Bladerunner 2049: Time Moves On
I've processed it and here are my thoughts on Bladerunner 2049. May contain spoilers.
I’ve seen Bladerunner only once but from memory it was a self-contained story. Nothing begged for a sequel and if it had, Phillip K Dick* might have written it. That said, the sequel Bladerunner 2049 is not a quick cash-in (Hollywood is copping a bit of stick at the moment for its reliance on sequels and remakes at the moment). A lot of care has gone into this production and there is plenty to recommend it.
When Denis Villeneuve, who proved his sci-fi credentials with the intriguing Arrival, was announced as director, I think anxiety about this sequel was quelled and interest was piqued. Ridley Scott (who directed the original) was on as a producer as was the original screenwriter. And Harrison Ford signed-on to continue Deckard’s story.
The story centres on Officer K (Ryan Gosling) who, like Deckard before him, is a police officer who hunts down old replicants. Unlike Deckard, it is made clear from the start that Officer K is also a replicant. During one of K’s assignments, he discovers a Secret That Changes Everything. Further investigation reveals this secret may or may not involve his own origins so he takes it upon himself to track down Deckard for answers.
Unfortunately, there is an evil mastermind, Wallace (Jared Leto being very evil) and his henchwoman Luv (a standout performance by Dutch actress Sylvia Hoek) who are also looking for answers to the same question but for different reasons (actually one reason: Wallace has a god-complex). So Officer K becomes a wanted man.
It is visually stunning (although maybe not all that practical - I think trying to work with the yellow water effects would give me the irrits fairly quickly) and the production design will not be a let down. There are no bad performances and the direction is excellent.
However…
When it was released to an indifferent box office in 1982, what set Bladerunner apart from the sci-fi pack was that, unlike other sci-fi movies which mostly looked pristine and smooth-edged with an emphasis on white (or beige) décor, it looked grungy and chaotic. It kind of foretold what our cities may well look like in the future. I mean, this photo could have been from Bladerunner, but is in fact Beijing in 2015.
Bladerunner 2049 follows a similar design but it seems in the 30 years that has passed since Bladerunner (which was set in 2019) not much has changed - all the technology and the cityscape (it’s meant to be Los Angeles) is more or less the same, even the neon signs. The questions raised about artificial intelligence traverse much the same ground a the original. The scenes in the derelict casino feature holograms of famous entertainers like Elvis, Liberace and Marilyn Monroe - did it not occur to them that by 2049 people might be watching holograms of say Amy Winehouse or David Bowie?
It has all the greatest hits of Bladerunner but that world hasn’t really evolved much in 30 years the way our real world has - I mean there's a pivotal scene involving microfiche. The original was made pre-internet so it seems quaint that there is no mention of it here (there is some explanation though that there was an 11 day blackout which may be set things back a bit). There were echoes of other sci-fi movies that have come since, like The Matrix (Robin Wright’s character in all black) and Her (Officer K‘s hologram girlfriend). Except Her didn't have dodgy gender politics. Okay a replicant having a hologram girlfriend makes sense and is even kind of sweet but who decided she would exist only to serve all his needs (including arranging a threesome with a sex worker - pretty sure every woman in the audience rolled their eyes at this point, although the effect used to merge the two actresses' faces is impressive)? Harrison Ford is allowed on screen with his-not-as-handsome-as-he-used-to-be face but Sean Young appears only in flashback and CGI at her most beautiful. Wallace slashes a naked female replicant across the abdomen. I mean I know he's supposed to be evil but really? Officer K takes quite some time to strangle the replicant henchwoman Luv to death. Yes I know in the movie she is a replicant of equal strength but imagery carries weight*.
And it is very long - too long, almost three hours and the first half does drag a bit. I almost nodded off until the bit where Officer K screams (not about having to use microfiche). Then in the second half when things get going a bit, they shoehorn a subplot about a nascent replicant resistance movement which then it goes nowhere (except may be another sequel?).
The thought that struck me - and I'm going to paraphrase Tenacious D - this is not the best sci-fi movie in the world, this is just a tribute. A lovingly put together tribute which creates some wonder and asks questions about memory but one that is oddly trapped in time.
⭐⭐⭐
* he wrote the short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep on which Bladerunner is based. He is also considered one of the best of all sci-fi authors!
* The reason this is questionable is that strangulation has been identified as a common presager to domestic violence homicides, to the point that in the report handed down by former Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, it was recommended that non-fatal strangulation be a separate offence under the Penalties and Offences Act.
 |
When Denis Villeneuve, who proved his sci-fi credentials with the intriguing Arrival, was announced as director, I think anxiety about this sequel was quelled and interest was piqued. Ridley Scott (who directed the original) was on as a producer as was the original screenwriter. And Harrison Ford signed-on to continue Deckard’s story.
The story centres on Officer K (Ryan Gosling) who, like Deckard before him, is a police officer who hunts down old replicants. Unlike Deckard, it is made clear from the start that Officer K is also a replicant. During one of K’s assignments, he discovers a Secret That Changes Everything. Further investigation reveals this secret may or may not involve his own origins so he takes it upon himself to track down Deckard for answers.
Unfortunately, there is an evil mastermind, Wallace (Jared Leto being very evil) and his henchwoman Luv (a standout performance by Dutch actress Sylvia Hoek) who are also looking for answers to the same question but for different reasons (actually one reason: Wallace has a god-complex). So Officer K becomes a wanted man.
It is visually stunning (although maybe not all that practical - I think trying to work with the yellow water effects would give me the irrits fairly quickly) and the production design will not be a let down. There are no bad performances and the direction is excellent.
However…
When it was released to an indifferent box office in 1982, what set Bladerunner apart from the sci-fi pack was that, unlike other sci-fi movies which mostly looked pristine and smooth-edged with an emphasis on white (or beige) décor, it looked grungy and chaotic. It kind of foretold what our cities may well look like in the future. I mean, this photo could have been from Bladerunner, but is in fact Beijing in 2015.
 |
| Bladerunner? Nope Beijing actually |
Bladerunner 2049 follows a similar design but it seems in the 30 years that has passed since Bladerunner (which was set in 2019) not much has changed - all the technology and the cityscape (it’s meant to be Los Angeles) is more or less the same, even the neon signs. The questions raised about artificial intelligence traverse much the same ground a the original. The scenes in the derelict casino feature holograms of famous entertainers like Elvis, Liberace and Marilyn Monroe - did it not occur to them that by 2049 people might be watching holograms of say Amy Winehouse or David Bowie?
It has all the greatest hits of Bladerunner but that world hasn’t really evolved much in 30 years the way our real world has - I mean there's a pivotal scene involving microfiche. The original was made pre-internet so it seems quaint that there is no mention of it here (there is some explanation though that there was an 11 day blackout which may be set things back a bit). There were echoes of other sci-fi movies that have come since, like The Matrix (Robin Wright’s character in all black) and Her (Officer K‘s hologram girlfriend). Except Her didn't have dodgy gender politics. Okay a replicant having a hologram girlfriend makes sense and is even kind of sweet but who decided she would exist only to serve all his needs (including arranging a threesome with a sex worker - pretty sure every woman in the audience rolled their eyes at this point, although the effect used to merge the two actresses' faces is impressive)? Harrison Ford is allowed on screen with his-not-as-handsome-as-he-used-to-be face but Sean Young appears only in flashback and CGI at her most beautiful. Wallace slashes a naked female replicant across the abdomen. I mean I know he's supposed to be evil but really? Officer K takes quite some time to strangle the replicant henchwoman Luv to death. Yes I know in the movie she is a replicant of equal strength but imagery carries weight*.
And it is very long - too long, almost three hours and the first half does drag a bit. I almost nodded off until the bit where Officer K screams (not about having to use microfiche). Then in the second half when things get going a bit, they shoehorn a subplot about a nascent replicant resistance movement which then it goes nowhere (except may be another sequel?).
The thought that struck me - and I'm going to paraphrase Tenacious D - this is not the best sci-fi movie in the world, this is just a tribute. A lovingly put together tribute which creates some wonder and asks questions about memory but one that is oddly trapped in time.
⭐⭐⭐
* he wrote the short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep on which Bladerunner is based. He is also considered one of the best of all sci-fi authors!
* The reason this is questionable is that strangulation has been identified as a common presager to domestic violence homicides, to the point that in the report handed down by former Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, it was recommended that non-fatal strangulation be a separate offence under the Penalties and Offences Act.
Comments
Post a Comment