Monday, October 2, 2017

This week Blade Runner 2049 comes out and its gonna be talked about for years to come.

This week the world get to see a sequel to Blade Runner that has been promised, withdrawn, promised again, and teased for several decades. The original film has had many cuts: director's cut, the "we found footage cut," the "this isn't quite it but we're getting close" cut, the "superior" cut, etc. In all of them, it is a slow-burning noire detective story swirled together in a science-fiction dystopian vision of the future (which essentially describes the entire cyberpunk genre). It's also (supposedly) pretentious as hell, because "pretension" just means artsy. There are those of us out here who welcome pretension in Ridley Scott movies. For lack of a better explanation, a dumb viewer needs to be self-aware that it's their stupidity that holds them back. After all, it's not the responsibility of every art object to make itself understandable to halfwits. That being said, Blade Runner 2049 promises to be all this and more.

Say what you will about Blade Runner, but it was a movie that accomplished many things. For its star, Harrison Ford, it broke the typecasting he might have fallen victim to (Mark Hamill was never able to escape this bear trap). And the sequel may also be significant in one way: Ryan Gosling might have to change his facial expression at least once. I kid I kid! I love Ryan Gosling, but you have to admit that he does have a remarkably unchanging facial expression at all times. And even in "stoic face" gosling is a pleasure to look at (I know the ladies will at least agree).

And there are Blade Runner purists out there a plenty, but early reviews have basically pegged the sequel as being a masterpiece, so I expect criticism to be few and far between. There will always be those that insist that Blade Runner should have been laid to rest, allowed to bask in its enduring glory forever, untainted by sequel, prequel, sidequel, upquel, downquel, or diagonalquel. But those people need to shut up now. The original was a film that continues to infect the thoughts of many long after the final credits rolled. This means it was good enough to warrant caring about what happened, but complex enough to require some actual thought to fully understand what we all saw.

So that you can be prepared for Blade Runner 2049, here is a run down via Comic-Con San Diego that was posted back in July (that details the events that occurred between the original Blade Runner and the monster sequel due out this week).

2019: Blade Runner Rick Deckard flees Los Angeles with a replicant named Rachael (obviously there's going to be questions answered like, "what has Deckard been doing with Rachael all this time?" I doubt it has been doing origami).

2020: The Tyrell Corporation introduces a new replicant model, the Nexus 8S, which has extended lifespans.

2022: An EMP detonation causes a global blackout that has massive, destructive implications all over the world.

2023: A Replicant prohibition is put into effect.

2025: A new company, Wallace Corp., solves the global food shortage and becomes a massive super power.

2030: Replicant prohibition is repealed.

2049: Life on Earth has reached its limit and society divides between Replicant and Human.

I gotta admit. This has got me excited guys! Anyone else planning on seeing it?

9 comments:

  1. But of course! They're claiming it's the movie of the year and it's ninety-six percent on Rotten Tomatoes. We need something that will both blow us away and make us think.

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  2. I, sadly, haven't even seen the original Blade Runner. But yeah...I do agree that Gosling is a pleasure to look at. :)

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  3. No; I doubt I'll see it since I haven't seen any of the others. Saw The new Kingsmen movie over the weekend. Found it tedious.

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  4. I just re-watched the original in preparation for it.
    But I have to say, the original succeeded DESPITE Ridley Scott, not because of.

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  5. *whispers* I've never seen Blade Runner. *looks around* Keep it to yourself.

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  6. It's been years since I've seen the original, but I might see this new one. I like Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling is certainly easy on the eyes. I also like old noir flicks, so a scifi version might be enjoyable.

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  7. Just watched the original this week in anticipation. I am a die hard Blade Runner and science fiction fan, so would like to see the 2049 version. Also big fan of Harrison Ford.

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  8. I liked the original but for some reason it never captured my imagination like other sci-fi movies of the time. I think part of the reason is because it came out when I was a freshman in high school and boys at that age aren't known for deep thought. That colored subsequent viewings though I do love the depth and imagination that went into their vision of the future.

    I am looking forward to this one.

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