Blade Runner 2049

The fifth film I have watched for my Film Studies A-level is Blade Runner 2049.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049 is an american neo-noir science-fiction film based off the original story of Blade Runner (1982). The story depicts a bio-engineered human named K, who discovers the remains of a once-pregnant replicant. To prevent a possible war between replicants and humans, K is secretly tasked with finding the child and destroying all evidence related to it.

I watched this film in ODEON BFI IMAX cinema in London. The positive aspects of watching the film like this was that due to the extreme darkness of the surroundings and the added effect of surround sound, I was able to fully immerse myself within the unfolding story of the film. This helped me stay focused on what was happening, which I think I might of found harder if I was watching in anywhere else due to the film's length. Another positive was that I found the seats of the Imax cinema quite comfy and didn't feel as uncomfortable as I have previously at different cinemas.

However one of the negatives were that I sometimes found the sounds to be slightly too loud and painful to listen to at times. At certain moments of the film there was background music to help create tension, however sometimes it was too powerful and contrasting in pitch that it hurt to listen to. This, especially the deep bass, did help add to the tension and feeling of oppression of the film, yet it also made it hard to focus on the action of the film. Another negative was that due to the 3D glasses, I began to feel slightly sick after a while, which I'm normally okay with, but due to the length, I think it made it worse. The 3D glasses also made it hard to watch the film comfortably as if tried to change position and look at the screen from another angle, the image went weird and hurt my eyes so I had to sit upright, facing forwards for the entirety of the film.

The film has two main conflicts of Human Vs Technology and Human Vs Self. Initially, the film film focuses on the conflict of Human Vs Technology as the film begins by explaining the past about the humans and the replicants. However, as the film unfold, and we get to understand the main character (K) better, we see how he is struggling with his thoughts about his meaning in the world. He is searching for some purpose when he starts to think that he is actually the child of the pregnant replicant, making him special. Throughout the film this inner conflict develops as K investigates what happened to the child and learns more about himself.
The basic lot that best fits the film is The Quest but with the child as what K is looking for.

Overall I think I have preferred to watching this film at the Imax Cinema as the immersive surroundings kept me hooked on the story and focused on what was happening, which I'm not sure would have happened if I watched it somewhere else, like at home. However I do think that the 3D effect on the film was completely necessary to enjoy the film, so if I were to watch it again, I would watch it in 2D so I could move positions a bit.