A true "miracle"

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2017)

As I put my fingers to the math and count the years, I realized the production was 5 years slow in trying to match passage of time between the story time line and the actual time it took to bring the film back. The original Blade Runner was set in 2019 and the latest sequel continues in 2049. Now that is a total of 30 years of story time. However, it took Ridley 35 years to bring the fresh one to the screen. It would be a little bit of additional synchronicity thrill if the new sequel comes 5 years earlier. Nonetheless, "Bladerunners 2049" is a "substantial" and satisfying homage to the original in many ways and I will explain the "substantial" part later. As a part II, it fills the shoe of its predecessor with aplomb and it was a big shoe to fill. Roger Deakins did a fantastic job with the cinematography and had brought the Film Noire look of the original up to date and then some which I am sure will get him at least a nomination if not an Oscar. Even the score and the sound EFX with that recurring low frequency of a background dynamo hum are reminiscence of the original. Although it wasn't scored by Vangelis, the result is equally impressive and effective. The art direction too has that retro-infusion mixed with minimalistic Brutalism as a statement of differences between the world of human and that of the replicants. Just on the tension between these two worlds, this new version went deeper into the philosophical questions that justifies the status quo and the social order and what separates and distinguishes humans from its assumed "lesser" counterparts. It seems to suggest the key lies in the transcending "miracle" which is a form of biological procreative mutation where while humans create disposable replicants for functionality, replicants now want the seat of power by grasping the secret of that "miracle". It does beg the question of what makes us superior and by what human trait? On why I called it "substantial", the film sits slow, very slow at time. I think in parts because of the pondering pauses and the rather emotionally dissociative and disconnecting dialogues. That gives the film a kind of existentialistic detachment. Funny enough, the one that emotes the most is a hologram companion called Joi but unfortunately, she is a programmed mirage designed to please and therefore could not be counted as real. With that, perhaps the underscoring real "miracle" should be the ability to connect and express true feelings, but that's just my thinking. All in all, it is a "serious" sci-fi that doesn't rely on superficial "fireworks" but takes its strength from meticulous and delightful design details and deeper thinking. I just can't wait for the 3rd sequel to come and hope it will not take another 35 years for I won't be around by that time.