Blade Runner, based on the original Phillip K. Dick story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, has always been a favourite movie of mine. Not only because of the presence of Harrison Ford but because of the depth of the story and richness of the characters. Let me digress.
Ford's portrayal of Rick Deckard was nuanced and deep, showing the character to be a man at war with himself; a bundle of conflict both in doing his job well, his diametrically opposed need to be both alone and find other human connection, and the ennui that infused the society he lived in. It was some of his best acting and hopefully he is proud of the work he did on this film.
Other notable performances are the entire cast; Sean Young as Rachel with a portrayal that was both brutally vulnerable and yet secretive at the same time, and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty a constructed personality with delusions of humanity. Brilliant supporting cast too.
Ridley Scott's direction is both delicate and broad, infusing the experience of a world filled with hope and despair in equal amounts.
The screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples is a delicious blend of the original story by Phillip K Dick and an more accesible one. Rounded out by the sublime and perfect musical score by Vangellis, this film is a brilliant sci fi classic that illuminates humanity perfectly.
That said, the new Blade Runner 2049 has much to live up to and sadly fails.
Ryan Gosling as K is bland at best and while I understand he is portraying a Replicant, his acting is more wooden than a 2 x 4 plank. Robin Wright seems wasted as Joshi and the casting of Jared Leto seems odd at best.
Ford reprises his role as the haunted and hunted Deckard but of course, and Sean Young briefly, both late in the game. He gives it his all and his reprisal of this role is the best thing in the film. Having him take on some of the characteristics of Roy Batty and the role reversal was a nice touch. She is a lovely as ever, reprising Rachel as vulnerable and inscrutable as ever, albeit extremely briefly.
The seduction scene with the Priss lite character (she's no Darryl Hannah) was dull and much less interesting that the seduction scene with Deckard and Rachel (though that scene also has it's controversy - not a topic I will get into here). The attempts at character development were lame and derailed the story, unlike in the original that built the story up.
Gosling's attempts at character development are weak at best and I cared little to nothing for any of these characters. In the original I cared for all the characters, all of them, the good and bad. I felt their pain, their growth and their joy.
The Joi character felt like a distraction, instead of the character development she was meant to be. And Luv is a poor replacement for Rachel, and much less interesting. Trying to combine Batty and Rachel into Luv was also a mistake as the personalities clash; neither sympathetic villain nor complicated heroine. Luv is neither enough for either one or the other.
Haven't read the script, not sure I need to, as this interpretation was just so cold and emotionless, unlike the original Blade Runner, which was filled with passion and despair.
Cinemetography was delightful and another good thing about this film. The twists were nice but not hard to figure out early on, and overall, the film is a disappointment.