“We’re all just looking out for something real.”
While conducting his duties of hunting and “retiring” the genetically engineered humanoid workforce known as replicants, Blade Runner K (Ryan Gosling) stumbles upon an old secret that his bosses desperately want to conceal so that it does not plunge society into chaos. As he seeks to unravel the mystery and destroy the threat, K slowly discovers much about not only replicants, but himself.
Blade Runner 2049 is a well crafted sci-if mystery that keeps viewers enthralled as the story behind the mystery slowly unfurls and our questions receive answers, or, just more questions. The film contains a clear allegory for slavery and a running theme about the human need for a defined sense of self worth. K begins the film as an obedient replicant from a new generation known for their capacity to stay in line. When we first meet him, he is killing an older model of replicant named Morton (Dave Bautista) that laments this newer generation’s capacity to “eat shit” and follow orders only because they have “never seen a miracle.” This miracle later comes to K in form of the revelation that replicants can become pregnant and bear children, with a hint that K may be the child in question. Once K receives a glimmer of hope that his life may actually have purpose, that he may not just be a humanoid replicant subject to casual putdowns and bigotry but actually have a “soul”, his days as an obedient replicant were done. The same held true for all replicants post-reproductive potential revelation. Watching their struggle with identity in the face of subjugation reminded me of the struggle of American slaves for finding one’s worth and identity as a human after being born within a system that claimed the opposite. Even when born in subjugation, anything with sentience yearns to be free.
The plight of the enslaved is not the only topical subject matter that Blade Runner 2049 touches on. The villain of the film, industrialist Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), displays a sociopathic willingness to experiment on and play with the lives of the replicants that his company makes, while disregarding the humanoids as simply a means to an end. His musing that “Every civilization was built off the back of a disposable workforce. We lost our taste for slaves, unless they’re engineered” and that such a workforce is necessary for societies to reach their full potential, in this case discovering, thousands of stars instead of the few colonized planets that replicants work on, serves as a statement on corporatism and its willingness to use whatever means necessary to achieve its aims. In a time where many believe our own society is witnessing the rise of a new generation of oligarchs, this display and criticism of the results of unfettered industry and exploitation really resonates and connects. As with most powerful people, Wallace uses a member of the underclass, a replicant named Luv portrayed masterfully by Sylvia Hoeks, to execute his plans and do his dirty work. Luv is a coldblooded, loyal henchwoman that also seems to contain some semblance of conflict, as evidenced by her tendency to blankly shed tears in tough moments. Such internal conflict and confusion about the place of a member of the underclass that works to keep systems of oppression in place is a common problem throughout history from those that served in these roles, from black slave drivers on plantations, to the Judenräte. Seeing this touched upon, even briefly, in Blade Runner 2049 was a nice touch.
The film revolves mostly around K and Gosling delivers a great performance in the leading role. His performance was understated, but in a good way. K’s emotions as he slowly unravels the mystery and discovers his potentially important lineage, you really feel the emotion simmering underneath; from the awakening that he is more than a slave, to the fear and uncertainty that his life would never be the same and be a source of danger if he were the child born of a replicant, to the crushing disappointment once it is revealed that he is not the natural born child but instead, just a copy and indeed a replicant. This was displayed on screen without bombast but instead a subtlety that viewers must pick up on themselves and Gosling was able to get it across perfectly. The two best performances were from Hoeks and Leto; a particularly impressive feat from Leto considering he only appears in two scenes. Despite this limitation, he absolutely commanded the screen, showing why he’s an Oscar winner and one of the best actors working today. Despite his fame and level of recognition he was able to disappear into the character, a testament to his now infamous level of preparation. Hoeks is the film’s number one standout however, playing Luv with a quiet intensity and hint of roboticness that was 100% believable. There are moments of explosion and instability in the character that she knocks out of the park but also ably pulls off the quiet notes of conflict mentioned previously in this review that are much more subtle. As time goes on, Hoeks’ portrayal of Luv could very well go down as one of sci-fi’s best villainous portrays ever put to screen.
One of the biggest takeaways from this film will be the excellent cinematography presented by the legendary Richard Deakins. Even in the lead up to release, many in the film community were beginning to clamor that Blade Runner 2049 should be the film that finally ends his Oscar shutout. Deakins certainly lived up to the hype, presenting an uberrealistic future Los Angeles that is both industrial and desolate. The high-tech, colorful ads in the city were rich and beautiful to look at. Even with all of the brilliant colors, it was Deakins’ use of shadow in shots throughout the film that really stood out. Mostly used when two characters conversed while seated, the darkness and shadow covered their faces completely, with just their voices lingering and guiding everything. Something so simple really stood out along with the brilliant use of color mostly used in advertisements for the film. Another visual standout was driven by the film’s VFX team, a scene where K’s artificial intelligence companion Joi (Ana de Armas) hires a real woman named Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) to serve as a physical stand-in so that she and K can be intimate. The hologram and real woman then merge together, creating an amalgam of two women into one in an innovative, futuristic visual effects shot that will stand the test of time. The sequence may singlehandedly win the film’s VFX team an Oscar.
With this film, director Denis Villenueve officially joins the list of great modern auteurs along with names like Christopher Nolan. Following last year’s hit film Arrival, he has cemented his place as a master of science fiction. He managed to make a modern sequel for a classic, landmark film and make it feel as if it was both an extension of the previous film and its world and a new film all his own. Blade Runner 2049 maintains his penchant for intricate, intriguing plots that slowly unfold at a consistent pace that keeps the viewer enthralled over a long run time which is hard to pull off. Blade Runner 2049 will be the film that finally establishes him among Hollywood’s elite.
Blade Runner 2049 is an exquisite piece of sci-fi film-making that manages to upstage its predecessor. It is one of the most visually impressive films you will ever see with the story to back it up. The film will go down in the annals of the genre and be spoken about for a long time to come.
Image: Warner Bros.
