Continuing my thirst watching of Ryan Gosling, I decided that it was time to finally see this film that I never got around to from last year. I have not seen Ridley Scott's original film yet, but being such a big fan of Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins, I knew I was in for a treat. Blade Runner 2049 is an absolutely gorgeous, aesthetically-pleasing sci-fi adventure film that is a technical masterpiece. However, it does not bring much else to the table other than the extraordinary talents of the director and cinematographer duo.
For a typically high-octane genre, this film is surprisingly calming in all of its technical aspects, which was my favorite aspect of the entire production. The dialogue spoken is so distinct and articulated, even to the point of enhancing the mannerisms and personalities of each individual character. Ryan Gosling's K was very professional and stoic, contrasted by his sensual and smooth VR girlfriend Joi, played by Ana de Armas. All of this film's sound design was absolutely brilliant, done by the masterful Theo Green. The action scenes and environmental sequences were mesmerizing, creating one of the most original, futuristic settings I have ever seen. One of my favorite scenes in the film was one of the very first: the fight scene between K and Sapper, played by Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista. Every detail, from the boiling kettle to the crunching of the wall as K was thrown through it, sounded magnificent. The score also aided in making this film's audio so memorable. Hans Zimmer, modern-day scoring legend, creates this score that truly makes the movie's most intense scenes as enthralling and engaging as possible.
The most Oscar bait-y aspect of this film, however, is the obviously glorious directing and cinematography from Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins. Like previously mentioned, I knew I was in for some delicately extraordinary camerawork when Deakins was on board and that is exactly what I got. His expansive use of the camera showed off the most minute details to make this apocalyptic future so personal, no matter which characters were human or not. The color grading in this film is legendary as well, as the palette helps to give so much life to each shot. The directing from Villeneuve is incredible as well. He is able to tell this film's story so elegantly as he handles these characters and beloved story with extreme caution. The pacing in this film impressed me so much too, as it did not feel relatively close to 2 hours and 44 minutes. Villeneuve has proven himself an expert at drawing audiences in and not letting them go until his epic has concluded.
My biggest, most disappointing issue with this movie was its script and plot created by the characters. Even though I have not seen the original film, I should be able to follow along relatively well without relying on researching plot synopsis online. I was not able to do this, unfortunately, as I was constantly lost in this overwhelming world. A relatively easy-to-follow plot surrounding K's true origins was introduced at the beginning that I understood, but with the introduction of every new plot point and twist, I simply could not follow along. I feel like there was a bit too much reliance on Villeneuve and Deakins to carry this film and while they absolutely did, it was quite lacking in story. Not to mention that Harrison Ford's character Deckard was not revealed until the end of the second act, which harmed the overall coherence very bad.
Blade Runner 2049 is a breathtakingly beautiful movie with a Kubrick-level intensity of "one perfect shot." This film is very relaxing to watch due to its incredible sound design and aesthetic, but the script is lacking a lot of coherent story. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that I can use this film as ASMR to put me to sleep.
My Rating: ★★★½
No comments:
Post a Comment