Blade Runner 2049: Review

Many who know me are aware of my love of science fiction, so it greatly distressed me when, a couple of years ago I decided to watch the original 1982 film Blade Runner, and I just could not get on with it. I understood the importance of the film in relation to everything since, but I found it a little dull. I do think that this was in part due to the fact that I was so excited to watch it and had such huge expectations for it. Learning that there was going to be a sequel did not excite me until I watched Arrival and learned that the director of Arrival, Denis Villeneuve, was going to be directing Blade Runner 2049.

First of all, after all of that, I was still umming and ahhing about actually going to see it in the cinema, because I honestly couldn’t be bothered. However, I am so glad that I did, I would have really kicked myself if I had sat down to watch 2049 on a small television with a non-existing sound system.

Let’s start with the sound design in this film because I honestly am in awe of it. The score is incredible and I also loved how loud it was (I am not sure if this is down to the cinema or not…) because I had no choice but to be immersed completely whenever the score kicked in. There was a particular scene, which I won’t delve into much, where the protagonist, K (Ryan Gosling) was flying over a desolate landscape and the score was so impactive, and when paired with the visuals I couldn’t help actually welling up. There was nothing particularly emotional about this scene, it was literally a shot panning overhead, but it was incredible. I found myself getting emotional because what I was seeing was so beautiful and I can’t remember ever having that feeling in a cinema before.

The score was pretty much just mechanical-like very industrial noises that when paired with a very subtle synth really evoked the feeling of the first film without attempting to fully replicate it. So although nothing drastic was happening in some of the scenes the immersive strength of the score really kept the pacing and more importantly kept me interested in the screen. The pacing of the film, in this case, was perhaps the most important. 2049 is about 2 hours 40 minutes long. It is a long haul, which initially made me nervous because this was one of the reasons I didn’t like the original film because I felt it was very slow. 2049 is even longer, so I was very conscious of the same thing happening here. But at no point did I feel that it was too long, in fact, there was no scene that I would have been happy to be excluded from the film.

I won’t delve too much into the intricacies of the plot because of #spoilers… but I do feel like I have to mention Harrison Ford’s character Deckard, from the original film. I did worry that he was going to distract from the film a little bit, firstly because he is Harrison Ford and secondly because of the first film, I really didn’t want them to be relying on a reference to the original. I will admit that they do this, but it is in a way that is necessary to the plot and not in any way cheesy. I am a huge fan of Harrison Ford and I really think this was one of his finest moments, I really enjoyed what he brought to the film, and the way the story was formatted also gave Ryan Gosling ample time to shine and I truly think that this was one of Goslings most impressive performances to date.

Another worry of mine going into the film was the female characters. There were a few articles scattered around that were pointing out the sexist qualities of 2049. I honestly think that while I can see where these articles were coming from, I also think that they have missed a fundamental point about the genre of the film. At its core, Blade Runner and 2049 are works of dystopia. A dystopia essentially provides the viewer or reader with a society that is unpleasant and just opposite to life now. Therefore, although some female characters are in the plot supposedly only for male pleasure, they are in fact making a point of how unpleasant and unsettling the dystopian world is that is being presented. Aside from a couple of female characters who are used in this way. The film also has others who are in positions of power, are well written (not to say the others aren’t). So I just feel that those who are calling this film sexist are not really getting the point of the film. Again I would love to delve deeper into this discussion because it is so interesting and very nuanced, but, alas I would be ruining all of the major plot points of the film…so maybe some other time!

As for the characters, female and not, they are all presented as a different way into understanding the world. Each introduction to a character felt like you were gaining a better look into the complex future world of 2049. What is most thought-provoking about this is that the date really isn’t that far away, it is easily within our lifetimes, in fact, the original film was set in 2019…which is two years away. But there are elements in this world that are genuine anxieties and this is what I love about films set in a future dystopian world, you can easily see these conditions coming to life.

Speaking of the first film, even though I was not its biggest fan, I do think that 2049 paid a huge amount of respect to the first one. For me, it took all the elements that made Blade Runner so great an improved the. For me the original was too slow paced and very dull (visually) 2049 is the complete opposite. It is bright, the plot whilst being complicated is presented in such a way that it is so much easier and enjoyable to follow. As I have said previously the visuals really help this. What is also great about 2049 is that it’s made me want to revisit and also appreciate the original film more.

So, overall Blade Runner: 2049 is most definitely the best film I have seen all year, it is visually stunning, the score is amazing, the acting fab, characters complex and likable. It is just an incredible piece of art! 

10/10

By Siobhan Eardley.