Review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Picture W — 08 Oct 2017

Fan Fiction! Blade Runner 2049 is a very sophisticated piece of fan fiction. It seems that all these later day sequels and prequels (such as Alien Covenant, Prometheus and Star Wars) have one thing in common; they over-explain the original source material to the point of being revisionist and thus destroy the mysteries that were the essence of the original's lasting appeal.

Blade Runner 2049 fits the same pattern. Visually sublime, it definitely is, to the point of near perfection. But then again, the director Denis Villeneuve had the best source material to get inspiration from (i.

E. the original 1982 Blade Runner film). The cinematography by Roger Deakins is a serious study in how to stretch the limits of German expressionism, with its canted angles and chiaroscuro reflections of water; it would be just if the Oscar goes in his direction.

But what makes the heart slide when watching Blade Runner 2049 is that, beneath the beautiful visage, it has no heart. It substitutes the original's quest to classify the soul with a preoccupation with how to classify a species (the newly emergent self-reproducing Replicants).

The narrative is a Lego-clump of various sci-fi themes, from the underground army awaiting their messiah, with their prophetic female leader (like the Fremen from David Lynch's 'Dune') to having a precious female of the new species that needs to be protected (i.

E. Alfonso Cuaron's 'Children of Men') to the outright theft of the A.I./ human-avatar love making scene taken complete from Spike Jonze's 'Her'. The film has set the bar high for what can be imagined for a future dystopian world.

But, it's the aspirations of the story that let the film down. It attempts to ask the big questions, but these seem hastily tagged on to an uninspiring story on species classification that is chewed upon for a prolonged 164 mins.

The film is obsessed with visual perfection to the point of cold savagery. This perfection hides a cold heart and is summed up by the disguising of actress Sean Young's real face with a lagging 'more perfect' CGI version.

Ironically Sean Young is given a cameo credit for this 'appearance'.