Blade runner 2049 joe
BLADE RUNNER 2049 JOE MOVIE
It would have been incredibly easy to reboot “Blade Runner” directly, merely continuing Deckard and Rachel’s story from the first movie or even (gasp) remaking it. The film did drag a little for me near the end of the first hour when I wanted it to pick up the pace, and some of the characters feel like they do things dictated by plot necessity more than believable behavior, but that's a criticism that could fade on repeat viewing. It’s a fantastic performance, and Villeneuve draws great ones from Sylvia Hoeks and Ana de Armas as well.
Gosling is perfect for this part as he’s always had a vulnerability underneath the handsome façade, and he allows fear and confusion to become operating forces on K’s arc without ever overselling the deep emotion of the piece. As he did with Amy Adams in “Arrival” and Benicio Del Toro in “ Sicario,” Villeneuve proves his skill with performance as well, particularly with Ryan Gosling, who gives one of the best performances of his career. And the sound design is so remarkable that it’s almost overwhelming-this is a film you don’t passively watch, you experience it.ĭon’t worry-this is no hollow visual spectacle. I can’t wait to just see it again, just to bask in its visuals without trying to follow its plot. It’s one of the most stunningly shot films of not just this year, but the last several. And Villeneuve and Deakins are often playful within this visually striking world, capturing images that work thematically-I think of a “small” K against gigantic statues at a point when he’s questioning his place in the world or a moment with a hologram that comes off a billboard to remind him of what he’s lost in a fashion that’s ten stories tall-while never losing sight of the pure beauty of it all. When I think of “2049,” I think of waves crashing, snow falling, and, of course, rain pelting down-an iconic image from the first film that’s almost subverted here in the second half. Not only are Deakins and Villeneuve great at the “futuristic” aspects of their vision, but they’ve made a film whose most striking imagery often relates to nature. The film is undeniably gorgeous, the kind of work that could be appreciated with the volume turned all the way down. The Oscar talk for the always-an-Academy-bridesmaid Roger Deakins started with the first trailer. Robin Wright, Jared Leto, and Harrison Ford co-star.įrom the minute footage of “Blade Runner 2049” started to leak, it was clear that the director of “ Prisoners” and “ Arrival” had created a film with a confident, strong visual language. What he finds there will start what is essentially a detective story, spurring K to solve a mystery about his own past, the history of replicants, the power of memory, and what it means to be a human being. In the film’s opening, Officer K tracks down a replicant who is just trying to live a peaceful life as a farmer (a spectacled Dave Bautista, doing a great deal with a small role).
His duty now is to track down old replicants who have gone into hiding, living long past their originally-programmed lifespan. It’s been decades since the action of the first film, but the replicant-destroying Blade Runner is still a profession, personified here by Ryan Gosling as an agent known as K.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 JOE CRACK
Riding a wave of gorgeous visuals from the legendary Roger Deakins and a crack effects team, Villeneuve brings us to Los Angeles in 2049. Until then, I’ll just give you the very basics, as beautiful as they are. The way the film reveals its secrets, themes, and connections is one of its greatest strengths, so I’ll heed that directorial request, although I suspect some of the best writing about this film will be done when its themes can be discussed beat by beat and explicitly. Villeneuve and the team at Warner Brothers have asked critics to be incredibly precious with spoilers, not even revealing things that the film does mere minutes into its running time (and even a couple things I believe the trailers give away, but whatever). Here’s where things get a little tricky for a film critic.