Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049 shows a world where humans and replicants live side by side and the conflict that brings. On a deeper level it deals with worth, humanity, identity, and loneliness in a very hard world. At first the roles look clear. Humans are superior. Replicants are made, they need to obey, and then get replaced. Older models are labeled as “rogue” and need to be “retired.” But the movie blurs those lines early. A child born of a replicant changes the rules… because if life can begin and not just be built, then value and freedom aren’t only for humans anymore. Replicants are made like machines. They can mimic humans, but that does not make them human themselves. Memories can be real but not theirs. Joi can simulate a partner, but she will never be a real one. Even sweet moments like giving K a real human name are programmed. Emotions feel wrong with Luv; her crying has no meaning, she just does it because she is supposed to. It’s a very different situation with Dr. Stelline, whose tears have a real human reason behind them. The story plays with the contrast between humans and replicants, how similar they are but how very different at the same time. New models can be built in seconds, you can have the most perfect version of a human in an instant, but still you might get the eye color wrong… In this world, being human has no place. There is control, loud noise, barriers, and surveillance. The rooms are huge and empty, they make you feel small and unimportant and uncomfortable. You scan eyes to prove your identity, Wallace sees through drones, the baseline test focuses on your eyes, but you have no idea if any of what you see is real. I really like the way the world is shown with a clear contrast. In the desert, where the traces of real human life is the strongest, you have an orange warmth tone. On the contrary the city is full of cold blue and neon light, bright and articial. The score doens't sound like human music, it doesn't sound like musik at all. It rumbles like engines, loud and obnoxious. I am also a big fan of the many scenes where there is no dialogue. Does moments show you just how lonley this world is and how horrible is is to life that life. Other than the fact that I would’ve preferred if the reveal of the child was more subtle rather than through obvious flashbacks to scenes from only ten minutes earlier, I enjoyed this movie a lot, and even that criticism is more about taste than any real wrongdoing. I found the placement of the climaxes interesting, because the pacing can feel odd at times and the ending arrives pretty fast. Still, the way it ends, not with a happy ending but with a peaceful, human moment, really worked for me.