#blade runner jared leto imagine

[johnnysuedejr]

BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017): REVIEW

I am a huge fan of the original Blade Runner film (to clarify I mean the Final Cut anytime i refer to "the original"). I couldn't see this in theaters during its initial run and in some ways avoided the film because I didn't want to be potentially disappointed. The marketing at the time was (rightfully) vague and I wasn't sure if Denis Villeneuve had the chops to pull it off. But after seeing Dune in theaters in 2021 I knew I needed to finally give this one a shot but continued putting it off. My brother brought it up this week while I was visiting family and I agreed we should watch it while I was there... well, I am happy to say that I absolutely am impressed and floored by the sheer magnitude of this film and the only thing that would have made it better is to watch it on the IMAX screen it was clearly intended for.

For a film like Blade Runner to get a "legacy" sequel at all is honestly wild to me, but for it to work in the way it does is fucking insane. It pairs perfectly with the first film and doesn't try to recreate the magic of it but instead building upon what was already established while forging its own tone and pacing. Villeneuve's approach to capturing the visuals of that universe is so eloquently executed that it's hard to imagine anyone else (even Ridley Scott himself) being able to bring that universe back to life in a way that feels organic and real, especially 35 years after the fact.

The story is so fucking clever and it's inspiring to see a legacy sequel not rest on the laurels of the past but instead organically take it to an interesting place that doesn't feel forced or unwarranted. They also could have easily phoned it in, easily could have made Harrison Ford a focal point instead of letting Gosling lead the story, they could have easily just made a beat for beat remake of the original film. But they didn't. They took risks, they subverted expectation, and we got an incredibly inspired film because of that.

Gosling is phenomenal here. He's phenomenal in anything he does but his performance here is so grounded and real. He has the chops to have one on one scenes with a legend like Harrison Ford and seem comparable to him. The entire cast is brilliant and I'll even hand it to Jared Leto in that he was selling the sinister nature of his character without overselling it, which I feel can be more of a testament to Villeneuve's direction more than anything but still. Sylvia Hoeks... Ana de Armas... That is all.

My only gripe is the pacing of a few scenes just feeling a tad too slow in the moment of my first watch but I think I can chalk that up to pure anticipation with the story. Outside of that? This is a perfect sequel to a film I already love to death. Can't wait to watch them both back to back someday soon. Truly blown away and happy. Also happy that this film has somehow never been spoiled for me, I was genuinely taken aback at times and I would have been pissed if any of what I saw was spoiled for me before tonight. Bravo.

5/5

[calamiitywrites]

If I turned my Wallace imagine into a fanfic....would you guys read it? Do we like Wallace? Do I write him ok?

(Reply; let me know )

[theartofimagining13]

(October) Imagine:

You were Niander Wallace’s best creation. He was very proud of you. But when you started to have thoughts and aspirations of your own, he thought you were damaged because you had been bred to obey. You started to see and feel like a human, you even started to feel attracted to him. He realized this and took advantage. He started to court you, made you feel loved, all so he could easily destroy you and build you up again, heartless, like you were supposed to. 

[comingupforblair]

I hope that, when the Joker appears again, his performance and character is similar to Jared Leto’s performance in Blade Runner 2049 because he was fantastic in that.

[angelkurenai]

Imagine Jared letting it slip that you’ve been together for very long during an interview.

“Who is...” Conan laughed softly “I think I know the answer to this, myself. Who is (Y/n)'s favorite character?”

You laughed, your head hanging in shame as Ryan laughed next to you and you glanced to see Harrison chuckle softly to himself “Conan what did I ever do to you?!” you exclaimed as the host laughed.

“No, seriously nothing!” he raised his hands “I didn't choose this questions, I swear!” he laughed, leaning back in his chair and you bit your lip, glancing to your right to see your husband already scribbling his answer on his small white board with a wide adorable smile on.

Husband, well, in secret. The amount of people that knew about it, considering that you were both famous, was surprisingly small especially since you've been together for a good six years. But you loved keeping it low, just enjoying the privacy and being just the two of you without your relationship being all over the media. Not that all this quiet didn't have it's drawbacks, you couldn't go for a walk just holding hands like most couples.

“Why must I get all the embarrassing questions?” you asked, practically at nobody as you looked at the audience.

“Uh uh you must write your answer!” Ana said with a smirk and you tried to glare at her but you just couldn't keep your smiled off your face.

“You already know it, what's the point?” you huffed as Ryan laughed more to your left. You hit him on the side with your elbow but he didn't stop, so you just tried to give him the meanest “I hate you” you could muster but he just brushed it off.

“I hate this game already.” you muttered, writing your own answer.

“Alright, ready?” Conan asked as you all gave him nods.

You were playing a game of questions to see how well you knew each other while promoting your new movie, Blade Runner 2049. You were very surprised when you first found out you would be getting to chance not only to work with such amazing actors and directors, not only your husband but also be his love interest in it. That alone made the number of people that shipped accelerate to a great amount, to the point that during the movie's premiere your shipping name was trending on twitter along with the title of the movie itself.

“Yep, I'll go first!” Ana said with an excited smile , she was included in the few people that knew about you and Jared, after she had walked in on the two of you in his trailer that is “Mr Neander Wallace.” she said with an accent, grinning as you laughed at her.

“Alright, Harrison?” Conan asked and with a smirk the man turned his own white board.

“Mr Wallace.” he said, glancing at Ryan.

“Neander.” the younger man said with a grin and you gave him a look, because he loved teasing the life out of you about it.

“Jared?” Conan asked and the moment your husband turn his board he broke into a wide childlike grin, closing his eyes.

“Me!” he exclaimed, glancing at you “I mean, yeah Neander as well but we all know-” he put a suggestive look on his face “It's all actually me!” and he gave you a playful wink that truth was he actually meant, but maybe it seem all comical.

You scoffed, laughing with a shake of your head at him as the crowd cheered at the two of you “Alright, yeah it's Neander.” you smiled shyly, shrugging as you turned your own board.

“Yes!” Jared cheered, raising his fist in the air and you giggled as the audience went on with encouraging you. Oh if only they knew.

“Yeah, I was gonna vote for that as well!” Conan chuckled, checking his next question as you whipped off the name from your board.

“I was going to say your lovely hubby, but that seemed too straightforward.” Jared leaned in to whisper in your ear and you chuckled, giving him a look.

Oh how many times you were going to see the photo or video of this moment on instagram in a few hours. It seemed like the smallest thing the two of you did would go either viral, like that first video of you two, or moments in interviews like this.

“And the next one is for Jared.” Conan said, gaining your attention “What is Jared's... favorite scene?”

“My favorite scene.” Jared mumbled as he thought about it.

“What could your favorite scene be?” Ryan asked, glancing at Jared.

“Does it have to include him or not?” Harrison asked and Conan shrugged.

“Anything, just his favorite scene. Whether he is in it or not.” he said and Harrison looked down at his board in thought.

“My favorite scene.” Jared mumbled again “My favorite. My fave-”

You were in deep thought as well, trying to think of something until it dawned on you, and probably him because he stopped. You looked up, your back straight and face already red “No!” you exclaimed, seeing the grin already spread on his face “No, hell no!”

“No, Conan!” you pointed at him with your marker “Stop, nope. Skip. Skip, we ain't answering that. No. Cut. Enough, nada. Nopity nope! Skip, skip!” your voice came out squeaky as somewhere in between Jared started laughing and you saw your costars smile knowingly.

“No, forget it! Skip, skip!” you shook your head stubbornly as even more people from the audience realized it was probably the heated bed scene you two had in the movie before you character ran away.

“He's not answering that, he's not-” you looked at your husband who had a mischievous smile on his face “Jared Joseph Leto I swear if you dare answer that question you are sleeping on the couch!” you had never used that threat, because you were nothing like most couples, but he always found it amusing to see you act like this.

The audience didn't get it, neither the host, but your costars did and everybody laughed. You husband almost to tears “That's-” he whipped away a tear as he looked at you with a wide grin before glancing at the crowd that calmed down.

“This-” he said with such pride “Is just why I married this woman!” he exclaimed, as he looked at you full of love and before you could even look fully surprised, he grabbed your face and kissed you; making the audience go wild.

[onxeuponanimagine]

Jared Imagine

Someone flirts with you You and your boyfriend Jared were at a party for a mutual friend of yours, Robert Downey Jr. he was having a party for his new movie that just came out so you both decided to go and support your friend. You were a screen writing and met both Robert and your boyfriend through your job. Your relationship with Jared was very new, you only been together for a few months and you were in the stage where it was loving and private. The only ones that knew you are even together were your families. And you both wanted it to stay that way, so you arrived separately. You arrived first and after saying hello to Robert you want to get a drink, when you ran, literally, into Sebastian Stan. Spilling his drink all over him. "oh crap I'm so sorry." You apologized. Sebastian just smiled at you. " it's all good.." " Y/n" " then it is all good y/n." "I'm really sorry Sebastian." He smiled again before saying, " if you want to make it up to me you can accompany me to get another one." You agreed and both walked over to the bar. You and Sebastian were both at the bar laughing and drinking when Jared arrived. You smiled and sent a wave his way before turning back to Sebastian. Jared could feel himself burning with jealousy as he watched you and Sebastian laugh together. He knew you would never cheat on him but he couldn't stand seeing someone else making you laugh and being so close to you. He just wanted to walk over to you and kiss you so everyone knew that you were his. " So Y/N are you seeing anyone?" Sebastian asked moving closer to you. You smiled nervously. " Um yeah I'm seeing this guy." "Oh that's too bad he is a very lucky man." He smiled at you and before you could responded you were grabbed around the waist and kissed passionately. You instantly knew who those lips belong to and kissed back. Jared pulled away. " Yes I am I really lucky guy to have the privilege to be with Y/N." You blushed before kissing his cheek. " Let's get Out of here N/N." you nodded and said goodbye to Sebastian as Jared walk you to his car and took you home reminding you that you were his and how much he loves you. Sorry the ending is crap hope you liked it

[samprestonbigbadabruce]

Film Premise Challenge: One Director, Two Actors, One Genre - Entry Seven.

This will be a semi-regular series, where someone has to nominate a Director, minimum of two Actors, and a Genre, preferably ones who have not worked together before. I will then come up with a premise / story based on those parameters. Some of these may be more detailed than others, but overall, it’s mainly a bit of fun. If anybody would like to submit an idea, then please do!

Entry Seven, the director nominated is...Rian Johnson. The nominated actors, of which there were two, are...David Bowie, and Aubrey Plaza. The chosen genre is...Noir.

I admit, this was originally suggested back in 2019, but I like to imagine it occurred between 2012 and 2016 (when Bowie passed away), after Looper was released in 2012.

Brick-inspired spiritual sequel but in black and white ala scenes from Legion.  David Bowie is tracking down a con man who turns out to be Aubrey Plaza, who begins to steal Bowie's identity. This is complicated when a hitman ends up on both their trails, an identity shattering psychotic noir.

I’d imagine Plaza in a style similar to her character in the first season of Legion, I thought Bowie copying Plaza would be both more obvious & blander, whereas Bowie as a noir detective would have been amazing & Plaza could push the boundaries copying him, especially the androgynous style of both. 

With Bowie’s unfortunate passing, I’d love to hear suggestions of who people would have in the Bowie role, but not Jared Leto like in Blade Runner 2049, please?

[wazafam]

As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, sign on to a Marvel property. After the backlash Jared Leto received for his portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad, the actor jumped the DC ship, and he’s now playing Morbius, the living vampire from the Marvel Universe.

RELATED: Venom And 9 Previous Movie Villains Who Should Return For MCU’s Spider-Man 3

It isn’t technically part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there some strange links between them that are yet to be cleared up, which is one of the reasons to be excited about the movie. However, given the strange premise, as it’s about a doctor who inadvertently becomes a vampire after trying to cure himself of his rare blood disease, it’s a hard sell. Regardless, these are movies that will get any cinephile in the mood to see the upcoming dark flick.

10 Venom (2018) - Available On Spectrum TV

Sony has confirmed that both the Venom series and Morbius are set in the same universe, which doesn’t exactly come as a surprise considering that they are both villains of Spider-Man and everything is always tied to a bigger universe these days.

A crossover between the two antagonists seems inevitable, whether it’s going up against each other or teaming up to go against a larger force. And as Venom is an ugly beast that literally bites heads off people, and Morbius is a vampire with a rare blood disease, a team-up would be gruesomely exciting.

9 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Available On FX

Given that Morbius is originally Spider-Man’s villain in the comic-books, it’s worth watching the first movie of the reboot, if only to see who Morbius could potentially be facing off against in the future.

RELATED: MCU: 10 Spider-Man Scenes That Prove He’s The Best

Not only that but Michael Keaton, who played Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, will also feature in the vampire movie. And though it hasn’t been announced what Keaton’s role will be, it’s heavily rumored that it’s the same role he played in Homecoming, especially considering that his character name hasn’t even been revealed yet.

8 Suicide Squad (2016) - Available On HBO Max

The DCEU's Suicide Squad might have been a critical miss, but the aesthetics of the film are so appealing. The movie has colorful cinematography, a stacked soundtrack, and the first live-action portrayal of Harley Quinn. But the most talked-about part of the movie is the Joker, who is unlike any Joker that had come before.

Leto plays the character as a flashy gangster. He drives a pink Lamborghini, hangs out in nightclubs, and is covered in tattoos. Though it was polarizing, it was at least unlike any Joker that came before.

7 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) - Available On HBO Max

After so many years of playing Roman Pierce in the Fast & Furious franchise, Tyrese Gibson has finally gotten a role in a different property, and it seems like it’s going to be an important part of the movie. The actor plays FBI agent Simon Stroud, who is trying to hunt down Morbius. It’s hard to imagine Gibson in a serious role, as he’s such a hype man and somewhat of a joker based on his work in the Fast & Furious series.

But viewers can’t help but smile whenever he’s on-screen, and the best example of that is in his breakthrough movie, 2 Fast 2 Furious, as things immediately become something much bigger when he’s first introduced. Gibson is responsible for many of the best scenes, whether it’s antagonizing gangsters or busting Brian’s chops at every chance he gets. Bringing that kind of energy to Morbius, which looks pretty gloomy, is exactly what the movie needs.

6 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) - Available On HBO Max

Though Suicide Squad was financially successful, it was universally panned and fans of the series were split on Leto’s gangster-like portrayal of the most famous movie villain of all time.

However, with the newly released Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a four-hour version of the 2017 movie with tons of new footage, the epilogue actually redeems Jared Leto’s Joker. The gangster attitude is dropped and it’s a brilliant philosophical conversation that goes back and forth between the Joker and Batman. And it’s the chief example of how great Morbius can be, being led by Leto.

5 Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - Available On Peacock

After getting so much flack for some of his more recent movie choices, it’s easy for viewers to forget that Jared Leto is actually an Academy Award-winning actor. In 2013, Leto won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rayon, a transgender AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club.

Having swept up most of the acting categories at the Oscars, the movie is so powerful due to the performances, and there's a reason why most audiences, even its stars, love it so much.

4 Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Available On HBO Max

Being the long-awaited sequel to arguably the biggest cult movie of all time, Blade Runner 2049 is one of Ryan Gosling’s best movies, but Gosling isn’t the only actor who pulls in a great performance.

RELATED: 15 Gorgeous Sci-Fi Movies To Watch If You Loved Blade Runner 2049

In the movie, Jared Leto plays the evil CEO of Wallace Corporation, Niander Wallace, and just like most of Leto’s roles, the character is typically strange, as he spends a lot of time sitting in a chamber surrounded by water. Given the dark tone of Morbius and how the character is a villain, 2049 is the perfect movie to watch to see how Leto could portray the vampire.

3 Lost River (2014) - Available To Rent On Vudu

After shooting two movies with visceral filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling directed a movie of his own in a very similar style to Drive and Only God Forgives. Lost River is visually stunning and completely ambiguous, just like the work of Refn.

The highlight of the whole movie is Matt Smith, who plays Bully, a man who lives up to his name and who runs the criminal underbelly of the small town. He’s psychotic in the way he deals with problems head on, and it’s quite a departure from the actor’s role as the Doctor in Doctor Who. In Morbius, Smith plays a friend of the titular character who suffers from the same blood disease, and it could be that he has a much bigger role than fans actually know.

2 Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011) - Available On HBO Max

Jared Harris is one of those actors who pops up in so many films and can be found all over TV, even if he isn’t immediately known by general audiences. In Morbius, Harris plays the titular character’s mentor, which is the type of role he has become known for playing.

Having been a character actor for decades, he’s given so many great performances, but he’s most well known for playing the iconic James Moriarty in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. After the first movie, A Game of Shadows pulled a Dark Knight, by having Holmes go up against his toughest foe, and outside of BBC’s Sherlock, it’s the best on-screen depiction of Moriarty.

1 Blade (1998) - Available On HBO Max

So many studios seem wary to make an R-rated movie, as they fear they won’t make any money. However, the 1990s was a very different time and studios hadn’t quite realized what was possible with the Marvel properties. Due to that, fans were treated to an R-rated Blade movie. The film follows the character who has vampire strengths and uses them to hunt down vampires.

Though it’s unlikely that it’ll happen, Blade is one of the characters fans want to see in a cameo. But as the character of Blade has been cast for an upcoming MCU movie, it just got a little more likely, as Mahershala Ali will be portraying the vampire hunter in the reboot.

NEXT: MCU: 10 Storylines Spider-Man Can Have In The Third Movie

10 Movies To Watch To Get Excited For Morbius | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3m5e7DT

[calamiitywrites]

Imagine:

That you’re a new replicant created by niander wallace, and given the name; Dream. 

[la-leto]

The road up to Jared Leto’s house in Los Angeles is steep and winding. Let’s be clear: this isn’t some faux-Spanish mansion bolted onto the Hollywood Hills like a monstrous totem of temporary fame and wealth. Neither is it like those LA shag pads, all nonreflective glass, lap pools and hammered zinc, the sort you see on Scott Disick’s social-media feed, the ones with the three supercars parked out front in various shades of matt black.

No, this is anything but ostentatious. Whoever lives here wants to work undisturbed. For one, it’s an old Air Force base. An enclave. A sprawling, expansive, many layered building. A cross between Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house and a candle factory, which was once used by the US military to develop a means to photograph the detonation of government-built nuclear weapons. A place of espionage and secrets and cameras to capture and measure badass mushroom clouds. This is a hub. This is a bunker. A hideout. A lair.

I buzz in and I’m met by Leto’s assistant. She is very polite. I’m offered refreshments. My water arrives in a jam jar. I sit for ten minutes in a whitewashed room. It’s empty save for a little mid-century furniture. I’m summoned and the very polite assistant takes me through more rooms to a door which leads to a courtyard where I am told Leto will meet me shortly.

I’m left alone. It’s absurdly tranquil and much cooler than the Sunset Strip, with its hustlers and hustled, wannabes and gonnabes. There’s a pool that looks like a pond. A large tree throws shade over a royal blue set of metal garden furniture. The floor is covered in small stones. Ants dash silently like an army of workers beneath my feet.

“I came to Los Angeles in 1991, which sounds like ancient times.”

Jared Leto, GQ’s Actor Of The Year, is here with me now and is conducting this interview standing up wearing what looks like pyjama bottoms and a flannel shirt. He doesn’t want to sit down as he has a bad back, something that happened on a film set, and it hurts less if he’s upright. I am, however, sitting, which feels slightly odd, but he’s cool with it so this is how we’re going to roll.

“This was pre-mobiles and pre-internet, if you can imagine such a thing. I was a film student and an art student and I thought acting would get me on the path to directing. I remember I was supposed to come out with a friend and he cancelled on me two weeks beforehand. I remember thinking, ‘Fuck it, I’m going alone.’”

That first trip, Leto found himself at the beach staring at a homeless man urinating in the sand. “There he was with his pecker out. It was not what I was expecting, the LA of all the movies and posters. But it was actually great. It was honest. It made this imagined place more real. It made it attainable. I realised that California brings a lot of people together looking for a lot of different things.”

Did Leto get work straight away? “Hardly. I actually had to go back to New York. But on my second trip I ended up renting a room from a woman in an apartment. Like, a tiny apartment, one-and-a-half rooms. It was her, me and her roommate. The roommate was a man dying of Aids. My mum was a hippie, so I knew how to make all these nutritious green smoothies with fresh vegetables and so on. We were just trying to keep him alive. Strange how things like that happen to you only to then inform your life at a later point.”

Leto is, of course, talking about the impact that early harrowing experience had on his role as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, a part which saw him win an Oscar three years ago.

“When that role came along I had been retired for almost six years from acting. I had my band, Thirty Seconds To Mars, which was and still is my main creative outlet. I didn’t think I wanted to go back. But then I read that script and…” Well, you know the rest. Since then, the parts Leto has taken on have been, from where we’re sitting at least, fully immersive experiences for the actor: The Joker, in last year's Suicide Squad, was as unhinged and cartoonishly menacing as fans all hoped. Leto also plays Neander Wallace, the seemingly God-like replicant creator in Blade Runner 2049, alongside Harrison Fordand Ryan Gosling.

“What can I tell you? Neander Wallace is powerful. He’s also blind.”

I’d heard his character is based on his tech-titan friend Elon Musk. “Yeah. I used a little of Elon and actually quite a few of my friends who are very successful founders of companies. I was interested in how billions of dollars can change a man and how he is perceived. Money is freedom. You can take more risks. But it can also enslave, you know? Like Howard Hughes.”

What else can he tell us? “Well, I can tell you Harrison Ford is a stud - even in a cream suit. Man, he’s 75 and he’s a solid dude. And Ryan Gosling? I didn’t have any scenes with him, but he’s exactly what I want my movie stars to be like. Exactly.”

So can Leto finally draw a line under the 35-year-long dispute between Ford and Ridley Scott, the original film’s director, about whether or not Ford’s character is in fact a replicant? “I can.” Really? “Yes.” As I hear this I can almost hear the late Philip K Dick, along with every other nerd worth his Grays Sports Almanac (1950-2000) stop counting electric sheep, sit up and cock an ear.

“You see, my character in this film is the only person in the entire Blade Runneruniverse who puts a machine inside…” Caution suddenly gets the better of his natural candour. “Put it this way, my character gets a bit of information that no one else sees. So I know who is and who isn’t a machine. I can decide.” And the answer? “Nope.” What? “No, no, no. It’ll be on my gravestone - 'I know the answer’ - and I do.”

A mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a Gucci flannel shirt. Oh, and a real prick-tease. And we say that with humour. And a lot of love. There hasn’t been, nor ever will there be anyone quite like Jared Leto in this town. Hollywood’s leading man who fell to earth.

Blade Runner 2049 is out now

//

via GQ // 10/6/17

[letterboxd]

Replicant.

In the fortnight since its release, Blade Runner 2049 has retained its 4.2+ rating on Letterboxd. Denis Villeneuve’s sequel is generally drawing high praise, with some caveats, and a lot of love for Roger Deakins. (We’ve tried to keep this round-up spoiler-free, but one person’s mild spoiler is another’s setting-the-context. You have been forewarned.)

5-star thoughts

“The most haunting and moving science fiction film I’ve ever seen. Probably the most beautiful too!” writes Alex Hill, who was not the first to say “Deakins deserves an Oscar for this”. So overwhelmed was she by the film’s “utter brilliance and devastating beauty”, Jennifer wanted to “print out and frame every single shot in this film and hang them in my house”. We agree.

Also writing at the 5-star end of the scale is Tristan Parillo: “The perfect anti-blockbuster, 2049 features all the visual spectacle and visceral imagery you’d expect from a sequel to Blade Runner, but sacrifices none of the intellectual depth.”

“Blade Runner 2049 hit me like 2,049 Harrison Ford punches to the face. What a fantastic film with a beautiful message, and just all-around cinematic treat. It’s possibly the slowest movie I’ve ever seen but it rewards you with its mood and atmosphere. Every set piece is beautiful and each performance is moving. Fantastic theatre experience.” (Cody)

Many of you have praise for the way in which 2049 sits as a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 original. “This feels so different to Scott’s film, but they have that sense of secrets and hidden meanings in common. They are both also, crucially, still detective noir at heart.” (David Nolan)

“Blade Runner 2049 bewegt sich auf dem selben philosophischen niveau des vorgängers, verbindet dabei gekonnt alte denkansätze und bringt in manchen szenen dann schöne ‘gespiegelte’ ideen mit ein.” (Burning)

Translation: “Blade Runner 2049 moves on the same philosophical plane as its predecessor, skillfully combining old approaches to thinking and introducing some beautiful ‘mirrored’ ideas.”

Blade Runner 2049 lovers have their criticisms, too: that the marketing sucked, that Jared Leto’s character wasn’t particularly memorable despite all the build-up, that it lacked the quotable dialog that peppered the original, and that the female characters were marginalized.

Harvey goes further on this last point in a mixed review: “The treatment of women in this film is especially rough. The female characters are either prostitutes, pure evil, kept behind glass, disfigured or killed. After Sicario, I’m sensing a pattern.”

But overall, the positive reviewers agree that it is a film worth putting on your pants for.

1-star pans

At the other end of the scale—aside from near-universal agreement about Deakins’ Oscar-worthy cinematography—reviewers have issues with the plot, the character development, the need for a sequel at all, and, again, the treatment of females. Anette found 2049 “pretty, but without purpose” and “shockingly sexist”. Others found the film “a misogynistic, dystopian mess” that “treats its women as disposable”.

Another common theme amongst 2049’s detractors: whether the film’s central question was worth making an entire movie to ask. Not according to Knut-Arne Heggen: “Ultimately it feels contrived, bleak and without charm, almost devoid of ideas and not confident in the few it does play around with, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. The lazy script leaves the existentialism of the first in favor of an essentialist outlook which is completely uninteresting and oddly dated in a time when AI is a very hot topic.”

CourtJester concurs: “2049 tried to ride the line between cerebral visual poem and action blockbuster, and it failed in both respects. In part, this is because the original Blade Runner concept is not as unique or interesting as it once was. ‘Do clones have souls?’ was never a sound philosophical question, at least not as much as the oft-confused ‘do computers have souls?’. It was fun in the ’80s, but we know better now.”

About that run-time

Some of you are unimpressed (“what’s meant to seem patient seems ponderous”) but for most, the 163-minute run time is “a non-issue”. The shoot may have felt long to Roger Deakins, but “the almost-three-hours of this wasn't nearly enough for me, frankly, for both the ways in which it very much is Blade Runner and very much isn't,” writes Matt Lynch. “So immersive and impressive that the run time did not bother me one bit!” Films and Faith agrees.

On Deakins

This write-up on Deakins’ lighting and cinematography is a worthwhile read, collecting material from many of his recent interviews and breaking down his lighting set-ups. And, like most of you, IndieWire isn’t holding back on its Oscar recommendation.

What did you think? Let us know by posting a review or replying via the usual channels.

[iraniq]

Protector

You were having hard time with your parents. After telling them you quit your job, so you can move to another city with your boyfriend. They weren’t pleased, because actors and rockstars change their partners every week, and yours was both.

You went on set and manage to find Jared, already crying. But it wasn’t actually Jared you found, he was gone, there was Mr. Wallace instead. He was blind to the world and deeply uninterested in you. So his assistant suggested you wait for him in the trailer till he is done.

Later when he arrived, he was helped in. Impossible to see, he sat on the chair, while you were in bed, half asleep. He didn’t say a word. Rather signaled you to get up and stand in front of him. He cherished your cheek, stood up and gently brushed his lips against yours, playing with your long hair, that was Jared’s hidden way of saying “you are safe” even if it wasn’t him there with you.

-         You are my perfect love, aren’t you Angel!

@diyunho @rhina988 @nikkitasevoli @auntiemama1 @wolfgirl1074 @sookieblack12 @spillinginkwithlove @jayded-reality @lady-grinning-soul-k @lylabell2013

[meupila]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Seen on October 6th 2017 in a 2D cinema.

A beautiful film, powerful story, and immersive experience. It left me feeling like its protagonist– exhausted, confused, and yet somehow at peace.

I am certain there was symbolism that went way over my head, but I thoroughly appreciated what I was able to register. The theological parallels with the figures of the savior, the holy virgin, and the immaculate conception pushed my expectations along subtly but surely. I was as devastated as K / Joe (Ryan Gosling) when I found out that I would not get to follow the path of the hero after all. The question seemed to become: if you are not the hero of the larger narrative, what is your role?

K, much like the audience, becomes a witness to a miracle. When it becomes clear that he himself is not the miracle, he must choose either to fight to preserve it or to sink into indifference/nihilism. Either choice would be understandable in his circumstances, and both would make for relatable stories, but Blade Runner 2049 takes us down the path of fighting for a larger cause– a path shared by many characters in the film. Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) fights to keep hidden the story of the Replicant birth; Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) leaves his loved ones to protect the miracle they'd created; Lt. Joshi (Robin Wright) desperately fights for social order; Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) is keen to transform civilization. They are all driven by a grand vision larger than themselves.

Therefore, the climactic fight between K and Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) is significant not only in the lives of those involved but also as a conflict between self-preservation and self-sacrifice. By this point, K's motivation is mostly devoid of ego, while Luv's main concern remains to be "the best of the angels". Somehow, Luv's shameless egotism made me sympathize with her– there is some of that in all of us. Perhaps by fighting her to the death, K completely kills what remains of his own ego. Perhaps by watching it, we experience part of that too, and this may explain why I was on the edge of my seat during this fight, unable to pick a side, and dreading either outcome. The encounter is visceral and genuinely tense, with the water pulling everyone closer to their death, relentless and impersonal. The blue and yellow hues from the fallen vehicle were a creative way to light this crucial scene, making the struggle all the more ethereal.

The cinematography (Roger Deakins) and visual effects were stunning throughout the film. In retrospect, the range of landscapes presented to us is remarkable, but during the film, they flowed naturally. Every moment was filled with marvelous detail, but worldbuilding never overshadowed storytelling. The vast cityscapes, mind-bending architecture, deep colors, and the wondrous reflections that lit so much of this film all seemed but backdrops to a powerful central narrative. In between being utterly lost in the emotional and personal, I would suddenly become aware of the amazing world underneath.

I have yet to research the extent to which Ridley Scott was involved, but it is obvious the film owes a lot to Denis Villeneuve's clear vision as a director, and to a good script by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. The mojo is consistent, the structure is creative, and it's clear these filmmakers didn't take us for fools.

The acting was excellent. Mackenzie Davis as Mariette had a magical significance about her, and the overlaid performance with Ana de Armas as Joi was visually striking as well as emotionally potent. Armas completely sells the character of Joi, a disembodied entity that is totally genuine in its desire to be, to have a body, and to please K. The fact that Joi is a mass-produced product does not change the sincerity she projects, nor how easily we and K buy it.

Robin Wright as Lt. Joshi was very much human, with her arrogance and sensitivity blatantly exposed. Her final moments with Luv were painful to watch, and for a moment Wright embodied all of us in the face of the unyielding machine. When she downed that glass of whiskey, she knew what was coming, and so did we. In contrast, Jared Leto as Wallace was somewhat opaque and obscure, but I suspect this is how the character was intended to be. We get a glimpse of an overwhelming ambition and idealism driving him, but it felt distant and cold to me– human, but not in a way I liked. This should not be surprising, as after all there are very few Niander Wallaces in the world, and their calculated vision must be alien to most.

Harrison Ford, returning as Deckard, appears fairly late in the film and adds a reluctant charm, grounding the film at a point when it could have easily gone off the rails. He plays someone who has made tough choices and has long since learned to live with them. I wonder what a day in the life of Deckard would have looked like, drinking whiskey with his dog and tending to his bees amidst the surreal ruins of Las Vegas. One particular scene especially owed its poignancy to Ford's powerful performance: when Wallace throws into question Deckard's life and love as pre-determined and devoid of meaning, we get a long close-up of Ford's face and witness a sequence of subtle transformations. The terror that flickers across his eyes, and the weight that sets down upon him, and the inexplicable strength that he somehow musters to speak the words, "I know what's real," were thrilling to watch and a perfect vessel for my own experience of those same emotions.

The soundtrack (Hans Zimmer, Benjamin Wallfisch) and overall sound design worked wonders, completing the feel of the universe and driving home the dread and hope. I felt some kind of rage writhing beneath the music, subtle and powerful, and it hinted at the unimaginable inner experience of K and the Replicants in general. Who is to say what it is like to be an artificially intelligent bioengineered being? I have no idea, but rage is a primal experience I find easy to imagine in others.

Ryan Gosling's task of portraying K's utter fury and desperation cannot have been easy. Like Pinnochio, K is tossed between the lures of pleasure, dreams of family, and a quest for the truth. His relationship with Joi is fragile, touching, and tragic. His anger and hope in finding a father figure, Deckard, is ultimately baseless and heartbreaking.

On the one hand, his character is ultimately an alien– something entirely non-human; at the same time, his struggles mirror an experience that humans have utterly monopolized: the journey of defining oneself and one's path. The only reason this film works at all is that we can relate to K, but the main reason it works so well is due to the uneasy reminders that, in the end, he is not one of us.

There was a sense in me that his experience cannot possibly be authentic – a feeling clearly shared by K himself, who is constantly reminded that he "has no soul"– and yet I was convinced that those same feelings in me would be as valid as can be. As his doubt slowly seeped into me as well, I began to wonder about my own human experience: what makes it authentic?

In some sense, Blade Runner 2049 explored not so much what it is like to be an AI, but what it is like to be human. Perhaps the writers hid a jewel in an inconspicuous joke quipped by Deckard in the casino– when K asks him if the dog he lives with is real, Deckard smirks and says, "Why don't you ask him?"

[louobedlam]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I didn’t care for this film. My eyes did, the cinematography is awe-inducing. Visual feast upon visual feast. 

And my ears did. The sound design is unsettling, disruptive, entrancing. 

But my brain, it had some problems. With the film, that is. My brain has problems unrelated to the film, but that is a story for another day. 

I did not care for the story. And thus, I did not care for the film. The acting was solid. Concrete, each actor exuded understanding of their character. I believed all of them were who they pretended to be, in the moments they were on-screen. 

But the story...it was only a half hour in before I was nit-picking, because, despite being seduced by the sights and sounds the film was delivering, I was not In It. The film is far too cold for that. For me to care enough to forget, and in forgetting, to become lazy in my attention. 

Little things made no sense. A few things just didn’t track. Some plot points reeked of laziness. There was a decided lack of imagination, if not in the world the film was creating, then in the story it was asking me to become involved in. 

AND OH GOD WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE OF COLOR I DON’T WANT TO MAKE A BIG THING OF IT BUT IT’S LOS ANGELES, MAN, WHERE ARE ALL THE HISPANICS, THE BLACK FOLK, WHERE MY ARMENIANS AT, WHERE’S THAI TOWN, WHY OH WHY.

Movie about slavery w/o black main characters. Movie about fertitlity...but it’s men doing all the doing.

There’s one scene with Jared Leto and a new replicant, he’s talking about how he can’t make replicants breed and he...oh man...man, this movie...what was that scene???

I was, too often, reminded by the story of other films which handled similar elements in more engaging fashions. 

I’m doing a lot of surfing, of late, so let me put it this way: I was never picked up by the wave of the film, and thus drifting in the ocean I had more than enough time to contemplate the little details that I’m sure it was hoped I wouldn’t notice. 

It’s boring, it’s racist, it’s got some weird misogny thing going on...but it’s pretty?

GRADE: A (to look at and have on in the background), C- (to actually watch while giving it my full attention)

[angelkurenai]

Are you working on anything Jared/Joker related???

At the moment, no love I apologize! But let’s get into more detail: 

Jared concerned: oooooh honey I have so many idea I could write for daaaays and never get done with that. Listening to the new song and seeing Blade Runner pics and all just gives me so many ideas! I didn’t think about writing something new with him but since you mentioned it I will put one of my ideas down into words! I have some very cute, and obviously many more spicy, stories in mind for sure because it’s impossible to stop me once I get obsessed with a band and/or show ;)

Joker concerned: For Mr J, other than a few chapters of Die for a Laugh that I have in my computer (a series with Mr J and Dean Winchester)  I haven’t gotten into writing any imagines/short stories. I have not written more of Die for a Laugh yet because I got busy with other stories and when I write a series, not to mention one including such a complicated and interesting character as Joker, I really want to focus on it and keep the vibes in. I don’t have any imagines in mind lately for him but I would really like to see suggestions if you have any and would like to see them written.

And now that you mentioned it I would really like to make a Joker week and open requests for that because I would really like to write about him and let you send in your ideas, cause why not?? This week. Let’s make it this week:

Starting from Monday you can send in your requests about Joker (and Jared Leto, cause why not?) for imagines, which actually is one-shots for me anyway, and I will write them! Requests for that open!

P.S. I would make it a Suicide Squad week as I once promised but I don’t remember the characters that well and I got more into studying Mr J these months than any of them. And a little bit of Harley, but that’s it. I’ll get to make a SS week too!

[homeplanetreviews]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Movie Review by: Will Whalen

What makes Blade Runner so iconic? Is it the gorgeous neon noir visuals of 2019 California? Is it the fact that this was a sci-fi film game changer? Was it that Ridley Scott made such an ominous film so early in his career? Or was it the fact that Blade Runner says something about humanity in such a profound way? Either way and whatever you take from it, Blade Runner, to this day, stands under a shiny bright light next to many films. It has inspired many other films since and still holds up as a one of a kind film. Now we’re here with Blade Runner 2049 over 30 years later after the iconic first film was released in 1982.

Blade Runner 2049 is brought to us by one of the best directors working today, Denis Villeneuve. This is about Officer K, played by Ryan Gosling, who is investigating a mystery from the past and needs Deckard's help to solve it.

First off, I’m not going to say much here about the plot at all. The less you know about this film, I promise, the better. Blade Runner has perplexed me ever since I first watched it. In a way, on first viewing, I was a little disappointed. After seeing it a couple of times, I realized that I simply just didn’t get it and I now love it and think it’s a masterpiece. When I heard about Blade Runner 2049 and when I heard who was starring and directing this film, it quickly became one of my most anticipated films of all time. After seeing it, this floored me in every way imaginable.

If you saw a trailer for this, then you know how absolutely stunning and jaw dropping this film looks, and that was just from the trailers. At a runtime of nearly 3 hours, there isn’t a single second where this film isn’t the most gorgeous film you’ve ever seen. There couldn’t have been a better choice than Denis Villeneuve to direct 2049. He is one of my favorite directors working today and is probably one of, if not the best, directors of our time. His work in this is unmatched by any other film out right now. It is probably his best work and is definitely his best film yet. The way he sets up scenes and moves a camera is like a ballet or a conductor conducting an orchestra. His framing and the shots he sets up are extraordinary and baffling. Blade Runner 2049 has some of the best and most beautiful shots you will ever see in a film. However, this couldn’t have been done without the help of the legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins. Deakins is notorious for crafting some of the best cinematography in the history of film and his films speak for themselves. This is undoubtedly his best work and if he doesn’t take home an Oscar, I will be absolutely dumbfounded. Villeneuve and Deakins have teamed together before with Prisoners and Sicario and both films are absolutely gorgeous, but with Blade Runner 2049, they made something unlike anything else out there. It’ll be hard to make a film that will look better than this.

Harrison Ford reprises his role from the first film as Deckard and it was so exciting to see this character return to the screen. What was even more exciting to see was Ryan Gosling in this. He’s my favorite actor, probably of all time, and when I knew he was going to be in this, my excitement levels went up so much more. There couldn't have been a better choice for this role because Gosling absolutely steals the show and is a powerhouse. This is probably another career best here with Gosling’s chilling and subtle performance. His character goes through a lot of places throughout the film and it’s riveting to watch. Harrison Ford also gives one of his best performances in years. Yet another subtle and terrific performance from this film. That being said, every performance in this film is fantastic. The amazing writing comes into play with a lot of this however, and really shows during certain scenes for these characters. There’s a certain scene that made my lip tremble the whole time and left me near shaking. However, every single scene and every single frame is phenomenal.

I hardly had a single problem with this film. Every single second was a gift but if I absolutely had to say something, it would be that I would’ve liked to have seen just a little more of Jared Leto’s character. That being said, this is such a nitpick and I'm sure it won't bother most. I was thrilled to hear that this film was 2 hours and 43 minutes because I needed three hours of being in this world. Although it’s a bit long, it goes by super quick and near the end, it feels like there’s 30 minutes left.

Blade Runner 2049 is one of my most anticipated films of all time. As I watched this film during its near 3 hour runtime, not once was I not absolutely transfixed. I can say confidently that this film is one of the best films I’ve ever seen in my life. I was stunned from the start from Villeneuve’s incredible framing and direction, to Hans Zimmer’s mesmerizing score, Deakins’ gorgeous cinematography, to the neon-noir city and everything in between. With 2049, Villeneuve has proven himself to be a master. Very few films are near perfect through and through, but Blade Runner 2049 is as perfect as a film can get and left me floored. This was one of the best times I've ever had at the theater. Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best films I've ever seen and a masterpiece. A sequel so long after the original has never looked so good.

I’m going to give Blade Runner 2049...

5 out of 5 stars!

I also suggest checking out the anime short from Cowboy Bebop director, Shinichiro Watanabe called Black Out 2022. It goes into an event that happens between the first film and 2049 and is pretty awesome as well. If you’ve never seen Blade Runner, watch The Final Cut right this second and then run to see 2049.