Went in our local cinema the wonderful http://www.statecinema.com.au/Page/Home which lets you take a beer in with you, silent and perfectly observed apart from the guy taking 5 mins to unwrap a sweet.
From the moment the first notes of the score hit I was in.
I can see the style over substance and too long comments but and a huge but
giving you time to absorb the visuals, to soak up the atmosphere and to let your mind play through what was happening was great. The pace was near perfect but there may have been a few seconds in a some scenes that could have been cut – and the damm flashback scene – very unnecessary.
On the character of Joi – the ambiguity as to who she is working for/controlled by/influenced by or who is listening in was crucial – if you didn’t think she was a major part then you missed a lot of the film. The idea of what a replicant can be and needs following on from where Roy got us to – the idea that a replicant can live in the society is a key one.
On the sexism issues and the way women are portrayed in the film, BR isn’t there to tell us what the future should be but where it could be, a society where the brightest and best have left for offworld and the ones left have no hope, the idea that those who are left are at the bottom, numbing their pain with sex, alcohol and consumerism is a telling insight into what can happen if the direction is not corrected.
The nods to the original were great, Panam was fun, the bee on the arm in vegas? and more I won’t even remember. It will be getting a rewatch when it comes to the smaller screen.
as an aside I did see Arrival being brought up before – yep if you didn’t like the pace stay away.
List of best films I’ve seen this year
Arrival
Nocturnal Animals
Logan
Blade Runner 2049
Baby Driver
If lots of people like it you didn’t aim high enough.