Second time. Packed house. Immediate thoughts:
Pacing:
- The first two-thirds of the movie is
tight. Things went by way quicker than the running time. I was constantly thinking that scenes I was watching kept coming up earlier than expected.
- The last third is a bit flabby. Things slowed down post-Las Vegas and especially during the Wallace and Deckard scene. I didn't like how they basically revealed Rachel twice. The flashback needed to be cut.
- But goddamnit, does the movie ever stick the landing. For something so ambitious and intentional ambiguous to have an emotionally satisfying conclusion, both for K and for Deckard - major props.
- Strongest sequence of the movie by far is finding of the horse > memory lab > threesome. I had tears.
Performances:
- De Armas is my MVP of the movie. Her Joi changes definitively after getting the emanator. The rain scene was amazing. The DNA scene was amazing. The threesome was amazing. I cannot believe she couldn't speak English just a few years ago. Dynamite performance.
- Gosling was rock solid, as I remembered. He is not given a lot of dialogue towards the end, which is great for the character, and he just sells everything with his face. The ending is all him, his smile and his mannerism as K becomes fully human.
- Harrison Ford was way better than I recalled. I think the first time I just hated his crappy t-shirt, but he was actually great in his scenes with everyone. He sold the temptation and anguish when he saw Rachel again, no question.
Details:
- Stelline: "Real memories are illegal,
officer." Emphasis mine.
- Mariette: She definitely says, "This was from a tree."
- Joi: Her ringtone sounds everytime K is around a woman, except for Joshi, whom she admitted to eavesdropping on.
- K: In the horse memory he had hair. But only girls had hair at the orphanage. Nice touch.
- Is Freysa missing her eye? What is the significance of that?
- Calmest dog ever. Just hanging out amidst all the chaos. Hope Deckard comes back to grab that cutie.
- In Las Vegas, the hologram of Frank Sinatra under a sealed glass dome sings this:
It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place except you and me
So, set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story I think you should know
We're drinkin', my friend, to the end of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby and one more for the road
My mind. It can't handle.
Top sci-fi movie of the 21st century? Yes. (Sorry, Moon, the Fountain, Children of Men, and Wall-E)
Top 5 of all-time? The conversation is happening in my head right now.