I know it's a cliche to say this, but I'm not sure this movie will ever look better than this 4K version. I've owned SO many copies of this movie. The old letterboxed VHS Director's Cut, the Theatrical Cut on DVD, the Director's Cut on DVD, the Final Cut on Blu-Ray, and all the versions that came with the Collector's Edition Blu-Ray version. I'm a BIG fan of this movie and have all the lines memorized.

But to my mind, there's no topping this as far as quality of image goes. The exterior shots of the Tyrell Corp. especially are as sharp as they've ever been - in part because they aren't obscured by Scott's directorial obsession with smoke. The street views come to life in a way I've never seen before, and because the image is so clear and sharp there's so much more detail to be seen.

The one strange issue I had was in the opening sequence, my TV had some dark black spots along the bottom of the screen when the fires flared during the overhead shot of Los Angeles, November 2019. I haven't seen any other reviews that mention this bizarre image problem, and I strongly suspect it may be a symptom of my cheap 4K TV's incompatibility with HDR.

The most important thing though is that this is faithful to the film. It looks like it was shot on film, and it doesn't look glossy and digitized. The whole point of 4K is to get a natural appearance that's as close to the film print as possible. I have a 4K TV that doesn't have HDR, so I can't speak to the HDR elements yet, unfortunately. However, from other reviews I've seen online, the HDR combined with the 4K elements means that this movie will probably never look superior to this version. Assuming the 4K Blu-Ray format never dies, this may be the last version of the movie I may ever buy again.

The only thing missing is extras. There are extras that were included on the 30th anniversary edition (assembled in 2007) that aren't on this one, and that means that there will probably be an "Ultimate 4K Edition" down the road that not only includes the gorgeous 4K version, but all the extras that will truly put the complete Blade Runner experience in one package. Until then, my advice is to hold onto your Blu-Ray version of the 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition.

I was blessed to be born in an era where I could go see Blade Runner, the Theatrical Cut, in the movies. I wasn't old enough for "R" rated movies, but back then, that wasn't really a big deal. You just asked a guy in his twenties in line to buy the tickets for you, then went in while a kid from school was taking tickets. Easy Peasy. After seeing Runner 4 times while in the theatre, working extra baby-sitting jobs and selling donuts at the local shop every Sunday, I was a 'nerd girl' though back then that wasn't even a term.
Now, fast-forward some years, the "Director's Cut" came out. Personally it was 'ok'. Took a bit to get used to Deckard's voice being gone, but this cut was good, extra stuff, etc...
Now!! I'm sitting with my 17-yr old son in a movie theatre when a trailer starts and within the first 3 seconds of just a visual and a couple notes of music, I KNEW.... I KNEW!!! OMG!!! I actually said that out loud in the theatre... OMG! Blade Runner!!! My son looked at me, cringed a bit, wished he had a different mother for that brief few seconds, but after watching a trailer, he was HOOKED!! On the way home from the movies we didn't even discuss what we watched, and honestly I can't remember, we only discussed Blade Runner, the story, the book, the movies, dystopian films, for a couple hours my teenage son suddenly saw his stay-at-home, Betty Crocker mom as 'somewhat' cool. LOL!
This weekend I purchased "Blade Runner: The Final Cut".... OMG!!! Talk about blown away! I felt like a Blade Runner virgin all over again! Ridley Scott finally got hold of everything he wanted to make HIS cut. And he made it beautifully!!!
(Note: the Director's Cut is NOT endorsed by Ridley Scott. He had nothing to do with it, has stated that on his Blog several times. While he doesn't dismiss the work, he does not endorse it)
The music, the added scenes, the lengthened unicorn sequence, and there are some twists that might surprise many of you that have only seen the Theatrical Cut. PLUS, I sat with my son during this viewing. He experienced something everyone, in my opinion, should experience once in their lifetime. The movie that started it all in the dystopian universe of gaming, movies, books (post Philip Dick), even the Steam Punk revolution. My son, all 6 ft and 17-yrs old, got it! He himself said, this explains so much in so many things I've read, games I've played, movies I've seen. A profound statement he made was "It's like this is the Rosetta Stone of science fiction today!!!"
IF you want to see the movie before you go to "Blade Runner 2019" in October, THIS is the version to see or the Theatrical Cut.