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Blade Runner 2049 Is The Sequel To The Sci-Fi Classic

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Blade Runner is one of those sci-fi classics that somehow never really grow old, that are as much about the future today as they were when they were made. And yet, someone had the bright idea to go ahead and make a sequel: Blade Runner 2049.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haXvp8M9Cog

Based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the original 1982 film stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard taking down rogue androids called replicants, only to become embroiled in a complicated murder plot and questioning the line between human and robot. Now, in the new movie, we have Ryan Gosling as LAPD Officer K who stumbles upon a secret that could overturn society and sends him on a quest to find the missing Deckard, though we don’t know to what end.

 
I will give the trailer credit for keeping the same harsh orange lighting and heavy shadows that Ridley Scott did in the original. They didn’t attempt to out-do the original designs or modernize it too much, forcing it out of its noir undertones.
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I’m not as opposed to this sequel as I would otherwise be for a beloved sci-fi classic. Director Denis Villeneuve worked on Prisoners and Arrival, two incredibly gripping and dramatic movies. Ford is getting up there in years and I’d rather have him playing Deckard than a bizarre uncanny-valley-CGI-nightmare version. Ryan Gosling is a solid lead along with Robin Wright and Dave Bautista, and while Ana de Armas has mostly been in schlock, I could see her being compelling. Jared Leto is also on the project, make of that what you will. The biggest red flag is that Ridley Scott isn’t on the project, but that doesn’t necessarily foretell a disaster due to Villeneuve’s similar style and aesthetic choices.

 
If anything, I guess we finally have an answer to the question of whether Deckard was a replicant or not, ominous origami unicorn be damned. 

Blade Runner 2049 premieres in theaters on October 6, 2017.

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A reporter by trade, Sara is a lover of horror, sci-fi, and all things pop culture. From indies to classics to even the strangest schlock, all movies and TV shows are fair game. She believes Batman is the most fascinating superhero, and that Silent Hill is one of the best horror franchises ever made (as long as you don't count the movies). Fun Fact: The only movie Sara will not rewatch is The Room -- once was more than enough.