General / Off-Topic Blade Runner 2049

[Frank]

I dunno... 55 inch OLED 4k tv here

Birthday present from my favourite person in the world.

...me.

You're very lucky. Even if I had the money, if I stuck a 55 incher in my pokey little cottage it would take up a whole wall. I guess it's one of the reasons why I prefer VR to a conventional monitor.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

You're very lucky. Even if I had the money, if I stuck a 55 incher in my pokey little cottage it would take up a whole wall. I guess it's one of the reasons why I prefer VR to a conventional monitor.

Well Currys/Pc world have sales every so often with some good bargains. i got this tv almost half price. With Christmas and the new year coming, if you are in the market for something new keep an eye on their website.

(I assume you are a Brit, i get that impression although i might be wrong )

 

[Jenner]

I've seen a few articles online suggesting that BR's biggest fault was that its budget was out of line with its potential draw. It is a niche sequel to a niche movie that itself failed at the box office. It relied on nostalgia and and the awesome trailer visuals to fill seats, which apparently were not enough.

 

[Vasco Sapien]

I've seen a few articles online suggesting that BR's biggest fault was that its budget was out of line with its potential draw. It is a niche sequel to a niche movie that itself failed at the box office. It relied on nostalgia and and the awesome trailer visuals to fill seats, which apparently were not enough.

The same could be said for the Tron sequel, (which i liked and hoped for a 3rd film) A bet was made as to its box office draw because of its Cult status.

Hollywood is stuck in a mode right now of mostly making movies based off of recognized brands and not venturing towards the gamble of a new IP. Retro is in Vogue right now and cult films have an established fan base to build upon.

But Tron like Blade Runner do not appeal to a wide audience like you say, and when you have a bloated production budget (which these films NEED) a huge gamble is taken.

I wonder if we are witnessing the end of huge budget Science fiction films. If you look at films like Tron 2, Blade Runner 2, Alien Covenant they all had large production budgets, and even though they made a profit they still under performed and thats the key phrase 'under performance'. They where given a budget based upon their assumed potential success. Expectations where made as to the movies profitability and it didnt matter that a profit of say 20 million was made.. Its not proportional to the 190 million production investment. it fell short of expectations so the well is considered dry for that IP.

The movie Arrival (another film directed by Denis Villeneuve) was considered a success both critically and financially because it only cost 40 million to make and made over 170 world wide. Which i am actually glad of, because i really miss thoughtful intelligent science fiction at the box office.

The mind set exists that Sci-Fi movies need to be expensive and special FX driven, which often lead to a Science fiction film underperforming or being dumbed down to appeal to a broader market.

Personally i'd like to see Sci-fi become more thoughtful, intelligent and produced on an average budget.

 

[Jenner]

The same could be said for the Tron sequel, (which i liked and hoped for a 3rd film) A bet was made as to its box office draw because of its Cult status.

Hollywood is stuck in a mode right now of mostly making movies based off of recognized brands and not venturing towards the gamble of a new IP. Retro is in Vogue right now and cult films have an established fan base to build upon.

But Tron like Blade Runner do not appeal to a wide audience like you say, and when you have a bloated production budget (which these films NEED) a huge gamble is taken.

I wonder if we are witnessing the end of huge budget Science fiction films. If you look at films like Tron 2, Blade Runner 2, Alien Covenant they all had large production budgets, and even though they made a profit they still under performed and thats the key phrase 'under performance'. They where given a budget based upon their assumed potential success. Expectations where made as to the movies profitability and it didnt matter that a profit of say 20 million was made.. Its not proportional to the 190 million production investment. it fell short of expectations so the well is considered dry for that IP.

The movie Arrival (another film directed by Denis Villeneuve) was considered a success both critically and financially because it only cost 40 million to make and made over 170 world wide. Which i am actually glad of, because i really miss thoughtful intelligent science fiction at the box office.

The mind set exists that Sci-Fi movies need to be expensive and special FX driven, which often lead to a Science fiction film underperforming or being dumbed down to appeal to a broader market.

Personally i'd like to see Sci-fi become more thoughtful, intelligent and produced on an average budget.

You said it better than I can.

 

[krylite]

In case some of you haven't seen it. Some developer in Belgium recreated Deckard's apartment in unity
and it's going to support VR/Oculus. Amazing!

Spoiler

[video=youtube;cdKb4BbYpUU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKb4BbYpUU[/video]

http://www.pcgamer.com/see-deckards-apartment-recreated-in-vr-in-blade-runner-9732/

 

[merlin851526]

In case some of you haven't seen it. Some developer in Belgium recreated Deckard's apartment in unity
and it's going to support VR/Oculus. Amazing!

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdKb4BbYpUU

http://www.pcgamer.com/see-deckards-apartment-recreated-in-vr-in-blade-runner-9732/

Simply wonderful

 

[lysan]

Awesome now I can't wait to play the game

Edit: BTW I really believe Scott need to retire, Aliens 1-2 was good from there it's just a mess, even the new add on is just meh?

I don't know about BR2049 but it better be good, I often wonder what happen to a successful director when they start to make utterly terrible sequels to their wonderful movies.

There are so far between good movies and TV shows these days.

 

[krylite]

Awesome now I can't wait to play the game

Edit: BTW I really believe Scott need to retire, Aliens 1-2 was good from there it's just a mess, even the new add on is just meh?

I don't know about BR2049 but it better be good, I often wonder what happen to a successful director when they start to make utterly terrible sequels to their wonderful movies.

There are so far between good movies and TV shows these days.

Oh, I think you're going to be floored by BR2049. Scott changed to producing the movie, and Denis Villeneuve directed it. (He previously directed the excellent "The Arrival"). I know what you mean by no more great sci-fi movies in a long time. I believe BR2049 is a new classic of the decade. It has a lot of the tone and artistry of the original , and extends and surpasses them in several ways. Great twists too.

They also released three "prequel shorts" on youtube similar to what they did for Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Not necessary to see , but helps fill the backstory since the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMP1YpQSGhQ

 

[Vasco Sapien]

Awesome now I can't wait to play the game

Edit: BTW I really believe Scott need to retire, Aliens 1-2 was good from there it's just a mess, even the new add on is just meh?

I don't know about BR2049 but it better be good, I often wonder what happen to a successful director when they start to make utterly terrible sequels to their wonderful movies.

There are so far between good movies and TV shows these days.

Alien 2 was directed by James Cameron, im not even sure Ridley Scott was even involved in the project.

But in defence of Alien 3. Hunt down and watch the assembly cut. Its about 30 minutes longer, sorts out the plot holes and character builds the prisoners to the point of them actually being people and not just meat for the grinder.

I will go so far as to say Alien: assembly cut is actually a good film.

--

But i agree Ridley has lost the ability to direct a cogent plot. He now has George Lucus Syndrome.

 

[Alec Turner]

Quick update to say that I saw it again last week, enjoyed it a lot more ... but it's still deeply flawed. Gosling is superb.

Oh, and I accidentally saw it in 3D ... was gutted when I found out but actually it was really good. Not at all gimmicky and I very quickly got used to it. Yes there were slight light, colour and focus issues but on the whole it just felt very natural to be watching scenes play out with some very natural depth to them. I won't be seeking out 3D in the future but it's come a long way from the retrofitted gimicky affairs of 5 years ago.

 

[Komemiute]

Awesome now I can't wait to play the game

Edit: BTW I really believe Scott need to retire, Aliens 1-2 was good from there it's just a mess, even the new add on is just meh?

I don't know about BR2049 but it better be good, I often wonder what happen to a successful director when they start to make utterly terrible sequels to their wonderful movies.

There are so far between good movies and TV shows these days.

To be honest I was highly skeptical.

Oh. Boy.

I loved it. 11/10. I... it... when...Only... and when...

No really, it's awesome.
Now if the rumor that Villeneuve is going to direct the next installation of Dune...

 

[duckofdeath]

It was indeed a feast for the eyes and senses. I tried listening to the great soundtrack at home, and thinking it's definitely one that needs the full cinema sized Atmos setup to come alive.
Fun fact, I didn't check how long the movie was when going. When I left I was wondering why they made it so "short", until I checked the time.

 

[Frank]

Quick update to say that I saw it again last week, enjoyed it a lot more ... but it's still deeply flawed. Gosling is superb.

Oh, and I accidentally saw it in 3D ... was gutted when I found out but actually it was really good. Not at all gimmicky and I very quickly got used to it. Yes there were slight light, colour and focus issues but on the whole it just felt very natural to be watching scenes play out with some very natural depth to them. I won't be seeking out 3D in the future but it's come a long way from the retrofitted gimicky affairs of 5 years ago.

It's something I never thought about. The slow editing could be there to help with the 3D. If a 3D movie has too many fast cuts your eyes don't have time to adjust to the view before it cuts to the next. This film has been designed from the start to be view in IMAX 3D. It's the way I say the movie and that might be the reason why I feel so positively towards it.

I don't get this "3D movie = bad movie" thing. Stereoscopic 3D is another string to a movie maker's bow. If it turns out to be a gimicky movie then that's down to the way it's made, not the medium itself.

Did you think other advances in movie technology were equally as bad? I mean talking pictures! What a gimmick! We don't need to hear what the actors say when we can read the cards. And how crass is colour? I mean it looks so garish on the screen. And don't get me started on anamorphic widescreen!

 

[duckofdeath]

I agree with Frank that 3D isn't a gimmick. Yes, there are bad productions not using the medium right, but that's not the 3D's fault.
I rarely miss good movies in 3D, as it does add to the experience. This one I did watch in 2D as my local cinema has gone allergic to 3D, demoting it to the second screen, where they also happen to have crappy speakers. (not the full 3D sound setup with subwoofers everywhere and all that)

 

[Alec Turner]

I just don't think 3D adds enough to the experience generally to warrant having to wear special glasses throughout, glasses which often suffer from imperfections, slight blurring and yes ... the dreaded god rays that plague VR. I don't know if he's changed his opinion recently but I certainly used to be in the Mark Kermode camp re: 3D. But, like I say, I actually quite liked it and some films are worth seeing that way. However, having seen it, if I were to see Blade Runner again, I would actively seek out a 2D screening. This is just my personal opinion, I get that some people have more time for it than others. Oh, and by gimmicky, I don't necessarily mean to imply that 3D is inherently "gimmicky", I mean when films deliberately have things flying out of the sceen at you or deliberately choose camera angles and tracks that would seem distinctly odd in 2D.

 

[Frank]

Kermode's view of 3D softened slightly after Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". He now admits that there are one or two films that do benefit from an extra dimension. Done properly, that extra wow factor is worth the downside of 3D; the glasses, the light loss, the shrinking effect, the time needed for eyes to adjust to a view, and the fact that the director has to occasionally poke you in the eye to remind you that the movie is indeed in 3D.

Okay. After writing that list, maybe I can understand why some people have a dim view of 3D. Maybe I've just been lucky with my choice of 3D movies. And I would put Bladerunner 2049 in amongst the movies of those worthwhile seeing in IMAX 3D

 

[Toumal]

The movie is enjoyable and definitely not as offensive as such a sequel could've been, though I have to say I don't think the original movie was such a cineatic masterpiece - though it was a landmark.
Quite a few unresolved plotlines and characters, and a few weird things which are less about the film being smart, and more about the writers being a tad lazy, but eh. A nice movie overall. The score by Wallfisch and Zimmer is... adequate, but much more simplistic and less melodic than what Vangelis wrote back in the day. Also, yet again Vangelis' sythesizer programming mojo is confirmed as no patch in the new soundtrack stands out. The CS80 sounds did not fit in quite that well, and were bland and uninspired patches.

Also the motorcycle rev noise was just completely idiotic, and I have no high hopes for humanity seeing so many people be impressed by what's essentially a loud noise.

 

[Alec Turner]

Tyet again Vangelis' sythesizer programming mojo is confirmed as no patch in the new soundtrack stands out. The CS80 sounds did not fit in quite that well, and were bland and uninspired patches.

Also the motorcycle rev noise was just completely idiotic, and I have no high hopes for humanity seeing so many people be impressed by what's essentially a loud noise.

Agree. It's no coincidence that, less than an hour after coming out of the movie I found myself humming tracks from the original ... go on, I challenge you ... hum a single track from the new film!

 

[Toumal]

The love scene was at least somewhat melodic. Aside from that, not a lot other than sawtooth pads and, during action scenes, synth base staccatos. Of course lots of synth leads with pitch bend at the end.
They've been using the Ambient Sequencer Brick AS-606 a lot too:

If you go through the 2049 soundtrack, the last two tracks are from the original movie. And they are like a breath of fresh air compared to the synthesizer noodling from before.