The Dean of Cinema

Written by Dean Zarbaugh II

The key to the future is finally unearthed. Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

I wasn’t sure about Blade Runner 2049 when it was first announced. As I mentioned previously, I’m a huge fan of the original film, which was a huge inspiration for me as a filmmaker. I thought the film was perfect as is, and lets the audience decide for themselves what happens to Deckard and Rachael after they get on that elevator. Director Denis Villeneuve does the source material justice while also making the film distinctly his own. I’ll also be 100% honest with you that Alison Hammond’s interview with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling really tipped it over the edge for me to see in theaters. She is such a delight and has incredible chemistry with Ford and Gosling.

Decades after the events of the first film, The Tyrell Corporation has been purchased by Wallace Corporation in an attempt to “perfect” the replicants because Niander Wallace believes that “every leap of civilization was built on the back of a disposable workforce, but I can only make so many. We lost our stomach for slaves, unless engineered. But I can only make so many.” He sees replicants as nothing more than something that can be thrown away or “retired” when it stops serving its purpose: lining Wallace’s pockets. I mentioned in my review of Blade Runner (1982), technocratic billionaires like Jeff Bezos and the world’s first TRILLIONAIRE Elon Musk salivate at the thought of an enslaved workforce doing nothing but their bidding 24/7. Blade Runner 2049 further cements these parallels with Niander Wallace, the wealthy, greedy, and eccentric owner of Wallace Corporation. He seeks to own the universe and do so on the backs of his enslaved replicant workforce. In order to do this, however, he needs to unlock a secret that was buried with Tyrell: replicant reproduction. “I cannot breed them. So help me, I have tried. We need more Replicants than can ever be assembled. Millions, so we can be trillions more.” In typical billionaire fashion, he isn’t happy with “enough.” He has no concept of it. He wants what every billionaire seeks: complete and total control. Domination. Like Bezos and Musk, Wallace’s vast resources could be going to help people in need. Instead they fund his billionaire fantasies. Yes, he saved the world from starvation, but not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he needed humanity, if for no other purpose than to have dominion over. At the end of the day, what good is having billions of dollars if it’s worthless in a dead and decaying society? Bezos and Musk don’t have any of that altruism for the human race. They’re building fallout bunkers to keep their rich family and friends safe after they use their social media platforms to divide us even further to the point that we kill each other while ignoring the fact that they’re the real bad guys. They watch Blade Runner 2049 and root for Wallace.

The distinction between replicants and humans is studied a bit more as well. After being tasked with destroying all evidence that a replicant reproduced, up to and including the child, K remarks that he’s “never retired something that was born before,” and believes that birth is what gives humans their soul. If replicants can reproduce, then the argument for replicants being considered “less than” human falls apart. They think, yearn, and now they’ve unlocked that last remaining all important part of the puzzle: a soul.

Ryan Gosling is a nice addition to the sequel, playing K, a newer replicant model that obeys without question. When his memories begin to coincide with his pursuit of his target, he starts questioning whether he could be this special child. A replicant Pinocchio who dreams of being a real life boy. Gosling slips in and out of various emotions in the film with ease. He’s incredibly fun to watch on screen and is able to captivate you to the point that you can’t look away. One of his generation’s best talents. He’s come a long way from being known as the guy from The Notebook.

Harrison Ford is as on point as ever, returning to the role of Deckard. This version of Deckard is a long way from who he was in the first film. A life of solitude after losing everything he loved changed him. Made him more reclusive. Ford delivers a knock out with this performance. If you don’t get emotional when you see his final shot, you’re dead inside.

Robin Wright is always fun to watch when she gets to play roles like Lieutenant Joshi in Blade Runner 2049 or Claire Underwood in House of Cards. Wright has always been a top-notch talent, and 2049 further proves this. She commands a scene like no one else can.

Denis Villeneuve does a phenomenal job behind the camera. It’s clear he had a true reverence for the first film and developed 2049 with that in mind. It feels very much like a sequel to Blade Runner in its vibe and aesthetic, while also being much more vibrant than the first film. Villeneuve is one of the most talented directors with his use of size and scope in his films, most notably in his masterpiece Arrival. He was the perfect choice to step into Ridley Scott’s shoes behind the camera. Following in the footsteps of legendary cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth is another master craftsman, Sir Roger Deakins. Sir Deakins has lensed some of the most beautiful films of the last four decades including The Shawshank Redemption, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Skyfall and more. Together with Villeneuve, they make the world feel real and lived in. The city and the world are characters themselves in the film.

Blade Runner 2049 won over this skeptic who didn’t think the first film needed a sequel. Denis Villeneuve and Sir Roger Deakins give viewers a visual feast for their eyes, while original screenwriter Hampton Fancher and Michael Green’s script keeps you on your toes constantly trying to figure out how this can end for everyone involved. It begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

GRADE: A