WARNING: Video contains NSFW imagery!

Blade Runner 2049, based on all the media to-date, is an unapologetic love letter to sci-fi fans everywhere. Your expectations for the film probably have a lot to do with your relationship to the original Blade Runner (1982) movie and/or Philip K. Dick’s source novel. While I’m sure the script was written to appeal to a wide audience, everything I’m seeing thus far tells me that informed fans are going to get a helluva lot more out of this movie.

If you’re coming in fresh, having never seen or read the previous material, then Blade Runner 2049 might simply wow you with it’s massive sets, moody lighting, and atmospheric music — that might be enough for some, but I suspect those folks are in the minority. This is a movie aimed squarely at the hardcore sci-fi set, who’ve been starved for a serious take on the genre since, well, Denis Villeneuve’s last project, the incredible Arrival (2016).

Related – Blade Runner 2049 Prequel Short Film Focuses On Dave Bautista’s Replicant Character

MovieAccessTrailers released a new featurette that contains lots of spectacular images and further reinforces the dreamy, ethereal mood from past trailers and teasers — trust me, go full-screen and turn down the lights, this is beautiful and powerful stuff. This video also contains several sound bytes from the cast, director, and even Scott himself — they seem in awe of the results. Sure, positive sentiments are to be expected in the lead-up to the film’s release, but in their words I heard a consistent and certain belief that they’ve captured some kind of lightning here, and they can’t wait to share it with the world.

“It’s the same kind of color palette, but sooo made by another painter.” — Denis Villeneuve

 

The most-common questions I heard after Blade Runner 2049‘s initial announcement: why does this film need to be made? A sequel has apparently been in the works for years, but finding the right story proved elusive. Harrison Ford remarks in the featurette, “what was always wanting was a story that flowed naturally out of the first.” And that’s what seems most apparent from this featurette (and the rest of the media before today), there’s both a continuation and a rebirth, this film is not simply a money grab or playing to fan’s nostalgia for the original.

And yet, we still don’t know a great deal about the plot. It’s clear that Ford’s Rick Deckard is a replicant who’s been in hiding for decades and is key to revealing a closely-held secret, which possibly impacts the future of humanity. Given that humanity was well-and-truly screwed in the original book/movie — things look even bleaker in this film — the nature of this secret must be pretty profound.

Jared Leto’s character, Niander Wallace, is a builder of replicants in 2049. His role in this film is opaque; it’s not clear if he is ally or enemy, but it’s obvious that he holds one or more pieces to the puzzle. The featurette ends with a quote from Wallace, which really grabbed my attention: “The key to the future is finally unearthed.”

“This is the best script I’ve ever read.” — Ridley Scott.

 

Blade Runner 2049 appears to be its own kind of animal: an arthouse sci-fi film with a AAA cast, helmed by an award-winning director, championed by a legendary filmmaker. The film appears to build on its source material while also weaving a broader mystery. If you’re a fan of great sci-fi, this might be a watershed moment for the genre, and a hopeful signal toward its future.

Are you a fan of the original film and book or a newcomer to the franchise? Let us know in the comments down below!

Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters in October 6, 2017.

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SOURCE: MovieAccessTrailers

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