Which 'Blade Runner' Cut Should I Watch? A Visual Explainer.

Fans and newcomers alike have faced an enduring question about Ridley Scott’s 1982 original: Which version of Blade Runner should I watch? Which one is the “correct” version?

Here you go, with some spoilers: How the different versions change the movie.

[GrandHighGamer]

The dove shot in the Final cut looks so much better. I had no idea it wasn't the original - which instead looks like it was just filmed outside in the studio backlot.

[MattyDante]

The director's cut wasn't even sanctioned by Scott. The Final Cut is the true directors cut. The fact they named the director's cut as such is very misleading.

[catsy]

“Which ‘Blade Runner’ Cut Should I Watch?”
*Spoils major points of the movie*

[ArtRoomProductions]

Fun fact: the theatrical cut ending has shots that were originally made for the Shining.

[steevidrums]

no matter how many times I see it, the opening shot of Los Angeles with the atmosphere of Vangelis' score still moves me to the core!

[RaytheonNublinski]

Sounds like Mr. Ford didn’t want to read those narration lines.

[alimollla]

I am one of the lucky people who saw this movie for the first time in the final cut version and for me, it's a masterpiece.

[Mister_H.]

“Too bad she won’t live but then again who does”
One of the most profound lines spoken in any movie!

[ShelbyRobertson]

Never seen the Theatrical. That additional ending sequence looks and sounds corny. No voice over for the win.

[LitreAhCola]

I'm surprised they didn't mention the AMAZING creative solution they applied to address the Abdul Ben Hassan shop interrogation scene. The audio never matched the video, so they got Harrison's son to come in and lip sync the lines, capturing just his mouth and chin, then superimposed that new footage onto the face of his father. It looks INCREDIBLE!

[AFoulOdor]

I’ve seen them all and like the Final Cut best. However, I wasn’t aware of the color shifting. Seeing the 2 side by side, I prefer the cooler colors.

[YahnLexicon]

I like the Director’s Cut for everything except for the implication that Deckard is a replicant. I personally think that it detracts from Rachel’s role and diminishes the tension and conflict between him and Roy at the end of the film. Not to mention that Roy’s death for Human Deckard signifies that he’s forgiving humanity for their flaws, and showcases that he’s more human than his own creators.

[MakoTheFrog]

Final cut for sure, it lends the most to the viewers own imagination by getting rid of the overly clunky exposition through forced narration, the narration thing always felt to me like a stylistic choice of a bygone age of cinema and when i first saw bladerunner i didn't like it very much or it didn't leave much of an impression, but after watching the final cut in prep for 2049 i really liked it.

[torq]

I watched Blade Runner in the cinema when it opened in 1982 and it instantly became my favourite movie INCLUDING the voice-over. It reminded me of the Hollywood Humprey Bogart type detective films and it seemed like a great way to connect modern sci-fi with those classic film noir movie.

[MatiZ]

That voice over makes it sound like something from the "Police Squad".

[franciscom.retamal]

Jesus christ. The theatrical cut is awful, especially due to the voice- off narration.

[yanchentao]

Ngl, Rachel's smoking scene is the best smocking scene ever filmed.

[Aleph-Noll]

the final 2007 cut is good but the green filter takes away a lot of the feel of the ambiance, the original movie can go from dark browns to light electric blues to fiery subdued reds from scene to scene but in the last version its all just a sickly green

[mauriciomorais]

I prefer without the Escape ending.
In Blade Runner's world, Earth is dead/dying. There are no more forests in the mountains; no 'oasis' left untouched in the desert of a collapsing civilization.

[TheGreatMunky]

Watch both. Watch the Final Cut, then go back and watch the Theatrical Cut. The voiceover changes the feel of the movie a LOT, but it also gives some added information to parts of the movie that are interesting.