Thirty years after the events of Blade Runner (1982), a new Blade Runner, L.A.P.D. Officer "K", unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former L.A.P.D. Blade Runner, who has been missing for thirty years. Blade Runner 2049 was a highly anticipated sequel to the cult classic movie that subsequently became the same thing. It flopped at the box office and yet grew that cult following like its predecessor and was overwhelmingly popular as well as highly rated. As time has passed many people have looked back and feel it has aged like fine wine. I see it constantly resurfacing on many various platforms, probably best seen through the countless 'edits' on YouTube, etc. They were my introduction to the film and they tend to rake in millions of views, just going to show how popular it is and continues to be. This sequel equally follows a similar style in regards to its dark, gritty tone and a slower pacing that drags down its momentum. This franchise is certainly one of the most depressing in the entirety of the sci-fi genre and whilst fascinating, it doesn't quite make it as your easy-going style movie. I'd consider it more an experience, a piece of art if you will. I have to say that 2049 is a masterpiece when it comes to its visuals, harking back to the original that shared in such beauty though I may argue I preferred this one's look better. A great deal has taken place over the past thirty years, to this futuristic L.A. with talks of big events like the Blackout that further enrich this world but also lay out foundations for the story at present and their effects on the mystery being uncovered by K. Our leading protagonist, K, is a Blade Runner with a mission to 'retire' outdated Nexus-8 replicants however, he too is a replicant from the Nexus-9 variant. During one of his usual missions, he comes across a strange anomaly. A box buried next to a dead tree. Its contents hurtle K down a mystery-filled path that has the potential to fracture what remains of civilization. Being a replicant leaves K to be repeatedly abused by peers, being called a "skin job", and he undergoes repeated 'baseline tests' to check his efficiency in addition to detecting any deviance. When not working, K returns home a holographic A.I., Joi, who is essentially a product made to cater to the desires of a customer and tell them what they want to hear. Despite all of this (and being a replicant), K shows genuine emotions towards her that blur the line in regards to our understanding of replicants' capability of emotion, which is seen as a human domain. I felt so sorry for K who shows such empathy for Joi giving her the best life she can have, buying her an emanator to move freely outside of the restricted house device. I loved their moments together even if her affection is essentially fabricated and says only what K wants to hear, I was still rooting for them. K's enquiries take him further in this investigation going as far as Las Vegas where he meets up with an older Deckard who he recruits to uncover the remaining pieces to the puzzle. Deckard's introduction was incredible and led to a phenomenal scene, and one of my favourites, where the pair fight in a bar as an entertainment system glitches around them randomly bursting into song as holograms and lights flicker. There are some gorgeous shots in this film especially the wider ones that give such scope and scale. Director Denis Villeneuve did a marvellous job bringing a perfect, fresh follow-up to Ridley Scott's film. Equally, Hans Zimmer's score is fantastic and a great supplement to the original work of Vangelis. Overall, Blade Runner 2049 is just as much of a masterpiece as its predecessor telling its own unique story heralded by exceptional actors and a competent director. I didn't go into great detail on the main mystery and story as it is best experienced yourself with no spoilers as it is quite a rollercoaster full of twists. It has quite a distinct aesthetic I love and touches on all sorts of messages/topics, mainly loneliness. I would highly recommend checking this one out. It is one you need to experience at least once in your lifetime.
Los Angeles, California, 2019. With towering skyscrapers looming over the dystopian mega-city, grizzled Blade Runner, Rick Deckard is called out of retirement when rogue Nexus-6 replicants steal a spaceship to get back to Earth. The order is crystal clear: Deckard must seek out the illegal replicants and destroy them before they locate their creator. However, as Deckard tries to fix the mistakes of those who want to play God, unprecedented, conflicting emotions cloud his judgment. Blade Runner isn't one of your typical movies but more of a piece of art to be experienced. It is certainly one that will require you to have an analytical mindset before watching it, as it throws plenty at you. There is a lot of visual storytelling alongside the laid-out story with plenty to be picked apart and dissected with all sorts of meanings behind every scene, action, etc. On my first viewing of this futuristic gritty film-noir-esque story, I was simply blown away by the visuals. Seeing a 'futuristic' 2019 where skyscrapers tower across L.A. with flames and lights covering the landscape as far as the eye can see was exquisite despite its dystopian reality. Equally, the phenomenal score of Vangelis brings a hauntingly beautiful element that carries the tone of this film throughout and is a true highlight. Such a summary can apply to the entire production with its beaten down, dark and dreary setting is still visually pleasing to look at with a lot of praise going to Ridley Scott's directing. His other film, Alien (1979), is one of my all-time favourites and has an equal style that carries over. We follow Deckard whose job is to destroy rogue replicants and although he is the protagonist he is not always displayed as a hero. He makes some poor decisions being flawed and in some scenes, he is framed as not someone simply doing a job, but being a killer. His destruction of replicants shows some truly graphic executions that further make us question his actions and the replicant's humanity. The replicant's story is an intriguing one mainly due to Roy Batty who is such a powerful villain and his hunt to meet his maker, be more human and protect his fellow replicants is so interesting. His 'Tears in the Rain' scene is one of the most incredible monologues I have witnessed in a film and is phenomenal. The other most important character is Rachael whom Deckard has feelings for despite being a replicant, which makes his job all the more conflicting. One of the most complicated parts of this film is its history of different cuts with there being a total of seven, but when discussed, five mainly come to mind. The key differences between them are the voice-over, the alternate ending and the unicorn daydream. The voice-over was an inclusion by WB after a poor screening with a test audience but was not what Scott wanted nor did Ford like the addition. It is an aspect not all that popular among fans being badly written and poorly spoken but also because it explains things in the movie dumbing it down for audiences. This was removed from the later versions, like the Final Cut, which I saw. It was funny having not known about the monologue beforehand, yet, whilst watching, I almost felt like scenes were missing one. I don't know if that's just me, but it was an interesting realisation such already existed. The alternate 'happy' ending of them driving off to a greener landscape was also a scene removed from the later versions, which I agreed with as it didn't really fit in with what came before. The most important addition was the inclusion of a scene where Deckard has a daydream of a unicorn, which fundamentally alters the whole movie considering the ending with the origami unicorn. It leads to the age-old debate, is Deckard a replicant or not? For me the answer is clear but what do you think? Overall, Blade Runner is a cinematic masterpiece that finally got its realisation with The Final Cut. It is a film I think multiple viewings are required to truly get it. I found myself repeatedly thinking on it after my watch and couldn't stop playing it over in my head. Any movie that gets you to think about it after it's done must be very impactful. It's not a film I'd put on any old time but certainly one I was glad to have seen. Also, check out the sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
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