Blade Runner was shot in the anamorphic format on 35mm Eastman 100T 5247 film with special effects done on 65mm Eastman 100T 5247 film. The Final Cut used a 4K digital intermediate master and arrives on 4K Ultra HD in an HEVC 2160p (4K) encodement framed at 2.40:1 with HDR10 high dynamic range. This Ultra HD release is very crisp, and the gritty look that has always defined it is retained, with even more detail and depth of field thanks to the HDR and extra resolution. The colors in the neon-lit cityscape are jaw-dropping, but the shadow detail and inky blacks make it look almost 3D at the same time. The scene where Deckard applies the Voight-Kampff test to Rachael, with the shade of the amber light peering through, is just one of the stunning scenes that shows off the pop of the HDR and the extended detail and color gamut.
Back in 2007 (yikes—11 years ago), I bought the 5-disc HD DVD release. Just before going to see 2049 last fall, I pulled out the Final Cut disc from the set, to get a refresher. Naturally, like many (many) WB HD DVDs, this one generated the dreaded “error code—some long number string” about 15 mins into the film. I was pissed off enough to buy the iTunes version so I could watch it right away. Regular blu-ray releases of the 5-disc set, long out of print, are very expensive in Canada. Even though I’m not UHD capable yet, I’ll gladly pony up for this release to get a more reliable copy of what I have.
Funny enough, none of my non-WB HD DVDs give me any grief (it’s why I haven’t replaced all of them by now—that, and some of them were bought at fire sale prices when the format died and I would not necessarily re-buy them at a higher price).
