So I went and saw "Blade Runner 2049" at the Somerville Theater on Thursday night. If we're being perfectly honest, I wasn't crazy about it. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I love the original "Blade Runner" (1982). So this is hard to swallow. Here's a screen cap of the two main bad guys from the original:
People forget that Blade Runner is based on a Philip K. Dick book - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Far less sexy and neon than the Blade Runner that we all know and love. I don't think I've read it. I'm not a huge Philip K. Dick guy. I am a huge sci-fi guy, and a huge cyberpunk guy, and a huge neon-noir guy. I rewatched the original Blade Runner last weekend to prep myself for this week's showing. I had heard that it was long, but I was pumped for that. I wanted to see it in 3D or IMAX, but I settled for seeing it nearby at a local independent theater with buddies.
The special effects were great. The apartment scene when the virtual girl morphs into the real girl was astounding. That was some next level special effects. I've never seen anything like that. Mesmerizing.
And the city scenes were cool. I like that they kept with the whole Asian neighborhood/eating noodles vibe. And I enjoyed when they went into all the weird little shops and vendors, like the guy who did the analysis on the horse. And Ryan Gosling is great. And generally speaking, the special effects, costumes, and cinematography were all well done and enjoyable.
But, and there's a big but -- I didn't get it. Like, I usually don't get it when it comes to complicated movies. Like suspenseful dramas where the audience is expected to piece together what happened. I didn't stick around afterwards and talk with the people that I saw the film with, maybe they could have explained it to me.
So Ryan Gosling is a Replicant. I know that much. Because he gets called skinjob early on. And Deckard is not? Isn't that the beauty of the original? That we don't know if he is or is not?
And the whole flashbacks thing and the horse and the furnace just went over my head. Oh well. It was fun. Way better than the crappy Star Wars episodes that came out in the early 2000s. But seriously, someone needs to explain it to me -- what was Jared Leto's deal? Was he purposely evil, or was his assistant just evil and he didn't know it? Who was the baby? God I'm clueless. I'll go read the Wikipedia entry on the film now.
That's my hot take on Blade Runner 2049. It looked cool, but I didn't get it. I still recommend seeing it, but make sure that you go the bathroom beforehand, cause it's a long one. Now can we get a Fifth Element sequel already?
