Review Detail

Honestly this might well become my definitive version of Blade Runner. Deckard is left a little more of a mystery as his reactions to "retiring" the Replicants grow--it's a dark world and perhaps the reason Deckard retired in the first place. What I truly enjoy about this version (apart from the absence of Harrison Ford's tired narration), is how it refocuses the narrative on choice.

Rachael's arc is perhaps the best shown by this, from her attempt to prove her own humanity to her choice to save Deckard, this edit brings Sean Young's marvelous and nuanced performance to the fore. The bond between her and Deckard is still one forged of desperation, but now it's also a shared vulnerability and kindness. It also makes the parallels between Batty/Pris and Deckard/Rachael more compelling, and Deckard's fear at the end all the more palpable.

This extends to the adjustment of Sebastian's motivation and fate. While elements of manipulation and danger remains, it feels so much more fulfilling leaving that to the background. Instead we get a feel for this lonely man who knows what it is to be dying, who lets his sympathy blind him to the anger and despair that Batty is cycling through. Leaving his fate ambiguous also makes more sense given what we've learned about Batty: namely that beneath the fire is a scared man desperate to be free.