Blade Runner 2049 is the kind of movie that comes along once in a while with all the perfect ingredients. This happens to be the brush stroke of an Auteur.
After having been through development nearly for a decade, we finally get to witness a sequel to this cult classic.
The former has been a trail blazer as it set a precedent of sorts when it released in 1982(Gosh, I just realized this CLASSIC is as old as me) with a dystopian vision of the future and themes it touched upon.
Although not a Box Office Success and having polarized critics and audiences alike, the former became a CULT CLASSIC with time and various versions released over the years.
Sir Ridley Scott and Hampton Fancher were bought back to revive the sequel. Hampton teamed up with Michael Green on the screenplay while Scott decided to assume the role of a producer and Denis Villeneuve was bought on board as Director.
The addition of Ryan Gosling and the return of Harrison Ford to reprise his role as Deckard to this sequel made things more promising.
Now, the question that needs to be asked: Is this the sequel we were WAITING for?
Let’s find out!
This sequel takes us 30 years ahead into the future where, a new form of replicant have been integrated into society necessary for humanity’s survival. These Replicants are supposed to obey orders.
In this scenario, we are introduced to one of these replicants K(Ryan Gosling) who is investigating a Replicant Freedom Movement. During this hunt, he ends up discovering information which threatens to create chaos in the current state of affairs.
On the behest of his LAPD chief Agent Joshi(Robin Wright), he sets forth to prevent a war between species by destroying all evidence
Denis Villeneuve who has been on a roll with every passing year raises the BAR, pushes it through the roof and delivers with style
The best part about the screenplay by Fancher and Green is that it retains the same dystopian setting from the original and retains the essence of the future that we all would abhor seeing ourselves in
The Art Direction and Production Design are TOP-NOTCH and lend a touch of ELEGANCE to the scene.
The performances worth talking about are:
Ana de Armas as Joi, K’s virtual companion is first-rate as the partner that does not exist yet exists in your mind and senses
Sylvia Hoeks as Luv, the replicant enforcer working for Wallace is steely, cold and ruthless in her depiction of the slave that will kill, maim or destroy everything because her master expects her to do so
Jared Leto as Niander Wallace who is hell-bent on discovering the secret that will make his replicant production more successful is truly exhilarating while he’s on-screen in a brief role. The opaque look adds to the creepiness of his character and makes his seem all the more empowering
Harrison Ford returning as Rick Deckard towards the 3rd act of the movie still makes an IMPACT on the overall narrative structure and adds depth to the proceedings on-screen. The scenes involving him and Gosling are a treat to watch
Ryan Gosling as K truly delivers the most under rated performance. The searing intensity he delivers through his expressions is a delight
Blade Runner 2049 is made all the more enthralling because of 3 major reasons:
Denis Villeneuve’s direction grips you right from the opening sequence and never let’s go. Every scene, shot and sequence executed under his direction gives you facets of the story that make you think about this fascinating universe of humans and replicants.
He poses all the questions this story demands and leaves us without any answers. HE makes us THINK!
Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch are tasked with the creation of a musical score for this sequel and they take on the challenge and deliver with gusto going one up on the score created by Vangelis for the original Blade Runner.
The score still continues to haunt, tease and amaze us specially during certain action set pieces
Last but not the least, the CINEMATOGRAPHY!
Roger Deakins, please take a BOW!
The framing of shots, sequences and scenes crafted by Deakins in this movie are ethereal, surreal and hallucinatory.
The way he has captured the future leaves us spell-bound. We feel we are witnessing a MONTAGE of Beautifully Conjured Images by an Artist in love with the vision of Dystopia
Blade Runner 2049 certainly is the best sequel to have been made in a long, long time and truly leaves us fans of the original satisfied.
The irony though is that 35 years ago, when the original Blade Runner was released it turned out to be a Box-Office disappointment even though it earned acclaim much later.
However, even though Blade Runner 2049 has been an absolutely well made product, it still is turning out to be a Box-Office disappointment.
I sincerely hope this one will pick up as time passes as it deserves to be seen in an IMAX 3D version and nothing less