'Blade Runner 2049' Movie Review

Denis Villeneuve's forgotten masterpiece is not your 

average sequel. 

(Spoiler Alert!)

It has been nearly 40 years since the original ‘Blade Runner’ starring Harrison Ford first showed up in theatres in 1982. Ever since its release, the Ridley Scott directorial has gained a ‘cult’ status. However, this review focuses on its sequel ‘Blade Runner 2049’ which was released in 2017, nearly 35 years after the original Blade Runner. 

Director Denis Villeneuve had big shoes to fill, and it's needless to say he didn’t disappoint with the sequel. In many ways, the sequel matches the class of the original Blade Runner (1982) and in some ways even be technically and fundamentally a better movie than it. The biggest strength of Blade Runner 2049 is that it manages to impose itself as an independent story while faithfully establishing a connection with the original Blade Runner. 

In a dystopian era, in 2049, ‘bioengineered humans’ known as “replicants” are slaves to humankind. Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling), who is a Nexus-9 replicant works as a Blade Runner for the Los Angeles Police Department and is tasked with ‘retiring’ the rogue replicants. His world is sent into disarray when he is ordered to hunt down a potential ‘replicant child’ which was born years ago. Since this was considered biologically impossible, its existence was perceived as a threat as it might lead to revolution against humankind and destabilize the human status as a superior race ending the oppression of replicants once and for all. 

Even though the movie remains centric on Officer’s K experience, it does not shy itself from giving information about the side characters. Ryan Gosling perfectly captures the vibe of a replicant, who is trying to derive meaning out of his empty life. His character’s inability to express emotions and Gosling’s ability to act through his eyes add to his character traits and explain why Officer K or any other replicant lives dissociated life from humankind, with the only connection between the two forms of life is that one rules over another. Ana De Armas, who portrays the character ‘Joi’ in the movie is outstanding in her role. Despite the fact Joi is an artificial intelligence stimulated to provide the feeling of ‘being loved’, she feels real in terms of her expression and is the only thing Officer K has any sort of connection with. It also speaks about K’s inability to build relationships in his life with both humans and other replicants, enhanced by the feeling of discrimination between the two races. Jared Leto who plays Niander Wallace manages to bring out the unsettling antagonist to life as the corporation head who wants to know the secret behind the fertilization in replicants. He is a calmingly cruel corporate head driven by his agenda. Harrison Ford who reprises his role as ‘Rick Deckard’ is a nostalgia treat for the original Blade Runner fans, he is not just a mere ‘cameo’ but is incredibly important to how the story operates, and the theme movie dwells into the final third act. It was good to see the script retain the relevance of his character while adding some more underlying elements to the legend of Rick Deckward. 

 

Blade Runner 2049 incorporates a lot of interesting themes throughout the whole film. But the one that stands out the most was how the protagonist was essentially ‘not the one’. K had been believing for most of the movie as the evidence suggested that he was the long-lost semi-human/replicant child that the Los Angeles Police Department and the Wardell Corporation were after. The story took a turn when Deckard mentions the fact that both he and Rachel (replicant mother to the child) gave birth to a daughter. K realizes at that point that real memory had been implanted into his head which made him think that it was his memories of the past. He is completely shattered into pieces as he comes to terms with the fact he is not as ‘special’ as he thought he was, and he is not a ’real’ being either. He was nothing but merely a pawn in a bigger game in question. Despite questions of self-doubt over his existential worth, he makes a resolve and puts up a fight against Wardell Corporation to rescue Deckard, who had been captured to know the secrets of the ‘missing child’. He is then successful in his attempt to rescue Deckard and reunites him with his daughter as he dies alone of his bad wounds in the end. Blade Runner 2049 essentially reverses the concept of ‘the one i.e., the saviour’, and puts things into perspective about how anybody can make a difference. It doesn’t matter if you are a ‘nobody’, every effort counts. Officer K sacrificed his life for Deckard because he believed it was the most ‘human thing’ to do. For the first time in his life, he felt the reality of the emotions and acted despite the heartbreak. In the end, it wasn’t K’s story, he wasn’t the one to lead the ‘replicant freedom movement’, but his actions certainly made a difference in reuniting Deckard with his daughter for the first time in his life.

Another underlying theme covered in the movie is the relationship between replicants and humankind. Also covered in the original Blade Runner, this movie extends the idea of little difference between the two life forms and explains why the unjustified rule of humanity has led to the replicant freedom movement in the first place. For years, the replicants have been continuously abused, discarded, and not even acknowledged as life, merely seen as tools for labour, and human gratification. It is because of such preconceived notions, the movie cleverly imparts the idea that it is the ‘humanity’ that makes both humans and replicants real, and both forms of life are capable of exhibiting it. 

The setting of the movie was a delight. The special effects, cinematography, and production design (including interiors) were all utilized to the fullest in the direction to create a futuristic dystopian environment relevant to the story. The movie is nothing short of visually stunning, and immersive at its core. Each frame is certainly intriguing in its sense and provides a good representation of the world with appropriate advancement in technology that carries on the visual aesthetics of Blade Runner (1982). Needless to say, Roger Deakins is a wizard for his stunning display of cinematography. Even in the editing, the visual tone is very appropriate and well-balanced. The attention to detail is truly impressive.

Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer made a mark with the soundtrack as well encapsulating the vibe of the ‘ruins of the future’. The extended bass drops with techno sounds are satisfying to listen to. The iconic Blade Runner theme is more prominent in usage in comparison to the original Blade Runner (1982) which in itself is a delight and coupled with the visual weight the movie carries, the sensation is definitely that Blade Runner 2049 is a theatre experience.