(image courtesy of Empire.com)
I liked Blade Runner 2049 because it does expand the world of Los Angeles
in this particular dystopian future. This sequel also stays faithful to the
original; some might say a bit too faithful. Blade Runner (1982) is my all time favourite sci-fi film,
particularly the Final cut version, and
so my expectations were high for the sequel but not that high because one could
immediately tell that the aim was to produce a Blade Runner film for 21st century audiences. What
really surprised me- before I went to watch the film- was the budget of US$150
million. When I went to watch the film I was anticipating that the sequel would
be more action packed but it never really caught on which means a lot of people
will be let down. It’s not easy to spend that much on a film without some
significant action behind it. Were the visuals that expensive? The vision of Blade Runner has already been realized
fully by its progeny (Total Recall, The Matrix etc) so 2049 probably needed to go in a new direction in order to really
develop beyond the confines of its predecessor.
2049 starts with Ryan Gosling as Agent K on the hunt for replicants.
While on a standard mission he makes an important discovery that will
fundamentally alter the society of Los Angeles. It’s a discovery that unravels all
the important events that transpired following the end of the original Blade Runner. He eventually teams up
with the original Blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), while also trying
to elude the minions of Niander Wallace (Jared Leto).
Positives
The main positive for me was the detective
work in this film. The detective work expands the film as Agent K goes in
search of answers to this strange finding. You get to encounter a variety of
characters and to visit many locations that wasn’t possible in the first Blade Runner that was limited
primarily to the city environs. In 2049 we
get a good look on the outskirts of the city and the lives of the marginalized
or those not fully incorporated into the
city wide matrix. When you watch 2049
you’ll realize that it’s not a surprise that
replicants account for the majority of the marginalized. There are other
characters and groups however that also provide some texture but they are not
fully realized. They act more or less like typical scavengers. The revelation
of life on the outskirts of a very large city does have some impact because of
events that transpired between 2019 and 2049. It’s clear that the city has
expanded even further and that some of the old structures that now make up the
outskirts of the city were probably inhabited in 2019 up until the massive
blackout. This blackout seems to have changed things dramatically; made a sharp
division between the old and the new. The mystery at the heart of the film is
very well developed. In order to arrive at the truth K cannot simply rely on
the available information; he has to go beyond and do some old fashioned
research in some cases since a lot of the usual details would have been lost
after the black out. A lot of blood is shed to arrive at the truth.
The detective work also takes us into the
creepy halls of power. This Mr. Wallace must truly represent the high point of
capital in Los Angeles just as Tyrell did for the original. It’s a new division
between the old and the new but much more sinister much more exploitative
because in the case of the new Wallace seems even more powerful and influential
than the oldTyrell. His replicant products are more advanced and he’s clearly
into synthetics. One thing that will always be striking about the Blade Runner world is this distinction
between master and slave which is developed well in 2049. It is the backbone of the entire franchise and I’m expecting
a sequel to this film where the contradictions will become full blown in the
form of violence. No more subtle reflections. Wallace said something important
about civilizations being built on the backs of an unwanted workforce. Not sure
but I’ll look out for it the next time I watch it. This is a very important
statement from a historical point of view. I understand why the first Blade Runner just mentioned the off
world colonies but it’s time that these sequels show us these colonies so we
can get a better understanding of the slave like conditions of replicants.
The detective work makes it clear that this
sequel uses the black out to make sharp distinctions between the old and the
new world. This distinction is good because the world in 2049 has a somewhat different look and yes the rain is still there.
The visuals must be where most of the money was spent along with the salaries
for the actors. The many locations in this film have a distinctive feel because
of their elaborate design. The outskirts are given a lot of attention in this
film and in some cases there is a menacing feel when K goes towards these
locations especially an area with a high level of radioactivity. The billboards
are much more developed in this film especially for a particular pleasure
product. I missed the connection with the off-world colonies in this film which
were a standout of the original. The new world of 2049 is somewhat the same with noticeable changes but the core is
still there. It’s no longer remarkable apart from the push into the outskirts
of the city.
Harrison Ford really embraced the role of
an older Deckard really well.
Negatives
The primary negative for me is that this
film is too faithful to the original in terms of stylistic approaches. The eyeball
in the opening scenes, for instance, is so similar to the original but it’s not
effective because it has no bearing on what the audience is seeing. Modern audiences
who have not seen the original will not have an understanding of the issues
because the eyes don’t reveal anything as spectacular as the original. The
music is similar as well as the emphasis on the L.A dystopia, particularly the
commercial and industrial landscape where the sun never seems to shine. The
final scene involving K is faintly reminiscent of the ‘Tears in Rain’ sequence
but definitely not as effective. The mood can be oppressive for those not acquainted
with the atmosphere. For me the best way to have lightened this atmosphere was
to have more action scenes. The detective work is very interesting but it’s not
enough because the film is about 2 hrs and 38 minutes if you exclude the
credits at the end. More action was needed to get modern audiences fully on
board with the Blade Runner universe. As I mentioned before the Blade Runner
universe was successfully built upon by its progeny (The Matrix etc) which placed more emphasis on action while still
holding on to themes of control and exploitation. 2049
does have action but it’s of the sort you would expect from a Blade Runner:
short and unspectacular. The hallmark of
the series is clearly the detective work but it actually could have developed a
distinctive style of action to fill in the universe much more.
The length of the film is somewhat problematic
because the original Blade Runner
was very economical. The length does seem to be overbearing because there is
simply not enough to fill in the gaps even with the new L.A landscapes. More action
was required and there were hints towards the end that there will be more
action in the third film but it might require a director with a different
mindset to pull it off. A lot of time is spent on Agent K’s relationship with a
holographic female model, Joi, but it
takes away from what Blade Runner should be about especially if the creators
wanted to be faithful. Without too much emphasis on the pleasure model then this
film would have gotten moving in the necessary direction much quicker.
