Back in 1982, Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) adapted Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (1968) into the renowned Sci-Fi classic, Blade Runner. Now, whilst it wasn't received well by critics and failed to impress at the box office, it quickly gained a cult following and it's status grew with the film-going masses. Now it's known as one of the best and most influential Sci-Fi films of all time. And now, 35 years later, Director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Arrival) hopes to continue the Blade Runner story with this new sequel. Villeneuve seems to be on something of a winning streak with both Prisoners and Arrival being adored by critics. And having the popular actor, Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys, La La Land) as the face of this new take on Blade Runner is a good move. However, with longtime sequels like Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) and Terminator Genisys (2015) failing to capture what audiences loved about the original, can we be sure that this film will live up to its predecessor? Or will it also fail to capture what made Blade Runner so mesmerising?
Initial Thoughts
This is perhaps one of the most beautifully shot, visually stunning, well-acted films I have had the pleasure of seeing in a long time. I would almost put this up with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The story is highly intriguing, the aesthetic is beautiful to behold. I would highly recommend seeing this in IMAX. That being said, this film is not without its flaws. Whilst it is a great film to watch it does also have its flaws that hold it back from being a masterpiece. Since this is a Spoiler-free review I won't be going into specific detail. But I will be talking about both pros and cons about Blade Runner 2049 that won't ruin your cinema-going experience.
The Promotional Campaign
First thing's first. I have to give a shout out to the promotional team for this film. They did a fantastic job of hiding the spoilers for this film. And that's an achievement in itself! From start to finish this film is full of shock twists and turns. So I believe the Promo team deserve some credit for keeping that really close to the chest. However, I also have to call them out for mis-selling this film. From the trailers and ads, this film seems like a high action film. Now, whilst it does feature action scenes, which are amazing to watch, it is not a full-on action film. So I would call them out for that. But it's great to see a film that keeps all of its surprises safely hidden in order for the audience to unravel them upon viewing.
Story
This film does a really good job with the story. Taking the ideas of the first film and putting them in a new direction, whilst also being respectful to it and not taking liberties that would damage the franchise. It's a bit like Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), where they're being very careful as to not ruin anything about the previous films. But, in the film, Joe (Ryan Gosling) is doing his job as a Blade Runner when he comes across something out of the ordinary and so he investigates what it all leads to. What really makes this mystery so intriguing is the many twists and turns that it takes and the personal and emotional toll it takes on the characters. My only criticism of the story is that perhaps it takes too many turns. In the sense that a viewer could get lost and not know where the plot is going. At times I even had problems following what was what around the end. But the story is still very strong and highly intriguing.
Visuals/Aesthetic
The second thing that really sells this movie is the visuals. The film is filled with jaw-dropping, haunting beauty from start to finish. From the horrifying yet encapturing streets of the neon-filled Future L.A, the dystopian look of the radiation-filled cities and the disturbing scrapyards where scavengers lurk. What I really liked was that the film still keeps with the technological style of the original film, with the analogue, retro look that the 80's imagined we would have at this point. But they also give it a bit of an upgrade. Not too much that it's unrecognisable but enough to show that tech has developed since the original.
Ryan Gosling/Joe
Another way that the Promotional Campaign mi-represented the film was the amount of Ryan Gosling in it. From the promos, you would be lead to believe that Ryan was sharing the screen time with Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Raiders Of The Lost Ark) and Robyn Wright (The Princess Bride, Wonder Woman). But the heavy majority of screen time is dedicated to Ryan Gosling's character, Joe. But that's okay. Because Joe is such an interesting character in his own right. The way he's affected by both the story and the characters around him is so interesting and thought-provoking, and that's mainly down to Gosling's performance. In fact, I'd argue that Gosling's performance raises the quality of this film. It wills it to be better!
Pacing
If there's one thing that really drags the film down is the pacing. This film is so damn slow! I reckon it could have been cut down by 20 minutes or so if it had picked up the pace a little more. Whilst I respect that it went for more of an artistic and noir route I still would have preferred a more faster film. At points, you'll be going "Yes, we know! Can we just move on to the next scene?!". This doesn't hinder the story too much, but it can annoy certain audiences who are used to more fast-paced editing.
Objectification
Another thing that I was put off with this film was the objectification of most of the female characters. To be honest, I'm a bit 50/50 on this. Whilst I understand how the filmmakers wanted to use this as a way of showing how oppressed the replicant population is. But the heavy sexual imagery in the film, I felt, got to breaking point proportions. Besides Robyn Wright's character, all the female characters had next to no characterisation, no personalities beyond the longing of their male counterparts and no strong moments. The sexualisation I did understand was a tool to show oppression. But the creative could have made more of an effort with their characterisation.
Conclusion
Despite some flaws that hold it back. This is a brilliant, beautiful, intriguing film. It may not match the heights of the original, but on its own, it's a great watch. Just don't go in expecting high-adrenaline action film. But do expect a visually mind-blowing event! And I definitely endorse an IMAX screening for this!
So that's my review for Blade Runner 2049. What are your thoughts on the film? Do you agree or disagree? Write a comment down below if you have a different opinion. Also, I'll be posting a Spoiler review tomorrow. If you liked this review then please feel free to subscribe to this blog for more content. Thank you for reading :)
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