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Which movie is better: Blade Runner or Blade Runner 2049?
- Thread starter Black Chamber
- Start date
K not being the chosen one was great, but completely dropping the story regarding the uprising is my issue. I don't mind not seeing it, but it's never mentioned again whatsoever. A simple line about how the replicants are doing anything from K to Deckard would've solved that, but they never bother. The only thing they say is that he frowned with the rest so that they can't find him, but nothing else. It's just completely dropped and never mentioned again. I still think the film is great, and having the humans vs replicants story is interesting. But personally, I don't think it's developed enough as is.
I bought the CD straight after leaving the screening, since I thought some tracks were really good. Hearing it on its own, it's alright at best, but the Sea Wall though. Damn that's a mighty fine piece and crazy bass booming at you.
Shame we never got to hear the original planned soundtrack, I'll forever be curious how that sounded instead of the painfully Vangelis recreation of some of the tracks.
Huh, to me 2049 was the very definition of bloated and slow. I mean, I liked it, but man was it overly long, it droned on.. and not in a good way. Long, slow movies can be great, but 2049 was not great at that part of it all.
I'm due a rewatch though.
one of the recurring comments in this thread is that many of the original voters feel 2049 lacks a character as fascinating as Roy batty but go off I guess
I want someone to edit the Sicario soundtrack on top of 2049 just to see what we missed out on.
Rip Jóhann.
2049 has a bad "dirty rebels" and messianic plot. Really disappointing on that end. It starts off well with the scene on the farm and the "brain check" at the police station and then goes downhill. Looks amazing though.
I do not think that Bade runner 2049 is a good sequel to blade runner.
it does some things well, it's not a bad movie, but it does not manage to do the things that blade runner did so exceptionally well, even though it attempts them. The themes, sets, tone, genre.
damn why am I talking about blade runner 2049 again? Dammit.
it does some things well, it's not a bad movie, but it does not manage to do the things that blade runner did so exceptionally well, even though it attempts them. The themes, sets, tone, genre.
damn why am I talking about blade runner 2049 again? Dammit.
2049 is like very good fanfiction. A sequel of obligation, making the plot so heavy and elevating simple things from the first film and turning them into busy fan service.
What Blade Runner does well doesn't seem to exist in movies anymore. It feels real, lived in. 2049 is like playing a future playstation game.
What Blade Runner does well doesn't seem to exist in movies anymore. It feels real, lived in. 2049 is like playing a future playstation game.
I cannot see this at all. There is nothing about 2049 that the word "obligation" fits with in way you describe it. There's nothing that feels "fan service" about it to me, either. The first film feels more lived in, but the world in BR 2049 is sparse on purpose and it works. They compliment each other with the way the world evolves between the films.
It feels like an intelligent extension of the first film, not in contest with in any way.
Watching it, I got the idea that they were angling to save this development for a sequel. Which, as it turns out, may never happen.
Context is really, really fucking important here.
I saw Blade Runner for the first time when I was 12 years old, which would be 1986.
Simply put, there was not a whole lot of movies like it at the time. To say it was mind blowing is exactly what I experienced at the time. It was a groundbreaking experience.
While 2049 is a fantastic movie, there have been so many movies since the original that are similar in tone, visuals, etc. etc.
So yeah, it is not even a contest for myself.
I am sure if I was 12 years old when I saw 2049 for the first time, I may feel the same way.
But I was not.
I saw Blade Runner for the first time when I was 12 years old, which would be 1986.
Simply put, there was not a whole lot of movies like it at the time. To say it was mind blowing is exactly what I experienced at the time. It was a groundbreaking experience.
While 2049 is a fantastic movie, there have been so many movies since the original that are similar in tone, visuals, etc. etc.
So yeah, it is not even a contest for myself.
I am sure if I was 12 years old when I saw 2049 for the first time, I may feel the same way.
But I was not.
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Nope! I voted for 'equal'.
I know it's the boring answer, but due to their differences I find it far too difficult to put one above the other.
2049. Masterpiece. One of the most beautiful looking films I've ever seen. The score is absolutely fantastic. Great characters too. The actress who plays Joi blew me away.
The original is okay but 2049 is on a totally different level imo
The original is okay but 2049 is on a totally different level imo
2049 had potential to top the original, as it has a lot of great elements, but ultimately I was left disappointed with the execution of the twist and the development of the villains. The original feels like a more cohesive experience. That being said, I would say they are not too far apart.
Both are equal or a slight edge towards 2049 for me. Roy is amazing, but the Rachel apartment scene creeped me the fuck out on a recent rewatch of both.
Overall both are masterpieces we can be happy to even have experienced in our lives.
Overall both are masterpieces we can be happy to even have experienced in our lives.
But it succeeds in doing so
having trouble understanding how this is a negative in a blockbuster cinema landscape that is so visually rote
Soley because of the final monologue from Rutger Hauer I voted Blade Runner. If I read correct he wrote those lines himself and Ridley Scott agreed to use his dialoge instead of what he/the writers wrote. It´s those magical cinematic moments where Onscreen and behind screen have something special to it.
People are rightly bringing up Batty's monologue a lot when they talk about the certain ineffability the original film has, but I always remember this scene, too.
The birthday memory sculpting scene in 2049 is I think the closest the sequel comes to capturing the same inexplicable sense of loss for something that never was, but it still feels like just an echo of the original to me. Perhaps purposefully so, but still.
The birthday memory sculpting scene in 2049 is I think the closest the sequel comes to capturing the same inexplicable sense of loss for something that never was, but it still feels like just an echo of the original to me. Perhaps purposefully so, but still.
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I absolutely adore Blade Runner. It is my favorite movie of all time.
When I initially heard that there was a sequel in development, I was very much against the idea. Pessimism aside, I decided to give it a chance because I like Denis Villeneuve's work - and I was not disappointed. I was actually blown away by Blade Runner 2049.
However, no matter how tremendous of a cinematic achievement Blade Runner 2049 is; it's still not as good as the original, imho.
Blade Runner is a 10/10.
Blade Runner 2049 is a 9/10.
The atmosphere, narrative, characters, soundtrack and aesthetics just pale in comparison to the original; which is the most aesthetically imitated in cinema history.
While I deeply love [as well as being obsessed & constantly infatuated] by both films, the original 1982 Ridley Scott masterpiece is the clear winner for me.
When I initially heard that there was a sequel in development, I was very much against the idea. Pessimism aside, I decided to give it a chance because I like Denis Villeneuve's work - and I was not disappointed. I was actually blown away by Blade Runner 2049.
However, no matter how tremendous of a cinematic achievement Blade Runner 2049 is; it's still not as good as the original, imho.
Blade Runner is a 10/10.
Blade Runner 2049 is a 9/10.
The atmosphere, narrative, characters, soundtrack and aesthetics just pale in comparison to the original; which is the most aesthetically imitated in cinema history.
While I deeply love [as well as being obsessed & constantly infatuated] by both films, the original 1982 Ridley Scott masterpiece is the clear winner for me.
I'd say Blade Runner 2049 is more accessible, has more storytelling and hammers the themes into you more than the original - which id say is more nuanced and a little less "obvious". The original is more of a vibe, has weird pacing, etc. - but that's partly what makes it so good.
I'd say I like them equally, but 2049 is probably the 'better' movie.
I'd say I like them equally, but 2049 is probably the 'better' movie.
Really tough call. 2049 I think is more enjoyable, and is absolutely amazing to look at. Its its own movie, obviously it builds on the original but isn't just a retelling or spin, it tries to do its own thing.
Ultimately though for me its the ANH/ESB problem, while ESB is my favorite Star Wars movie I have to recognize that ESB does not exist by itself, it NEEDS ANH for it to make any sense. Likewise, 2049 is probably the movie I'd rather rewatch any time, but it does not really work at all without the original so I'd give the slight nod to the original as the "better" movie, but literally just by a replicants nose hair.
Ultimately though for me its the ANH/ESB problem, while ESB is my favorite Star Wars movie I have to recognize that ESB does not exist by itself, it NEEDS ANH for it to make any sense. Likewise, 2049 is probably the movie I'd rather rewatch any time, but it does not really work at all without the original so I'd give the slight nod to the original as the "better" movie, but literally just by a replicants nose hair.
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That's because you have fantastic taste! It's people like us that are going to make the future a better place.
Our righteousness is only fueled by the fact that 2049 is a far from perfect film.
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2049 only has 1 version that you need to watch to get the "complete" experience. So for that reason alone, it's better.
BR I've watched 3 different versions of the film and I'd say the music and Rutger Hauer are the best parts of the film.
BR I've watched 3 different versions of the film and I'd say the music and Rutger Hauer are the best parts of the film.
It's incredible that we not only got a sequel to a movie that seems almost impossible to build upon but that it was also great in its own right. I was very skeptical going in, but I was blown away by 2049. Very happy to have watched it in a theater. My main regret was passing up on watching it again in the cinema! It's a stellar home movie but that first time watching it was an experience unto itself. Brilliant sound work.
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Have you seen the 4K Blade Runner Final Cut?
The detail and crispness of the visuals/color is sublime and the Dolby Atmos sound mix is incredible😲
I haven't! Though I don't have an Atmos system either, unfortunately. That'll be at the top of the list when I do get one!
Watch both this year, and 2049 is a much more enjoyable movie from front to back.
Admittedly though, the cinematography for the first movie is just fucking breathtaking.
Admittedly though, the cinematography for the first movie is just fucking breathtaking.
For me it's 2049 without question. I made sure to watch Blade Runner the night before seeing 2049. Aesthetically they're both great. I can't stand the story of the first one. 2049 is better in every way, it's not boring (OG is), and it tries to retcon the most problematic aspect of the first movie.
Whether or not you can buy into 2049's attempt to change the original's rape scene will likely determine your enjoyment. I personally didn't care for the original so it was easy for me to go "Yep that didn't happen".
Whether or not you can buy into 2049's attempt to change the original's rape scene will likely determine your enjoyment. I personally didn't care for the original so it was easy for me to go "Yep that didn't happen".