Before we begin this review, I would like to make a
confession: I have never seen the original Blade
Runner. But since Blade Runner is
a movie whose reputation is bigger than the movie itself, I’m still somewhat familiar
with its status, importance and impact through sheer cultural osmosis. I know
it’s an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story about rogue androids, I know
that there are multiple cuts of the film with the director’s cut supposedly being
the superior version, I know it had a vision of the future that was very
atypical of sci-fi cinema at the time, I know about the theory that Harrison
Ford’s character might be a replicant, and that’s about it. But I’m not so
worried about this as I would be going into another sequel completely blind since
it’s 35 years after the original has come and gone and has virtually redefined
sci-fi since then. I went into Mad Max:
Fury Road under similar circumstances, and that ended up becoming one of my
favorite movies of all time. Plus, Dennis Villeneuve is one of the most
consistently outstanding filmmakers working today, so it should at least be
well directed.
Our story takes place in a future where artificial humans
called replicants are used for slave labor on outer planets, but those who gain
consciousness are hunted down by special operatives called blade runners. After
a failed uprising of rogue replicants, a new, more obedient line is introduced,
invented by a blind tech CEO (Jared Leto). Our main character is K (Ryan
Gosling), a replicant blade runner who makes a discovery during one of his
routine missions of a replicant doing something that their kind isn’t supposed
to be able to do, and is under pressure by the police chief (Robin Wright) to
keep it under wraps. Unable to leave well enough alone, K investigates further,
leading to connections to characters from the previous film, specifically
Officer Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has long since been retired and in hiding.
Speaking as someone watching this without having seen the Blade Runner before, 2049 does a solid job of filling the
audience in to this universe. In fact, it could be argued that this isn’t
really a sequel (or at least not a direct one) since the major connections to the
original don’t factor into the plot until the third act. That said, while
seeing Blade Runner first isn’t necessary, it definitely helps iron out some of
the most esoteric parts. What do I mean by that? The movie is all about mood
and theme, specifically centering around existential questions about what it
means to be human and the ever-blurring line between man and machine. The plot
itself is fairly straightforward, but will take the occasional detour to
explore little vignettes that pontificate on its main themes.
A prime example of this is nearly everything involving Joi
(Ana der Armas), K’s hologram girlfriend.
While the movie as a whole does get a bit self-indulgent with its own
theme, the subplot exploring their relationship is the most organic. For me,
this was the best part, and I kind of wish it was its own movie, even if it is
taking a few footnotes from Her.
The film is also a treat for both the eyes and ears. Dennis
Villeneuve is one of the most prolific and consistently great directors out
there, having knocked out four fantastic films in just four years (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners, Enemy), so
this was to be expected. From the set design to the lighting to the color palette,
the mis en scene is completely on point. Each frame is stunning. I feel like
you could pause this movie at any moment and any frame you land on could be
used as a pretty cool wallpaper. A lot of its beauty comes courtesy of legendary
cinematographer Roger Deakins, (Skyfall,
The Shawshank Redemption, nearly everything by the Coen brothers), who
wrings every ounce of beauty of each scene, bringing out the textures and
vibrance from the saturated neon colors of the inner city, while the dust and
dilapidation of the junkyards and ruins dare you to try and touch them. All of
this is accompanied by a fantastic synth driven score from Hans Zimmer, even if
his trademarks BWOOOOOOOOMs can get in the way at times.
If there’s one issue I have with the movie, it’s the pacing.
And from what I’ve been told, it’s a flaw that’s carried over from the last
film. This is clearly a deliberate choice, giving the illusion is folding out
in front of us in real time, sort of like the old noir films that it takes
inspiration from like The Maltese Falcon.
But for a movie that clocks in at nearly three hours, it does start to feel its
length at the end. But with so much time on its hands, it does use it
effectively. Although the plot does take a few pauses for some self-contained
vignettes, it all comes at the cost of the plot’s momentum.
Bottom line, I feel like I would’ve appreciated Blade Runner 2049 a lot more had I seen
the original first, but for what it is, it’s still a magnificently crafted film,
albeit one that will test the patience of some. It’s already starting to tank
at the box office much like how the original did on its initial run, so maybe
history is repeating itself, but we’ll have to wait a couple to see if there’s
a director’s cut that recontextualizes everything to know for sure.
7/10
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