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Blade Runner 2049

I was disappointed. I was going to write that I didn’t like it, but didn’t want to come across as contrarian.

The original is one of my favourite films, this one didn’t really work for me.
The relationship between K and his Hologram girlfriend was well done, quite liked that aspect.

But I felt that Ryan Gosling was wooden and I didn’t really care whether he lived or died. I know the character was meant to be wooden, but I just didn’t feel any empathy with Gosling.

The film only really started for me with Harrison Ford’s entry, which I thought was a great performance. The Deckard scenes almost felt a bit crowbarred in, when the film should have been based around Deckard’s life after BR1 in my opinion.

I watched it in 3D, which having read the thread not all screenings are ? I found the 3D effects irritating and too obvious. Maybe this is what has influenced my negative feelings about the film.

The cinematography was technically impressive, but felt staged and humourless in comparison to BR1. Loved the street scenes and film noir feel from BR1 and felt that this film was lacking in weaving the cinematography into the story, lazy almost. Never mind the quality, feel the width.

The length and pacing of the film was ok for me, could be a problem for some. The plotline was OK, not great, but good enough. Left the obvious question about Deckard untouched.

I will watch it again when it becomes available for home –viewing, but am not in any rush. I just didn’t find it that involving.
 
Very beautiful to look at. Bit sad Drax didn't have larger role.

Also: first trip to the cinema in a decade. JFC it was loud! Had to protect ears with popcorn.
 
bor said:
But I felt that Ryan Gosling was wooden and I didn’t really care whether he lived or died. I know the character was meant to be wooden, but I just didn’t feel any empathy with Gosling.
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That summarises just about every one of your man's performances I've seen to date :)
 
That was Gosling at his most dynamic, never seen someone get paid millions of dollars to be asleep on screen like all of his films.
 
I find I'm agreeing with bor, I was a little disappointed too (4 stars for me).

I enjoyed it and the length wasn't a problem but it's missing something for me. It's beautiful and the environments are vivid/credible but...but...I don't know. It relies so much on Joe and I know he's supposed to be a stilted but I wasn't really that engaged with the character.

I didn't read any of the reviews so will do now and see what I've missed. I'd would like to see it again.

Jay
 
Haven't seen this one yet. But on the subject of Ryan Gosling, his acting style/persona may have been chosen so as to avoid overshadowing an ageing Harrison Ford. His success coming off the back of La La Land may have also influenced the casting decision; his public profile is writ large right now as his star continues to rise.
 
Just come back from it. Max 2.5 stars (out of 5). All style over substance, and with a great fear that they're setting up for a third film (though I understand it's been a flop, so maybe it won't come about). There was basically nothing in the new film which added to the original, and a lot that took away from it. Beautiful set design and cinematography can't hide a brainless script.
 
palindrome said:
Haven't seen this one yet. But on the subject of Ryan Gosling, his acting style/persona may have been chosen so as to avoid overshadowing an ageing Harrison Ford. His success coming off the back of La La Land may have also influenced the casting decision; his public profile is writ large right now as his star continues to rise.
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An excellent choice then :)

(Off topic, but I've still never quite forgiven him for wasting hours of screen time in 'Drive'. Totally outshone by both Brian Cranston and the superbly nasty Albert Brooks' mob character in the the support roles. And come to think of it perhaps also by the 2006 Chevy Impala - 'the most unmemorable car in Los Angeles')

Carry on..
 
lennyw said:
Just come back from it. Max 2.5 stars (out of 5). All style over substance, and with a great fear that they're setting up for a third film (though I understand it's been a flop, so maybe it won't come about). There was basically nothing in the new film which added to the original, and a lot that took away from it. Beautiful set design and cinematography can't hide a brainless script.
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Erm, unless i slept through the first one, isn't the central premise of this film new, and isn't the sub-plot also new. Are we out of spoiler territory yet - difficult to discuss such things otherwise!
 
lennyw said:
Just come back from it. Max 2.5 stars (out of 5). All style over substance, and with a great fear that they're setting up for a third film (though I understand it's been a flop, so maybe it won't come about). There was basically nothing in the new film which added to the original, and a lot that took away from it. Beautiful set design and cinematography can't hide a brainless script.
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I saw it last night and as a huge fan of the original, was stunned by it.

I suspect, lennyw, that you must have been asleep for much of the film. The script is anything but 'brainless' - it's both sophisticated and (I thought) quite original.

The whole film added to the original and took nothing away from it (how would it 'take away' from the original anyhow?). In particular, the shift from discovering that apparently real consciousness was false in the first film, to the false being real (or, er, not) in this one was really well done.

The violence and volume contrasted with moments of extraordinary stillness and focus - I've never know a full cinema auditorium be so single-mindedly concentrated on the screen.

If anything, my problem was with Ford, who was pretty comprehensively shown up by Gosling, in what I thought was a very subtle and considered piece of acting.
 
Tim Jones said:
If anything, my problem was with Ford, who was pretty comprehensively shown up by Gosling, in what I thought was a very subtle and considered piece of acting.
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The casting is where the talent was....they needed to find a bland, yes-man to capture the essence of the new obedient replicants.

Completely nailed it.
 
When the film's been out long enough that spoilers are allowed then I'll explain why I think it is brainless, or at least has been written by an adolescent, though to be honest I'd rather forget it and retain my love of the original. One could certainly hear the narrative cogs grinding their way through the film trying to make it fit with the original. Don't get me wrong, visually it was stunning, but empty.
 
One of the best looking sci-fi films I've seen in years. Villeneuve is getting close to Kubrick's cinematography. I see he's taking on Dune next.The Johansson soundtrack, as in Sicario is really menacing. Will be going back.
 
lennyw said:
Just come back from it. Max 2.5 stars (out of 5). All style over substance, and with a great fear that they're setting up for a third film (though I understand it's been a flop, so maybe it won't come about). There was basically nothing in the new film which added to the original, and a lot that took away from it. Beautiful set design and cinematography can't hide a brainless script.
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I completely agree with you. I saw it yesterday. A massive disappointment.

Unfortunately, the Chris "Nolanisation" of Hollywood continues to disastrous results.

It is not sufficient to avoid Nolan's movies if you don't like his filmmaking and his.. peculiar ideas about cinema. By now his ideas are influencing other directors and other products.

A masterpiece utterly ruined. I dread to think of the inevitable "franchise" coming.
 
I really liked it, amazingly the Malaysian censors were fairly gentle with it. 18 means plenty of violence allowed but no sex. Unfortunately Asian censors are affecting film design.
I did notice a lot of Sony product placement, but not too grating.
I thought the world was really well done, even the walls were dirty around the light switches
 
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