Oh I totally agree, and it's not just aging directors selling out. Look at Harrison Ford. For decades he was so against returning to Han Solo and Rick Deckard, even Indiana Jones, he'd've rather died. Now he's all too eager to go back to the well. Though perhaps it's more than the paycheck; I think these guys also just want to keep working, and the only stuff they can get is this retread franchise material - because Hollywood must frontload all of its exciting original projects with young actors/directors. Blade Runner 2049 might end up being a terrific film, but the only reason it was made is because Hollywood desperately needs sequels and franchises. Two or three more movies with Ryan Gosling chasing future bad guys? Hollywood's crossing its fingers that Gosling and Villeneuve can takeover the Blade Runner legacy.
It's a bit of both, I think. Harrison Ford clearly has a price in his mind that is worth working for, otherwise he could have had a Samuel L Jackson, Michael Caine or Gene Hackman career. I can see him following in Hackman's footsteps in just retiring from acting altogether though.
Though perhaps it's more than the paycheck; I think these guys also just want to keep working, and the only stuff they can get is this retread franchise material -.
The man can't fly anymore he's got to do something to stay occupied.
Today, Collider posted the first of three short prequel films that will help fill in the gaps of the timeline and explain what happened in the world of Blade Runner between the first movie, set in 2019, and this sequel, set in 2049.
This first one is called 2036: Nexus Dawn and revolves around Niander Wallace, played by Jared Leto. The replicant program has been shut down since 2023, and Wallace is making a case to revive it with his new, improved model called the Nexus 9. According to the timeline, the replicant program was shut down after an EMP detonation in 2022 that shut down major cities for weeks. The market crashed and electronic data was corrupted. Replicants were blamed for the attack, but it was never proven. They were prohibited a year later. The short shows the model that convinces lawmakers to repeal that ban.
It's still really hard for me to believe that this is the same world as the original film. The trailers for BR2049, and now this short film... it's all just shot so differently from BR. And these characters seem way too self-aware, like they're all mugging for the camera.
It's still really hard for me to believe that this is the same world as the original film. The trailers for BR2049, and now this short film... it's all just shot so differently from BR. And these characters seem way too self-aware, like they're all mugging for the camera.
Digital Color Grading innit. Makes every movie look the same. TEAL AND ORANGE.
That being said, Denis Villeneuve is a really good director coming off two exceptionally well received films, so it will probably be a good film regardless of how well it works as a sequel.
It's still really hard for me to believe that this is the same world as the original film. The trailers for BR2049, and now this short film... it's all just shot so differently from BR. And these characters seem way too self-aware, like they're all mugging for the camera.
Digital Color Grading innit. Makes every movie look the same. TEAL AND ORANGE.
That being said, Denis Villeneuve is a really good director coming off two exceptionally well received films, so it will probably be a good film regardless of how well it works as a sequel.
2010: Odyssey Two, released in 1984, is a sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, that while lacking the resonance of the 1969 original, is a very good film in its own right and an worthy companion piece. I'm hopeful that BR2049 performs a similar function.
It's still really hard for me to believe that this is the same world as the original film. The trailers for BR2049, and now this short film... it's all just shot so differently from BR. And these characters seem way too self-aware, like they're all mugging for the camera.
Digital Color Grading innit. Makes every movie look the same. TEAL AND ORANGE.
That being said, Denis Villeneuve is a really good director coming off two exceptionally well received films, so it will probably be a good film regardless of how well it works as a sequel.
Yeah Sicario and Arrival are two of the best films in recent years
In 2022, an EMP detonation has caused a global blackout that has massive, destructive implications all over the world. Directed by Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo's Shinichiro Watanabe, Blade Runner Black Out 2022 is a new and highly-anticipated animated short which serves as a prologue for the upcoming feature film Blade Runner 2049
Forget new live action blade runner. We have a blade runner anime by Shinchiro Wantanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Terror in Resonance)
I've got my tickets! - am seeing it Friday morning of next weekend - with my dad, who took me to see the original back in the day lol. BR's been a favorite of my whole family for all these years so it seemed stupid for me to see it with anyone else.
I'll probably catch it on Tuesday. AMC is currently running a promotion whereby Stubs members can see any 2D movie showing for $5 all day on Tuesdays and for $5 more upgrade the promo to include a small popcorn + small drink. Considering a weekday ticket alone is normally $12.99, that's a pretty good deal.
I SAW "BLADE RUNNER 2049" THIS MORNING!! Holy cow, I seriously cannot believe a "Blade Runner" sequel is now in my *past* :joy: The world feels like it can go in any direction now, really. Will Pants be president one day? Will Murd buy a blu-ray player? Will Chris change his name to Carol Danvers and start wearing a hip sash. Truly, now that this movie is here, anything can happen.
And I am equally in disbelief that... (gasp) I loved this sequel! Is it perfect? Noooo. It's about 30 minutes too long Lol, and I've got a few other problems with it. BUT by no means do my problems wreck how interesting, mesmerizing, and impressive I found this fucking sequel-which-I-have-been-dreading-like-the-plague-for-decades to be.
I am SO relieved it does not suck the high hard one.
Okay, now all of you need to see it so we can rip apart this awesome, beautiful movie for the next 50 years :smiley:
I've got two days off for Fall Break next week. My plan is to watch the original in the morning after dropping the kids off at school and then heading to go see 2049 by myself around lunch. I'm excited.
I saw it tonight and a huge screen with a kick-ass sound system. As an added bonus my local theater had promotional offers running, so for all of 13 bucks I got admission (8pm showing no less), popcorn, a drink, and a pizza. I enjoyed this movie much more than its predecessor. In fact, this is my favorite film of the year. It's just a well-crafted story, featuring fantastic cinematography, and it feels like a bonafide sequel. I did watch the original Blade Runner (or at least the final cut of the film, for the version I had was on Laser Disc, and since my LD player isn't currently hooked up, I purchased a digital version of Blade Runner the Final cut on Amazon (currently on sale for $6.99 for Prime members). I will say that one does not need to re-watch it, though I'm glad I did. A few key scenes from the original are incorporated into the new movie, so if you'd forgotten certain elements 2049 does a good job of jarring your memory. Big thumbs up from me.
I saw it tonight and a huge screen with a kick-ass sound system. As an added bonus my local theater had promotional offers running, so for all of 13 bucks I got admission (8pm showing no less), popcorn, a drink, and a pizza.
No fair! I paid $17 to see it at 11:30am last Friday, and all I got besides the movie was a lousy parking validation. :joy: Something tells me you do not live in L.A. lol
BUT I am happy to hear you liked it. Now that we're a few days into its release and people have heard how it underperformed at the box office, I know so many people who are in attack mode. And I'm like "hey, the first film bombed at the box office, and 35 years of your criticisms did nothing to tarnish its brilliance- take your best shot."
No fair! I paid $17 to see it at 11:30am last Friday, and all I got besides the movie was a lousy parking validation. :joy: Something tells me you do not live in L.A. lol
I don't live in LA; I live in Cupertino CA where rent on a two bedroom apartment is often more expensive than a 2 bedroom apartment in S.F. (thanks mainly in part to demand for housing near Apple's new headquarters)- so I don't think it has anything to do with where I live. I'm pretty sure the promo I took advantage is valid in LA as well (assuming LA has AMC theaters). On Tuesdays, AMC Stubs members get $5 admission (not available via online ticket sales), and for $5 more add a small popcorn and drink, and for $3 more a pizza. FYI, deluxe movies such as IMAX or 3D movies are also discounted on Tuesdays, but not nearly as much as the standard 2D showings. I had no intention of getting their Stubs membership, but a few months back they offered a free advance screening of Atomic Blonde to AMC Stubs members, and since it was a movie I had planned on paying to see in the theater anyway, I figured I might as well pay the membership fee ($15 per year which was almost the cost of a standard weekday evening admission). The membership perks have already offset the membership fee and then some.
Saw it today. I need to chew on it a bit to really digest the story and subtext, but on a completely superficial level, I quite enjoyed it.
The design aesthetic and sound were very much consistent with the original. Loved that they included Gaff - his dialog played nicely with the original and offered the same implications about Deckard.
Puzzled by the eyes... Wallace was the only one with the older model replicant eye glow. I'm going to assume that the guy that replaced Chew improved upon his design.
Puzzled by the eyes... Wallace was the only one with the older model replicant eye glow. I'm going to assume that the guy that replaced Chew improved upon his design.
Actually, the weird eyes on Wallace was just to emphasize his blindness; he is not (as far as we know) a replicant himself.
As much as I worship RScott and "Blade Runner," and as much as I think the eye glow effect used in the first film was cool looking, I've always hated it lol. It's a narrative cheat. None of the characters within that world can see it; it is just for us, as a "wink wink" pointing out replicants, so RScott can then use it with Deckard as another clue to further RScott's notion that Deckard is a replicant (also something with which I disagree).
Comments
The man can't fly anymore he's got to do something to stay occupied.
This first one is called 2036: Nexus Dawn and revolves around Niander Wallace, played by Jared Leto. The replicant program has been shut down since 2023, and Wallace is making a case to revive it with his new, improved model called the Nexus 9. According to the timeline, the replicant program was shut down after an EMP detonation in 2022 that shut down major cities for weeks. The market crashed and electronic data was corrupted. Replicants were blamed for the attack, but it was never proven. They were prohibited a year later. The short shows the model that convinces lawmakers to repeal that ban.
That being said, Denis Villeneuve is a really good director coming off two exceptionally well received films, so it will probably be a good film regardless of how well it works as a sequel.
2010: Odyssey Two, released in 1984, is a sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, that while lacking the resonance of the 1969 original, is a very good film in its own right and an worthy companion piece. I'm hopeful that BR2049 performs a similar function.
Yeah Sicario and Arrival are two of the best films in recent years
... and also the first 5 minutes of the film.
Since it isn't on Crunchyroll's 'official' page, I can't guarantee that it will be up for long at this link.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blade_runner_2049
http://www.npr.org/2017/09/29/554271617/-blade-runner-2049-even-sharper-than-the-original?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170929
Holy cow, I seriously cannot believe a "Blade Runner" sequel is now in my *past* :joy: The world feels like it can go in any direction now, really. Will Pants be president one day? Will Murd buy a blu-ray player? Will Chris change his name to Carol Danvers and start wearing a hip sash. Truly, now that this movie is here, anything can happen.
And I am equally in disbelief that... (gasp) I loved this sequel! Is it perfect? Noooo. It's about 30 minutes too long Lol, and I've got a few other problems with it. BUT by no means do my problems wreck how interesting, mesmerizing, and impressive I found this fucking sequel-which-I-have-been-dreading-like-the-plague-for-decades to be.
I am SO relieved it does not suck the high hard one.
Okay, now all of you need to see it so we can rip apart this awesome, beautiful movie for the next 50 years :smiley:
Here are my thoughts on the film (Spoilers).
BUT I am happy to hear you liked it. Now that we're a few days into its release and people have heard how it underperformed at the box office, I know so many people who are in attack mode. And I'm like "hey, the first film bombed at the box office, and 35 years of your criticisms did nothing to tarnish its brilliance- take your best shot."
The design aesthetic and sound were very much consistent with the original. Loved that they included Gaff - his dialog played nicely with the original and offered the same implications about Deckard.
Puzzled by the eyes... Wallace was the only one with the older model replicant eye glow. I'm going to assume that the guy that replaced Chew improved upon his design.
As much as I worship RScott and "Blade Runner," and as much as I think the eye glow effect used in the first film was cool looking, I've always hated it lol. It's a narrative cheat. None of the characters within that world can see it; it is just for us, as a "wink wink" pointing out replicants, so RScott can then use it with Deckard as another clue to further RScott's notion that Deckard is a replicant (also something with which I disagree).