Blade Runner 2049The defining existential question that has haunted philosophers and laymen alike across millennia has been what it is that makes us human--what is the soul? Blade Runner 2049 asks these questions in much the same way as its predecessor, Blade Runner. Set over thirty years after the events of the prior film, Blade Runner 2049 follows a new "blade runner", Agent K (Ryan Gosling), as he becomes tangled up in a conspiracy about replicants involving an impossible event. This leads him to track down and confront the original blade runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
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If I'm being cryptic with my synopsis of Blade Runner 2049, I apologize, but do so to avoid any significant reveals in a film which is chock full of them from start to finish. This is done for audiences who (like me) went to see Blade Runner 2049 with the beaming enthusiasm of a long-time fan of the original--excited both for answers to unanswered questions, and even more contemplations about themes like what it means to be human, and humanity's place in the world. Like Blade Runner, the sequel is a detective story; like Deckard before him, K is both an investigator and an assassin of rogue androids called replicants. K uses sophisticated technology to do his job, including a pocket version of the Voight-Kampff machine Deckard used before him and a powerful sidearm. His flying automobile is also equipped with a powerful, detachable drone which surveys his surroundings--another technological resource K incorporates into his crime-solving repertoire. The dystopian setting of Blade Runner 2049 is reminiscent of the prior film, although the players have changed. The Tyrell Corporation fell into bankruptcy after a surge of killer robots (like Roy Batty) ran amok; after a global blackout and eco-crisis event, a newcomer named Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) took his place. Wallace is the inheritor of Tyrell's mantle; both are power-hungry tyrants who quantify the value of life. The big difference between them is that while Tyrell was creating a "slave" race to feed his lust for power, Wallace is secretly cultivating his replicants to become a "master" race--a product that is indeed "more human than human", entitled to all the glories that come with being the superior race. Niander's God complex is more rampant than Tyrell's; he refers to his creations as "angels", and his will is executed by his dutiful second, whom he has coyly dubbed Luv (Sylvia Hoeks). Just as the world of Niander Wallace is like Tyrell's--full of opulence and entitlement--K's life is similar to Deckard's. He lives in a high-rise apartment by himself; his only companion is a holographic partner named "Joi" (Ana de Armas), who fills the role of a dutiful housewife and confidant. This hollow companionship speaks to K's deep loneliness--both literal and existential--and is a motif explored in depth. It also speaks to the psychological associations people make with technology; they become emotionally attached to things and are entrenched in electronic forums and other artificial forms of networking, convinced that they are as real as the real thing--more human than human.
Blade Runner 2049 is more than an implausible sequel made thirty-five years later--it is a labor of love paying homage to the original, both in stylistic nods and revisited tropes. The opening title cards--themselves a nod to the original--describe how much has changed over the years, but it becomes clear how little has changed in that time. K works under the thumb of his boss, Lt. Joshi--more commonly called "Madam" (Robin Wright)--who coerces K like a domineering parent, treats him like a slave, and subjects him to mind-controlling behavioral exercises called "baselining". The dark skyline above the crowded streets of Los Angeles is still filled with massive, holographic advertisements; commercialism has become a surrogate for religion, and products are the "new gods". The ubiquitous question of "who made who" is still present in Blade Runner 2049, and the idea of man becoming "as gods" is as strong as ever--as seen in Tyrell and Wallace. Just as the arcology for the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner resembled a pyramid, the interiors of Wallace's stronghold exude the same vast and intimidating ancient Egyptian vibe. This egomania made manifest reveals that--like the pharoahs before them--these men see themselves as divine exemplars, erecting their Babylonian towers for their ascent into the heavens. Niander comments that given the opportunity, he would forge a replicant force to "retake Eden". Replicants like Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) and Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) are deliberately modeled to resemble Leon and Pris from Blade Runner, as though they were firmware updates to their predecessors. Characters that had smaller roles in Blade Runner make cameos as a part of K's investigation, including Gaff (Edward James Olmos), Deckard's formal rival with a penchant for origami animals. Gaff incidentally offers K an origami sheep as a token in his investigation, alluding to the source material to Blade Runner, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick. (It is likely that K's name is a nod to the author's middle initial.) The presence of animal life--or lack of it--speaks to the vague distinction between what kind of life has a soul, and what does not, and how this applies to replicants. There are humans in both films that are so malicious and selfish as to be considered "soulless", while others who are synthetic act with goodness and altruism. Blade Runner was a futuristic detective story that drew inspiration from film noir classics like The Big Sleep, while Blade Runner 2049 approaches these themes from the perspective of homage and maturity; its equivalent in plot and style would likely be Chinatown. The question of what it means to be human is always at the forefront of the film, and there are numerous references to the story of "Pinocchio", as synthetic lifeforms try to define what it means to be "real". Characters like Joi act with more humanity than most, which makes the audience sympathetic to her, even if she is "just a hologram". Blade Runner 2049 also raises the questions about family, and where one belongs in a community--and if that allegiance can be taken for granted. Blade Runner 2049 is a story about choice, like every journey of the soul. It is about how the choices we make not only define our personalities, but because they are our choices, they represent what it means to be free and not just a slave--the surest evidence that one has a soul.
Recommended for: Fans of a powerful science-fiction film that combines action, conspiracy, philosophical debate, and a dystopian future all wrapped up into one deeply thought-provoking movie as befits a true sequel to Blade Runner. The wait has been worth it.
Blade Runner 2049 is more than an implausible sequel made thirty-five years later--it is a labor of love paying homage to the original, both in stylistic nods and revisited tropes. The opening title cards--themselves a nod to the original--describe how much has changed over the years, but it becomes clear how little has changed in that time. K works under the thumb of his boss, Lt. Joshi--more commonly called "Madam" (Robin Wright)--who coerces K like a domineering parent, treats him like a slave, and subjects him to mind-controlling behavioral exercises called "baselining". The dark skyline above the crowded streets of Los Angeles is still filled with massive, holographic advertisements; commercialism has become a surrogate for religion, and products are the "new gods". The ubiquitous question of "who made who" is still present in Blade Runner 2049, and the idea of man becoming "as gods" is as strong as ever--as seen in Tyrell and Wallace. Just as the arcology for the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner resembled a pyramid, the interiors of Wallace's stronghold exude the same vast and intimidating ancient Egyptian vibe. This egomania made manifest reveals that--like the pharoahs before them--these men see themselves as divine exemplars, erecting their Babylonian towers for their ascent into the heavens. Niander comments that given the opportunity, he would forge a replicant force to "retake Eden". Replicants like Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) and Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) are deliberately modeled to resemble Leon and Pris from Blade Runner, as though they were firmware updates to their predecessors. Characters that had smaller roles in Blade Runner make cameos as a part of K's investigation, including Gaff (Edward James Olmos), Deckard's formal rival with a penchant for origami animals. Gaff incidentally offers K an origami sheep as a token in his investigation, alluding to the source material to Blade Runner, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick. (It is likely that K's name is a nod to the author's middle initial.) The presence of animal life--or lack of it--speaks to the vague distinction between what kind of life has a soul, and what does not, and how this applies to replicants. There are humans in both films that are so malicious and selfish as to be considered "soulless", while others who are synthetic act with goodness and altruism. Blade Runner was a futuristic detective story that drew inspiration from film noir classics like The Big Sleep, while Blade Runner 2049 approaches these themes from the perspective of homage and maturity; its equivalent in plot and style would likely be Chinatown. The question of what it means to be human is always at the forefront of the film, and there are numerous references to the story of "Pinocchio", as synthetic lifeforms try to define what it means to be "real". Characters like Joi act with more humanity than most, which makes the audience sympathetic to her, even if she is "just a hologram". Blade Runner 2049 also raises the questions about family, and where one belongs in a community--and if that allegiance can be taken for granted. Blade Runner 2049 is a story about choice, like every journey of the soul. It is about how the choices we make not only define our personalities, but because they are our choices, they represent what it means to be free and not just a slave--the surest evidence that one has a soul.
Recommended for: Fans of a powerful science-fiction film that combines action, conspiracy, philosophical debate, and a dystopian future all wrapped up into one deeply thought-provoking movie as befits a true sequel to Blade Runner. The wait has been worth it.