Blade Runner on DVD

I've been doing a ton of blogging today, so I guess I should take a moment to acknowledge the biggest DVD release of the day.

I know I'm Captain Sci-Fi Guy and all that, but I've never been able to get into Blade Runner. When I finally rented it and sat down and watched it a few years ago, I walked away with a resounding "Meh." However, I do acknowledge it's impact on sci-fi films, respect it for that, and admit that the film has its die-hard fans.

So, at long last, Blade Runner finally gets the super-mega-ultimate DVD edition that it deserves. But not just any edition. Director Ridley Scott had never, ever been able to finish the film to his liking. So, the studio finally gave him a chance to sit down, clean up some of the special effects, and finally re-edit and finish the film the way he wanted. The end result is Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which finally represents Scott's vision of the film. The Final Cut even got a limited theatrical release back in October.

Anyway, Blade Runner is out in a slew of editions to suit your needs. What do we got here:

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 2-disc Special Edition - OK, so you got The Final Cut on disc 1, and disc 2 contains a bazillion featurettes on the making of the film.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 4-disc Collector's Edition - So, you get the two discs listed above. Disc 3 contains three other known versions of the film (the original theatrical edition, the European version, and 1992's Director's Cut), and disc 4 contains a feature-length documentary about the film entitled Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition - If there's a person in your life that loves Blade Runner, then this is what you want to put under the Christmas tree for them. So, you get all 4 discs listed above. The fifth DVD contains a fifth version of the film...the "Workprint" version. This was the version shown for test screenings way back in 1982. It got leaked to theatres in 1990, and its unexpected popularity led to the creation of the 1992 Director's Cut. But that's not all! It comes packaged in a replica of the briefcase that Harrison Ford wields in the film, and in addition to the 5 DVDs, you also get a series of art cards, a lenticular image of Harrison Ford, a letter from Ridley Scott explaining the creation of the Final Cut, a little sketch that Ridley Scott drew, a replica of the origami unicorn that Harrison Ford gets at the end of the film, and a Hot Wheels version of a "spinner" -- the film's famous flying police car.

And this is all available in regular DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray.

Also out today and notable is The Simpsons Movie. There's also The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Volume II - The War Years. Many say that these episodes, with Young Indy in the trenches of World War I, is when the series really took off.