The UnPopular Opinion: Blade Runner 2049

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

THE UNPOPULAR OPINION is an ongoing column featuring different takes on films that either the writer HATED, but that the majority of film fans LOVED, or that the writer LOVED, but that most others LOATHED. We're hoping this column will promote constructive and geek fueled discussion. Enjoy!

****SOME SPOILERS ENSUE****

It seems that now, more than ever, Hollywood is embracing the rebootquel. Part sequel, part reboot, rebootquels are where you take a popular film and give it a new cast while bringing back the original stars in supporting roles both as a way to kickstart a potential new franchise but also refresh your intellectual property. Disney did it with THE FORCE AWAKENS and Denis Villeneuve did it with BLADE RUNNER 2049. After a solid run of critically acclaimed films, Villeneuve teamed with producer and original BLADE RUNNER director Ridley Scott for a movie that mined the same dystopian noir beats as the 1980s film but with cutting edge special effects and a young star in the form of Ryan Gosling. The result was a movie that critics loved and hardcore fans appreciated but left everyone else feeling underwhelmed. Not only is BLADE RUNNER 2049 one of the most overrated movies of the last decade but it is also incredibly boring.

It was inevitable that any follow up to BLADE RUNNER would pale in comparison to Ridley Scott's seminal work. Based on the work of Philip K. Dick, BLADE RUNNER was itself the problem child compromised between Scott's vision and studio interference. No less than seven different cuts exist, each different in slight to substantial ways from the most recent Final Cut. Ridley Scott and screenwriter Hampton Fancher envisioned a story that evolved and changed so many times that it still remains to be seen if we will get another version. With BLADE RUNNER 2049, Scott's credibility in Hollywood allowed for him to get a sequel made without conditions or edits from studio executives, even after the lackluster performances of both PROMETHEUS and ALIEN COVENANT. Despite Denis Villeneuve aping Scott's visual cues and adding some of his own, BLADE RUNNER 2049 is overlong and overindulgent without saying much of anything.

What works best with BLADE RUNNER 2049 is the visual elements of the film. Getting a high definition look at the world Scott originally brought to screen is stunning to behold and the leaps in FX technology are wildly apparent. From the holograms to the byzantine cityscapes to the abandoned desert and the oceanfront final act gives a deep and rousing immersion into the story. But, visuals do not make for a whole film. Once you dig deeper, you find that while Denis Villeneuve manages to blend physical sets and actors with CGI in such a way tha feels organic and tangible, the lack of emotional depth in the rest of the story undermines anything else.

Like many noir films and novels, BLADE RUNNER 2049 takes a fairly misogynistic approach to the characters. While Ryan Gosling's K is our main character, all of the female roles are either broken, subjugated, or wasted. Robin Wright's Lt. Joshi starts out as a strong leader before succumbing to sexual advances towards K. Ana de Armas, the most interesting role, is a computer generated hologram. Mackenzie Davis' Mariette is a sex worker who serves virtually no purpose in the story while Sylvia Hoeks' villainous Luv is a cliche henchwoman. The minor appearance of a de-aged Sean Young echoes the character of Joi but never elevates de Armas' character beyond a carbon copy. Carla Juri's red herring character of Dr. ana Stelline is the lone performance that could have had last impact to the tale but instead serves as no more than to further the twist ending.

Most of BLADE RUNNER 2049 hinges on a twist that is underwhelming at best. Where we questioned through the original movie as to whether Rick Deckard was a replicant or not, we are forced to try and figure out the same thing about Gosling's robotic character. Watching the story unfold, we are led down the reverse narrative of the first film and question whether K, a replicant, could actually be human. This, of course, is impossible, and while he investigates the mysterious bones discovered at the start of the film, we soon realize that Deckard is human and Rachael was the mother of their child. While none of this makes any sense, we accept it within the context of the story even if it undermines the ambiguous ending of the first film. And that is the mortal flaw in BLADE RUNNER 2049: it is visually superior in every way to Ridley Scott's film but there is virtually no emotional depth or stakes to the story which does nothing original compared to the first film.

Between the glorified cameos of Harrison Ford and Jared Leto, who both are infinitely more intriguing when on screen than in the entirety of Ryan Gosling's performance, BLADE RUNNER 2049 never really kicks into any sort of gear. So many story elements are started and only half answered. Joi's desire to be real takes so much time and then just sputters when the main plot takes control in the final act. The motivations of Leto's Niander Wallace could have made for a fascinating villain, but his minutes of screen time force Luv to be the main antagonist and Sylvia Hoeks just doesn't command the screen like Leto. Harrison Ford just looks bored here and puts in half the effort he did in THE FORCE AWAKENS. For a film that clocks in at two hours and forty-three minutes, BLADE RUNNER 2049 should have given us so much more.

BLADE RUNNER 2049 is one of those rare films that deserves acclaim for one aspect and not another. From the stunningly filmed scenes by Roger Deakins to the retro score by Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer, BLADE RUNNER 2049 looks better than almost any other movie ever made. But the moment the characters start talking, it fails in every way. When a movie runs almost three hours but only has sixty minutes worth of plot, you know you are in trouble. Shots linger hauntingly on the impeccable set design in what seems to be an effort to pad the lenfth of the film simply to earn the status of being an "epic" move. BLADE RUNNER 2049 certainly looks the part but beyond the surface it is nothing more than a pale replicant of the real thing.