Blade Runner – Electric Unicorn Cut

This is another extended cut of Blade Runner, much like ADM’s version but with a few notable differences such as the opening sequence; just like the official version but with the addition of the dictionary definitions of ‘Replicant’, the inclusion of the unicorn dream sequence (which ADM removed) and one of the ‘happy ending’ deleted scenes running after the end credits finish.

There are a few other differences such as the placement of the deleted cityscape establishing shots and the use of music cues. It also includes one deleted shot not present in ADM’s version, the shot looking down from the Bradbury building as Deckard drives up revealing the fact that the road he is on is suspended well above ground level which explains how Deckard can be dangling over an insanely high drop later on after apparently only walking up a few flights of stairs (and doing a little climbing).

All in all it’s another, slightly different, extended version of Blade Runner (for those of us who want the deleted scenes AND the unicorn dream sequence included) it is technically very well produced, it has a fantasticly produced DVD menu mimicking the ones used in the official Final Cut release and is an all round high quality release. I have to say that I do slightly prefer this version to the one by ADM but this is not because of his work as an editor, which is uniformally brilliant (including his work on the Blade Runner Extended Edition), but simply because of a difference in taste: he prefers the voice over (also present as an option on the Electric Unicorn Cut DVD though not with the wide range of options that ADM provided) where as I do not, he doesn’t like the unicorn sequence but I do.

Both are superb editions, this one just happens to be more to my taste.