Blaerunner 2049 - Now on Sky Movies

Welcome, reader.

Sit down. Please don’t move. Reaction time is a factor in this so please pay attention.

The latest Blade Runner film 2049 was released on Sky Movies last Friday and we thought it be a good idea to show our thoughts about the movie.

Be aware, spoilers are littered throughout the rest of this post – so, yeah, you’ll probably want to watch the movie first, if you haven’t already, before continuing. Unless you’re one of those types who masochistically spoil their own content – in which case, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride! There is no safeword.

Right off the bat we’d like to state that we thoroughly enjoyed the film. There – review over, you can all go back to whatever disgusting thing you were up to while you wait tenderly for the next post. Hopefully it won’t be 25 years’ of waiting...

Sorry, what’s that? You want to know why we enjoyed Bladerunner 2049... urgh... fine.. here goes...

Soundtrack. Yes, those synthy tracks so reminiscent of the initial Bladerunner return for the sequel, and transported us almost instantaneously to the cyberpunk noir setting that has helped to define the genre. Benjamin Wallfish (also composed for IT) and the more famous, Hans Zimmer (Batman, Dunkirk, Kung fu Panda , etc.) did an outstanding job here. Building upon Vangelis’s work for the original, they artfully recreated the dystopian world and without being parody or imitation.

When Gosling first gets back to his apartment, and starts talking aloud, we are still unsure if he is talking to someone or indulging in soliloquy. I know I certainly talk to myself sometimes after a tough day. It was a nice touch having the holo-gf, and she played a fairly central character. We liked the robo-arm-thingy that originally projected her, but didn’t really feel that convinced by the portable projector device. Suspension of disbelief with this aspect was a little strained. It has been a talking point of most other people I’ve discussed the film with, but not such a huge issue to be a deal breaker.

And of course, another of the most discussed parts of the film – the ménage a trois. We enjoyed that part, as much for the novelty of the scene as for the sexy-ness. It was a moderate annoyance to us that ‘K’(Gosling), didn’t realise that hiss holo-gal’s nickname for him of Jo was what they are all programmed to use. That he didn’t notice on any of the advertising or promotions seemed a little unreal. But these are minor complaints.

All of us here at Fanagram thought Harrison Ford reprised his role well, with his trademark aloofness fitting the character, and the movie overall, nicely. He makes his appearance quite deep into the running time, which for this film still allowed for a good hour of Ford included viewing. The ambiguity over the question of Ford being a replicant or not which comprised a substantial aspect of the original, was, for me at least, pretty much resolved. But there is far from a consensus about this. Fanagram are split on this. I, the author of this article, am entirely in the ‘Deckard is a replicant’ camp. With my ‘Deckard is a replicant’ tent, sleeping bag and even matching  ‘Deckard is a replicant’ socks. Just don’t ask me about how he aged over all those years...

For more information about sky movies click here to find out more about watching Blade Runner 2049 on Sky.