Blade Runner 2049 [SPOILERS]

[Jhaelen]

Well, if Joe had never gone looking, Decker’s daughter would have remained safe. Why leave breadcrumbs if they could only endanger the cause? The premis of the story evaporates.

I watched it yesterday, and I'm not sure I've fully digested it yet, but I think Joe's actions aren't really guided by logic or reason at that point. He's driven by his feelings. What's happened has triggered formerly unknown emotions in him and he's struggling to deal with them.

The original Bladerunner movie already wasn't exactly action-packed; by comparison Bladerunner 2049 is really ponderous. But the absolutely stunning visuals created a really strong impression of a cold and lonely world in me. I don't think I've ever been to a movie where the audience was so silent throughout the entire movie. It felt like everyone was overwhelmed by a strange reverence.

Perhaps I should mention that the original Bladerunner is my #1 favorite movie of all time. I don't think the sequel will change that, and I doubt I'll watch it as often as I did the original, but I feel it's a worthy successor. Who except Denis Villeneuve could have pulled off such a movie? (Well, perhaps Christopher Nolan, I guess...)

 

[Ryujin]

I was in the same camp; had to give it a good 24 hrs. to settle.

 

[Noel Leighton]

I watched it yesterday, and I'm not sure I've fully digested it yet, but I think Joe's actions aren't really guided by logic or reason at that point. He's driven by his feelings. What's happened has triggered formerly unknown emotions in him and he's struggling to deal with them.

The original Bladerunner movie already wasn't exactly action-packed; by comparison Bladerunner 2049 is really ponderous. But the absolutely stunning visuals created a really strong impression of a cold and lonely world in me. I don't think I've ever been to a movie where the audience was so silent throughout the entire movie. It felt like it everyone was overwhelmed by a strange reverence.

Perhaps I should mention that the original Bladerunner is my #1 favorite movie of all time. I don't think the sequel will change that, and I doubt I'll watch it as often as I did the original, but I feel it's a worthy successor. Who except Denis Villeneuve could have pulled off such a movie? (Well, perhaps Christopher Nolan, I guess...)

Yeah, Villeneuve did a great job, but I like the original Bladerunner better.

 

[billd91]

The ending was unsatisfying. The creepy blind guy hasn't been dealt with. The replicants are still slaves. And as TomB notes, Joe has now left breadcrumbs for bad guys to figure out. It's not even clear how the daughter will be useful. She's trapped in a bubble. At most she can give memories that lead to a replicant uprising by programming them. How does a crusade for freedom inspired by their lack of free will sound?

At least in the original, the premise that bad people need stopping and were stopped by Deckard worked. The main flaw being the method of detection was ridiculously stupid. Asking questions is dumb. Running tests on their biology that is clearly superior is smart.

I think it was all very much in keeping with the original. There's no resolution to the world's problems in either movie. The Tyrell Corp had been decapitated but was still probably fully capable of producing current models. Replicants remained slaves. We didn't know what Deckard's and Rachel's fates were going to be since we had no reason to assume Rachel had more than the standard Nexus 6 lifespan - other than having taken the identity of Tyrell's niece (but we learned early on his sentimentality for her was, at best, limited so who knows?). Theirs was a just a minor story in the world around them, even if we were invited to focus on it for the duration of the movie.

The same is largely true of Blade Runner 2049, but perhaps more obviously so. Joe/K is intrigued by a particular case that leads into wider implications, but he's not really interested in resolving those except on a personal, emotional level. The pro-replicant underground helps him to support their own agenda, but their interests aren't his. They're another piece of a complex world that moves through the story we're invited to focus on, but aren't central to it. Joe/K settles on getting a personal answer to his implanted memories and, as his emotions have been broadening, united Deckard with his child because it satisfies his own emotional needs, not because it's part of any wider agenda.
Wallace was never destined to be dealt with nor the replicants freed of their bondage here. This was always a personal story of a few people caught in the clash of other forces and how they deal work through their own personal and emotional issues. This is a story about K becoming Joe and through his interaction with another, powerfully emotional story.

 

[Water Bob]

I saw Blade Runner 2049 tonight, and I really liked it. The pace is slow, like the original, but it's an adult film! And, it's real sci-fi! Morality and ethics explored in a futuristic setting.

It's a worthy sequel to the original.

I do wish the score was more like the iconic Vangelis score from the original. And, I think the look of the film, although extremely atmospheric in its own right, does not quite match the original film.

But, the plot is excellent.

And, the acting! Wow! Dave Bautista, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Mackenzie Davis, and especially Sylvia Hoeks are FREAKIN' AMAZING! They all deliver Oscar caliber roles.

 

[Water Bob]

Question: Why did Wallace gut the new born Replicant in that scene?

 

[MarkB]

Question: Why did Wallace gut the new born Replicant in that scene?

Because she was a failed experiment, unable to reproduce.

 

[Water Bob]

Because she was a failed experiment, unable to reproduce.

Ah. Makes sense. Thanks.