Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Blade Runner 2049- 3D Director's Cut


Months of waiting are finally over for this Madman as I got to see Blade Runner 2049. And I didn't just watch any old version, I went to the 3D showing which also happens to be a Director's Cut. 
   
I'm not normally big on watching a movie in 3D as with my astigmatism, I often get a massive headache. However, Blade Runner has a long standing and controversial history with it's Director's Cuts and I just couldn't pass up watching it. 

If you go to see the standard showing of 2049, the movie runs 2 hours and 49 minutes. But the 3D version runs a whooping 3 hours and 5 minutes in length. The theatre I went to today does bargain showings on Tuesdays, so overall, the showing I went to was a win-win.

The film stars Ryan Gosling as Officer K, a new model replicant Blade Runner that works for the Los Angeles Police Department in the year 2049. His job is to retire the outlawed older models that have become fugitives in society after the events of the original film when a team of six replicants went rogue for killing their creator Eldon Tyell.

K travels to a remote farmer thanks to a lead. At the farm, not only does the Blade Runner capture his prey, he uncovers a shocking secret that could bring society to it's knees. 

I really don't want to go too much more into the film out of fear of spoiling a a ton of great plot twists. What I can tell you is that I thought the story was much more superior to that of the Ridley Scott film. But only with the storytelling! 

The original Blade Runner was heralded as a masterpiece fusion of 1940s crime noir and modern science fiction. At the heart of 2049 is an incredible mystery in which our new Blade Runner must solve before word spreads of what his latest investigation has uncovered. Nope- you're still not going to get the secret out of me. 

Director Denis Villeneuve does a very good job capturing some stellar performances. I've never been a Ryan Gosling fan. But his Pinocchio-like transformation from dutiful police officer to a troubled machine questioning his own inhumanity is at least in my opinion, Golden Globe nomination worthy. 

Returning to the franchise is veteran actor Harrison Ford. Over the past 35 years, fans have debated whether or not Ford's Rick Deckard was a replicant or not. Folks, you didn't get a clear answer then and really, you don't get it in 2049 either. But I have my theory which maybe one day I will reveal. But for now, just know that the secret to knowing whether a character is a replicant or not has something to do with their eyes as in the original film...

Going back to the original, Villeneueve created an amazing work that in many ways stands up to the Ridley Scott original. However, I don't think Villeneuve's version is as visually stunning as Scott's. Take the billboards. They're these glimmering holographic pieces that in 3D really dazzle the eye. But all of their combined glory, those images can't hold a candle to that iconic scene in Blade Runner of a kabuki dancer that Decker drives past to arrive at Tyrell Corp. 



Costuming was another thing lacking in 2049. Officer K's outfit is the only one that's got that iconic fusion style of retro and futuristic. Some characters are dressed in just a tee shirt and jeans in this movie! The fusion of cultures and time periods that made Blade Runner one of my all-time favorite films is missing! This is one of the few times I think the sequel got completely 100% wrong!

There's talk of a third film in the series and I would be okay with that. I just hope they don't wait 35 more years to see it. To add to your viewing experience, I highly recommend that you watch the 3 prequel short films to Blade Runner 2049. A lot of attention and love has been given to 2022, the anime Blade Runner short. But there are two live-action pieces that add valuable information to the puzzle that is the Blade Runner universe.

Check out Blade Runner: 2048 starting Gaurdians of the Galaxy's David Bautista here...


And with that, I hope that you'll check out Blade Runner 2049 in 3D. Lot's of great Easter Eggs and nods to the original that if disclosed, could spoil. However hush-hush I must be, 2049 is very much worth the money, worth the potential 3D glasses headache, as well as WORTH CONSUMING!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.


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