Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

[Barnack]

11 minutes ago, Goffe said:

She specifically says to erase her "memory" and put her in the stick. It would pretty dumb for the audiences to assume she had a backup. What would be the point of deleting her from the host machine if there was a backup? K was covering his traces, so the existence of a backup would make that action useless.

That was the exposition I was talking about, how much was needed to not loose audience here is not obvious, but I am not sure there is an amount of exposition that make you understand that she will disappear if the stick break down that will not make you expect it to happen later in the movie, once the movie make you understand that implication it make you expect it to happen (or that it will be at risk), it is almost automatic.

[somebody85]

10 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

You assume she actually does have it, instead of it being part of the elaborate cover to basically hide her under everyone's nose.

Agreed. 

[somebody85]

8 hours ago, CoolioD1 said:

this was a great sequel to one of my favourite films, lars and the real girl.

This sounds like something Mike would say on RLM lol

[UNDERDOG]

That scene when K was walking over the bridge and saw the huge hologram Joi and realized that his Joi was basically telling him what he needed to hear and those feelings were possibly fabricated, and that she was merely a reflection of his worries and is his ultimate desire to be human......

 

 

And all of this was literally right after he was told he wasn't the child!

 

When he pulled that gun out, I thought he was about to commit suicide.

[Webslinger]

Wow! Even with the level of hype and critical acclaim having ascended as high as they have, I did not expect to be this taken with Blade Runner 2049. In virtually every respect, it's exactly the sequel Blade Runner deserves: it deepens the mythology and development of the original film's universe while also paying homage to many memorable details; it calls on audiences to ponder many of the original's intriguing questions about human nature while introducing new and equally intriguing questions; and it captures much of the cool, mysterious feel of the original while taking several bold chances as it advances the story in new directions. Whereas the original Blade Runner was a dense film that packed a great deal of material into its two-hour frame, this one uses its near-three-hour running time to its advantage, allowing every plot thread proper room to breathe while also never feeling bloated. Director Denis Villeneuve does an excellent job of representing an expanded vision of Ridley Scott's original landscape (assisted in large part by characteristically outstanding work from Roger Deakins and some eye-popping visual effects) and gets terrifically grounded work out of everyone in the cast. Ryan Gosling eases comfortably into the action hero role and lends K's existential angst some real weight, and his chemistry with Ana de Armas feels reminiscent of the best qualities of the romance in Her while still taking a sufficiently singular direction to fit within its own universe. Sylvia Hoeks is also terrific as the icy henchwoman, and even Jared Leto - a known wild card who can fly off the rails without proper direction - is notably eerie in his few scenes. Harrison Ford's reprisal of Deckard - much like his work as Han Solo in The Force Awakens - also carries enough weight to work as far more than a gimmicky nod to the previous film; as in Force Awakens, he allows the passage of time to inform a more chiseled characterization whose resolution has a big payoff. As much as I enjoy the original Blade Runner and recognize the high perch it rests on in the history of science-fiction filmmaking, I dare say I may have liked this sequel just a bit better.

 

A

 

Stray thoughts, of which there are many of a spoilery variety:

 

- I wish I could have seen this one in IMAX. The cinematography, production design, and visual effects are all handily going to rank among the very best of the year when all is said and done.

 

- As hinted at above, the similarities to Her are unmistakable (especially the sex scene!), but they don't detract from the viewing experience.

 

- Part of the reason why I may well prefer 2049 over the original is the longer running time. As great as Blade Runner is for thriving on ambiguity, I always felt that its two hours felt a teensy bit rushed for all the content it was introducing. That's not an issue here, and the film earns all 163 of those minutes.

 

- I kinda-sorta saw the big twist about the child's identity coming. The fascination K had for Stelline and the fact that she cried upon seeing the childhood memory indicated that at the very least, she'd be back as an important player later in the film.

 

- Not gonna lie: I laughed a little when Luv grabs Joshi's dead body for the facial recognition feature on the computer. Solid little "crosses the line twice" humor.

 

- I LOVED the ending, and I'm glad the filmmakers resisted any possible urge to replay the line about dying for a worthy cause as K lays down on the steps.

[The Stingray]

The best sci-fi movie since Under the Skin.

 

[Hatebox]

I think they probably could have gotten away with dropping the whole hologram love angle. It didn't really feel new and his relationship with Deckard may have been more profound if he'd spent the previous part of the movie in utter loneliness. As it was, the artificial love aspect was occasionally interesting but far from essential. Perhaps they were trying to subvert the isolated protagonist trope of the first film.

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2017 by Hatebox

[filmlover]

The K/Joi relationship was one of the better parts of the movie for me.

[CoolioD1]

same. the hologram/replicant threeway was the best scene in the movie.

[MrPink]

1 hour ago, filmlover said:

The K/Joi relationship was one of the better parts of the movie for me.

 

I find it the most interesting part of the film to dissect by far. What is real, and what isn't. It's uncomfortable because she 'seems' perfect in every way aside from the obvious hologram limitation, but ultimately superficial goading to push you into what your base instincts want, perhaps until the very last second of her 'death.' Is K reminded of that at the end before rescuing Deckard? Or is it the final push to be the 'hero' that she always 'wanted' him to be.

 

Still finding a lot to mull over here. There's a lot to like, but I felt like the movie was missing the presence of something...basically Roy Batty incarnate, which was always going to be a big shoe to fill. And you labor through a lot for what I feel is less to dissect than Blade Runner. But that's a really unfair standard.

[Ozymandias]

I got thread banned from the weekend thread last night for talking about this in spoilers but Joi is a soul without a body compared to how K implies to his boss that he's not real because he's a constructed body without a soul.  Both become real people not because of how they entered the world but because of their continued interactions with each other and other beings.  Joi is a continuation of the themes of the first movie, mostly those surrounding Roy Batty.  She is another kind of replicant, all mind and no form.  She's not called a replicant but she follows the same development as them and in the end is the same as they are.  The Nexus replicants are made for physical labor(work, sex, combat, etc) while Joi is made for emotional labor.  This is said in the movie when Joi points out that humans are based on four digits while she is just 2 numbers.  K tells her that her design is simpler but much more elegant.

 

Later in the movie after Joi died, K comes across a giant purple advertisement of her and the way the scene plays out suggests that all the feelings Joi had for him may not have been real.  I don't think they were fake because K's sacrifice of himself later in the movie is what makes him more "Human" and real in the end.  Joi as an AI incapable of actually interacting with anything wouldn't be able to do the same, but her moment of sacrifice comes earlier in the movie when she willingly gives up the safety of her console and ability to be backed up and goes with K in the little memory stick thingy he brings her in.  She sacrifices herself to go with K on his journey even if she's wrong about him being "special" because she wants him to be special because it would, in turn, make her special and more than the 1s and 0s that make her up.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Ozymandias

[4815162342]

I think the question of how much of Joi's interactions with K went beyond the bounds of her original programming will be something that will prompt discussion for some time to come.

 

I found K lying on the steps very reminiscent of Clive Owen slumping on the boat at the end of Children of Men just as the Human Project boat arrives.

[Valonqar]

11 hours ago, Webslinger said:

 

 

- I kinda-sorta saw the big twist about the child's identity coming. The fascination K had for Stelline and the fact that she cried upon seeing the childhood memory indicated that at the very least, she'd be back as an important player later in the film.

 

 

Poor Carla Yuri (Anna), it's back to German soaps for her. She must've thought she'd be the lead in the sequel. And then the movie bombed. 

[MrPink]

8 minutes ago, Valonqar said:

Poor Carla Yuri (Anna), it's back to German soaps for her. She must've thought she'd be the lead in the sequel. And then the movie bombed. 

 

Never seen Carla Yuri before but was really really impressed by her two scenes. The scene with Stelline and K was probably my favorite of the movie

[Valonqar]

1 minute ago, MrPink said:

 

Never seen Carla Yuri before but was really really impressed by her two scenes. The scene with Stelline and K was probably my favorite of the movie

I think this is her first American movie. She did a German porn (or very close to porn). Google Carla Juri naked and you'll get an eyeful. She's easy on eyes. 

 

[CoolioD1]

1 hour ago, Valonqar said:

I think this is her first American movie. She did a German porn (or very close to porn). Google Carla Juri naked and you'll get an eyeful. She's easy on eyes. 

 

She was in Morris From America last year where I first found out about her. That's a fun little movie and she's great in it. Very warm presence.

[filmlover]

Carla Juri had little screentime but made the most of such a small part. I actually thought all of the actresses in this were pretty great and made fantastic use of what they were given.

[Arlborn]

23 hours ago, Ozymandias said:

I got thread banned from the weekend thread last night for talking about this in spoilers but Joi is a soul without a body compared to how K implies to his boss that he's not real because he's a constructed body without a soul.  Both become real people not because of how they entered the world but because of their continued interactions with each other and other beings.  Joi is a continuation of the themes of the first movie, mostly those surrounding Roy Batty.  She is another kind of replicant, all mind and no form.  She's not called a replicant but she follows the same development as them and in the end is the same as they are.  The Nexus replicants are made for physical labor(work, sex, combat, etc) while Joi is made for emotional labor.  This is said in the movie when Joi points out that humans are based on four digits while she is just 2 numbers.  K tells her that her design is simpler but much more elegant.

 

Later in the movie after Joi died, K comes across a giant purple advertisement of her and the way the scene plays out suggests that all the feelings Joi had for him may not have been real.  I don't think they were fake because K's sacrifice of himself later in the movie is what makes him more "Human" and real in the end.  Joi as an AI incapable of actually interacting with anything wouldn't be able to do the same, but her moment of sacrifice comes earlier in the movie when she willingly gives up the safety of her console and ability to be backed up and goes with K in the little memory stick thingy he brings her in.  She sacrifices herself to go with K on his journey even if she's wrong about him being "special" because she wants him to be special because it would, in turn, make her special and more than the 1s and 0s that make her up.

 

My immediate take away from Joi after the movie yesterday was that it was all faked but upon reflection last night I came to similar conclusions as you did, specifically because of that same sacrifice scene. Although I can also see someone making the fair argument that she was still just following her program by protecting him and at the same time giving him what he needed emotionally - someone who cared about him.

 

I guess it'll stay forever ambiguous though and that's okay by me.

 

22 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

I think the question of how much of Joi's interactions with K went beyond the bounds of her original programming will be something that will prompt discussion for some time to come.

 

I found K lying on the steps very reminiscent of Clive Owen slumping on the boat at the end of Children of Men just as the Human Project boat arrives.

 

I had the exact same thought as I was watching it! Very interesting.

 

 

I'm still digesting this movie, it might just be my favorite movie of this year so far(still need to rewatch this one and one or two others later on to be sure) and I'm still trying to figure out if I actually like it more than the first. It might be unfair to compare them though given how much time there is separating them. The best compliment I can give to both is that despite the time difference they do feel like 2 halves of the same whole and the whole is incredible.

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by Arlborn

[AniNate]

Snap judgment: I was underwhelmed by the climactic fight scene but otherwise was totally entranced by this movie. Stays true to the spirit of the original while also expanding on the story and gives you a lot of new ideas to ponder.

[AniNate]

On 10/7/2017 at 9:09 AM, That One Guy said:

I need to ask if anyone else got teary eyed at the end cause I don't wanna be alone on this.

 

I didn't cry myself, but I can definitely see it