Blade Runner 2049

I’m seeing now that I currently have no films of Denis Villeneuve at 5 stars which just doesn’t sit right with me. I still think Sicario is his most compact work that is easiest to repeatedly dive back into again and again but after yet another viewing of Blade Runner 2049 this time on the new 4k television, I think I’m comfortable saying this is his most impressive feature technically while having to hold the weight of one of the most impressive and impactful sci-fi films ever. So I’m going to keep my personal Denis Villeneuve rankings the same for now but this is a stone cold masterpiece I’m not afraid to say. An outstanding piece of cinema that had no business even being in the same breath as the original but an absolute craftsman like Denis Villeneuve once again raises the bar with people like Sir Rodger Deakins helping stamp the Canadian as the premier modern day craftsman on science fiction among other things. After the success of 1982’s Blade Runner from Ridley Scott, sequels would begin being worked on by the 90s. Years would pass by without anything coming to fruition as even Ridley had two projects that never saw their way off the ground. At one point Christopher Nolan was mentioned but ultimately was just rumored with Ridley being set to direct all the way up until his previous commitment of “Alien: Covenant” forced him into an executive producer and uncredited script revising role. Villeneuve first met to discuss the project after Prisoners in 2013 where he expressed initial apprehensions of tarnishing the reputation of a film he credits as a main inspiration of his. Ultimately he would accept and begin working out various visual elements as now frequent collaborator Sir Rodger Deakins also had his most daunting challenge yet. Deakins operates with a single camera to exert precise control and the studio producers request for him to use a nine-camera set up like traditional big budget blockbusters, he absolutely denied the request. This level of artistic detail would be just a microcosm of the complete respect and care shown by everyone towards its source material which in tern results in one of the most visually arresting displays of science fiction you’ll ever see. While being observant of its predecessor, Blade Runner 2049 looks, sounds and feels unlike anything ever before it and rightfully sits at the highest of peaks. I think this surpasses the original for whatever that’s worth. The film begins with a text opening letting us know the current state 30 years after the events of the original. Artificially manufactured humans referred to as replicants are now used for slave labor by Wallace Corporation which took over after the previous Tyrell Corporation went under. Hunters who track these rogue replicants are still known as “Blade Runners” one of which who we follow is working for the LAPD, KD6-3.7 or K (Ryan Gosling) for short who finds himself unearthing a discovery which ruffles the feathers of his lawful superiors but also the powers that be at the Wallace Corporation. One side wishing to prevent a mutiny that ravages what’s left and the other wants to extinguish any hope to remain fully cemented as a perpetrator of slavery. This external conflict seems almost minimal while K is having to make sense of what it means to be human or have purpose while staring into the abyss of a world that seems to be coming apart. Nearly everything I’m going to mention has already previously been stated however I’ll continue to give as much praise is necessary. Regardless of connection to the previous story or anything else, at a base level this is an outrageously immersive experience. You won’t find a single frame that doesn’t have that level of detail which completely transports the viewer to a world that’s so vivid it almost has to be real. The pacing might turn off some but I found it to be so deliberate and ultimately satisfying with the final 30 minutes reaching a mountain of payoff that slides all the way through the satisfying ending with K doing his most human acts ever after struggling to believe what he was or what his purpose even is. The blending elements are completely ridiculous as well here since you can’t for a second begin to pinpoint what is set built or modified through effects, it’s all seamlessly integrated in every aspect. It was brought to my attention that the film contains 15-16 scenes total and I would conservatively say that close to 10 of them are the most beautifully memorable compositions I’ve witnessed. The perfect amount of reliance on the past film since it was by definition integral to the plot but it had much more to do with K finding his place amongst a world determine to make people disposable. This did end up winning best cinematography rightfully so but I truly believe this could have basically swept the technical awards at the Oscar’s that year. One of those films that honestly has you thinking that you’re seeing some shades of colors for the first time in your life. The level of world building and lore that’s done through the set design is a process that allows such visually storytelling to grip you. Soundtrack involves both sounds that lend to the fantastical but more often than not returns to a violent droning chant that amplifies the lurking tension of the world every time needs to. Characters are doing something like walking or standing and you have no choice to drink up every inch of the drink with your eyes. The acting doesn’t require much but the main and few side characters that come into play were just dropped right into the picture thanks to their acting but also a wardrobe that seems to embody this stark future. Gosling had been in plenty of roles before this and has always good great comedic timing but this was a subtle and quite frankly underrated performance. Having to convey much of his thoughts through his eyes and facial muscles and not expressions is not easy at all but it seems to be used in memes before getting praised which I don’t really understand. Denis Villeneuve expands and succeeds wildly once more with his 2017 legacy sequel Blade Runner 2049. Doing the unthinkable by authentically translating the visual language of the original while embarking on its very own dense journey of mystery and purpose. This really is like the longest dystopian poem translated on screen and if absorbed right, this will leave you feeling altered one way or another. I don’t know anything about science fiction so fans of the genre who dislike I ask what are you looking for? Denis Villeneuve Ranked