Pre-Order Blade Runner 2049 (4k UHD) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

I try to stay away from blanket assertions because there is too much subjectivity when it comes to film appreciation despite similarities between two films as there are some differences too.

Well, I guess it comes down to what he hated about the first one. If he hated it due to the pacing then he certainly will not enjoy this one. If he hated the first films ambiguity then he might like this one better as the story is more by the numbers.

 

[Tino]

Well, I guess it comes down to what he hated about the first one. If he hated it due to the pacing then he certainly will not enjoy this one. If he hated the first films ambiguity then he might like this one better as the story is more by the numbers.

I disliked the first one mainly due to the pacing. And while the pacing is similar in this film, it held my intetest more because I was enjoying the story, performances and visuals more than the original. Hence my belief that Ron will certainly enjoy this film more.

Guess we’ll know in a few months.

 

[Tino]

Ron

I’m curious as I bet many here are. What did you hate about the first one?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I disliked the first one mainly due to the pacing. And while the pacing is similar in this film, it held my intetest more because I was enjoying the story, performances and visuals more than the original. Hence my belief that Ron will certainly enjoy this film more.

Guess we’ll know in a few months.

Tino,

Do you think you would like the first one more if you watched it for the first time just recently before seeing this film?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Ron

I’m curious as I bet many here are. What did you hate about the first one?

I watched it for a second time when it was released on HD-DVD years ago.

Same issues. Just very s-l-o-w. Perhaps one of the most badly paced movies in memory. I don't think I picked up everything on either viewing. Hated the characters. Just nothing about the film, other than the visuals, that I really liked.

Again, I know I am really in the minority here on that feeling.

 

[Robert Crawford]

At times, I like a change of pace so I appreciate seeing slowwe films compared to how fast the majority of movies made today. To me, slower films give you a chance to think as the film unfolds instead of just reacting to faster pace films with their slam and bam style. As to Blade Runner, I got caught up in the atmospheric and visual settings of the film along with its music.

 

[Tino]

Tino,

Do you think you would like the first one more if you watched it for the first time just recently before seeing this film?

Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t think so.

My wife and I watched the UHD just before I went to see the new one. She had a similar reaction to mine watching it for the first time. She thought it was visually beautiful but really dull. And she thought the story was just ok.

My reaction was the same as it’s always been. The presentation on the 4K discs was tremendous but in the end my opinion of the film remains the same.

I’ll say it again. I thought the new one is better in every way. Hands down. Not even close. Can’t wait to own this one in 4K!

 

[Tino]

I watched it for a second time when it was released on HD-DVD years ago.

Same issues. Just very s-l-o-w. Perhaps one of the most badly paced movies in memory. I don't think I picked up everything on either viewing. Hated the characters. Just nothing about the film, other than the visuals, that I really liked.

Again, I know I am really in the minority here on that feeling.

Ron

You’re not in the minority as much as you think. Many feel the way you do about the first one.

 

[Matt Hough]

If I'm recalling correctly, Blade Runner was not a box-office hit during its original run, much to the surprise of many who thought the combination of Harrison Ford, who was a big box-office star at the time, and Ridley Scott would be an unbeatable one. This new one has been a box-office disappointment, too (so far).

 

[Tino]

If I'm recalling correctly, Blade Runner was not a box-office hit during its original run, much to the surprise of many who thought the combination of Harrison Ford, who was a big box-office star at the time, and Ridley Scott would be an unbeatable one. This new one has been a box-office disappointment, too (so far).

First one was a flop too. Saw it opening day in 1982 in a near empty theater. About $80 million in today’s dollars. The new one may not even reach that number. Although worldwide it may do better. Currently it’s at $60 million after 10 days. Probably end up at $80 million domestically.

 

[Robert Crawford]

First one was a flop too. Saw it opening day in 1982 in a near empty theater. About $80 million in today’s dollars. The new one may not even reach that number. Although worldwide it may do better. Currently it’s at $60 million after 10 days. Probably end up at $80 million domestically.

Same here, I saw it opening day in a near empty theater in Danville, Illinois.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t think so.

My wife and I watched the UHD just before I went to see the new one. She had a similar reaction to mine watching it for the first time. She thought it was visually beautiful but really dull. And she thought the story was just ok.

My reaction was the same as it’s always been. The presentation on the 4K discs was tremendous but in the end my opinion of the film remains the same.

I’ll say it again. I thought the new one is better in every way. Hands down. Not even close. Can’t wait to own this one in 4K!

That's fair, as I said many times, film appreciation is a subjective activity.

 

[Mike2001]

One of the fun things about the old Maltin annual movie guides was watching Blade Runner bounce back and forth between * and ****.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I have always been afraid to say this in public, but I HATED the original Blade Runner.

I know I am in the absolute minority on this.

Despite that, I will probably give this a look once released.

Actually, when the film came out you would have been in the majority as nobody really went to see it and the critics were not thrilled with it. It was only over many years that the film built a following so your dislike for it was shared by many people. People that made films loved Blade Runner and I think that is how the "cult" of Blade Runner grew. So many filmmakers praise Blade Runner that I think people would read or hear this and think "Wow, I should see that film."

I actually kind of think the reason the sequel got made is because so many people in the industry loved the original film and so there was a lot of enthusiasm for it in the business...plus there are fans of the film as well but I don't think as many as there are for other films. I also think that this is why this sequel got a decent but not huge response from people this time. Even fans of the original film were split about there being a sequel many of them feeling they should not attempt this and a film from 1982 getting a sequel in 2017 seemed...well...not the greatest idea particularly after what Ridley did with Prometheus.

Honestly, I have always lived in a bubble when it comes to Blade Runner as I loved it when I first saw it back in 1982 and walked out of the cinema feeling like I had just seen one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. Everybody I knew loved the film as well so I was surprised when I discovered there were people that did not like it. Of course these were the days before the internet so there were not instantly a million reviews available to read or watch. Now we get a rapid and instant response to any film that comes out and the opening weekend entirely makes or breaks the film in terms of critical reception, audience response, and box office. To me it is amazing to call a film a "flop" after one week but that's how they do it today. You get opening weekend and then your work is declared a flop or a success. Literally 3 days after the film comes out the world has decided.

All that said I thought this sequel was wonderful and put me right back in the world of Blade Runner and I have to say was one of my best experiences going to a theater I have had in many years. Personally, I think this film is a must see on the big screen...IMAX if available to you.

I think this film will be great to watch in our home cinemas as well but to truly have the proper experience with this film I would say you have to see it in a cinema on a giant screen. It was shot for that and the film is absolutely gorgeous. If you miss it in the cinema that is a huge mistake as it would be like somebody telling you to go see Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen and responding "Nah, I'll just watch it on my phone or laptop."

 

[Ronald Epstein]

^^^^

Reggie, I really enjoyed reading that. Thank you for sharing.

 

[TravisR]

To me it is amazing to call a film a "flop" after one week but that's how they do it today. You get opening weekend and then your work is declared a flop or a success. Literally 3 days after the film comes out the world has decided.

As always though, time is going to make the final call. Despite its less than stellar box office, I think Blade Runner 2049 is going to be well remembered because it's a good movie.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

It's funny it seems impossible to know if someone will like a film. I mean, we have Blade Runner fans that dislike this sequel and guys like Tino that did not really like Blade Runner that actually like the sequel. I have no idea if somebody will like this film.

I can say this, this film definitely stands on the shoulders of the original film. So, in terms of how it looks, how it is paced, and where the story goes...all of that works as a continuation of the first film. If you were to ask me, a Blade Runner fan, who will like this film? Well, I would say fans of Blade Runner will like it and people that did not like Blade Runner probably will not like the sequel.

Of course then Tino comes along and totally disproves that and there are some Blade Runner fans that don't like it...so, who the hell knows!

I will say that while the first film I think remains a little cool when it comes to emotional impact I think this sequel is much more into making the audience feel the emotions of the replicants and goes deeper into the replicants as slaves theme that the first film touches upon. A huge difference is in the first film Deckard is pursuing and killing replicants and we sort of get the story through his eyes mostly. In this sequel we get the story more though the eyes and emotions of the replicants.

It is true that the beating heart of Blade Runner was Roy and Rachael and how even though they were replicants they were much more "human" than the human characters. Roy does of course give the best speech about life and death in the film considering what it is to live and die in ways the humans in the film seem incapable of. It takes Roy and Rachael to teach Deckard's human what it means to be alive.

This was the thing about the first film that I thought was so wonderfully communicated...that the replicants understand what it means to be human, what it means to be alive, more than the humans do and they have empathy and in the end Roy saves the life of a human being even though humans have done nothing but use and abuse him and his kind.

In the sequel what we get is an understanding of the total sadness that comes with being a replicant. To know all you are is a servant to your supposed betters that actually display less humanity than you do as something "created" by them.

I enjoy how both films explore these themes and they both drew me in. Interestingly at the end of Blade Runner 2049 I felt like they completed the story and there was no need to make another film...which funny enough is how I felt at the end of Blade Runner.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

As always though, time is going to make the final call. Despite its less than stellar box office, I think Blade Runner 2049 is going to be well remembered because it's a good movie.

I agree I think Blade Runner 2049 is a wonderful film and I loved it. I think the way things are now with the ease of being able to watch films over and over again at home and really anywhere you are this sequel will likely build an audience faster than the first film did.

 

[Bryan^H]

I love the original, and it only gets better every time I watch it. But honestly the directors cut, and Final cut versions really amplified my like for the film. If I were stuck with the theatrical version only, I don't think I would be as enthusiastic about it. It is a great movie, and people that don't like it make me scratch my head..especially fans of sci-fi. Harrison Ford gives a great performance of a jaded cop in a depressing vision of future earth(off-world is the only way to go) Sean Young is extremely attractive as Rachel, The noir feel, and Ridley Scott visuals are beyond impressive, the music is great. I could go on, and on. To me impressive on every level. and the pacing is just fine I think.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I agree I think Blade Runner 2049 is a wonderful film and I loved it. I think the way things are now with the ease of being able to watch films over and over again at home and really anywhere you are this sequel will likely build an audience faster than the first film did.

The first film came out just as the home video market was taking off and with premium channels like HBO coming to cable lineups so it built it's audience at a very fast clip so I don't know how we're going to quantify it with the way people stream today.