I love it when Hollywood goes back and pulls some of the more cult science fiction gems out of the vault -- continuing the story for a new generation.
I'm not talking about "eternal" franchises like Star Wars or Star Trek (although, I love what they've done with those properties in recent years).
I'm referring to one-off movies like Tron -- pieces of pop culture nostalgia that didn't gain mass appeal on initial release, but cultivated niche followings as the films fermented.
In my mind, 2010's Tron: Legacy (a sequel/reboot to the 1982 original) was woefully underappreciated. I think that had less to do with the quality of film itself, and more to do with the fact that Tron was forgotten footnote in the genre.
In a similar fashion, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. bring us Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner 2049 is a hybrid sequel/reboot to 1982's Blade Runner (it seems '82 was a good year for ground-breaking science fiction films that failed to find box office glory).
Blade Runner 2049 is a hybrid sequel/reboot to 1982's Blade Runner (it seems '82 was a good year for ground-breaking science fiction films that failed to find box office glory).
Despite the film's near three-hour length, I was mesermized by Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner 2049 is compelling eye candy -- cerebral and thoughtful in its approach. If you're hankering for something loud and combustible, you'd best look elsewhere.
The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve. His 2016 film Arrival (read my review here) also eschewed the trappings of today's bombastic sci-fi films, and aimed for territory more vague and intellectual.
That style stays true to Ridley Scott's 1982 original (based on the Philip K. Dick story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?).
I saw Blade Runner in the mid-1980s. My family rented it on VHS tape from an Applause Video store near our home in Omaha, NE.
While I never warmed up to the film the way I did the Star Wars franchise (or even 1982's Tron), it was certainly memorable for its stunning visuals, ominous soundtrack (by new age fave Vangelis), and dystopian view of Los Angeles in the future.
If you're unfamilar with Blade Runner, the story focuses on "synthetic humans" called "replicants" made by the Tyrell Corporation in the year 2019. Replicants are used for hard-labor in off-world colonies. A fugitive replicant group manages to escape back to earth, and LA cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) has to "retire" them. Deckard's profession is referred to as a "blade runner."
The movie unfolds like a futuristic Raymond Chandler detective story, and by the end of the film Deckard is questioning his job and his loyalties.
Fast forward 30 years, and we find dystopian Los Angeles looking much like it did in 2019 (a gloomy place featuring a doses of Japanese culture, mentions of the Soviet Union, and digital signs for defunct businesses like Pan Am and Atari).
Replicants have become more integrated into everyday life. The Tyrell Corporation has been bought out by the Wallace Corporation. Our main protagonist is a replicant -- an LA cop who goes by the name K (Ryan Gosling).
K is investigating a growing effort by replicants to gain their freedom and remove the shackles of subservience.
K's investigation begins with him traveling to a futuristic farm. He has been ordered to retire a rogue replicant named Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista). Morton knows why K has come, and challenges K's stone-cold duty by suggesting he has "never seen a miracle."
K kills Morton in a brutal, bar-like brawl. After the kerfuffle, K finds a buried box on the property containing the bones of a deceased replicant. When the remains are analyzed in a forensic lab back at LAPD headquarters, they discover the replicant gave birth via c-section.
Replicants weren't thought capable of reproducing. As a result, K's superior (Robin Wright) orders the remains be destroyed (for fear it could start a mass conflict between humans and replicants).
Despite the fact that K has been engineered from the ground up -- and is typically a by-the-book blade runner -- his nagging curiosity keeps him on the hunt to learn the identities of mother and offspring. As a result, he begins to question his own identity and place in the world.
Thus unfolds a fascinating journey and investigation, featuring gorgeous set pieces and visual effects. K's pursuit of the truth eventually leads him to an exiled Rick Deckard.
When 1982's Blade Runner was released in theaters, the studio ordered narration for Harrison Ford's character be tacked onto the film -- something director Ridley Scott was not in favor of, and something that was removed in subsequent re-releases.
The Blade Runner films feel right without narration -- adding an element of wonder to the narrative.
As a result, the franchise will likely never have the mass followings of more pedestrian popcorn movies. Much has been made on the "interwebs" about the film not living up to box office expectations.
Sometimes it's nice to have a story where viewers fill in the blanks for themselves. I'm pleased Denis Villeneuve stayed true to Blade Runner's original vision -- even if it meant creating a less commercial film.
I must also commend Ryan Gosling's performance in Blade Runner 2049.
Gosling once again proves his dependability as a leading man -- a trait also on full display in his performance as Sebastian Wilder in 2016's La La Land.
His performance as K gives viewers a quiet, introspective loner who -- despite being engineered -- yearns for more meaning in his spartan existence. The closest K has ever come to experiencing love is a precocious hologram companion named Joi (Ana de Armas). Gosling's soulful stares speak volumes, and give depth to the film that goes beyond the written word.
I must also commend Ryan Gosling's performance in Blade Runner 2049.
Gosling once again proves his dependability as a leading man -- a trait also on full display in his performance as Sebastian Wilder in 2016's La La Land.
His performance as K gives viewers a quiet, introspective loner who -- despite being engineered -- yearns for more meaning in his spartan existence. The closest K has ever come to experiencing love is a precocious hologram companion named Joi (Ana de Armas). Gosling's soulful stares speak volumes, and give depth to the film that goes beyond the written word.
Blade Runner 2049 illustrates how science fiction films can rise above the typical crop of genre movies, and offer thoughtful, grown-up dramas that entertain and enlighten.
Rated R, Runtime: 2 hrs, 43 min
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