Blade Runner 2049 - Part 3

[-JKR-]

The original Blade Runner is one of my top 3 all time films. Watching 2049, I was being excessively critical throughout. When it referenced the original film I was judging it for ripping things off, when it moved beyond the original film I was judging it for straying. Throughout the movie I was feeling very uncertain about how I would ultimately feel about it. But then the last thirty minutes happened which were crazy phenomenal. And in the last scene I was holding back tears.

If you love Blade Runner, the first viewing of 2049 will be difficult to allow yourself to expand beyond the realm of the original. It's like you don't want to let go. I feel this will be easier in repeated viewings which will obviously allow for greater enjoyment of the film. It looks amazing. It does lack the grit of the 82 film, and even the design aesthetics to some degree, but it looks amazing regardless.

Which is clearly a choice, though, not a fault. It's a different story, set in very different times from the original.

Which is what makes this movie so memorable on its own, and why it works so well. I've read of people missing that typical noir sax sounds, but that's exactly the point. It's not that kind of story, and it's not that kind of movie. Hans Zimmer's droning eletronical sounds in some of the scenes fit PERFECTLY.

 

[Web-Head]

First viewing of this needs to be in imax. You’re selling yourself short by not doing so.

The original is up there on my list, but this film really has me captivated the whole time. I spent almost 3 hours effortlessly watching nothing but the screen. I adored it.

Allll this

 

[Web-Head]

For those who seen it, what trailers were attached? JL trailer?

Your theater decides, but I got

Alpha, Jigsaw, Geostorm and Star Wars

 

[redhawk23]

Which is clearly a choice, though, not a fault. It's a different story, set in very different times from the original.

Which is what makes this movie so memorable on its own, and why it works so well. I've read of people missing that typical noir sax sounds, but that's exactly the point. It's not that kind of story, and it's not that kind of movie. Hans Zimmer's droning eletronical sounds in some of the scenes fit PERFECTLY.

You act as if deliberate choices can't also be faults or misteps. A Zimmer factory product cranked out in 4 weeks has it's moments but is mostly overbearing and tactless. It many of the same problems as his score for 12 years a slave.Something along similar lines could have probably been employed with much more skill by someone else.

If anything we are presented with an even dirtier and more ecologically destroyed world than the first but all the dirt the air never really seems to stick to anything.

Like the music, there are some deliberate choices that don't quite sell what they're going for.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Denis Villeneuve did say by 2049 the world is worse. Also if you saw the prequel short movies there was a Blackout in 2022 and the world returned to basics for a while.

 

[Closerframe]

Based on my initial impression, the movie carries the visual tone of the first and surpasses it in many ways. The score is also a mix of newer softer tones in addition to overbearing and loud sounds which are very reminiscent of the first film. Both Ford and Gosling bring their best here, but it’s really hard to say they put in a lot of work since they don’t speak that much. My only issues with the film (spoiler free) are how little time they seem to spend with K walking the streets of LA. There are quick shots of him walking in the snow, but most of his scenes are indoors which I guess resembles Deckard’s depiction in the original. Now, in terms of other plot issues, I had major issues with:

Spoiler

Wtf was Leto attempting to do? I understand the blind angle being a direct contrast to Terrell’s massive glasses which invoked an all-seeing “father” while Leto uses floating Nest products to get more than a single view of what’s happening in a room, but what was his planning by allowing Replicants to reproduce? Is he assuming they’ll be obedient and thus more slave labor for him to allow humans to explore the stars? If that’s the case, his plan is already falling apart since both Luv and K are newer models who prove again and again to be disobedient and liars. Also, what was the point of Deckard being taken off-world to be tortured? Could they not use interrogation methods on Earth?

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Your theater decides, but I got

Alpha, Jigsaw, Geostorm and Star Wars

The Death of Stalin, The Party, The Snowman.

It was an arthouse cinema.

 

[David H.]

*waits impatiently for Sunday*

 

[OutOfBoose]

del.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Based on my initial impression, the movie carries the visual tone of the first and surpasses it in many ways. The score is also a mix of newer softer tones in addition to overbearing and loud sounds which are very reminiscent of the first film. Both Ford and Gosling bring their best here, but it’s really hard to say they put in a lot of work since they don’t speak that much. My only issues with the film (spoiler free) are how little time they seem to spend with K walking the streets of LA. There are quick shots of him walking in the snow, but most of his scenes are indoors which I guess resembles Deckard’s depiction in the original. Now, in terms of other plot issues, I had major issues with:

Spoiler

Wtf was Leto attempting to do? I understand the blind angle being a direct contrast to Terrell’s massive glasses which invoked an all-seeing “father” while Leto uses floating Nest products to get more than a single view of what’s happening in a room, but what was his planning by allowing Replicants to reproduce? Is he assuming they’ll be obedient and thus more slave labor for him to allow humans to explore the stars? If that’s the case, his plan is already falling apart since both Luv and K are newer models who prove again and again to be disobedient and liars. Also, what was the point of Deckard being taken off-world to be tortured? Could they not use interrogation methods on Earth?

Spoiler

Maybe the interrogation technique was illegal on Earth.

Also, I'm confused. Was K a newer model? Maybe I wasn't paying proper attention but I thought that the pre-blackout, and thus undocumented, models were Tyrell. But didn't Wallace (Leto) say earlier on in the film, whilst speaking to Luv, that he was limited in terms of the number of replicants he could produce with respect to the demand?

Also, isn't Luv extremely obedient to Wallace, her master, even to the extent that she's happy to sell out all the other replicants who are seeking to emancipate themselves from slavery?

Anyway, my issue, if one could call it that, is the following:

Spoiler

We still don't know if Deckard is a replicant. Personally, I'm with Harrison Ford, and prefer to think of Deckard as a human (it makes Batty's decision to save him at the end of the first film more poignant IMHO - demonstrating that the replicants are at least as humane as the 'real' humans), but apart from Wallace's suggestion that Deckard was 'programmed' to fall in love with Rachel (which admittedly was probably no more than a mind game), the fact that Deckard was able to live for several years in a radioactive dust cloud (and, moreover, still have all his hair when every human in the surrounding area appeared to be bald) seemed to point towards him being a replicant. But it's very possible that I've missed something.

 

[mclay18]

For those who seen it, what trailers were attached? JL trailer?

No JL trailer on my screening.

Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Last Jedi, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Red Sparrow

 

[Greens]

I liked the film, but it definitely could have been shorter. Certain scenes go on way too long, and I thought the girlfriend subplot was pretty dull. Visually it's perfect, the score is great, the acting is great, Sylvia Hoeks once again establishes Dutch dominance.

 

[BaelaTargaryen]

TOMATOMETER

89%
Average Rating: 8.3/10
Reviews Counted: 185
Fresh: 165
Rotten: 20

82 on Metacritic with 47 reviews.

 

[Closerframe]

Spoiler

Maybe the interrogation technique was illegal on Earth.

Also, I'm confused. Was K a newer model? Maybe I wasn't paying proper attention but I thought that the pre-blackout, and thus undocumented, models were Tyrell. But didn't Wallace (Leto) say earlier on in the film, whilst speaking to Luv, that he was limited in terms of the number of replicants he could produce with respect to the demand?

Also, isn't Luv extremely obedient to Wallace, her master, even to the extent that she's happy to sell out all the other replicants who are seeking to emancipate themselves from slavery?

Anyway, my issue, if one could call it that, is the following:

Spoiler

We still don't know if Deckard is a replicant. Personally, I'm with Harrison Ford, and prefer to think of Deckard as a human (it makes Batty's decision to save him at the end of the first film more poignant IMHO - demonstrating that the replicants are at least as humane as the 'real' humans), but apart from Wallace's suggestion that Deckard was 'programmed' to fall in love with Rachel (which admittedly was probably no more than a mind game), the fact that Deckard was able to live for several years in a radioactive dust cloud (and, moreover, still have all his hair when every human in the surrounding area appeared to be bald) seemed to point towards him being a replicant. But it's very possible that I've missed something.

Spoiler

But murdering a police officer is completely okay? How would the government know the techniques being used are even illegal? Wallace seems to kill whoever he wants so taking Deckard off-world, without himself even coming along for the ride, seems like a ploy just to have K rescue him in the epic action sequence we got and less of a logical decision by the film’s villain.

I was under the impression that K was a newer model. Newer models were produced post-blackout which K says was before his time. And yes, Wallace said he could only make so many to keep up with the demand of the growing human colonies. However, his desire to allow replicants to reproduce seems like a plot flaw given that he acquired Tyrell Corporation and all of its patents but he had no idea replicants were given the ability to reproduce by Tyrell?

Luv was obedient to Wallace, but she said she would tell him that Wright’s character tried killing her first hence why she had to kill her. This is a blatant lie being told by Luv to her creator which is an element of disobedience.

Spoiler

I’ve always been in the camp that believes Deckard is a replicant and I love that DV allows for more debate by dropping clues for both sides. Deckard living in Vegas doesn’t necessarily imply he’s a replicant because of the high radiation because if he’s been there for 35 years, who knows when Vegas turned to crap. It could be that people assumed it was still highly radioactive but when K arrives he sees that’s not the case and there are even real bees making honey. I think it’s more fascinating if Deckard is a replicant that got Rachel pregnant because it shows two replicants can reproduce versus a human just falling for a replicant and having a child.

 

[Fallen Angel]

#BladeRunner2049 earned $4M in Thursday previews http://thr.cm/nY1Pw8

Blade Runner 2049 took in $4 million in Thursday-night previews — $800,000 of which was earned from its IMAX showings.


The Alcon, Warner Bros. and Sony sequel to the Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi thriller takes place several decades after the original, with Harrison Ford once again playing Rick Deckard, the former blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. This time, Ryan Gosling plays LAPD Officer K, who tracks down Ford's Deckard to help him take down a new enemy (Jared Leto) and his replicants. Denis Villeneuve directs the follow-up, also starring Dave Bautista, Robin Wright and Ana de Armas. It earned very strong reviews and currently has a fresh rating of 90 on Rotten Tomatoes.
Blade Runner 2049’s showing beat to the initial debut of The Martian, which earned $2.5 million in Thursday-night screenings at 2,800 locations on the same weekend in 2015. It also bested the $1.4 million earned in Thursday previews by Gravity in early October 2013.
This weekend, Blade Runner 2049 is projected to open to $45 million or more in North America. It is also rolling out in almost every international market this weekend, save for China, Japan and South Korea, and could easily clear $100 million globally by Sunday.

 

[redhawk23]

I was impressed and intrigued by the presentation and implicstions of K's relationship.

 

[Wise]

Anyone else notice that while Blade Runner homaged the classic 1940's noir films, 2049 had it's own references to the 60's and 70's noir resurgence

Spoiler

(such as the Chinatown visual nod with K's nose being bandaged), whilst featuring prominent appearances from 60's icons Elvis, Sinatra and Munroe? The classic 60's

It's probably not a coincidence that the 1960's was when the civil rights movement occurred, obviously an inspiration that's drawn upon and mirrored in the replicant's lifestyle and struggles.

 

[redhawk23]

Solid observation.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

#BladeRunner2049 earned $4M in Thursday previews http://thr.cm/nY1Pw8

Blade Runner 2049 took in $4 million in Thursday-night previews — $800,000 of which was earned from its IMAX showings.

Blade Runner 2049’s showing beat to the initial debut of The Martian, which earned $2.5 million in Thursday-night screenings at 2,800 locations on the same weekend in 2015. It also bested the $1.4 million earned in Thursday previews by Gravity in early October 2013.

If BR2049 follows Tron:Legacy, the OD will be 19.45 million and the OW will be 48.9 million.

If BR2049 follows Mad Max Fury Road, the OD will be 18 million and the OW will be 49 million.

So at the moment (45-50) million OW seems like right range for BR2049.

 

[Wise]

What I like about the Blade Runner universe is that it doesn't hit you over the head with explaining it's world.

We see that the Soviet Union never fell in this timeline, which would probably explain the advanced technology and hyper advanced infrastructure of the first film. From 1945 to 1991 the world's technology advanced by huge leaps and bounds thanks massively in part to military build up and arms races between the two superpowers. Trillions were spent.

Now imagine that that level of technological advancement continued from 1991 to 2019 and you can sort of accept the differences between the world of Blade Runner and our own world. Obviously the original book was written before the Soviet Union dissolved, but there is in fact a precedence for alternate history in Dick's works most prominently in The Man in the High Castle.

I like how we never find out what happened to [BLACKOUT]Las Vegas outside of vague references to a dirty bomb[/BLACKOUT] and that the changes to the climate are never specified to have been caused by C02 or some other reason. They never even tell us the reason for the [BLACKOUT]blackout, was it a solar flare? Terrorism?[/BLACKOUT] It's never confirmed. The lack of exposition really helps the viewer inhabit and experience the world as they aren't having it explained to them.

 

[Tony Stark]

Blade Runner is one of my all time favorite films. The 1992 director's cut is my favorite version of the film. But I have to say I am disappointed in 2049. There are some great visuals, the acting is good, but I really felt the film was just missing something.

Spoiler

The whole point of the original Blade Runner is not that Deckard is or isn't a replicant it's that the viewer questions what is real and what is not, and the fact that you have a very human character in Deckard that you are left questioning if he is real or not is the beauty of the original. Because Ford played him as a human, but Scott meant him to be the missing replicant, that's what seals it for the audience. You are able to relate to this character so you are watching the film from his eyes.

This is where BR 2049 misses the mark IMO. Officer K/Joe, is someone we know to be a replicant. He is treated as an outcast and his only companion is a computer hologram. So we have a protagonist that we can't relate to. There is a subconscious disconnection between the audience and K, because we know he's not real.

So then we're presented with that he might be the child of Deckard and Rachel, so he may have been born. At this point in the film as a viewer we don't know if Dekcard was real or not from the first film, although he's presented as human in this film, so we think he might be some kind of hybrid human/replicant, but none of this matters. Gosling is playing K as a replicant. His mannerisms are not human, his reactions aren't human. Again I go back to the original where Ford has said multiple times Deckard was a human and it doesn't matter if he is or isn't in the film, he PORTRAYED Deckard as a human, but at the end we are questioning who or what he is, and in turn makes us question what is real and what isn't.

By the time we get to the "twist" ending, I had already figured everything out. Maybe some people were surprised, but I knew from the moment they showed the DNA analysis that K wasn't the real child and the memories were implanted, and when he visits the dream factory, I'd figured out who was the real daughter.

Which brings me to the other real problem with this film, is that it telegraphs it's punches the whole way through the film. There's no subtlety or nuance.

I may be in the minority on this one, but that was my honest reaction to the film. This is basically a nostalgia film that doesn't break any new ground. The performances are good, there are some great visuals, and I was touched by the ending, but this is not the classic that the original was.

I'm not saying "this sucks" or that it wasn't good, I just feel that it's existence if you consider it canon takes away from the beauty of the original. There are some sequels that just don't need to be made. This movie is a bit like making Inception 2.

 

[Fallen Angel]

The blackout is told about in the prequel short. BLACKOUT 2022.

[YT]rrZk9sSgRyQ[/YT]

 

[-JKR-]

You act as if deliberate choices can't also be faults or misteps. A Zimmer factory product cranked out in 4 weeks has it's moments but is mostly overbearing and tactless. It many of the same problems as his score for 12 years a slave.Something along similar lines could have probably been employed with much more skill by someone else.

If anything we are presented with an even dirtier and more ecologically destroyed world than the first but all the dirt the air never really seems to stick to anything.

Like the music, there are some deliberate choices that don't quite sell what they're going for.

Of course they can. But I liked those choices, so I don't see them as missteps.

 

[TheVileOne]

Spoiler

Yeah, the blackout was like an EMP detonation I think.

But yeah the true story of the blackout is in the prequel anime short by Shinichiro Watanabe.

 

[Loki882]

Don't think anyone here was expecting that but I've read a few reviews say its' better than the first one. While I think it's maybe on par with the first one, the original was so much influential and groundbreaking that 2049 won't ever get to that kind of level that the first one is held up as.

"Better" doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as "groundbreaking." A movie being "groundbreaking" doesn't automatically make it "better" as an overall piece of filmmaking.