So I finally watched Blade Runner 2049. I know, everyone has already seen it so why even bother talking about it? Well as a fan of Blade Runner I have been looking forward to this movie for a while now and finally had some time to myself to watch it. I have some thoughts but before I get into 2049 I first wanted to talk about Blade Runner and why I like it.
in 1982 Blade Runner was released. I was 7 years old, way to young to see it in the theaters, and would never have understood it anyway. I did not see it until I was about 14 or 15. It was recommended to me by my uncle who was a history teacher and had his students watch it. I don’t remember when I watched it the first time but it did have an impact on me.
Now, I have to say that it has been at least 10 years since I have watched Blade Runner and some of my thoughts about it regarding acting and dialogue may be remembered incorrectly. However, the themes and ideas in the film I remember quite clearly. In Blade Runner the main themes are what does it mean to be alive, and what defines humanity. The goal of Roy and his band of replicants was to “meet their maker” and ask the questions about their existence and why they had to die. These themes are explored within the backdrop of a gritty and dark world with fascinating characters. Which made the movie much more than your typical sci-fi.
That being said, the followup was… good, but lacked some of the punch that made Blade Runner a cult classic. The imagery, lighting, cinematography, and music was awesome. Very beautifully shot and put together. The storytelling was good, great actually, but did not have the same deep thought-provoking essence that I remember from Blade Runner. It seemed to be a logical continuation, however, despite its length, which is impressive, it does not do a great job of setting up what has happened over the past 30 years. There are some indications of what has happened but it is fragmented.
**SPOILERS AHEAD***
There are also some story elements that don’t seem to make much sense, at least to me. For instance, why would Nander Wallace, need Deckard to find the child to figure out the secret if we all thought K was the child? It is never explained why Wallace and Luv figured out he was not the one. Also why does he need to take him “off world” to get the answers? Even though we are meant to think that Deckard is a replicant we still don’t know for sure, and given that it was Rachael and Deckard that were able to procreate, wouldn’t having her bones be enough to find out what the secret was? The final question is why did it matter to Wallace in the first place? In the movie we are treated to a scene in which Wallace goes on and on about wanting to figure this secret out so he can push further into the stars, but why would that matter if he can just “make” them anyway?
After thinking about some of these questions, I am beginning to wonder if the movie was saying more about the situation of the replicants. Maybe the reason Wallace could not figure it out was because it was simply life finding a way to survive, and not due to engineering. That would mean that it was his own hubris and God complex that left him searching for how to do it. it might also explain why the underground replicant freedom fighters would want to keep it a secret. Perhaps more of them have reproduced already meaning that they only needed to keep the secret long enough to allow the next generation to survive and assimilate into society.
The movie was good, and asked lots of good questions, which is what a good sci-fi movie should do. The difference between this one and the previous one in my opinion is this seemed more ambiguous and less coherent to me. Remember though, I not seen Blade Runner in more than 10 years. I may be giving it more credit then it deserves lol.
In conclusion, i liked the movie, but if you have not seen the first then this will not make any sense. Also if you have seen the first and are not a fan, this will not turn you into one.