims were made, I generally couldn’t tell.
P
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Does exactly what it says on the tin, making it the definitive fanfix for Blade Runner 2049. That the editor can trim the movie by a full half hour without making any significant omissions speaks for itself. Makes what felt like an experimentally European (and at times, excruciatingly slow) movie much breezier and accessible. Vangelis is a nice touch. Edits and audio-visual quality are impeccable.
R