Denis Villeneuve to direct new Blade Runner film
I saw this at the premier and it is a far superior movie to the original. Saw the original back in film school and thought it was a really boring movie despite its grand theme and impressive visuals. The original has serious pacing issues with the script and it was also poorly edited. It feels like a film noir directed by someone not familiar with film noir.
And worse, the world Ridley Scott created is always more interesting than the plot. The stand out is of course Rutger Hauer with his iconic look and performance and Sean Young with her doll like beauty.
But I always felt Ford was a miscast as he looked like he doesn't want to be there half the time (and turns out he didn't have an enjoyable time working on that movie according to the Blade Runner Bible, Future Noir).
This sequel improves on almost everything from the original. The main character is more compelling, the world is expended upon, and the themes are actually explored instead of being hinted at only (which to me is a missed opportunity from the original especially when you consider the pedigree the movie came from). The pacing is great despite being an almost three hour movie and not once did I ask myself when is this movie going to end which is something I did with the original each time I watch it (We did a Final Cut screening among friends a few days before the premier and very soon they were more interested with their phones).
The only thing that the original did better was having a better villain. Roy Batty is just way too iconic. Wallace is interesting and a different kind of villain but he is always in the shadows and never a standout. That role instead fell to his henchwoman Luv which to me is as generic as it gets as that super Assassin thug.
The score to me is a great tribute and an evolution of the score Vangelis did in the original. The horns can get a bit heavy in some scenes but that is Hans Zimmer for you.
This is definitely one movie I want to watch again. The cinematography is so beautiful and dreamy and Ryan Gosling as Agent K is infinitely watchable with his subtle but layered performance. His companion Joi is also a standout and has a surprising amount of soul for what is essentially glorified Siri.
As a plus I won this set of Pop Funko during a trivia at the premier.
They couldn't have ask a more obvious question. What is the original source material Blade Runner was based on and who wrote it?
I ran to the emcee before he even completed the question while everyone else was just taking out their phones to google search.
I am glad I have been reading Philip K **** books way before he before the Hollywood mainstream writer to steal from.
If you like Sci-Fi go see it. If you are looking for Marvel like insane pacing/fantasy, skip this one...
