The Cinerama Makes this Re-Release Worth It

We gotta admit to being kind of a sci-fi nerd. We own all the Star Wars movies in most of their various formats and edits, have read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels numerous times (including the atrocious Mostly Harmless), and actively seek out any books and films that depict any kind of a dystopic view of our future. So when we heard that yet another cut of Blade Runner was playing at the Cinerama, AKA: God's Gift to Seattle, you can bet we made plans to get down there.

The existence of one more cut of this film might seem superfluous at this point (it does to us, especially after reading what the specific additions were), you really shouldn't skip it while it's at the Cinerama.

The movie was, as always, great and not noticeably longer even with the added footage. Deckert (played by Han Solo), was constantly tired, drunk or both, but unerringly good at his job. The replicants were still evil killing machines, yet also tender and human and Ridley Scott's vision of LA was of even more of a shithole than today's reality (an aside: We find it interesting that in 1982, before global warming was on the horizon, Scott still imagined some kind of climate change. How else to explain the constant rain in the future LA?). The film's noir feeling still overwhelms most any thoughts about how 2019 won't be anything like that (we're still hoping for flying cars though) and makes it timeless (Vangelis' 80s-esque keyboard-driven theme notwithstanding).

The added scenes of this cut didn't add much, if anything, to the story. For instance, there is still no definitive answer whether Deckert is a replicant. Releasing the Final Cut was still worth it, since the whole film was re-mastered and the special effects were cleaned up making the entire experience, especially at the Cinerama, even more fantastic than it ever has been before. The new print is crystal clear. The special effects are spot-on fantastic and look as good as anything in any of the big-budget films released today. Even some of the added footage is cool if only for the gruesome factor.

But really, there is no better place to see a sci-fi movie than the Cinerama. It's got amazing sound, plenty of room to comfortably seat tons of people at the openings of even the most anticipated movies, and a 90-foot long, 30-foot high screen that makes the exorbitant price of admission worth it for just about any movie. (Shoot, we were even happy to pay more than 9 bucks to see The Day After Tomorrow there.) The additional attraction of one of the greatest sci-fi flicks of all time (not to mention that they're in the midst of a series of screening the 70-mm prints of some fantastic movies) should get you down there, soon.

Blade Runner plays daily at 2, 4:45, 7:30 and 10:15. There's a bargain matinée on Saturday at 11:15 A.M. The 70-mm festival is showing Ghostbusters on the first two Sundays and Tuesdays this month.