Movie Endings Explained – Blade Runner 2049 (video)

Movie endings, they're usually pretty straight forward right? Everything pays off, the main characters learn something, and our heroes ride off into the sunset. Sometimes though, we don't get the typical ending from a movie, we get something much more nuanced, complex and open ended. The kind of endings that leave things up in the air for all of us to debate and theorize on until we're blue in the face. With Movie Endings Explained, we aim to delve into some of the more ambiguous and mysterious endings to films that have left audiences scratching their heads for years, and to attempt to explain them. In most cases, a definitive answer isn't really there, so we definitely want to hear from YOU on how you interpret the various endings we'll be discussing with this series.

Previously on Movie Endings Explained we tackled the 1982 sci-fi classic BLADE RUNNER, from director Ridley Scott. The enduring mystery from that film was whether or not Harrison Ford's character, Rick Deckard, is a replicant. A synthetic human android, the very kind Deckard makes a living in hunting down. The answer is ultimately left ambiguous, and when BLADE RUNNER 2049 was announced, many wondered, especially with Ford returning, if there would finally be a concrete answer.

While the actual, closing minutes of BLADE RUNNER 2049 (directed by Denis Villeneuve) need little explaining, the overarching question about Deckard's true origin does get touched on… in one way. With the entire story being linked to Deckard, there's a number of points to explore, especially the dueling opinions from director Villeneuve, and producer/writer Ridley Scott on the issue, so let's talk BLADE RUNNER 2049!