Original review 2013:

Read this a few years ago now and don't recall much other than I read it because "Blade Runner" is one of my favourite SF films, if not the most favourite, and I've also read the P K Dick original and several of his other books, though not for some years.

Re-read 2022

Just re-read this before passing the book to a charity shop as doing some downsizing of books. This did not alter my original 3-star rating because a) there is no index and that would be handy with the number of people being discussed who were involved in the film; b) although there is a list of film credits in an appendix, it doesn't help with the number of other people who are name checked and who didn't actually work on the film, for instance, the film backers, and it is sometimes hard to recall who someone is when they are reintroduced later; c) the black and white photos in the text are small and dark so it isn't easy to make out detail in most of them; d) points in the plot I've always wondered about are not addressed.

An example of the last issue is in the scene where Pris fights Deckard and could have broken his neck but then releases him and gives him the perfect opportunity to shoot her. The author does slightly skate around the thread of misogyny in the film - Deckard only kills women and at one point - haven't seen it for years but the author does cover it in the chapter doing a scene by scene breakdown - assaults Rachael although he supposedly "loves" her - but he backs away from the subject. I love the film but it does have this disquieting aspect.

Positive points about the book are the light shed on the film making process, the many compromises made, committee nature of script production (and how this leads to continuity errors with the script going through multiple drafts by multiple people), pressures from the various financial backers involved and the possibility of on-set tensions and misunderstandings. It's amazing that films are made despite all this and are even as good as Blade Runner. ( )

I skipped past the interviews at the end as well as some of the info on the newer versions of the film. It's a pretty interesting book but there were some really weird glaring mistakes, like the fact Sammon comments on how Man in the High Castle was a smash hit on Netflix? Book does give you a good respect for all that goes into making a movie ( )

Blade Runner is very much a movie that people either love or hate. Some consider it one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, and others find it to be a boring and confusing slog with pretty visuals. I'm definitely of the former sentiment. Blade Runner fans love the film obsessively. Paul Sammon's book is basically everything a fan would ever want to know about the making of the film.

Technically the third edition of the book, Sammon has done further research and cleared up some long-standing misconceptions about the film's infamously troubled production. The revised version also contains some information on the (then upcoming) sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

While the book is substantial, I found Sammon's writing to be clear and very quick and easy to read. The details are well laid out and you're given plenty of insight into how the film came to be from Philip K. Dick's original novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" The production was difficult, the critical response was lackluster, and the film has seen multiple changes and incarnations since it first hit theaters in 1982. Thankfully, since 2007, we now have the Final Cut of the film, as well as any of the other versions you may prefer. A good read for a film history buff. ( )

This is an amazingly detailed book, it goes through everything related to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner. A combination of the first two editions Sammon has at one time or another had access to a number people involved from Phillip K. Dick to Harrison Ford which leads to some impressive coverage from page to studio, to filming, to editing, and to fan reaction.

Free review copy. ( )

Amazingly exhaustive and comprehensive behind the scenes look at one of the most influential movies ever made. A must read for fans and film buffs alike. ( )