 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Blade Runner 2049 • Year: 2017 • Country: USA, UK, Hungary, Canada • Director: Denis Villeneuve • Main cast: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas • Runtime: 164 minutes • Production company: 16:14 Entertainment, Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Warner Bros. • TRAILER
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Although a lot of people are still wondering if this sequel was really necessary, for all the science fiction fans (and among them, a lot of the original Blade Runner (1982) fans) it was one of the most awaited movies of this 2017. If it’s already challenging to do a sequel nowadays, when the cinema theatres are full of uninteresting audiovisual consumer products, to make one of Blade Runner (1982), who has the status of a cult movie, is certainly a risky business that requires to put the best professionals working together to try to make something that will be at least accepted for the public.
It has happened before: if we take a look at the last years we’ll see the science fiction cult movies have been in the spotlight of the cinema industry. Starting with sagas like Star Trek (who had its prequel released on 2009) and Star Wars (with the sequel The Force Awakens appearing on 2015) both projects in the hands of director J.J. Abrams, and then Alien, with the prequel Prometheus (2012) directed by the same Ridley Scott. Although all of them had a different acceptance among the public, all three sagas have continued it’s chapters with more sequels or parallel stories, with more or less resemblance to the original entertainment product. So it’s clear for everyone that the adventures in the outer space are a good choice for the producers when deciding where to invest their money, and for the rest of the mortals when we choose how to get entertained on a Sunday afternoon.
Nevertheless, even if Blade Runner was one of the probable titles that would end up trying to give birth to a franchise, it was long reviewed, and I believe it took a great effort to make the choices that could bring back the magic of such a special piece in the cinema culture (in this article we talk more about this topic).
Without revealing anything about the plotline (I believe everyone interested in watching Blade Runner 2049 should do it without spoilers), I will say they managed to get a good story, with great interpreters, and a great director involved. The film does justice to the original: the pace, the music, the mood, style and set decoration, the continuation of the story… it looks like a real tribute to the original one and the perfect sequel that could be done nowadays. I believe Denis Villeneuve (Enemy (2013), Arrival (2016)) did a great job, even more considering the pressure he had due to the expectations that such a project involves. But I believe also the spectator should keep in mind that the original Blade Runner, form 1982, wasn’t well received among the critics when it first came out, and only time gave the film the status of cult movie and made people revalue it. With this, I mean that Blade Runner was never a story for the masses, or an entertainment product making lots of money: so, when nowadays critics talk about Blade Runner 2049 as a ticket office failure (although the earnings as of November 2017 have already almost doubled the estimated budget of $150 million), they should be aware also that time puts everything in its place, and this last work of Denis Villeneuve is a very worthy sequel – departing from the point, and never forgetting, that it’s a sequel.
As in words of the same director: “I know that every single fan will walk into the theatre with a baseball bat. I’m aware of that and I respect that, and it’s okay with me because it’s art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It’s gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I’m okay with that. For me, it’s very exciting… It’s just so inspiring, I’m so inspired. I’ve been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was 10 years old, and I said ‘no’ to a lot of sequels. I couldn’t say ‘no’ to Blade Runner 2049. I love it too much, so I said, ‘Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.”
I appreciate the risk he took, and he also managed to put together a great cast, composed by acknowledged actors as Ryan Gosling (who was the only choice for the director to play Officer K), Robin Wright (House of Cards (2013-2018)), Jared Leto (Requiem for a Dream (2000), Dallas Buyers Club (2013)), Harrison Ford -who really needs no references-, together with a young yet promising cast like Ana de Armas (Knock Knock (2015)) and Mackenzie Davis (Black Mirror (2016)). What will happen to them, if they will get stuck with their characters or this will represent the beginning of their new successful careers (as we asked in the article months ago), only time will say. But their interpretations, together with the beautiful Original Soundtrack composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson (who also worked in the soundtracks of the previous films from director Denis Villeneuve Sicario (2015) and Arrival (2016)), and the amazing production design by Dennis Gassner, offer a spectacle definitely worth watching. See it and judge for yourself.
RATE: 7,5/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101
