The newly restored and, at long last, director-approved final cut of Blade Runner is playing in theaters in New York City and I had the chance to see it with an audience a couple of nights ago. My initial reaction was relief that the dreaded voice-over was completely absent, as it should be. Once I was able to settle into my seat without having to hear "the charmer's name was Gaff" I knew the rest would be gravy, and so it was. I'm happy to report that this restored print of the film looks completely amazing -- the restoration is as clean and clear as any I've ever seen.There have even been some touch-ups and a bit of re-shooting, although to what purpose I don't know. The new end credits give a big thank-you to Joanna Cassidy for agreeing to do some kind of re-shoot work, but if no one ever told me it had been done, I'd never know, so it must be some little thing that had been eating away at Ridley Scott.

This final cut isn't just a restoration of the visuals, though -- it's a plot restoration as well, and one that I find completely stupid and unnecessary. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I don't know where you've been for the last twenty years, so I have no compunction about spoiling it for you. Ridley Scott feels that Deckard, Harrison Ford's Philip Marlowe of the future, is a replicant, just like the replicants he's chasing. It was always his prerogative to think this, even though it doesn't fit into the framework of the story, but now he's made his interpretation of it the definitive one. Instead of the film ending with Deckard spiriting Sean Young to safety in the woodsy wherever, he now learns that a vision that had haunted his dreams, of a galloping unicorn, is known to his fellow Blade Runners. They know he's a replicant, and they'll be coming for him. As this realization dawns on Deckard at the end of the new cut, he grabs Sean Young and slams the door closed -- smash cut to end titles.

Joanna Cassidy has just reported that she finished reshooting original scenes from 1982's extraordinary sci-fi hit Blade Runner. Cassidy made this announcement on her website which Film Ick picked up to help spread the word quicker throughout the cyber community. The new director's cut Blade Runner DVD is obviously in the making and I'm not sure what to expect since they are recreating shots more than twenty years later. Cassidy is still incredibly beautiful, and her scene -- to me -- is one of the sexiest fight scenes between robot and human ever.

Cassidy happily proclaims that she was able to wear her costume that she kept all these years after shooting the original production. From what I can remember, she wasn't wearing much to begin with. Joanna Cassidy plays Zhora, a replicant (human clone) who is one of five 'skin jobs' that makes their way back to Earth and is hunted down by retired blade runner Rick Deckard -- played by the über sexy Harrison Ford. Other lovely replicants included Daryl Hannah and Sean Young; there is no word on whether the two have reshot any of their scenes for the DVD version.

An anonymous individual reported to Film Ick that there were some incredible edits to Zhora's chase scene that could change the sequence in its entirety. It is reported that there are more physical blows to her body, better lighting, new camera angles and the model/actress dons a pair of heels instead of flat boots. The Ridley Scott director's cut version DVD of Blade Runner will be released later this year.