The highly-anticipated movie became an epic flop at the box office and it is currently available for rent. The question begs why did it take so long to do a sequel to Blade Runner? Over 30-years has passed since the first Blade Runner movie. The generation that recalls the first Blade Runner has aged along with the movie. The first film is a masterpiece of storytelling. It was ahead of its time. Now, it’s a cult classic and trying to create a sequel based on this sentiment is a challenge.
A similar thing happened to Independence Day. The producers waited for 20-years to tell us what happened to our beloved characters. When we finally learned of their fate, it was an utter disappointment. The stripper turned medical doctor, Jasmine Hiller (Vivica A. Fox). The ace pilot dies in a training accident. Only former President Whitmore (Bill Pullman), his faithful companion, General Grey (Robert Loggia), Dr. Brakish Okun (Brent Spiner), Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch), and David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) were all that remained of the original cast.
Back to Blade Runner: 2049. The only original character was Decker (Harrison Ford) and Gaff (Edward James Olmos). He looked washed up, tired, and ready to permanently close his eyes. Decker didn’t appear until nearly the third act. The script focused on Ryan Gosling’s character ‘K’ and his hologram girlfriend Joi (Ana de Armas). To be fair, the film apparently spared no expense. The CGI, the scenes, and the replicants were excellent. The animated girlfriend is impressive and a treat to watch. Admittedly, K and Joi’s interaction did get weird in some scenes. Besides that, everything blended seamlessly with the live action shots and the characters.
Still, the story fell flat. It was slow-paced and full of misogyny. Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) plays sadist well. In one scene, Niander grabs a surgical knife, monologues about creation, and then slice a female replicants abdomen open. Thank goodness they didn’t show it on screen, but you see the blood (or something like blood) pouring down her leg. After that scene, I lost interest in the movie.
It is true that sadism must be correctly portrayed to work. It’s even better when the audience witnesses the brutal act. For some reason, director Denis Villeneuve thought this would add to the script. Uh, no. What it created was a backlash of women in the industry trashing the movie, calling it misogynistic. The writing lacked a positive message.
It’s a challenge to recommend this movie. It did receive generous movie critic reviews and a decent Rotten Tomatoes score. Although I work to remain unbias, there is a tad that crept into my movie review. As mentioned, the scene with the female replicant didn’t sit well with me. It is clear that this movie favored a male audience.
All I can say is watch the movie. Movies are subjective. One person’s brilliance is another’s mediocrity. You can rent Blade Runner: 2049 via DVD Netflix ) today.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4″]
#DVDNation #ad
Movie Rating: 3 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
About Author
