Blade Runner 2049 - 10.6.17 (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

Scott has lost it IMO. It was just as long as it needed to be.

 

[TravisR]

It was just as long as it needed to be.

I agree. I hate long movies but this one actually worked at its length.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Ironically, for me at least, Scott's original feels longer to me than the sequel.

 

[RobertR]

Finally saw this, and have been digesting what I saw while reading this thread. My thoughts:

It has some impressed visuals (giant interactive ads, landscapes, etc.) The dreaded teal/orange ugliness rears its inundating cliche head, but it's not as pervasive as I had feared. It's VERY loud in spots, with overwhelming bass. I'm glad I did NOT see it in an IMAX venue.

I had problems with the story. It didn't really go anywhere interesting beyond the original. I don't think it really could have, since the fundamental questions about and implications of the existence of replicants had already been addressed well in the original.

Spoiler

All the story really mounts to is that Deckard and Rachel had a child. That's nice, but it doesn't really make a difference in the world of the movie. Rachel was a unique creation of Tyrell's, and it's made clear that the big corporate baddie (there's no more prevalent stereotype in Hollywood than the evil/amoral businessman, but I digress) can't duplicate it, nor presumably, can anyone else. Furthermore, the fact that the child has to live in a bubble means she's essentially a genetic dead end. Also, Rachel dies after giving birth via c section, implying that it wasn't exactly good for her health to bear a child. In short, there's no basis for thinking that this is going to trigger a wave of replicant self propagation or cause any other fundamental change in the Blade Runner "universe". There's talk of a "revolution" among the replicants, but they hardly needed this particular development to motivate them for that, given how they're treated.

I give it style points, but the story doesn't measure up.

 

[TravisR]

It's VERY loud in spots, with overwhelming bass. I'm glad I did NOT see it in an IMAX venue.

I think I said it earlier in the thread but I saw it in IMAX and my memory is that the loud parts were like seeing a concert.

 

[KeithDA]

RobertR said: ↑
It's VERY loud in spots, with overwhelming bass. I'm glad I did NOT see it in an IMAX venue.

I agree - as I said in post 346:

My experience seeing the film yesterday was the volume level - it was VERY LOUD. I suppose I should have got up and complained, at the expense of missing a section, as my ears were still ringing a couple of hours later. It was an early afternoon showing with only a handful of us in the auditorium - perhaps when full, the extra 'bodies' would absorb some of the sound? Anyway, it has rather coloured my view of the film.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I think I said it earlier in the thread but I saw it in IMAX and my memory is that the loud parts were like seeing a concert.

I actually complain to IMAX about this, as I initially thought it might've been the fault of the particular theater - the sound was so loud that the speakers rattled!

Never heard back from IMAX!

 

[RobertR]

Thanks for affirming that, guys. It matches my experience watching Interstellar, which was the last time I was in an Imax theater. I can't see myself going to one again.

 

[KeithDA]

Thanks for affirming that, guys. It matches my experience watching Interstellar, which was the last time I was in an Imax theater. I can't see myself going to one again.

and the presentation I saw wasn't even IMAX - but the bass made the screen wobble!

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I actually complain to IMAX about this, as I initially thought it might've been the fault of the particular theater - the sound was so loud that the speakers rattled!

Never heard back from IMAX!

Same here, not sure if the rattling was part of the soundtrack, or a speaker problem. Extremely loud in parts, and this from me, who like loud movies.

 

[RobertR]

Where I work, a great deal of attention is paid to health and safety issues. I actually looked into whether IMAX levels exceed long term exposure limits for sound. It appears they don't, but coming out of a theater with one's ears ringing doesn't sound healthy.

 

[TJPC]

I solved this problem a couple of years ago by purchasing a pair of those soft foam ear plugs, which I take to all imax showings. They are unnoticeable when used and very easy to put in and take out.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Where I work, a great deal of attention is paid to health and safety issues. I actually looked into whether IMAX levels exceed long term exposure limits for sound. It appears they don't, but coming out of a theater with one's ears ringing doesn't sound healthy.

I already have tinnitus, and I can't claim IMAX movies have made it worse. I saw "Last Jedi" IMAX yesterday - it was loud byt not painfully so.

That said, I put in earplugs when I saw "BR 2049" theatrically - it was just too frickin' loud!

I've only felt a need to use my 'plugs 2 or 3 times: "BR 2049", "Good Day to Die Hard" ("premium" AMC theater with then-rare Dolby Atmos) and maybe one other movie I can't recall.

For reference, I always wear the earplugs at concerts! But movies - even the loud ones - are usually fine...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I solved this problem a couple of years ago by purchasing a pair of those soft foam ear plugs, which I take to all imax showings. They are unnoticeable when used and very easy to put in and take out.

I'd recommend something superior like the Etymotics. Those offer much better sound quality than the foam ones.

The foam ones deaden sound - it's quieter but also flatter/duller. The Etymotics - and similar variants - reduce volume but retain sound quality well...

 

[RobertR]

Earplugs are a solution, but they're not all that comfortable, and it seems like they greatly affect the frequency balance. I'm just not going to go to IMAX.

 

[TravisR]

I saw "Last Jedi" IMAX yesterday - it was loud byt not painfully so.

Yeah, Blade Runner 2049 was the anomaly in my experience. I will say that Blade Runner 2049 was the rare time where I liked that a movie was too loud because it fit the movie to be a 'sonic assault'. That being said, I don't blame anyone who doesn't want to see a movie where every loud noise sounds like a garbage truck being dropped off the Empire State Building.

 

[RobertR]

Yeah, Blade Runner 2049 was the anomaly in my experience. I will say that Blade Runner 2049 was the rare time where I liked that a movie was too loud because it fit the movie to be a 'sonic assault'. That being said, I don't blame anyone who doesn't want to see a movie where every loud noise sounds like a garbage truck being dropped off the Empire State Building.

I don't want to give the impression I'm against wide dynamics in movies. I actually enjoy it, and I never turn on dynamic compression. I like impressive bass. My subwoofer has 8 15 inch drivers, and literally kicks ass on some material. I just think IMAX goes overboard.

 

[Tim Glover]

I don't want to give the impression I'm against wide dynamics in movies. I actually enjoy it, and I never turn on dynamic compression. I like impressive bass. My subwoofer has 8 15 inch drivers, and literally kicks ass on some material. I just think IMAX goes overboard.

We saw The Last Jedi on New Years Eve at a local IMAX. Fake Max But it was actually TOO much. Like you Robert I love audio and believe that the sonic experience is a VITAL part of the whole experience But dang there were times I couldn't even hear myself think.

 

[TJPC]

I was wondering why I don’t remember this movie being too loud and then it dawned on me. I’m a stickler for 3D, and saw it in Real 3D because it wasn’t shown in imax 3D. The one thing you can say about IMAX is that it has spectacular 3D. The Real 3D versions are usually disappointing. I will have to wait to see the 3D blu Ray version to see what this movie really is supposed to look like.

 

[Brian L]

The loudness was not limited to IMAX. I saw 2049 in a standard theater run by a regional chain who usually do a good job with presentation. I am a guy that likes “loud” and this film was easily the loudest film I had ever seen. It was unpleasant at times.