Re: Denis Villeneuve to direct new Blade Runner film
Well.... this movie certainly is divisive in a strange way. After so many years of popcorn you'd think more people here would like a solid meal for a change.
I don't agree with SNIKT that "film is art". It can be art. It can be many things. Its a medium. A medium is not art. The "art" is what comes through it.
OK, that said... I saw Blade Runner 2049 last night. Theater was half full. Its a popular theater so its a fair indication of interest in Los Angeles.
I have to say... this movie blew me away. I loved it. I did not expect to. I found flaws with both Sicario and The Arrival. But this Villeneuve film spoke to me. Mesmerizing from the first shot. It really did open up the future it ways that the first movie only hinted at.
I have to digest it a bit. My head is still spinning with images and ideas.
Criticisms from the gut: I do think it was too long. For the initial hour and a half, I was in awe. The world Villeneuve created felt so real. The vehicles, the police station, the way the hologram worked, the acting; everything felt genuine in a way that I have not seen on screen for a very long time. But I felt the 2nd half didn't quite live up to the first's promise (maybe it was the last third to be honest). Deckard's story is woven wonderfully into this film but I did feel a sharp change once he arrived in the story. His physical presence didn't really add anything but a rescue sequence. After thinking about it, if Ford wasn't in this, I'm not sure he would have been missed.
Again, I'm still digesting and thinking on this. Something I haven't had the pleasure of doing for a very long time with a movie. I look forward to relishing in the echoes of this film for a very long time.
For the record, I hope this movie's lack of financial success doesn't spell the end of intelligent sci-fi. I can't take more 'Geostorms' and 'Passengers'.
