Blade Runner 2049 Review

 

        For some weird thing in the 2010s, every studio tried to capitalize on the nostalgia that is the 80s. In some form or another, you had films that were sequels to movies that was thought were all over or to films that were one and done. Sometimes you had a book adaptation, or an original show take place in that timeline. To tell you the truth, I didn’t believe a sequel to Blade Runner would work. Since, the first film didn’t really lead to any indication of a sequel, but to the main character to come full circle with what he had witnessed. While Blade Runner 2049 was a box office bomb, it’s considered one of the best sequels ever made. 

1. The Best Unnecessary Sequel 

        The whole idea of a sequel is to have it be the continuation of a story. The worse ones usually fall into various distinct traps. One is to literally do the same thing but in a different location. The other is to go too far in a direction where it’s a completely different from the first film. One last example is to make it years after the fact, but not expanding on what made the first film great. 

        Fortunately, 2049 manages to avoid most of the pitfalls I listed. It really feels like a standalone sequel. Which is a sequel that doesn’t need you to watch the first film to get an idea of what’s going on. In the event of seeing the first film, it’s supplemental to understand the entire story of Blade Runner. 

        With that, we have a new main character, Officer K. He’s the new Blade Runner, and to simply explain what that is. Mostly, it’s a bounty hunter that hunts down Replicants, specifically Androids going rogue. After killing one, K notices a box buried near a dead tree. From there, he goes on a search to figure out if his memories were real. Meanwhile, the mysterious Neander Wallace has his assistant Luv, track down and stop K from uncovering a new breed of replicants. From there, the whole plot has him figuring out if he’s the child of Rick Deckard.

        I’ll explain that tidbit in the next point. What I want to focus on is how the movie does a fantastic job of elevating the entire world of the series. When we see K’s flying to LAPD’s headquarters, we see that the whole city is covered in darkness, with only bits of light from nauseating ads with different languages being blared out. It’s a bleak future that only a few sci-fi films tackle so well. And it’s important for the plot when K tries to find something that relates to the evidence he found in the first moments of the film. 

        Lastly, any fan of the first movie was expecting the return of Harrison Ford. Even though he gets second billing next to Ryan Gosling, he shows up near the middle of the film. It’s one of those things where the film’s story and us seeing K’s investigation makes us forget that Deckard is in the film. Although, there are bits where it’s teased when the film uses the audio of the first film to dangle that hook of anticipation of seeing Deckard. I call it the Jaws method since in that film, we barely see the shark, but the anticipation or dread makes it worth it.

2. Subversion of the Chosen One Trope

        It’s a trope in some sci-fi films to have a chosen one. In varying shape or form, the chosen one is supposed to be the thing that audiences want to be. I’ve explained it in my review of The Matrix that the reason why characters like Luke Skywalker and Neo, to name a few, work is that they are interesting. It’s that we want to be them since they start out small and grow to conquer the evil in their films. 

        What’s interesting in Blade Runner 2049 is that it flips the trope in its head. Subversion is overselling it, but the way the film goes about it is ingenious. I think when the film was announced, and don’t take my word for it since it’s my own theory that I’m sticking with. I believe that the Blade Runner fans were expecting the new guy to be related to Deckard. Having the expectation that through some weird reason that they have a connection. 

        Well, it’s entirely not the case. I give credit to Villeneuve to really trusting the writers to change the trope in a unique way. As we’re tracking the film, he has memories of what he thinks is his youth. He meets an immune-compromised Dr. Stelline, who realizes that her memories match K’s. Confirming to K that his memories were implanted. And it gave way to a meme worthy reaction. 

        One more thing I want to talk about is the use of K’s lover Joi. This is my first introduction to Ana de Armas as an actress. She does a good job of playing the lover to K, albeit a holographic one. She plays a part to K’s character arc. And I got to tell you that it’s tragic, especially for K. Near the end, as he walks in the darkened city, he sees an interactive ad to Joi. It all but destroys his moments with his companion since she came up with a nickname for him. With that, it’s a name that is preprogrammed to the hologram. 

        It's a thing that elaborates one of the themes of the first movie. Which is, can an android with implanted memories have humanity? We see moments were Officer K ignores what he’s supposed to do by his police captain. More so that he investigates further into finding if his life was a lie. What makes it come full circle is when he decides to do the noble thing and to rescue Deckard. 

3. Legacy

        As I mentioned earlier, the film didn’t do well financially. It did make back it’s budget, but it didn’t make enough to be considered a hit. After the fact, the film was hailed as an achievement in sci-fi with its distinct look and expansion of the Blade Runner mythos. The only reason I can think of as to why it bombed is that Blade Runner is very niche. Not that it’s made for a specific audience, anyone can gravitate to any movie, but it blends sci-fi and film noir to be something on its own. And, if you're in the right mood, can be a long movie.

        It wouldn’t be years later when the Cartoon Network block Adult Swim released an anime limited series that is based on Blade Runner. I haven’t seen Blade Runner: Black Lotus, but it looked interesting since it takes place in between the two movies. Not only that, but a new series was announced to take place 50 years after the sequel. From what I gathered; Blade Runner 2099 is supposed to be released on Amazon Prime. When, I have no clue. 

4. Overall

        Blade Runner 2049 is one of those sequels where it tops the original. It may not be accessible to the general audience, but it still delivers its own type of Sci-Fi. Denis Villeneuve delivered another hit, but his next film would elevate him to Oscar winner.