A nice looking Bladewalker
Years after the events of the first film, a blade runner stumbles onto a secret that changes his life forever. This leads him to the Wallace Company, the new group that heads the creation of replicants, subservient beings that make human life easier. Their company is dedicating their time to finding out the mystery that the Tyrell Corporation solved, creating replicants that can reproduce. This thing that the blade runner found is a key to this mystery and now it's up to him to find the other piece of the puzzle, a retired blade runner that has gone missing for 30 years.
This movie was gorgeous from start to finish. Even its predecessor, which is 25 years old at the time of this review, still has great visuals in today’s age. The world, of which expands from the first movie, is a vast and interesting place to explore as we follow our characters. The cinematography showed us a dismal wasteland of muted colors, while also showing us vibrant technology. The set design and special effects blended together to make a cohesive and intriguing environment.
The pacing was a bit of a double edged sword. I appreciate that it follows the same editing style of the first film, but to most, this is just too slow. Like the first one, people may assume that a movie called Bladerunner, would be a fast-paced action film. But because these films are more of the film noir genre, it takes its time to tell its story. Although I hoped that it would take to modern editing, I still appreciate its choice to adapt the style of the previous film.
***Warning: Spoilers***
This was a long movie, and the editing didn’t help it. There was a lot going on here. Whether it’s finding a missing person, finding the meaning to life, finding love, or being a weirdo infatuated with the evolution of technology, there was a lot to follow. Especially that last one, it felt like Jared Leto didn’t need to be in the movie, because he was barely in it. Sylvia Hoeks, who played Luv, did a wonderful job as the evil henchman of Leto’s character. She was able to carry the villain role and it feels like Leto didn’t need to be present.
I really do wish that Harrison Ford’s reveal was kept secret from promotions. It would have been so much better to be surprised to see him show up and play an important role. Throughout the movie, I couldn’t help by ask myself, where’s Harrison Ford? But I suppose that it would hurt ticket sales if they aren’t announced otherwise.
I really like the misdirect that totally flips the storyline on its head. Throughout the movie, we are lured to thinking that Ryan Gosling was this chosen one, which lead us to thinking that we knew the ending ahead of time. But when the reveal happens, it took me by surprise and brought my interest back.
Most, if not all of the actors did an amazing job. Gosling brought life to a robot, Hoeks was a spineless villain, Ford delivered a sincere performance, and even Bautista, for a short appearance, showed concern for the secret he was keeping. These performances brought color into this dreary hellscape of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
This is a beautiful movie that audiences of today won’t appreciate/understand. It is a long journey to get through, but it stays true to the original cult-classic. With how it is doing in the box office, it’s a shame that we may not see a conclusion on the big screen.