'Blade Runner 2049' Is a Visual Feast; Has a Brilliant Story, Too

Many years ago, I saw the sci-fi classic Blade Runner several times in cable.  However, unlike many other films I got to watch a couple of instances as a kid – especially genre films – it didn’t really resonate with me.  I can’t even remember what particular version I had watched, for this movie is known for having seven different cuts.  A couple of years back – when I was in my late teenage years or early 20’s –  I saw its “Final Cut”, which is supposed to be its most definitive version, as determined by creator Ridley Scott.  I found it good, but it didn’t blow me away.

I also read Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the novel it was loosely based on.  I thought it was okay, but it didn’t impress me as much as it should, since I only got to read it after having already read Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels, which had a better take on human-created artificial beings.

Maybe I just didn’t get the whole Blade Runner thing.  In fact, I appreciated its themes, elements, and aesthetics much more when they were utilized in other films – films it probably inspired – like Ghost in the Shell, Armitage, Gattaca, Dark City, The Matrix, and Ex Machina.

The sequel, however, is another story.  After only one viewing, I immediately felt that Blade Runner 2049 is an instant cinematic classic.

When I first learned that this movie was being made – a follow-up 35 years since Blade Runner was first released in theaters – I thought it was another one of Hollywood’s cynical cash-grabs.  But it turned out being inspired and rewarding in its own right.  It’s absolutely superior to the original, in my humble opinion.

I even think it improved Blade Runner for me – I have to rewatch it to be fully certain – as it revisits previous plot points and made them more intriguing and sensible, especially those I felt was a bit problematic the first time around.  Not only did it expand its mythology and philosophy, it probably even totally altered the meaning of the original film.

The script is simply brilliant.  It’s a bit slow paced though, and coupled with its lengthy runtime (nearly three hours long) and its many exposition scenes, it kind of slightly drags, especially in the first half.  However, it’s because it really allows itself to take its time in thoroughly establishing and realizing its characters and plot.  And, as a result, I think the narrative totally pays off.  In addition, it doesn’t spoon feed.  Rather, it demands the audience to pay attention, respects their intelligence, and then reward them handsomely in the end.

Now, I don’t want to offer a plot synopsis or character descriptions.  2049 is packed with surprising details and development, and these are meant to be enjoyed once you are finally watching the movie.  The trailers are even vague enough to serve this purpose.  The only things about the plot that one needs to know before going in is that Ryan Gosling is playing a new Blade Runner named K, and in his latest assignment, he seeks the help of Rick Deckard, the protagonist of the first movie, played by Harrison Ford.

Moreover, just like the first movie, a love story is an important aspect of 2049.  But while the romance between Deckard and Rachel in Blade Runner didn’t leave much of an impact on me, I really thought the romantic subplot between K and his, er, “wife” (played by Ana de Armas) is very interesting.  They even have this unique sex scene (it occurred off screen, but the set up to it was shown, and it was extremely remarkable).

But while its story is splendid, its visuals are twice as great.  Sure, the setting is a dystopian future.  But this doesn’t mean it had to look drab and anemic.  And, indeed, this movie is a feast for the eyes to devour.  Lighting, colors, contrasts, camera positioning, CGI, production design – all work together to make every frame look gorgeously immaculate.  Emotive sound design then further enhances whatever mood or ambiance needs to be conveyed in each scene.

Denis Villeneuve has proven time and time again to be a master director.  And with Blade Runner 2049, he has arguably made the case that he deserves to be up there with the Spielbergs and Scorseses and Tarantinos and Nolans.

In ending, let me simply reiterate: Blade Runner 2049 is set to become a cinematic classic.

(That being said, I am still willing to trade 2049 for an entire Shinichirō Watanabe-directed Blackout 2022 series.)