Bladerunner: 2049

[Cray]

I'm going to speak some blasphemy, then praise Bladerunner 2049.

I love the original Bladerunner because it's a deep immersion into a thoroughly detailed science fiction world, a near future and approachable world of off-world colonies, bio-androids, and arcologies. However, the plot itself is a cheesy detective noir romance shoehorned into a sci-fi drama, and it only became tolerable after the Nth director's super re-release cut patched the film together from cutting room floor remnants. I love the movie for the setting, not the plot.

Bladerunner: 2049 picks up where the original left off. It does more justice to the original movie's plot than any of the original's director's cuts. The movie brings an old fan theory about Deckard and Rachael to life. It further expands the setting, gives more than a couple of nods to the "sidequel" "Soldier", and has an engaging detective mystery plot line of its own. The setting is, as before, incredibly detailed and you learn even more about the Bladerunner world. The acting is fantastic.

I saw it once on IMAX this past Saturday and then again on Sunday. I really enjoyed it.

[Rynn]

I've heard great things about it. If I have time I'll catch it this week. I agree on your assessment of Bladerunner; I found the cinematography, setting and some of the script to be superb but a lot of the film just plods (not to mention the crazily overlooked scene where Deckard rapes Rachael, though in hollywood terms forcefully kissing a struggling woman saying "no" until she relents is romantic).

[Worldtree]

The cinematography and sound and prop/set design in blade runner 2049 is so good! The landscapes are dystopic, horrifying, and beautifully presented. I definitely recommend the film for the visuals alone. Acting, plot, and script were great too.

The brief shots of protein farms and other visions of agriculture and dead ecosystems replaced by disturbing replacements were pretty close to what I imagine some pre-technocolypse earth to be like- though with more automation. It was a vision of the future that was very inspiring in how much I want to avoid most aspects of it.

[stevebowers]

Curiously enough, I went to see this on Saturday; then on Monday we had an influx of Saharan sand and Portuguese firesmoke in the UK, which turned the sky the same yellow as in the Las Vegas sequence. Surprising to see how much effect a few particulates can have on sky colour.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41635906

[stevebowers]

The brief shots of protein farms and other visions of agriculture and dead ecosystems replaced by disturbing replacements were pretty close to what I imagine some pre-technocalypse earth to be like- though with more automation. It was a vision of the future that was very inspiring in how much I want to avoid most aspects of it.

There could be many planets in the Terragen Sphere that go through a phase (or several) of ecological degradation like this, especially in the early parts of the scenario. Orinoco and Rajasekhar are two that spring to mind. Perhaps we could make a landscape image or two to illustrate this. As we found out on Monday in the UK, a relatively small particulate load could drastically change the look of a landscape, even if the long-term effects are fairly minor.