Blade Runner 2049

photo courtesy of bladerunnermovie.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to 1982’s sci-fi cult classic, Blade Runner. Blade Runner famously did not receive many accolades (or much box office success) at the time of release, but has since been widely recognized by critics as a masterpiece for its highly influential, neo-noir science fiction atmosphere, its state of the art effects, and its complex philosophical undertones. While Blade Runner 2049 is another animal altogether, it too is a sci fi masterpiece for our time…and it too might struggle to find appreciation among mainstream viewers.

     2049 follows K (Ryan Gosling), who is both a replicant (a highly advanced, synthetic android nearly indistinguishable from a human) and a Blade Runner (agent sent to hunt down and “retire” malfunctioning, violent replicants). On a routine mission to retire a rogue replicant, K uncovers a well-kept secret. With his newfound knowledge in hand, K sets off on an investigation that leads him to the doorstep of exiled ex-Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).

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     Like its predecessor, 2049 is a contemplative, brooding film that infuses its dystopian sci fi set pieces with ruminations on sexuality, technology, humanity, and several other interrelated themes. 2049 doesn’t manage these themes quite as deftly or as effortlessly as the original Blade Runner, and it deviates from the feeling and tone of the original in several important ways (which I’ll discuss below). But that doesn’t stop 2049 from reaching intriguing heights in its own right; a mixture of electric performances, stunning imagery, compelling mystery, and weighty moral questions make Blade Runner 2049 a visual and intellectual delight.

     Having said this, it’s worth noting that 2049 probably won’t appeal to everyone. There are several reasons: it’s incredibly long (2 hours and 44 minutes!), it moves at a slow but deliberate pace, it presents a primarily dark view of the future, it grapples with heavy themes, and it includes a fair amount of nudity. Those factors will obviously deter a great many audience members, and that’s fine. But if you can stomach them, I think you’ll find that Blade Runner 2049 is well worth the temporal and emotional investment.

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     Before I move on to the spoiler section of this review, I’ll address a question many potential audience members will want to know: do I need to see the original? I think people will have different answers to that question, but my answer is no, you don’t need to see the original. That is, the plot will be follow-able and the movie can stand on its own two feet in terms of philosophical content. However, much like the Star Wars franchise, the experience of seeing the new installment is enriched by knowledge of the old. So if you want to feel like you can fully appreciate Blade Runner 2049, I’d recommend catching up on the original beforehand. Better, not necessary.

BEWARE: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS—FOR BOTH BLADE RUNNER AND BLADE RUNNER 2049

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     Blade Runner 2049 is in a tricky spot just by nature of its existence. As a sequel to a beloved property, it bears the weight of high expectations, but there are also questions about necessity. Why does it exist at all? If it does exist, how should a 35-years-coming sequel approach the legacy of the original? 2049 navigates that tricky situation with a lot of smart decisions. Blade Runner left audiences with a distinct vision of the future and plenty of questions, and 2049 respects those boundaries while expanding the world where necessary. An inferior sequel might exploit every detail or hint from the original, but here the filmmakers are smart enough to let the mysterious remain mysterious, only illuminating new information where it serves the character-driven story. This means that the film doesn’t come across as particularly plot-driven (even though it is the mystery of Rachael’s child that propels the action), taking time to slowly develop characters and themes for a richer payoff.

     One temptation in a sequel to a popular film is to raise the stakes beyond what makes sense, and that’s one area where 2049 does well. The obvious thing would be to take Blade Runner’s very personal story about Deckard and make the sequel about, say, Deckard’s son. A premise like that carries built-in emotional stakes, and it’s easy to see how it might quickly evolve into a story with an epic, worldwide scope.

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     And 2049 certainly does escalate the action, moving from the periphery to the halls of power and packing in a good deal more plot. But it actively resists doing the obvious thing, choosing instead to stay grounded. K isn’t Deckard’s son or the “chosen one” for the replicant rebellion, he’s just another poor “Joe” (like Deckard) getting tossed around by forces bigger than himself. Blade Runner 2049 resists the temptation to make its story about the exceptional, and that’s a testament to the maturity of its storytelling. Lucasfilm take notice.

     In terms of theme, 2049 revisits many of the same issues raised by its predecessor. But it doesn’t feel like a rehash; the movie reframes and then expands its thematic conceits in interesting ways. Take, for instance, the question of what constitutes humanity, posed in Blade Runner by the nebulous boundary between genuine humans and artificial replicants—and their common mortality. 2049 pushes the question further; Rachael’s child makes the boundary between human and replicant moot, and K’s death in service to a greater cause makes him more human than many of the human characters.

photo courtesy of vox.com

     Another prominent theme is the (mis)treatment of women. Blade Runner provided a commentary on sexual exploitation, depicting its futuristic women as (sometimes literal) objects for men’s sexual desire or violence. Blade Runner 2049 extends that narrative with 1) Joi’s (Ana de Armas) immaterial presence, which makes her even more disposable than replicants, and 2) a great deal of on-screen violence against women. Even the women in positions of relative power (Robin Wright’s Lieutenant Joshi and Sylvia Hoeks’ Luv) inflict violence on one another in pursuit of their goals.

     It should be noted, however, that while Blade Runner 2049 does an admirable job of exploring themes like these, it can’t replicate (get it?) the ease with which Blade Runner does the same. What Blade Runner says with an ellipsis, as a natural by-product of its storytelling, 2049 says with an exclamation point, in an effort to include the necessary philosophical quotient for a Blade Runner sequel. You can tell it’s trying. 

     In terms of plot, 2049 is pretty straightforward: K investigates the mystery of Rachael’s child, following leads and entertaining theories, yada yada. The slower pace, as I’ve already said, might deter some viewers, but I think the plot is interesting enough to maintain interest. The script only really runs into problems toward the end, where the weight of the plot forcibly—and very noticeably—kicks the story into gear.

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     If there were any doubt, Blade Runner 2049 is a sensory wonder. It is simply beautiful to look at, even when the screen is filled with aggressive, dystopian skyscrapers. Seriously, this is one of the most visually striking films I’ve seen in a while. What’s more, it boasts different settings with unique color palettes—both the foggy grey farm at the film’s beginning, the dusty orange remnants of Las Vegas, the seedy underbelly of street-level LA. Interestingly, though the shots of exterior LA are just as smog-cloaked as in Blade Runner, 2049 otherwise ditches the neo-noir aesthetic that marked the original’s cinematography, trading it in for unfeeling, fluorescent interiors. 2049 also loses something of the quirky, bizarre visuals that contributed to the original’s unusual atmosphere. Although there are plenty of engaging imagery surrounding 2049’s villains, there’s nothing quite so oddball as Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty or Daryl Hannah’s dark-eyed Pris.

     Legendary composer Hanz Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch unite to score the movie, and as expected, they do a great job. For the most part they emulate Vangelis' haunting score to the original film, though Zimmer's trademark throbbing bass is prominent. 80s-style synth soundtracks seem to be making a comeback alongside the nostalgia trend, and that sound drives the music here. 

photo courtesy of collider.com

     One of the film’s greatest accomplishments is its CGI, which is impeccable. Everything from sweeping landscapes to everyday sci-fi gadgets are artfully rendered, lending the film a sense of realism that helps the audience buy into the action. No trick is more impressive than the digital recreation of Sean Young (Rachael in Blade Runner) in one scene, engineered through use of CGI and a stand-in actress. Digital recreation or de-aging is becoming more popular, showing up in everything from Star Wars to Kingsman, but Blade Runner 2049’s Rachael is by far the most believable on screen so far. The filmmakers achieve this, in part, by keeping her lines and movement to a minimum, but they nevertheless trust the digital wizardry to be the focus of the entire frame for a few beats. It’s an impressive achievement that serves the story in a meaningful way.

     Blade Runner 2049 also benefits from a stellar cast. Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, and Mackenzie Davis all provide exceptional performances. Jared Leto plays the shadowy villain, Wallace, and although I typically think Leto’s overrated, he’s right for the role. His performance might be a bit on the nose, but he’s creepy enough to keep his scenes from getting too farfetched. Finally, Harrison Ford returns as Deckard. We get a few scenes of “sassy Harrison,” which appears to be the character he plays in most of his recent reboots, but there are also a few scenes (for instance, his interaction with Leto’s Wallace) where Harrison absolutely knocks it out of the park. An actor of his caliber could easily just mail it in at this point, but the fact that he really shows up helps make 2049 something special. 

Watch the trailer here. 

photo courtesy of collider.com