Blade Runner 2049 Review

The opening of Blade Runner 2049, Seems Familiar? The opening of Blade Runner 2049 perfectly pays homage to the original, by displaying a very similar formatted text, that the original did also, it gives you a basic description/explanation of what’s been going on in the world of Blade Runner, so you go into the world of Blade Runner with a small amount of information to help you through the journey.

After the text we get an image of an eye, when the music blasts/explodes. I believe it’s trying to say that it doesn’t matter who the person is, but there is life, it is awake and I believe the eye belongs to Officer-K. Possibly also its when K first awakes as a replicant. It could also be him just waking up or opening his eye, but what it tells us is that K is alive, even if it isn’t him, it says that anyone who has the ability to see and perceive visual memory, has a life and is human.

Another similarity between the original and the sequel, is that in the original there is a shot of Roy Batty’s eye, it is very similar to the shot of the eye in this movie, so this again reflects on the original film, the difference between the two eyes, is in the original Roy Batty’s eye has reflections off all the lights, it’s also for the later part in the original film where he talks about all of his memory’s the shot of the eye seeing all the lights supports that. What I think the shot of the eye is trying to say is that it’s the gateway to visual memory, I think this film tries to question how humanity and what makes us human.

Welcome California 2049…

California 2049 has been turned from greenery, to dust, ash and plastic, in a way it looks beautiful but it is disgusting to see all the greenery gone, but it’s so vast and so gigantic that it’s amazing to view.

We then get introduced to our main character Officer-K…

(Edit of K’s moments)

Officer-K is first shown as a heartless replicant, simply following his orders, he is told to retire (kill), other older models of replicant, because as he quotes in the film: (K quote). He has a digital girlfriend, who is a simply a product, we know this as throughout the film, it constantly tries to remind us that she’s not real and is just a product to purchase, for example in the love scene when she combines with what we think is a prostitute, it changes to a shot of a holograph of Joi as an advertisement, it’s there just to remind the audience she isn’t real and she is just a product programmed to give people what they want. You can see K actually loves her as in the scene where, Luv destroys her she is emotionally impacted by this, however in the scene where he meets the huge holograph advertisement of her and she calls him “Joe”, he realises that she actually isn’t real and was programmed to make K feel he had someone to love him. There is a lot of enigma surrounding K in the film, he is very mysterious and a confused character, wanting to know who he truly is.

(Introduction and edit of Luv)

Let’s talk about Wallace and Luv. Luv is a character in the film that is constantly told she is the best of all. As Wallace says in the film “you are the best angel of all” and when she’s about to kill K she says “I’m the best one”, so throughout her life as a replicant she’s told she is the best and no one stands a chance against her, although I think she is scared and actually despises her creator, she actually needs him to guide her somewhat, you can see the pain she goes though when watching the birth and death of a replicant. Wallace is presented as almost a symbolic God in the film, he creates and takes away life in the film, it appears that Luv doesn’t seem to agree with this with the way she responds to it however. Luv’s duty in the film is to find the child and bring it back to Wallace where it would be killed and examined. Throughout the film Luv proves that she doesn’t always listen to orders given to her, when she kills lieutenant Joshi she says “I’m gonna tell Mr. Wallace you tried to shoot me first”, “Because we never lie”, this shows she has the ability to lie and make her own choices, this is not supposed to happen, this shows she can make her own decisions and has a “soul”. In the film she is very violent and uses murder or violence to solve problems, this could be because of her programming, however it could be her own personal decisions, however these are not necessarily the right ways to solve the problems. Luv also wears a lot of dark greys and black, and bright whites, in the scene where she murders lieutenant Joshi she is wearing the bright white, however the inner which is black is overlapping it and its showing a red jumper underneath (showing danger), I think is a connotation for she has a dark violence to her and is about to commit violence in this scene, also I think the white could represent the blackness in her mind when she commits violence or does malevolent activities. The scene where Wallace is creating the replicant and then kills it and Luv sheds a tear, Wallace is wearing a dark black and Luv is wearing a bright white, I think is shows the contrasting opinions and personalities of both character showing they are different people.

Another connotation in the film is the names that are used for the characters, apart from characters like Officer K, however Luv and Joi I think are definitely connotations, especially that Luv kills Joi, because Luv is not happy with Wallace and she goes against his rules, she is real somewhat, when she kills Joi who isn’t real and is a product, it actually helps K to realise that Joi wasn’t real, and actually basically sets up the scene when he meets the big holograph advertisement of her, making K help Deckard.

Blade Runner 2049 is a linear storyline, it is in a chronological order and is from start to finish, it is also a non-realistic film however there is realism woven into the film, as it’s a realistic view on a non-realistic plot, making it a mix between the two. This can make the world more grounded for audiences. Technical codes in the film are excellently used, the cinematography in the film is amazing, shot by Roger Deakin’s a great cinematographer in today’s age, winning an Oscar for the films cinematography. The sound mixing also won an Oscar as the sound effects inserted into to film are pretty much perfect making the world feel very real and sounding very crisp also won an Oscar for its sound mixing, the soundtrack is also amazing, with its very loud blasting sounds, making the cinema experience one to remember, also collected an Oscar nomination for its soundtrack.

Symbolic codes are woven throughout the film, for example showing the product of Joi in the love scene, suggests she’s not real. Also using colours such as deep blues, deep greens and deep yellows to suggest emotions and the atmosphere, especially when yellow is used, there is usually some sort of death.

(Edit of Blade Runner Ending)

When K realises that Joi is definitely a product, he then decides to save Deckard, as he has a resolution on what he’s going to do with the situation he’s in, this makes him human and shows he has a soul as he goes out to save Deckard and his daughter and reunites them, for his life, when K is about to pass they play the same music from the original again paying homage, he feels out to the snow showing he can feel the snow and remembering the feel of the snow showing he has a soul and can make his own memories, and when he lies down to pass I think he is looking back on his memories and what he has done, he has proved himself to be human and have a soul.