Blade Runner 2049: Solving a Long Ago Mystery

"I have memories, but I can't tell if they're real" - K.

Earlier this week I had the utter joy of sitting down with my girlfriend and a close friend to take in a highly anticipated movie. It's been 35 years in the making but at long last the dystopian world of Blade Runner returned, and things certainly did not get better in the 30 year time-span of that universe.

Denis Villeneuve may not be Ridley Scott, but he certainly dug deep into Scott's box of magic that produced the original Blade Runner and out came Blade Runner 2049. He presents many of the familiar trappings of the Los Angeles of the future, but there is a certain stronger grime to it now. The world has become a darker place, and some things are different, while some are the same. A fear and mistrust of Replicants is still present, but he adds in a wider acceptance of them as well. An entirely new plot with added twists and turns puts fuel to the fire that was started decades ago and has been fanned into a fantastic film that will hopefully have a sequel.

Ryan Gosling, cast as new character K, a Replicant Blade Runner, is painted as a different man then the character of Rick Deckard was. As a Replicant, K knows that people don't like him and trust him, yet he goes about doing his job of 'retiring' his kind. In doing so, he stumbles on a an age old secret that not only produces startling revelations about the world, but also about himself. Fans of Ryan's will love this he's cast in, because it allows them to see a different sort of persona for him to play, one that is serious, and has emotional depth, but it takes time for those emotions to come out from layers of programming.

Seeing Harrison Ford back on screen as Deckard was an absolute joy. While Deckard doesn't show up until the third act of the story, his presence and the case from the original plot are felt throughout the bulk of the film. He may be older and grayer, but underneath is still a man who believes in doing the right thing. But he is also haunted, by ghosts of his past, and now one of those ghosts turns up again, carried on wings by K and thrusting Deckard back into a world he long turned his back on. Anyone who has grown up a fan of Harrison Ford will appreciate seeing him put on the 'old coat' of Rick Deckard, especially after it having been a long gap between movies.

Ana de Armas takes an interesting part in the movie. She is Joi, K's holographic girlfriend and the only person who cares about him and loves him. While yes she is only a hologram, what makes a person? She is programmed to an extent, but its clear that interactions with K expand her digital consciousness, allowing Joi to grow beyond the original purpose she was designed for. The interactions between her and Gosling are sweet, movie-goers will clearly see the love each of them has for one another.

Jared Leto, oh what a role he is cast in. Playing corporate head Niander Wallace, he is the man who makes Replicants now, and he also has a sinister agenda at play. The character is a disturbing one, a person with zero empathy for life and willing to do whatever it takes to expand his operation. While mainly a secondary figure to Ryan Gosling and eventually Harrison Ford, Leto has some great scenes with both actors and delivers some chilling and well written dialogue. 

Robin Wright and Sylvia Hoeks have strong parts in the story. Robin plays K's superior Lt. Joshi while Sylvia is Luv, Niander Wallace's strong right hand. Both these actress's represent opposite sides of the coin of the future, Joshi is law and order, wanting to preserve peace for humans and Replicants. Luv is a sort of lawless chaos, doing whatever Wallace wants and is not afraid to get creative in the process. And both actress's fill parts laid out in the original movie by M. Emmet Walsh and Joanna Cassidy, law and crime (corporate crime). A lot can be said for these two figures, but that would give away too much plot. To put it finely, the choice of casting them was excellent, and Robin and Sylvia do well on the screen alongside Gosling, Ford, Leto etc.

Dystopian future is always painted as very bleak. A world that ought to be perfect but isn't. All the technological achievements and breakthrough's can't fix things that are broken. Confined originally to a dark and overcrowded Los Angeles, Blade Runner 2049 breaks beyond that, and goes past the city limits, showing more of the desolation that has come to what was the United States. Denis uses a lot of shadows for his movie, similar to Ridley Scott. There is light, but there is dark too, used primarily to showcase what has happened over the course of 30 years.

Sequels to science-fiction movies often fall into two categories, good and bad. Blade Runner 2049 definitely falls into the good category. This is a heavy story, one about finding oneself, freedom, a new age. While yes its a dystopian tale, it has glimmers of light underneath, and that light is what is a propellant for characters like K once the ball gets rolling. Despite some of the negative press it has received, I feel that fans of the original Blade Runner will appreciate the loose ends tied up by the sequel, as well as new questions and ideas put forth by the dialogue and story. 5 out of 5 stars for its cast, its scenes and most importantly, for being more then what was expected of a sequel movie 35 years in the making.