Better Than The Real Thing – Why We Love Blade Runner 2049

It was one of the cinematic events of 2017, and our excitement for its arrival On Demand is reaching fever pitch; almost four decades after the original left our socks comprehensively knocked off, the trick is repeated by the incredible Blade Runner 2049.

 

Available to rent On Demand from €4.99, from February 5th, the sci-fi epic stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford and has been rightly heralded as an unadulterated triumph. For those of you who still want reasons why the film should be top of your must-see list? Well, if we had more time we could probably come up with 2049 of them – but for the sake of brevity, we’ve whittled it down to seven…

 

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

 

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From the stunning visuals – and trust us, they’re utterly breathtaking – to the politics of the Human v Replicant tension, the futuristic dystopia of the film is quite wonderfully realised. One can’t help but feel immersed in its depth and expanse, which means an ordinarily fantastic sci-fi story feels like a living, breathing reality.

 

ALL OF LIFE’S BIG QUESTIONS

 

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The original won enormous acclaim for its unexpected depth; issues of identity, purpose and even existence itself were explored with unusual skill. The sequel certainly doesn’t drop the ball in that regard – in fact, in many ways it’s an even more profound and provocative effort than its predecessor!

 

TALKIN’ BOUT A RESOLUTION

 

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Blade Runner is deservedly acknowledged as one of the finest and most iconic sci-fi movies ever made; it’s a pretty big statement, then, to say that 2049 can make it seem like a mere set-up for the main event. Innumerable details from the first chapter are fleshed out and fully-formed; only now do we see the incredible world in all its wonder…

 

THE ATTRACTION OF THE ACTION

 

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While it’s not exactly a break-neck ride – in fact, one of the film’s finest attributes is its ability to slow the pace to allow everything unfold in due time – there’s little question that when the action picks up, it really picks up! Heart-pounding moments take advantage of the ever-present tension to create set-pieces that will have you leaping from your seat – don’t say you weren’t warned!

 

 

 

IT MUST BE LOVE

 

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It’s a tale as old as time; android meets hologram, android projects desires onto hologram, hologram provides android with semblance of human… what, not heard this one?! It’s fair, because 2049’s central romantic focus is altogether unique – equally surprising, however, is the wealth of questions it raises about the impact of relationships, human or otherwise!

 

 

CLASS ACT(ING)

 

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That the likes of Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford produce tour-de-force performances isn’t exactly shocking, but there’s no shortage of star turns on offer. Ana de Armas is arresting as Joi, Sylvia Hoeks’ Luv is blisteringly badass, Dave Bautista is his usual scene-stealing self, and even the much-maligned Jared Leto won rave reviews as villain-in-chief Niyander Wallace.

 

 

A SOUND AFFAIR

 

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An epic movie deserves an epic soundtrack, and boy do we have one here! The road wasn’t without a few twists and turns – original composer Jóhann Jóhannsson bailing on the project during production – and in the end the job fell to Hans Zimmer; predictably, the man responsible for everything from Interstellar and Inception to The Lion King was up to the task!