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Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

“Blade Runner 2049” focuses on what it means to be human

Blade Runner 2049 has hit box offices, and it’s a new classic.

After thirty-five long years, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed masterpiece, “Blade  Runner”, has finally been released and it’s in a category of its own. The sequel to the original “Blade Runner”, “Blade Runner 2049”, premiered in the United States on October 6, 2017. This sequel has been long awaited by fans of the original film, and the beautiful cinematic universe that Ridley Scott created so long ago.

The sequel follows in its predecessors shoes by focusing heavily on the theme of what it means to be human, and also separates itself from other Hollywood sequels today by not rehashing the same characters and just mixing up the plot slightly.  

Denis Villeneuve, the director, has truly created an experience that feels like a continuation of the universe and not just some remake created purely for the purpose of fanservice. It is too soon to know if “Blade Runner 2049” will be as revolutionary for film as the first one was, but as of now, the universe has a promising future.

The “Blade Runner” franchise is, at heart, a Sci-Fi neo-noir film and it focuses heavily on the gritty realness of hypothetical problems the human race could encounter in the future. The philosophical questions that arise from a form of entertainment is what makes these movies so legendary.

The original “Blade Runner” became considered a masterpiece due to its deep questioning of morality, and of course revolutionizing the meaning of special effects. The newer movie creates the same atmosphere through a color scheme that differs so drastically from scene to scene, masterful cinematography, and of course modern day special effects such as CGI. Using these techniques we are transported into Los Angeles and the year is 2049.

The gruesome profession of a Blade Runner, hunting down stray replicants (Artificial Intelligence created to do the things humans didn’t want to do) is still going strong. From that enter the main character, Agent K, played by Ryan Gosling. This Agent K is a replicant that hunts down other stray replicants in hiding and brings them in… if possible.

Throughout the movie there are many twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Not only is the plot a very intricate and complex thing, it is supported by an all star cast. Harrison Ford makes a return as the dark and brooding Deckard Shaw, a retired Blade Runner, along with Robin Wright whose character “Madam” is the head of the Los Angeles Police Department. Jared Leto also plays in a supporting role as the main villain, Niander Wallace, who wants to find a way to make replicants the dominant species.

The film gets so many things right that it is difficult to talk about what it does wrong. The visuals and sound design are huge attributes to the overall feel of the movie, and Ryan Gosling’s performance really embodies the character development that is appropriate for a replicant in K’s position. However, the film is not perfect, as no film could ever truly be perfect. The main thing about the movie that could be nitpicked is the pace.

The movie is not an action film and while it is a Sci-Fi film, there are no laser guns or swords made of plasma that we usually associate with such a genre. Some people will be turned off by the pace, believing it to be slow and not exhilarating enough. With a run time of two hours and forty four minutes, it is entirely possible that it may seem to drag on for a long time. There are some minor plot points that are never explained and some people believe that the sequel tried too hard to live up to the reputation of its original.

All that being said, the movie is one of the most radical ideas in the past decade and creates a visual mood that is second to none. While some may dislike the pace of the movie and others may praise it as a form of art unlike any other, only one thing is certain. To truly experience this world that was first created by Ridley Scott and now is being continued through director, Denis Villeneuve, you must see the movie for yourself.

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