Among the many film projects to look forward to in 2023, the return to Arrakis may be among the most prominent. Denis Villeneuve has before him an important challenge with the second part of ‘Dune’, although doing the first was already an important challenge that has already destroyed people like David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky. That he has turned out well is a sign that he is a modern master of science fiction.
However, the final confirmation came earlier. His first attempts already showed great ways, from the intricate psychological maze of ‘Enemy’ to the emotional fullness of ‘Arrival’. Confirmation for the Canadian came, yes, with a challenge as impossible as adapting Frank Herbert and of which came out even more triumphant. That’s ‘Blade Runner 2049’.
the hunt continues
How do you make a sequel to a masterpiece of the genre like Ridley Scott’s movie? Contrary to what many doomsayers expected, Villeneuve was an ideal choice thanks to its narrative solemnity, an ability to delve into broken worlds and confused states of mind, and a meticulous visual style. The main key is how it manages to explore fantasy concepts and worlds with all the seriousness in the world without making it parody.
The sequel is set some thirty years after the events of the original film, with a new tech company with its respective guru rising up in society with a new breed of replicants and the same need to hunt down the previous models. That’s where Ryan Gosling’s character comes in, a confirmed replicant (Harrison Ford’s varies depending on the version of the original you decide to see) and an example of his work.
A new case can upset all possible foundations, both those of a society that has tried by all means to avoid thinking of androids as equal to humans, even the memories of our new Blade Runner, who can discover new aspects of your past that can change your future. She will thus begin an incredible odyssey accompanied by her reference AI, which takes the appearance of Ana de Armas.
‘Blade Runner 2049’: cyberpunk and noir muscle
Maintaining that cyberpunk muscle and neo-noir aftertaste that already distinguished the original, Villeneuve finds a way to fit these worlds into his own cinematic personality. The desolation of contemplating a world in ruins despite being more technologically advanced than ever (a spirit much shared between dystopias and film noir) is combined with a fascinating exploration of identityas suggestive as the existential questions about the essence of the human being that the original already had.
The director finds a way to extend these original ideas, incorporating others about the Self and the reliability of memories, which also serve to subvert the figure of the conventional hero (or anti-hero) that Gosling seems to represent at first. Villeneuve takes us on this impressive journey through all possible cinematic tools, such as extraordinary designs, beautiful special effects, some of the best photography of a titan like Roger Deakins or a raw and realistic sense of action despite the futuristic
That’s why it’s one of the best movies we’ve seen in the last decade. Solve all possible challenges and achieve establish itself as a masterpiece on its own merits. Whether on Netflix, on HBO Max or even on Lionsgate+, it is a work that is well worth discovering and rediscovering, since it is a work that does not stop shining nuances and details every time you see it. It is essential.
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