Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Review

 Blade Runner 2049 (2017) 7/10

[THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!]

Hello and welcome to another movie review. Today, I’m going over the coveted sequel to the 80’s classic, Blade Runner 2049. 2049 premiered in Los Angeles on October 3, 2017. The film was directed by Denis Villeneuve, with Ridley Scott (director of the first movie) acting as executive producer. The movie apparently underperformed in the box office and flopped, but those that are fans of the original Blade Runner enjoyed it. The movie has gone on to become another cult classic of the cyberpunk genre, but personally I didn’t care for this as much as I would’ve liked.

I went into this movie with medium expectations. As someone who didn’t really care for the first movie, 2049 wasn’t looking too promising. However, I have heard good things about 2049, and all the memes supporting it have prompted me to check it out. Although I enjoyed this movie more than the first, I still don’t see how this was so beloved. Let’s begin.

30 years have passed since the events of the first movie. During this time, the Tyrell Corporation has gone under due to the extensive violent rebellions caused by replicants in the off-worlds. A new corporation headed by Niander Wallace has absorbed Tyrell and continued the production of replicants. These new replicants, Nexus 9’s, are more obedient and made through a different synthetic process. Our story follows Detective K (Serial Number KD6-3.7), a Blade Runner who is hunting down replicants who have gone rogue. When he retires a replicant named Sapper Morton, he discovers a box that’s buried under a nearby tree. This box contains a mystery that’ll send K on an investigation that could shatter society itself if its secrets got out.

The plot for this movie is much more interesting compared to the first. The way it spurs the brain with such an unholy creation that, in the words of Madam, “it’s impossible.” it’s interesting, but I do think the movie could have made this a bigger emphasis. So Rachael was an experimental Nexus 7 replicant, and apparently she had the ability to reproduce. But here’s the thing. Apparently Deckard is a replicant and he has the ability to reproduce as well? With both of these, they were able to conceive a child, which in itself will prompt chaos across society itself. With replicants being able to reproduce, they won’t need humans anymore, which will cause a shift in the societal structure itself. Although I think the tiny details lowkey ruin this plot development, the idea of a replicant being able to reproduce is really interesting.

With all of that said, I don’t think the movie truly drove home just how monumental this is. Yes that’s the point of the whole investigation, of the whole movie, but a bigger “in your face” moment would have helped. But I digress. The rest of the movie is fine. I liked Detective K, but I was hoping he would have more character to him, especially with the development that he actually isn’t Deckard’s offspring. The whole movie teased this just to slap us in the face. From a writing standpoint, it makes sense, but I wanted just a bit more from our main protagonist. I still like him though. The main villain, CEO Wallace, was kinda just there. Yeah he sent Luv to keep an eye on him and get in his way (and it makes sense for a CEO to make others do his dirty work), but again I was wanting more from him. At one point, it felt like he exited the movie when he could have been explored more. And Luv herself was not an interesting opposing force to Detective K. I would say the best part about the plot was the investigation itself. I feel like the movie did a better job in this department compared to the first film.

And I also want to bring up JOI, K’s holographic AI girlfriend. I like her and she’s a nice supporting character for K. I can’t tell if it’s just her programming or if the AI actually grew intelligence, but the way she was there for K, even when he was doubting his own existence, was compelling. She made K all the more relatable. And when she died, you can tell a piece of K died alongside her. Overall, 2049 has good writing in certain departments, but some more info on the lore itself would have worked wonders.

And as with many Denis Villeneuve movies, his way around the camera is incredible. A lot of tasteful shots, with excellent color palettes throughout the film. One of the best looking sci-fi movies I have seen. Music is solid too. I enjoyed it more than the first film lol. Action scenes are alright. When K was fighting Sapper at the beginning, that was pretty cool. But near the end when K was fighting Luv as the car was filling up with water, that shit dragged. That fight could have been better paced.

Acting is really solid. Best performance goes to Ryan Gosling as Detective K. He nailed that robotic facade perfectly, and when he did get full of emotion, you felt that (referencing his meeting with Dr Ana Stelline). Jared Leto (Wallace) was fine, but I can’t tell if he was actually acting out the character or just playing himself, seeing as his dialogue was so fucking pompous, even for a CEO with a greedy hero complex. Honestly I am mixed on his performance here. Harrison Ford (who reprised his role as Deckard) was alright, but you can tell he wasn’t giving his all in the performance, especially with Harrison wanting to kill off all of his characters so no one can continue their stories lol. In all honesty, he was pretty forgettable. Shout out to Ana de Armas (JOI), Robin Wright (Lt Joshi aka Madam, K’s boss), Dave Bautista (Sapper Morton), Carla Juri (Ana Stelline), and Tomas Lemarquis (Wallace Corp file clerk). 

Blade Runner 2049 is a good movie, but on the lower spectrum of that rating. Personally, I would only watch this again out of morbid curiosity to see if my judgment of the film would still hold after many years, but I wouldn’t watch this out of sheer entertainment. Unless you are a huge fan of Blade Runner, it’s hard for me to recommend this, despite its amazing production. If I want a good detective story or a good cyberpunk atmosphere, there are plenty of other movies, shows, and games that will satisfy that urge. Until next time, stay safe out there.

Thanks for reading.

This is Zorgak, signing off.