Blade Runner: The Penultimate Cut

Straight out of the gate this is the best-regraded Blade Runner fan edit I ever watched. Simply stunning work. The amount of time and technical details put in the visual is unbelievable. I feel like watching my LD but with higher resolution.

The only problem with the LD is the low analog quality, especially if you combine it with 4k screens. Also not a fan of the official heavily teal-tinted new look so I can fully understand why TM2YC took it upon himself to have the LD experience in higher quality. No wonder TM2YC took 5 years to release this :)

Speaking about the cut itself. Well, I might be not a fan of the unicorn cut but this fan edit is simply well put together and there are no issues with the overall viewing experience.

The audio mix is perfectly mixed with the cut. Never was the Vangelis soundtrack so beautiful in synch with the visual experience.

One of the best edits I watched this year and what a viewing experience. Thx TM2YC for the early Xmas gift.

This is a fantastic edit that will give you the best of both worlds : the rich, warm colors of the orginal version with the scene editing choices of the final cut. This version feels a bit less depressing than the final cut, a bit less drenched in smoke and blue light, while it retains its very evocative and expressionist atmosphere (the golden hues of Tyrell's pyramid are particulary impressive).
If you're a blade runner fan, you should really watch this.

Put simply, The Penultimate Cut looks and feels like The Final Cut without the heavy handed impregnation of teal fog, as though it had been extracted from the actual FC itself chemically. Like the FC it manages to unify a wide variety of exposure latitudes and grain within a darker, contrasting style - though here the contrast carries more clarity from the highlights by teasing out more detail rather than simply fogging an area to avoid burn out. This is also expertly assisted by the application of an almost universally warm skin tone in most scenes quite seamlessly - It is here where TM2YC has succeeded with flying colours in their aims to render a high definition 1980's analog video aesthetic, very reminiscent of the early VHS and laser discs of this title and indeed typical of the era. By using the latest elements it now looks crisp and sharp throughout and is possibly the most consistent quality of grading I've seen for this film from beginning to end. It is a professional looking job.

Having worked on the same source material previously myself, it is possibly academic to note that my preferences for the 2007 'Archival' Directors Cut grading do still remain. It's tonal depth, shadow detail, varied skin tones, exposures and environmental hues also add to my preference for an alternative narrative than is presented here - But TM2YC has pulled out and crafted many tonal elements that I openly envied as I watched it - There were details and concise colours drawn out from some tricky highlight areas that had me skipping back to double check. Very nice work. It gets full marks from me for visual editing for some excellent grading changes.

Also, any viewer need only look to the comprehensive list of available audio tracks accompanying this seamless presentation to realize it is a must in any Blade Runner collection. A lot of hard work and passion for the source material has gone into this and it shows.

HI

First, I'm one of the 5%...red-green colorbind.

HOLY MOLY!

If I can see the difference, then what did it look like to those with normal vision?

This is my go to version, even over and above my unreleased edit? [EDIT: subsequently released] WHY? This is Blade Runner as I recall watching it back in the theatre. I recently re-watched this for a thrid time on my new TV and it rocks. I'm especially jazzed about the insance number of audio streams since I can watch this with the voice-over, which I prefer, was there in the beginning and that's all there is to it.

I can't fault this on any level apart from some of the skin tones in places where other versions are more to my prefernce, but hey... but now, especially having read the changes list for the first time today. I just missed it all...in otherwords BRAVO!!!!!

I had been following the progress of this edit for some time (although, admittedly, not as long as TM2YC had been working on it) and so to fully appreciate it, I decided to check out a few different versions commercially available first - the workprint, US theatrical and the Final Cut. Each have their pluses and minuses and none are completely satisfying to me for one reason or another.

Here's where TM2YC's version comes in. He modestly titles it the 'Penultimate' cut, but I'm certain that there will be many who feel that nothing needs to come after this. The amount of detail that has gone into this version is incredible. The film looks fantastic. The oppressive blue tint is gone and a more natural tone has been achieved. This is no mean feat, considering how so many scenes can switch from dark to blinding within a few frames. It truly looks like a new film, in the best way that phrase can be taken.

I admit I am someone who pays less attention to audio than most, but there's nothing to worry about soundwise here either. The whole endeavor has been treated with respect, care and a level of professionalism that many big studios seem to lack with their own releases sometimes. My only complaint - and nothing to do with the edit itself - is that I don't have the technology to watch the BD version on my projector & screen; I watched a 720 mpg4 version on my TV and was still blown away. I can only imagine how superior it would look otherwise.

Is it a cliche to state that this will be my go-to version now? So be it. It really is that good. Bravo.