Bladerunner 2049

(Denis Villeneuve/2017/USA)

Producing a sequel to a cultural lodestone like Bladerunner is a brave thing to do no matter what the result and Denis Villeneuve has to be given his due; he has made a film as immersive, visually stunning and emotive as Ridley Scott’s 1982 opus. Bladerunner 2049 looks incredible and recreates and expands the dystopian future aesthetic with plenty of rain, neon and smog clouded cityscapes. The original was hailed as a meshing of noir thriller with futuristic sci-fi and created a wave of influence still felt today as well as a template for a myriad of imitations. It was crucial that a sequel get the feeling right and it does and the soundtrack is a huge part of the reason the visuals have such an impact too. Each sweeping shot of flying cars making their way through the giant ad screens and towering urban sprawl is enhanced with booming flourishes of synthesisers and Vangelis-esque refrains. If all you wanted to do was sit and spend some time in the world of Bladerunner, soaking up an environment that has long been a part of our cultural consciousness then a large part of Bladerunner 2049’s 160 minutes will keep you happy.

However a story has to be told and unfortunately this is where the sequel wobbles a bit. The story stretches thin over its near three hours and raises questions that disrupt the viewing experience. For example, and these are spoilers, Wallace has all the info K has so why wait for K to crack the case instead of joining the dots himself and getting to Deckard first? How can Luv walk into the depths of a cop shop and kill people, twice, without any detection or resulting furore? Why is natural reproduction of replicants better than industrial production for Wallace? Once they have evolved to reproduce they become an independent species and would surely begin to demand freedom and refuse to be in thrall to a corporate entity? After being suspended from duty K hands in his badge and gun but why not his fully armed cop car? After two and three quarter hours are we to nod acceptingly at the glib assumption that Wallace will quietly believe that Deckard and his top administrative assassin have perished in an accident? That’s just a few of the big ones, there was no drop out of internal logic in the original, there were questions for sure but those were central to the ideas within the story and not exterior to them. There are also parts of Bladerunner 2049 which are unnecessary; the biggest one personally is the scene with Gaff which again raises too many questions (Why hasn’t Wallace got to him? Why is his account of his friendship with Deckard at odds with the first movie?). It also seems to be no more than a cack handed easter egg with its origami sheep. We could also do without the cringe inducing sex scene between K and his hologram girlfriend Joi, using a call girl for surrogate physical contact. It’s just mind numbingly awful and even though it could be argued that it shows the depth of feeling between K and Joi I think that’s already established through the quality of acting from Gosling and Ana de Armas. I already believed the connection was there, it didn’t need some hokey trans-digital sex to get the point across. I’d go so far as to ask is there any need for Joi at all? She is no more than an appropriation of the theme of Spike Jonze's Her and a weak mirror of the Deckard/Rachel dynamic in the first Bladerunner. The underground, revolutionary replicants also seem superfluous and are a glaringly obvious device to launch a sequel. They serve no real purpose within the plot of this movie, the information they impart and the actions they carry out are not exclusive to their existence.

But let’s not be too negative, as a fan of the original there’s a compulsion to be hyper critical but there’s more to like here than dislike. Gosling is perfectly cast and carries off the introverted replicant with aplomb. Harrison Ford, in what could be considered an extended cameo, nails the aged Deckard, maybe even more so than he did the younger Deckard all those years ago. Jared Leto is Jared Leto, wearisome, laboured and just why with the eyes? But the main winner here is the look, sound and overall feel of the film. It’s an absolutely stunning cinematic experience. In summary Bladerunner 2049 succeeds in creating afresh the sci-fi noir world of the original but it needed a script editor to shorten its run time and tighten up the narrative. It doesn’t surpass Bladerunner, which effortlessly blended aesthetic and story, but it is a beautiful, at times mesmerizing and very respectable sequel.

(3/5)