OK SO I know it’s 2AM but I just knocked back a coffee because I have to talk (spoiler free) about this goddamn movie. Let me start out by saying that Blade Runner: 2049 isn’t for everyone. Movie ratings and reviews are subjective by nature and you may come away from this feeling as disgusted as I was enthused, for all I know. That being said, if you aren’t the kind of person to idly ponder existential concepts while sitting on the toilet, at least a minimum of 3 times a week, you may find that 2049 is maybe less than accessible to you.
Let’s talk a little bit about Blade Runner (1982) first. The original Blade Runner is memorable for its universe, its aesthetic, the pokes and prods at the definition of humanity, etc. At its core, however, Blade Runner is mostly a noiresque story with a science fiction backdrop. Existential questions are entertained, and if ever they are posed to the audience, it is left completely optional to the viewer’s enjoyment of the film whether or not they choose to read into the small details and implications of the world and contrast them with character roles and motivations and such. Blade Runner’s questions are jovially posed, an open invitation to the viewer to either take Harrison Ford’s adventure at face value, or to read more into it. Be satisfied that he gets the girl at the end, or torture yourself about what it means, what it says about his character, what the implications are. Either is fine. You can enjoy Blade Runner (1982) in either case, though some may find it a tad slow for modern actiony tastes.
Blade Runner 20-goddamn-49 is anything but jovial. You better engage with these crises because there isn’t much else there but a slow burn of a movie with a few action scenes sprinkled throughout. This movie demands your attention, your on the fly interpretation, it plays out like a text that at almost every turn is begging to be interpreted, with parallels that it almost begs you to find. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s some heavy shit in here. Don’t watch this in the morning.
