Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Blade Runner 2049
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Story by Hampton Fancher
Screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green
Based on characters from the novel
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
Rated R
It goes without saying at this point that Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner from 1982 is one of the most beloved movies in science fiction fandom. Granted it wasn’t accepted right off the bat as it bombed at the box office and got mixed to negative reviews upon initial release. In time though it has grown in acclaim and has influenced countless films, TV shows, comics etc. to the point that anyone can see any film, show, or comic and spot a Blade Runner influence. Its inescapable. So when talk circled that there would be a sequel, passionate fans either voiced their anger in online forums or YouTube videos or just chose to sit back and brace for the worst. Personally, I chose to sit back and be cautiously optimistic. And for me it paid off.
Director Denis Villeneuve was the perfect choice to direct given his track record of successes with such films as Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2014), Sicario (2015), and last year’s superb Arrival. Villeneuve along with writer Hampton Fancher and a great cast with Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Robin Wright and many others made this a worthy sequel to the 1982 classic.
Officer K (Ryan Gosling) is a replicant (a synthetic human) working as a Blade Runner hunting rogue replicants with indefinite life spans which are unlike the Nexis 6 models in the original film with a four-year life span. The irony is not lost on K killing fellow replicants as a Blade Runner. His type is specifically made to obey orders. He is put through Voight-Kompt tests (machines designed to provoke emotional responses from subjects to see if they are human or not) frequently to keep him in line. During an assignment to kill a rogue replicant working on a farm named Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista), he discovers a box of bones under a dead tree that belongs to a woman who died in childbirth. Even more shocking is that the bones belong to a replicant and the child is now out there alive. K is ordered to remove all traces of this event before it could develop into a possible war between humans and replicants. During his investigation, K comes to realize that his implanted memories (placed in his mind so humans can easily manage him) belonged to a real person and not fabricated and that they could possibly belong to the child. This realization compromises his position in the police department and leads the Wallace Corporation led by the powerful Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) to chase him as well. His only hope for getting any real answers is tracking down and speaking to Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) a former Los Angeles Blade Runner who disappeared 30 years ago.
Sorry, no spoilers. This is one where people are just going to have to go and experience it for themselves. A slight downside for this movie is that one would have to have seen the first movie to kind of get what is going on. The screenplay for Blade Runner 2049 was written under the assumption that those who go to see it have seen the original movie. If one does wish to watch the original film before this new one, I recommend that of the 5 versions of the original film that are available, watch the Final Cut. That one is the best in my opinion.
I love it when writers and directors working any genre trusts the audience to know what the movie is talking about and doesn’t spoon feed information. The film’s narrative, like the first one, is reliant on both visual and dialog driven storytelling. The visual part, like Scott on the first one, is right up Villeneuve’s alley as there are plenty of sequences where important plot points are told to us through visuals with no explanation from characters necessary. This film (like Villeneuve’s previous films) takes full advantage of the concept of film being a visual medium and partly relies on images to tell a story. That combined with the great work from cinematographer Roger Deakins (who may actually win an Oscar for this one after losing 13 times) Villeneuve not only builds upon what Scott and cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth did on the original in terms of visuals and how the story unfolds but also makes this film his own and my oh my is this movie something to behold! From the cityscapes of 2049 Los Angeles, to the scenes in the abandoned Casino, to the wasteland and especially inside the Wallace Corporation headquarters Villeneuve and Deakins rose to the challenge and delivered one of the most beautiful science fiction films I’ve personally seen.
As for the writing, it is wonderful. One of the things that sold me on this film being made was having Hampton Fancher (who co-wrote the original film) write this new one. Now granted having the original crew on board a new film doesn’t guarantee a good film but at least it shows me that some care is being taken. On Blade Runner 2049, the script by Fancher and Michael Green doesn’t disappoint. Dialog between characters sound natural and it all helps move the plot forward. Conversations between characters are all interesting to listen to and subtly tell us how each character thinks and feels with no clumsy exposition dumps. The narrative is comprehensible, efficiently laid out and it keeps in the spirit not only with the original film but also to the ideas and themes that Philip K. Dick explored in his career as an author. I will say that the story unfolds in a slow burn fashion like the first one so those not familiar with the original film or used to films with slower pacing might have some difficulty with this one.
I have no complaints when it comes to the acting. Everyone is good here. I did like how Ryan Gosling’s K wasn’t supposed to show real emotion (that is key for him to stay as a Blade Runner and if he does show emotional responses, he will be retired i.e. killed) and aside from one episode where he did explode emotionally he lets us know what his character is feeling through his subtle changes in facial expression and his body language. Harrison Ford is as earnest as ever returning as Deckard, an old man who has seen better days and spent 30 years on the run. Of course Robin Wright as Lieutenant Joshi, Ana De Armas as K’s holographic girlfriend Joi, Jared Leto’s Niander and many others are all fantastic but the one actor I really want to talk about that really stood out to me was Sylvia Hoeks’ character Luv who works as an assistant/dirty jobs worker for Niander Wallace. She was absolutely creepy and made for a great antagonist for K and Deckard. She was able to go from sweet and accommodating to “I will kill you where you stand!” at the drop of a hat. I dare say that whenever she was on screen, she kind of stole the show. This is the first time I have seen her in anything and personally can’t wait to see what she does next.
The only nitpick I have with this movie is the music by Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer. While it isn’t bad and does work in the film, I just wanted some more touches of Vangelis (who did the iconic score for the first film and apparently turned down an offer to do this movie…that’s a pity) and while some of the themes do return in this new film, I just wanted more of it. I kind of grew up hearing that music and without it, it did feel that something was missing.
In summation, this movie rocks and I highly recommend to fans of the original film or to anyone interested in good science fiction. This may sound bad but I am actually glad that Ridley Scott did not direct this one. Of course he is a good filmmaker but his track record with sequels or additional installments in franchises (namely Hannibal (2001), Prometheus (2012) and Alien Covenant (2017)) hasn’t been the best and so I’m glad he handed over directing duties to someone like Denis Villeneuve who clearly loves the material and would be able breath some new life into a property over 30 years old.
Oh and if there are any fans who are worried if this film will tell us if Deckard is a replicant or not, rest easy. That is still left ambiguous. As far as this film is concerned, Deckard is still a human and that’s the way I like him.
