So I saw Blade Runner 2049

[Anacronian]

I found the film to be pretty and with some great actor performances in it, Visually it's a treat but the story is weak overall.
Spoiler

Of the two plots in the film, I found the side plot of the tragic love story between K and Joi the most rewarding (even though it's similar to the film "Her")

What are your thoughts?

[The Romulan Republic]

Hmm. I'd like to see it.

Visually good but weak story pretty much sums up probably most Hollywood SF films I've seen that was made in the last twenty or thirty years, so par for the course there.

Of course, I expect this film to get a lot of negative press simply because its a long-delayed sequel to a classic, and whenever that happens, its pretty much a guarantee that you'll have people screaming "RUINED FOREVER!" regardless of quality. So its nice to read an open-minded response to the film here.

[Anacronian]

Ohh I wouldn't say "Ruined forever" I definitely think that it's a film worth seeing, Perhaps I sounded too negative in the OP.

[LadyTevar]

All my local friends who have seen it (and who have seen the original) have given thumbs up. I've been too busy to go.

[The Romulan Republic]

Ohh I wouldn't say "Ruined forever" I definitely think that it's a film worth seeing, Perhaps I sounded too negative in the OP.

No, not at all. I'm saying I liked your commentary because I was expected a bunch of fan backlash over this film, so its nice that the first real post-release commentary I read was more objective.

[JI_Joe84]

Well I went and saw it on Friday, was going to wait till Saturday but they decided to open up early on Friday and I cought the 2d on matinae. Score!
I thought it was great actually, I hadn't seen the original to brush up on the story but I got the jist just fine.
Nothing really had me lost and they didn't concentrate on the tech just to show off their gadgets. Lots of sci-fi makes that mistake, the tech should be there to help the story allong not the point of the movie.
I liked it, I really do.

[Cykeisme]

Spoiler

Did anyone feel like they overdid the strength and toughness of the Replicants a little bit?

I mean, you'd need some serious alterations to human genetics to make them that strong and tough without them looking any larger, more muscular, or inhuman in any way. In fact, if anything, the two main Replicants (protagonist and antagonist) are of unimposing build, if anything.

[Anacronian]

After thinking about it for a while I have come to the conclusion that I like it a bit more now than I did just walking out of the cinema.

My two small gripes are this :
Spoiler

1. K has an uncanny ability to just show up on scene to save the day without any prior knowledge, Especially at the end where K pop up in his spinner to shoot down the transports taking Deckard off-world, As far as I could gather there is no indication of K getting the knowledge that they would transport Deckard at all, He just pops up and starts shooting as far as I can see.

This might not be a big deal in most movies but for me, in a detective story where we follow the clues it stood out a bit.

2. This is more personal, I figured out how it would end midway through the film and that let me perhaps more disappointed with the main plot than it should have But saying that I still kind of thinks the main plot is the weaker of the two major plots in the film.

[NeoGoomba]

Saw it yesterday. It was far, far better than it had any right to be. Gosling was perfectly cast for his character, and holy shit, I forgot how much I love Harrison Ford when he actually shows up to act instead of just collect a check. The visuals were damn good, and the plot, while a little predictable, was executed well enough for me to not detract from the overall experience. There were parts of the film that felt like they were more Blade Runner sequel, and then parts that felt like they were more Philip K. Dick, if that makes any sense. Struck a good balance, I thought.

My one complaint is that I just hate Jared Leto, and he immediately makes me cringe.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

I also hated Jared Leto. His character was a void of good storytelling, to the point that his presence as Wallace made Luv a worse character.

I liked the film better than the first one, but I would still describe it as good rather than great, and certainly not a masterpiece.

[Guardsman Bass]

It was good. I liked the characters and I liked the twist. It didn't quite handle the slow pacing as well as the first Blade Runner film, but it was alright, and the set-up was good.

The atmosphere and visuals were good, but LA 2049 left me cold. It just feels like LA 2019 all over again with some shinier gadgets, except with not as much of the whole "alive but spiraling downwards" vibe that LA 2019 had in the original Blade Runner. Same old, same old.

[JLTucker]

I just saw the first for the first time I think it sucks. Should I skip this one?

[Guardsman Bass]

It depends on what turned you off with the first film. You probably would not enjoy Blade Runner 2049.

[JLTucker]

It depends on what turned you off with the first film. You probably would not enjoy Blade Runner 2049.

I was turned off by the lack of development in Deckard’s internal struggle with killing the replicants. I didn’t buy any of it. The acting sucked too. Visuals were stunning, though.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Well, the acting is better in BR2049...except for Jared Leto.

So, uh, I guess skip it.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

I also disliked the first one. The second one I thought was better, but nowhere near as great as it is described by fans.

[NeoGoomba]

As much as I love the original, even I have to concede that it's really more a collection of very good scenes connected by some seriously boring, plodding moments, and crappy editing.

[FaxModem1]

I rather enjoyed it. It was a tad slow in parts, but you can tell that it's purposely slow. You're suppose to breathe this story in, and immerse yourself into the world. It feels like a logical extension of the world established in the first one, with more time passing, and things getting steadily worse. Earth is a world on it's last legs, and there's only really replicants and the unwanted humans left. Whatever civilization remains, it's not a good one.

The orphanage scene really illustrates what life is like for those still stuck on Earth. The bustling LA seen from 2019 is a shell of itself, and the main focus is on improving the off world colonies. The noodles and other foods available are gone, and instead you get to eat boiled artificial maggots. Yum yum.

At least they seem to have a lot of booze.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but I did have a couple problems with it.
Spoiler

The film's biggest problem is that halfway through, they reintroduce Deckard, and it has a hard time balancing his story with K's.

Deckard being forced to reunite with a version of Rachel was the most emotionally impacting scene in the film for me, and it's amazing how much those computer effects have evolved for actors. It's only been a few years since Tron Legacy's weird version of Flynn, after all.

I wonder if K will survive his wounds, as they do show the medical tech to heal him, or his last moments will be those on the steps, enjoying the snow.

[NeoGoomba]

Spoiler

Pretty sure the implication is that K dies. The musical cue was the giveaway for me, as it is the same music played in the original when Roy shuts down. And even if K was just passing out from blood loss, he's a flagged renegade Replicant. If he can't get back to the underground soon (which I doubt, since they were in the Midwest and he and Deckard are back on the West Coast), no one will help patch him up. Blade Runners will be after him, and the last thing he's going to want to do is draw them to Deckard and his daughter.

[K. A. Pital]

It was splendid, the film.

[Iroscato]

For me, it was every inch the equal of the original. A flawed modern masterpiece, like the film it follows. Considering nobody asked for this, I'm pretty stunned at how well it turned out.

[Raw Shark]

Well, they do call #1 Blade Crawler for a reason. The payoff is there, but you need to do a bong rip and chill to get to it.

[Cykeisme]

Spoiler

Does Deckard's offspring actually have an immunological disorder? Or is it a ruse to trick her into staying safe in one spot? If so, by whom?

[NeoGoomba]

Spoiler

If it's a ruse, then it's to keep her from someone like Jared Leto, who would no doubt dissect her to attempt to discern how Tyrell was able to pull off his miracle. And honestly, wouldn't YOU want to keep your child away from Jared Leto? If it isn't a ruse, then her genetic condition may be a result of her hybrid lineage, yet still camouflages her from Jared Leto. Win-win.

[Solauren]

Spoiler

If it's a ruse, then it's to keep her from someone like Jared Leto, who would no doubt dissect her to attempt to discern how Tyrell was able to pull off his miracle. And honestly, wouldn't YOU want to keep your child away from Jared Leto? If it isn't a ruse, then her genetic condition may be a result of her hybrid lineage, yet still camouflages her from Jared Leto. Win-win.

Another thing to consider Spoiler

Even if Jared Leto's character got a hold of her, you could consider the reproduction flawed, as the child as a SEVERE problem that could be difficult to correct for.