Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary

Ridley Scott's future-noir Blade Runner turned 25 last year, and to commemorate the landmark, the director unveiled yet another tweak with Final Cut. Since its 1982 release, the film has gone back to the editing room a number of times-- for separate U.S. and European theatrical releases, as well as an unauthorized Director's Cut. Scott released his own Director's Cut in 1992 that removed the voice-over by protagonist Rick Deckard, and also suggested he was-- gasp-- a replicant. With Final Cut, Scott seems to have settled on the story he wanted to tell: No voice-over, re-inserted footage, scrubbed-up sound, and another possible change regarding Deckard.

Greek composer Vangelis's Golden Globe-nominated Blade Runner score has taken a similarly ephemeral path. The first version released of the film's soundtrack wasn't even done by Vangelis, but consisted of adaptations from the New American Orchestra that Scott disparagingly calls "muzak." Vangelis himself didn't release his version of the soundtrack until 1994, and his version included a number of "inspired by" pieces, but paradoxically left out a big portion of his score. For the 25th Anniversary edition, much of that missing music is finally released.

The 1994 version of the soundtrack appears here in its entirety on the first disc, finally getting remaster treatment after the questionable sound quality of the original release. Vangelis's enduring classics like "Love Theme" and "Memories of Green" have never sounded clearer or more timeless: stunning synthesized counterpoint to the bleak, noirish landscape of Scott's 2019 Los Angeles. Certainly not as iconic as the title theme to Chariots of Fire, and not as busy or sunny as his late-70s sequencer-driven albums like Spiral and China, Vangelis's score nevertheless effortlessly evokes the seamy underbelly of a futuristic megapolis.

The unreleased material of the second disc is the second treat offered by this re-issue. The disc includes classic works like the piece accompanying Dr. Tyrell's death and the theme to Deckard and replicant Roy Batty's duel. Vangelis organizes the disc much like his original, setting up loose transitions between works and letting themes wash in and out with little discernable chronology. These pieces are of no less quality than the original soundtrack pieces, but they fit more into the background. These stylized impressions are certainly some of the most ambient works in Vangelis's decidedly ambient score. One of two bonus tracks, "Desolation Path", appeared in the unauthorized Director's Cut but is given wide release for the first time, and its stark, cathartic synth may just be the best new material.

Given the much-discussed nature of Blade Runner, it's a little confusing that Vangelis tacked on a whole disc of new compositions and didn't just release the entire score. The works on the third disc are certainly fine on their own, a nice return by Vangelis to the synthesized new age that he doesn't compose much anymore. The work on this disc sounds dated at times, and sort-of purposelessly includes muffled spoken-word performances from the likes of Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, and Roman Polanski. Is it really necessary to include, as Vangelis does on "No Expectation Boulevard", actual dialogue of Ridley Scott discussing the Final Cut project?

Little details like this are inexplicably slapdash. There are no liner notes from the composer himself, and only a page of exposition from Scott. The greatest surprise is the unedited main title theme wasn't included. Still, it's a major improvement over a soundtrack that has been, like the film, a narrative in flux. We're a little more certain now of Vangelis's desolate near-future vision, rooted in his ambient and new age roots but rarely sounding like a product of its time. Too bad it's not quite The Final Score we all were waiting for.