Fascinating but flawed

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2013)

Recently, I re-watched "Blade Runner" after having read the source novel for the first time. I had previously seen both the 1992 Director's Cut and the 2007 Final Cut, neither of which made much of an impression on me. Nevertheless, I decided to give the film yet another chance and I'm glad I did.
This time I dove into the exhaustive Four-Disc Collector's Edition DVD from 2007. Starting with the international theatrical cut, I moved onto the director's cut and, finally, the 'final' cut. Watching three versions of the film in as many days allowed me to appreciate the fine detail and to better assimilate the movie's intellectual content.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it concerns a police officer (Harrison Ford) who is tasked with hunting down a group of replicants (read: androids). His job is complicated by the fact that these replicants look and act almost exactly like humans. This is the setup that propels the film's action but it also opens up the film to some serious metaphysical speculation.
The acting is surprisingly impressive for a science fiction movie. Harrison Ford is pretty dependable throughout even though he's overshadowed by both Sean Young & Rutger Hauer. Meanwhile, the supporting cast is populated with several talented actors including Daryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos & James Hong, to name just a few.
Perhaps the strongest aspect of the film is the visuals, though. Ridley Scott's direction is impeccable and the cinematography of Jordan Cronenweth is exquisite. Even the now thirty-year-old special effects still look good, if not as seamless as today's best efforts. The finely detailed production design also deserves special mention.
Musically, the film benefits greatly from a score by Vangelis. I wouldn't call it timeless by any stretch of the imagination but it nevertheless feels perfectly suited to the film.
If the movie has a weak link, it's the script. The theatrical cut is routinely derided for its voice-over and compromised ending but the fact is that they were added for a reason. The narrative is obscure at times and I'm not completely satisfied with the movie's preferred ending. That being said, the story's depth is impressive, even though not all of its ideas are presented with equal effectiveness.
In the end, I've arrived at the conclusion that the film is something of a flawed masterpiece. No version of the film that I've seen strikes me as 100% successful. And if you're expecting a relatively faithful adaptation of the book, you certainly won't find it here. I think that reading the novel and seeing the theatrical cut certainly helped me to appreciate the movie more but not everyone has the time or patience for that. Personally, I feel that this is one of those movies that merits watching and re-watching but, when you come down to it, "Blade Runner" certainly isn't for everyone.