For someone who’s never seen it I always recommend the thearical cut with the voiceover. It’s sort of like reading the novel first. You get to know what’s going on in Dekard’s head. Why he’s doing what he does and how he feels about it.
After that I’d watch the Final Cut for any and all repeat viewings. Once you know Dekard’s motivations you can just watch and listen to the cinematic experience with the pre-knowledge of what’s going on.
I must be weird. I hate the voice-over and never for a moment did I think Decker was anything but human.
I didn’t say he made it longer, I said he made it more boring. I can’t explain why such generally minor changes results in a movie I find significantly more tedious. But it does.
But then, I’ve not watched any version of it in at least a decade so maybe my views would be shifted.
Meh–different approaches to story, I guess. For me, one of the biggest thrills in encountering a story is the move from ignorance to knowledge. A story that drops me into a confusing situation and then slowly gives me just enough information to figure out what’s going on, if I’m totally paying attention, is totally a rush. The voiceover ruined that sensation for me.Moreover, it did it with an actor who sounded like he was three sheets to the wind and totally irritated at what he was having to do.
"Greedo was a bad character who’d been looking for me a long time. I meant more to him alive than dead, but that wouldn’t stop him from using that blaster if he had to… that is, unless I managed to get the jump on him first.
“Time for a little distraction. With any luck, he won’t notice what I’m reaching for with my other hand. Not very sportsmanlike, but hey, better him than me. I can always say he shot first…”
Much better!
Another vote for the original theatrical release. You can watch the other versions later and then decide for yourself how they compare.
Bear in mind that I saw the original in theaters in 1982.
BR has never looked better. The f/x looks terrific. The ending (and BR fans will know what I’m talking about) seems more abrupt. I don’t necessarily need a happy ending, but I need an ending of some sort. The FC ending feels like it should be followed with To Be Continued…
The v/o narration: This is the big controversy, I guess. There’s no way for me to unsee the theatrical version so I can’t tell how comprehensible the Final Cut would be for a first viewing. I think it would be fine sans v/o but I can’t be sure. But I do suspect that someone who sees the FC first would hate the theatrical version as I don’t see how the narration really adds anything.
My $.02.
Just read the book. “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” by P.K. Dick.
Are we being whooshed here? It’s a very different story from Blade Runner.