Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049
From the up-and-coming director Denis Villeneuve, who brought captivating sci-fi elegance to the big screen with last year's Arrival, comes the filmmaker's next massive leap into the science fiction genre with Blade Runner 2049. Marking the unprecedented return to the world of Ridley Scott's 1982 classic, where remarkable technological advancement meets violent uprising, Villeneuve captured not only the futuristic noir appeal of the original, but also managed to evolve the story to one of fascinating craft. Detailing the next evolution of android technology thirty years later, 2049 made for one of the most effective sequels of recent memory.
Thirty years after the events of Blade Runner, outdated replicant models remain high-level targets for the LAPD. Even as blade runner K (Ryan Gosling) tracks the androids, himself one of the newest models, there remains a distinct hostility between human and replicant-kind. While on a mission investigating a mysterious box of bones buried on a farm, K quickly uncovers a conspiracy that could plunge what's left of the world into chaos. The officer's startling discovering leads him not only into the affairs of replicant industrialist Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), but also to retired blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), whose role in the unspooling plot may be more paramount than ever imagined.
Usually when I first approach a sequel/reboot aimed at utilizing the allure of its original property to ensure a similar success years later, I'm of course hesitant. In this great age of remakes and reboots, some timely and exciting, others dull and often unnecessary, I've developed an unusual curiosity with the potential for reboots to expand on elements of the original. While Denis Villeneuve's newest sci-fi spectacle in Blade Runner 2049 might not be particularly a reboot per se, it managed to be a bold sequel that shed an entirely new light on the 1982 original. Even as it somewhat mimicked the eerie, spacey tone of the first, conjuring the composer Tangelos with its haunting score and tossing in Harrison Ford a la Han Solo in The Force Awakens, this unexpected sequel resisted the urge to simply copy its predecessor, and ultimately broadened the futuristic world we found in Ridley Scott's iconic feature.
Even if Scott's cult sci-fi effort Blade Runner might not have found its way onto my radar until just recently, the anticipation of what its long-awaited sequel could hold beyond its cryptic premise seemed almost unbearable. While at first the film might have caught my eye simply with its star appeal in both the charismatic Ryan Gosling and the methodical Jared Leto, as well as its grand cinematic quality, as October quickly approached, I gained a sensational curiosity in the vast ambiguity surround the sequel. Teasing a mysterious new age of technological innovation at the hands of Leto's slithering industrialist, as well as a distinct connection between Gosling's rookie blade runner and Ford's veteran bounty hunter, I entered 2049 with a head full of questions.
While its undeniable spectacle at the hands of renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins might have easily overtaken the film from the start, the underlying plot of Blade Runner 2049 made for a fascinating journey back into the world Ridley Scott crafted long ago. While I'll delve more into the film's spectacle later on, the narrative at the center of the sequel proved to be thoroughly investing. Spinning a simple mystery in its first act, which found Gosling's silent detective tracking down a replicant fugitive, the film eventually evolved into a full-fledged sci-fi thriller. Unfolding its conspiracy further at every turn, the film soared into a unexpected future, all the while digging up more from a past lost in the thirty-year gap. While I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen the film, the combination of piecing together the events after Blade Runner and delving into Gosling's own journey as K proved to be an enthralling adventure all its own.
While to some (including me) it might be easy to have compared Ryan Gosling's reserved bounty hunter in K to Harrison Ford's iconic blade runner in Rick Deckard from the original, the character proved to be much more in the film than a simple evolution of Deckard. One clear difference between the two found itself in the fact that we already knew K was a replicant in the first five minutes of the film. Already, Gosling's silent killer has a intriguing depth to him, as he hunts his own kind as a member of the LAPD. Given that, I sympathized what I could with Gosling's haunted character. A man given false memories that tease at some remanent of his identity, Gosling bought a peculiar mellowness to the role, a dry persona that keyed into his role as a mindless killer. However, reducing K to a simple subordinate of his superiors (including the superb Robin Wright) seems unfair, as the remainder of the film worked to display both K's understanding of his presumed past, as well as his uneasiness to accept what's real.
While the sequel primarily aimed to dive into the humanity of its hero, K, much like the original, the film harbored a number of dynamic performances from its supporting cast. From Jared Leto's calculated portrayal of industrialist Niander Wallace to Dave Bautista's riveting yet brief performance as fugitive Sapper Morton, the film offered a variety of nuanced yet undeniably hurried performances. With the marketing for the sequel effectively hyping up the roles of Leto's vile antagonist, as well as Harrison Ford's coveted return to the series, I was ultimately left wanting more from their quick moments of screen-time. Yes, while Blade Runner's renowned industrialist Eldon Tyrell was only on-screen for a mere ten minutes in the 1982 film, I yearned to see how Leto would establish himself beyond simply a philosophy-spewing prophet. As for Deckard, even while the anticipation for Ford's return was clear, the brief screen presence for the character only gave us a fraction of what could have been an emotionally-fueled evolution of the iconic blade runner.
Even if the performances of the film might have suffered a bit, there was no doubt that the aesthetic quality of the film would have no trouble matching -- or rather evolving -- that of the original. With cinematographer Roger Deakins hopping aboard the sequel, after teaming with Villeneuve on both Prisoners and Sicario, the film captured not only the ambiguous elegance of its predecessor, but also the grand landscapes of a radically-altered future. Whether the camera weaved above thunderous waves crashing upon a looming sea wall, or through the dim-lit corridors of replicant archives, the production design of the film and the camerawork of Deakins made the sequel feel altogether an offspring of Blade Runner, one that used its vibrant yet deep-seated eye to look upon an unsettling future where glimmering shadows hide broken moralities.
Overall, while the original Blade Runner stands the test of time as an ambitious adventure set within the intermingled genres of science fiction and film noir, its vibrant follow-up in 2049 proved to be an exciting continuation of a complex parable on industry and the true nature of being human. Thunderously action-packed, but with some fragments of character development, Blade Runner 2049 reintroduced fans to a future where war and uprising can ignite at any moment once dark truths are discovered. Let's just hope a future like that stays on the silver screen for now.
I gave Blade Runner 2049 a 7 out of 10 for its slow-burning yet investing mystery, its nuanced yet ultimately underwhelming performances, and its phenomenal production design and score, which gave me reason to praise Roger Deakins and once more awe at the work of composer Hans Zimmer.
Usually when I first approach a sequel/reboot aimed at utilizing the allure of its original property to ensure a similar success years later, I'm of course hesitant. In this great age of remakes and reboots, some timely and exciting, others dull and often unnecessary, I've developed an unusual curiosity with the potential for reboots to expand on elements of the original. While Denis Villeneuve's newest sci-fi spectacle in Blade Runner 2049 might not be particularly a reboot per se, it managed to be a bold sequel that shed an entirely new light on the 1982 original. Even as it somewhat mimicked the eerie, spacey tone of the first, conjuring the composer Tangelos with its haunting score and tossing in Harrison Ford a la Han Solo in The Force Awakens, this unexpected sequel resisted the urge to simply copy its predecessor, and ultimately broadened the futuristic world we found in Ridley Scott's iconic feature.
Even if Scott's cult sci-fi effort Blade Runner might not have found its way onto my radar until just recently, the anticipation of what its long-awaited sequel could hold beyond its cryptic premise seemed almost unbearable. While at first the film might have caught my eye simply with its star appeal in both the charismatic Ryan Gosling and the methodical Jared Leto, as well as its grand cinematic quality, as October quickly approached, I gained a sensational curiosity in the vast ambiguity surround the sequel. Teasing a mysterious new age of technological innovation at the hands of Leto's slithering industrialist, as well as a distinct connection between Gosling's rookie blade runner and Ford's veteran bounty hunter, I entered 2049 with a head full of questions.
While its undeniable spectacle at the hands of renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins might have easily overtaken the film from the start, the underlying plot of Blade Runner 2049 made for a fascinating journey back into the world Ridley Scott crafted long ago. While I'll delve more into the film's spectacle later on, the narrative at the center of the sequel proved to be thoroughly investing. Spinning a simple mystery in its first act, which found Gosling's silent detective tracking down a replicant fugitive, the film eventually evolved into a full-fledged sci-fi thriller. Unfolding its conspiracy further at every turn, the film soared into a unexpected future, all the while digging up more from a past lost in the thirty-year gap. While I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen the film, the combination of piecing together the events after Blade Runner and delving into Gosling's own journey as K proved to be an enthralling adventure all its own.
While to some (including me) it might be easy to have compared Ryan Gosling's reserved bounty hunter in K to Harrison Ford's iconic blade runner in Rick Deckard from the original, the character proved to be much more in the film than a simple evolution of Deckard. One clear difference between the two found itself in the fact that we already knew K was a replicant in the first five minutes of the film. Already, Gosling's silent killer has a intriguing depth to him, as he hunts his own kind as a member of the LAPD. Given that, I sympathized what I could with Gosling's haunted character. A man given false memories that tease at some remanent of his identity, Gosling bought a peculiar mellowness to the role, a dry persona that keyed into his role as a mindless killer. However, reducing K to a simple subordinate of his superiors (including the superb Robin Wright) seems unfair, as the remainder of the film worked to display both K's understanding of his presumed past, as well as his uneasiness to accept what's real.
While the sequel primarily aimed to dive into the humanity of its hero, K, much like the original, the film harbored a number of dynamic performances from its supporting cast. From Jared Leto's calculated portrayal of industrialist Niander Wallace to Dave Bautista's riveting yet brief performance as fugitive Sapper Morton, the film offered a variety of nuanced yet undeniably hurried performances. With the marketing for the sequel effectively hyping up the roles of Leto's vile antagonist, as well as Harrison Ford's coveted return to the series, I was ultimately left wanting more from their quick moments of screen-time. Yes, while Blade Runner's renowned industrialist Eldon Tyrell was only on-screen for a mere ten minutes in the 1982 film, I yearned to see how Leto would establish himself beyond simply a philosophy-spewing prophet. As for Deckard, even while the anticipation for Ford's return was clear, the brief screen presence for the character only gave us a fraction of what could have been an emotionally-fueled evolution of the iconic blade runner.
Even if the performances of the film might have suffered a bit, there was no doubt that the aesthetic quality of the film would have no trouble matching -- or rather evolving -- that of the original. With cinematographer Roger Deakins hopping aboard the sequel, after teaming with Villeneuve on both Prisoners and Sicario, the film captured not only the ambiguous elegance of its predecessor, but also the grand landscapes of a radically-altered future. Whether the camera weaved above thunderous waves crashing upon a looming sea wall, or through the dim-lit corridors of replicant archives, the production design of the film and the camerawork of Deakins made the sequel feel altogether an offspring of Blade Runner, one that used its vibrant yet deep-seated eye to look upon an unsettling future where glimmering shadows hide broken moralities.
Overall, while the original Blade Runner stands the test of time as an ambitious adventure set within the intermingled genres of science fiction and film noir, its vibrant follow-up in 2049 proved to be an exciting continuation of a complex parable on industry and the true nature of being human. Thunderously action-packed, but with some fragments of character development, Blade Runner 2049 reintroduced fans to a future where war and uprising can ignite at any moment once dark truths are discovered. Let's just hope a future like that stays on the silver screen for now.
I gave Blade Runner 2049 a 7 out of 10 for its slow-burning yet investing mystery, its nuanced yet ultimately underwhelming performances, and its phenomenal production design and score, which gave me reason to praise Roger Deakins and once more awe at the work of composer Hans Zimmer.
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