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Blade Runner 2049 is a masterpiece

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While liking the first movie the sequel absolutely blew me away. This is the type of movie that makes me love the art form. Watching it for the first time was like a wave of emotions crashing into me, I genuinely felt refreshed from the soul after watching it and made me forget about all my problems. With out a doubt the most engrossing move I have seen in a long time.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Absolutely. I wasn't able to appreciate it when I first saw it in cinema. Almost fell asleep.
Then I watched it again at home and what an experience it was. It elevated Villeneuve to my favorite director, with whom I already fell in love after Arrival was my favorite movie 2016. Can't wait for Dune. That guy has such a spotless filmography.

PS: The UHD of this movie is absolutely stunning. If you haven't seen it in 4k with HDR you owe it to yourself OP.
 
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Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
When I first saw it my short impressions were...

"The New World and The Tree of Life, tied for the best film of all time, are now joined by third, Blade Runner 2049. It is a masterpiece; a deeply piercing view of our relationship to what we create for ourselves, why we do create things to relate to, and what of ourselves we find shown back to us through it."

There are soooo many layers to the film that I still haven't bothered doing a full write-up on it. It would be a daunting task.
 

Dirk Benedict

Gold Member
I loved this movie, it seemed like a great partner to the original and contrasts quite nicely to it. The original is superior, however. But this was very nice to watch and take in towards the senses.
 
When I first saw it my short impressions were...

"The New World and The Tree of Life, tied for the best film of all time, are now joined by third, Blade Runner 2049. It is a masterpiece; a deeply piercing view of our relationship to what we create for ourselves, why we do create things to relate to, and what of ourselves we find shown back to us through it."

There are soooo many layers to the film that I still haven't bothered doing a full write-up on it. It would be a daunting task.
Man there is so much to this movie after watching it a second time and reading other fan theories I never realized how much this movie says with so little dialogue. Such a shame it did so poorly in the box office and I feel partly responsible for that
 
The only thing I didn´t like about it was the resistance angle which kinda felt like sequel baiting, but fortunately it was a pretty short and relatively inconsequential sequence in the end.

That´s just about the only flaw I can think of. Probably Villeneuve´s best movie which is saying alot considering his track record is god damn glorious. And now he´s working on Dune? What an absolute unit of a director.
 
Too long, bland, misogynistic and with ridiculous villains.

No wonder it flopped.
How was it misogynistic???

The main Villain may seem ridiculous at first but through his dialogue you can see that he fancies himself as a God because he can create "life" and he becomes obsessed with creating the perfect synthetic
 

Andyliini

Member
I watched it back when it was shown in theaters. I was bored by it, the main characters watched his own hands too much. You could have easily cut about 30 minutes off to streamline it.
 
It's a beautiful, breathtaking piece of work that isn't afraid of taking its time and letting you breath in the visual and audio opulence.
 

Hudo

Member
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. And you know what's best? Denis Villeneuve is doing Dune next!
 
I watched it back when it was shown in theaters. I was bored by it, the main characters watched his own hands too much. You could have easily cut about 30 minutes off to streamline it.
I disagree, everything shown in the movie had a purpose towards its story. Sure you could have probably cut down on some of the long takes or the scene where kade walks through the casino that was a little too long but there was A LOT of visual story telling within the movie that can be easily missed. Its a specific type of movie not everyone will like, it is slow but I love slow building movies that give a great sense of atmosphere and allow the audience to just breath and take in everything.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
It was pretty much like a $200 million art house sci-fi film lol
Reminds me of what one of the producers told Villeneuve...

The director is incredibly proud of the film, which has earned five Oscar nominations, but he remembers realizing what a challenging release it would be when a producer turned to him four months into production and told him, “We’ve just made the most expensive art house movie in cinema history.”

:messenger_tears_of_joy::messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Domisto

Member
I was really skeptical of this when I first heard about it. But it turned out to be one of my favourites. The stuff with Joi really grabbed me - it's where we're headed. The layers of humanity/dehumanisation. Can't help but think a lot of it's success is down to Villenueve. He's got a knack for drawing you into his movies.
 

Corderlain

Banned
Too long, bland, misogynistic and with ridiculous villains.

No wonder it flopped.

You're a fucking looney.

It was an absolutely stunning movie. Loved it so much. I've seen so many write ups and video essays on it. It came out right when I started getting really into the science of cinematography, and watching the movie was just a surreal experience.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
I haven't watched it yet but I've heard these same sentiments from a friend who's watched it a dozen different times. My guess is that it's better than the first based on all the talk about imagery and symbolism and so forth.

The first movie is a classic but didn't include the underlying motivations and paranoia and plot-twists: they omitted Mercerism and the whole reason why Decker agrees to "retire" the androids/replicants in the first place. I'm glad they emphasize some of the philosophical aspects of the story in this second movie.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
I need to get around making a cut of it that's about 20 minutes shorter. Not for release (nobody likes fan edits anyway) but just for me.
 

NahaNago

Member
I was kinda shocked the movie flopped. I thought it looked amazing and was definitely going to be a hit. I really need to watch it again.
 

bigedole

Member
I need to watch it still, saw the original a long time ago. I generally deride what I perceive as cash grabs on earlier IP's success with reboots/huge-delay sequels, but this does appear to have stood out from the pack in that regard I guess.
 
I need to watch it still, saw the original a long time ago. I generally deride what I perceive as cash grabs on earlier IP's success with reboots/huge-delay sequels, but this does appear to have stood out from the pack in that regard I guess.
It is defiantly not a cash grab. Much love and care for the source material was put in this movie.
 
You're a fucking looney.

It was an absolutely stunning movie. Loved it so much. I've seen so many write ups and video essays on it. It came out right when I started getting really into the science of cinematography, and watching the movie was just a surreal experience.
You might enjoy this one then if you haven't already seen it.

 

KOMANI

KOMANI
I think that the action scene towards the end should have been bigger in scope. That’s my only complaint.
 

petran79

Banned
Last year in London there was a special screening of Blade Runner DC, followed by 2049. A six hour movie experience.
When the first movie ended, everyone clapped their hands in applause. After the second movie ended, no reaction.
Probably we were too tired.....
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
i thought they did a really good job. i don't know about masterpiece, it had a little too much fan service imo, and oftentimes it resulted in retcons of the first film, but it was one of the better of these soft reboots.

i loved the first movie, it was so William Gibson, very Neuromancer. the new one captures that cyberpunk spirit. most of all i love the pace of this movie, you kind of just hang out in this futuristic world for a few hours. would be great to have on a loop at a party or something. i loved it. i thought they really nailed the look. it looks like the world of the first movie but with a lot of new imagery brought to the table.

all the actors were fine, the androgynous Jared Leto in a role he was kinda born to play. the cgi young Sean Young was well done and that effect was a very cyberpunk thing to do. cyberpunk has always been about transforming the human body through technology. when they did Peter Cushing in Rogue One it was relatively the same role he played in the original film. this movie kind of brings a lot of lore to the table and i can see why it can be controversial to fans of the first. a lot of the ambiguity that was part of the mystery of this cyber noir is now taken away.

still it was a great movie. most of all i love the glitchy Elvis hologram sequence so much! i will totally have one of these in 2049:
 
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Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
You might enjoy this one then if you haven't already seen it.

This is a good look, but he's really missing the social commentary on our relationship to creations. For example, all of this humanity being chased and discovered is greatly spurned on and first manifested to it's greatest end (self-sacrifice for love) by Joi, who was in many ways the "least human" of them all. Nonetheless, when her creators aspired to make her everything beautiful and admirable about humanity, they inadvertently succeeded in full. As though it were a secret hidden in DNA, far beyond the parameters of her domestic consumer purpose, she grew into manifesting these characteristics of gratitude, wonder, care, curiosity, discovery and creativity, and all for the purpose of giving of oneself in an ultimate sense for the love of other. It is no subtle hint that this is integral to K's epiphany that turns him around back onto his decided purpose.

Within that fact, you see a relation of us to our creations where all of this construction this video talks about can happen accidentally, and thus come back to us in all the things we make to separate ourselves from our humanity or to transcend it. Where has mankind gone in this world? As he says in this video, they have lost their connection to nature, and now live in a not only artificial but commercialized existence. The real had been replaced by the imaginary as nature was pushed further and further away from us by our own acts of construction. While we made pretend computer girlfriends and, presumably, distanced ourselves more and more of our procreative capacities, it is our creations that come to most highly demonstrate human respect and value for being a born creature and seek the secrets of meaning that we had forsaken in our effort to transcend those limits.

That is very obviously shown since the touchpoint between humans and the creations seeking the meaning of life is a mastermind seeking to master procreation simply to turn it into another artificial power serving us. Which, if you'll remember, is exactly the disdainful existence we had committed our own actual children to serve in the scrapper area of the film, where children are most prominently shown. Contrast that treatment against the revered treatment of the born replicant and you'll see the contrast between selfish ambitions of our creative powers in the front of our consciousness and the subconscious human longings that are unrealized until they are witnessed within those creations.

So then take a step back and ask what it is saying to us as we develop the age of technology? As our interactions with each other and with life itself become more and more transposed into virtual representations of our dreams and idealized forms? That we are speaking to each other now over online forums, our social network platforms, in videogame worlds? How much do we use these to connect with our own humanity, and how much do we use them to try and escape or transcend our humanity? Is that what is really going on, or do they accidentally serve a purpose of being a mirror that reflects back to us the deepest yearnings and truest character of ourselves that we stopped recognizing? Does this go on being accidental, or are we like K when he turns around, using awareness of this relationship to utilize them as a resource of understanding opportunities of purpose and connection to others?

I'm not just interpreting all this out of what isn't there. There are hundreds of little moments throughout the film that draw out all of these things and provide some of its own insights into the possible answers to those questions. Between the construct of the world they are in, K's boss, interactions with Deckard and even the symbolism around the area where Deckard is living. The film is astonishingly dense with meaning and carries multiple developing lines of narrative on its layers of themes that it explores. I'm convinced there is intentionally some clever meanings in analysis of the chronological development of how this world came to be as well, as the whole time K is chasing back through past events of society and connection with the first film and Deckard recalls his own motivations.
 
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eot

Banned
I love the movie, saw it five times in theatres and I'm someone who never goes to the movies. I don't have a TV but I almost want to buy one with a proper sound system just to watch BR49, can't justify it though. The only problem I have with the movie is Jared Leto's character, I think he falls totally flat and his monologues aren't intriguing or interesting at all, they're just kinda lame. The scene where he guts the replicant in particular, it needed better writing.

Also, I'm not sure if the plot holds up entirely under scrutiny, for example it doesn't make sense to me how K traced the horse to Las Vegas, when it seems like Deckard only went there to hide after he split. Sure, he could've gotten the horse to Ana somehow, but it goes against the idea of him isolating himself. The second issue is that the fake dead twin thing doesn't make sense to me, why give them identical DNA if you're trying to cover your tracks? If you can plant a false person, why even keep the record of the real one? Again, I'm sure you can come up with some answers while staying within the fiction, but in what is essentially a detective story I think the clues should make more sense at first sight.

Anyway, I love the movie more for its mood than its plot. Not generally a fan of fight scenes, but everything involving K rescuing Deckard is so amazing, the way the chase scene is shot, the fight on the sea wall. God, I want to watch the movie again but not on my laptop :/

I think that the action scene towards the end should have been bigger in scope. That’s my only complaint.

I think it pitch perfect, the movie isn't self indulgent and isn't about the action. That scene is about the characters, not the spectacle, and it's so beautifully shot.
 
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Absolutely. I wasn't able to appreciate it when I first saw it in cinema. Almost fell asleep.
Then I watched it again at home and what an experience it was. It elevated Villeneuve to my favorite director, with whom I already fell in love after Arrival was my favorite movie 2016. Can't wait for Dune. That guy has such a spotless filmography.

PS: The UHD of this movie is absolutely stunning. If you haven't seen it in 4k with HDR you owe it to yourself OP.
It looks stunning on just 1080p bluray on a 4k oled, would love to see 4k hdr version. Was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the film, as only seen the original once a long time ago.
 

Kadayi

Banned
It's a great film and a worthy sequel with a lot to unpack. One of the things I really like which isn't that obvious until you watch it again is that Wallaces building is adorned with wood, which of course you learn later on is en incredibly expensive commodity, then you realize just how insanely wealthy and powerful he is.

@ S Saturnman
I kind of assumed what you wrote was sarcasm, as it's the sort of blanket dismissal I've seen levelled at the film before, by people without any comprehension that there is actually only one real woman in the entire film (Ks boss Lieutenant Joshi), all the rest are simply replicants in one form or another. They might possess the appearance of being humans, but is a mistake to think they are or they're caught up in any current day mores versus that of being slaves to humanity.


You might enjoy this one then if you haven't already seen it.



Very enjoyable. I must admit I love these deep dive sorts of analysis.
 
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JimiNutz

Banned
Absolutely. I wasn't able to appreciate it when I first saw it in cinema. Almost fell asleep.
Then I watched it again at home and what an experience it was. It elevated Villeneuve to my favorite director, with whom I already fell in love after Arrival was my favorite movie 2016. Can't wait for Dune. That guy has such a spotless filmography.

PS: The UHD of this movie is absolutely stunning. If you haven't seen it in 4k with HDR you owe it to yourself OP.

Opposite experience for me. I saw it stoned out of my mind at an IMAX and was absolutely blown away by the film. One of my greatest cinema experiences ever.

Watched it again at home and although I still enjoyed it, I did fall asleep in the final act and didn't have the urge to watch it again. I don't think it's the sort of film that I can watch frequently. Might have to leave a few years in-between viewings.
 

highrider

Banned
Agreed. It captured a lot of what I felt watching the original Blade Runner, it was just an exceptional creative vision, fully realized and beautifully/thoughtfully presented.
 
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WaterAstro

Member
Man there is so much to this movie after watching it a second time and reading other fan theories I never realized how much this movie says with so little dialogue. Such a shame it did so poorly in the box office and I feel partly responsible for that
Where are these fan theories? Just on youtube?
 

Kadayi

Banned
I saw it stoned out of my mind at an IMAX and was absolutely blown away by the film. One of my greatest cinema experiences ever.

Absolutely a cinematic experience. I saw it a few times in theatres and I definitely think it's the best way to view it, in order to capture the sense of scale. Albeit I'm happy to watch it on Blu-Ray. It isn't remotely the same.
 
Absolutely a cinematic experience. I saw it a few times in theatres and I definitely think it's the best way to view it, in order to capture the sense of scale. Albeit I'm happy to watch it on Blu-Ray. It isn't remotely the same.
Depends on setup. I bet 100-150~ inch short throw 4k laser projector from 6 feet away is quite cinema like.
 
Absolutely. It took me some time to really accept this sequel actually happened but in the end I thought it was awesome.

Villeneuve is awesome.
 

JimiNutz

Banned
Depends on setup. I bet 100-150~ inch short throw 4k laser projector from 6 feet away is quite cinema like.

Granted I haven't tried this setput but I wonder how it compares to an IMAX screen. I just cant see how it could be possible to replicate a similar experience at home.
 
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