Blade Runner 2049

Plot: . [imdb]    [photos] K (Ryan Gosling) is a Blade Runner, which is an LA Cop who specializes in killing rogue "Replicants, who is a genetically engineered race of sterile slaves. In a more bleak and depopulated Los Angeles than in the original movie, the people are subsisting on worms. Most of the Replicants come from Niander Wallace (Jerad Leto)  and they are much more docile, or so the humans think. 

K, who is also a replicant, comes to believe that he once was a child rather than being born in a factory. He goes to find his mother and father, and after a long time he meets Deckard (Harrison Ford) from the first movie. They join forces to fight the evil Niander Wallace and his cute body guard Luv (Sylvia Hoeks.)

Review: Blade Runner 2049 picks up two themes from the first movie, the replicant rebellion and the lone lawman against crazed evil doers. They dropped the questions about whether replicants have a soul, and the geeky fascination with synthetic biology, which is too bad. 

Like the first movie the visual looks are striking. Here they are clean & cool, where as in the old movie they were complex and cosmopolitan. 

I liked K's relationship with his holographic girlfriend, Joi (Ana de Armas). It brings up the same issues from Her. Joi loves K, and there is a very cool love scene. Later when Joe and Joi are parted, we see giant video ads for Joi, and we see that she is a mass market product. The whole notion of personal romance and individual experience in a consumer society is in question.

I just rewatched the 1982 original, and it was pretty unconventional, and so it this movie. It is not your typical action movie. It is will be too slow for most people and while it has a happy ending, most of the likable people die. 

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Jerad Leto, Harrison Ford, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Written by: Hampton Francher, Michael Green,  and Hampton Fancher, based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K Dick

The Music: Some great spare & quiet electronica like Sapper's tree and Joi, and some awful noisy drum heavy Han Zimmer music. I am sick of Han Zimmer's pounding drums. 

The Visuals: Strong Visuals. Often spare and simple. There are several striking giant human figures which are striking. Some nude women which were gratuitous. 

Rating: 2.5 stars: Disappointing because I expected more, but still pretty good. Not so fun to watch, but with some fun ideas. I was glad I saw it. 

 

More: Director Villeneuve felt the slow pace was needed to keep the feeling of immersion that the original had.

Even More: SPOILER Joe's fate at the end of the movie is ambiguous. Always the optimist, I believe he lives on for the next sequel.

Yet More: Not sure why it was snowing in LA. I think it is because Villeneuve liked the silver-blue colors and the soft light.

It Keeps Coming: The architecture in the film was designed by concept artist Syd Mead, who did the original movie.
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