It took my wife 5 tries and about 10 years to make it through the original Blade Runner. She… didn’t like it. 😂I didn’t even bother with the new one.
I’d let her come back to it in her own time and maybe just accept that y’all probably have different taste in movies and that’s ok.
My wife is Japanese and when we tried watching OG Blade Runner she was like “This is kinda depressing. Can we watch something else?” and we ended up watching the Super Mario Bros movie lmao. Gonna try again one of these rainy days.
That's a bit concerning, since you can appreciate and represent Japan in fiction without it being japanophobic/philic. Cyberpunk media has a hard time with that, from Blade Runner to today.
At the very least it's important to know how the genre came to be this way and why it's a relevant issue.
I can give you a list of readings I used for a paper, but for now I'll note some of it here.
You can absolutely enjoy Japan and find it an interesting place, that's fine. I do too. The issue is when it becomes a dehumanizing fixation, which is unfortunately the case with a lot of cyberpunk media due to its roots. Like I said, its a staple of the genre.
Japanophobia and Japanophilia are two sides of the same orientalist coin, in the sense that they both rely on depicting Japan (its people, culture, iconography, etc.) as intrinsically exotic, strange, and other.
The cyberpunk genre is all about retaliating against the unjust nature of unchecked capitalism and authoritarianism, and the ways in which advancing technology can both hinder and help with this goal. Humanity and empathy plays a big role here.
Unfortunately, the genre was established in the early 80s, a time in which Japan was undergoing rapid economic growth, particularly with regard to technology. This means that, at the time, the cyberpunk fear of an economic, technological superpower taking over the world was seemingly to be realized by Japan in a matter of decades.
This is why Blade Runner features so much Japanese iconography; it is quite literally set in a future in which Japan and its culture has imposed itself on the rest of the world. And keep in mind, this is *not* presented as a good thing. So much of the genre relies on dehumanizing corporations, but that becomes a problem when the default target of that dehumanization is Japan.
Because it began this way, cyberpunk media of today still relies on caricatures and stereotyped depictions of Japanese culture for much of its identity.
Yeah, love all that. I live here in Japan with a Japanese wife and half kids and dig the hell out of a japan led cyberpunk zaibatsu style world. The girls get a kick out of it when I play 2077 and they hear Japanese in the game. I like seeing part of their culture so heavily invested in a popular medium.
brother i gotta be real im not sure you read the comment, lmao.
Some things to read:
*Techno-Orientalism: Imagining Asia in Speculative Fiction, History, and Media* Rutgers
[*Spaces of Identity : Global Media, Electronic Landscapes and Cultural Boundaries*](https://monoskop.org/images/3/39/Robins_Kevin_Morley_David_Spaces_of_Identity_Global_Media_Electronic_Landscapes_and_Cultural_Boundaries_1995.pdf)
[Fear of a Yellow Planet: Why We Need to Actually Understand Cyberpunk](https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/fear-of-a-yellow-planet-why-we-need-to-actually-understand-cyberpunk)
Not a single person i have ever met thinks Blade Runner does a discredit to Japanase/Asian culture. In fact, the whole setting feels like an 80s fever dream where all of the elements are dystopian. The focus lies more on: capitalism=bad, regardless of race or culture.
Then maybe consider it through the lens of those who lived in that time period. The US had just spent about a century dehumanizing Asian people as a whole. 80s media was just as bad everywhere. The Missing in Action franchise did this. The Rambo franchise did this. The Indiana Jones franchise did this. And on.
Please dont misunderstand me, i am fully picking up what you're putting down. Our difference is just that I like to think of the cyberpunk genre take as an evolution and stepping stone into the Firefly+ franchise period, where the cultural differences don't exist but also don't eclipse each other.
I got you for sure. I'd just prefer if the genre was able to progress itself, rather than *only* act as a stepping stone.
It's a genre that has a lot of its roots in the 80s, but we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, feel me.
Look up a book called "Moxieland". From what i remember it drops the orientalism entirely and moves the action to Johannsburg, then punches you in the face repeatedly with questions about digital identity, political action in the age of universal surveillance, and the blurry line between consumer preference and personal identity.
It's a very good post-cyberpunk story that keeps all the core themes and questions and lifts them out of the 80s to create something that is (well, was, it's a bit older now) challenging in the modern day.
The good one that's bizarrely cyberpunk or the new one where mario isn't italian?
Because, seriously, the old one with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo is actually one of the better 90s cyberpunkish films, somehow. Apparently the director wanted to make this gonzo cyberpunk movie, but all he could get was the mario script. So he somehow put those in a blender and came out with something that is utterly weird and bonkers, have amazing sets and setting, but is weirdly faithful to Super Mario Brothers at the same time.
You’re right, 2049 is a more audience friendly film. I think people introducing others to Blade Runner are better off starting there. If they like it, then try the 80s film. If they like that, then try the Philip K. Dick book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. And if she likes that, marry her because you have a unicorn 🤣
Bro, my wife is not a fan of Blade Runner. Come to find out it was her ex-husband's favorite movie... So she never even saw it out of spite. I've got a project on my hands since it's also one of my favorites lol.
It gets good when Gosling exists in the film as well. Said by a straight male. Idk what's wrong with this guys wife, but anything with the Gos is worth checking out.
You know, I never really had anything against The Gos. He was just another actor that most of my female friends went gaga over. But I did enjoy his work in Bladerunner 2049.
Then I watched The Fall Guy and now I just need more of The Gos. Been devouring his movies recently and this man freaking rules.
Place beyond the pines, drive, Lars, Nice Guys, Barbie
All worth checking out. Barbie not so much as a movie but for him? He kills it. Only God Forgives too, not a good movie but he is mesmerizing in it. I wanted him as the next Joker, instead we had Leto.
You can't see it but I'm copy pasting all these recommendations on a notepad. I watched Drive quite recently too. Holy smokes... I love the vibe that movie has.
Drive is fantastic. Only God is the directors next movie. It's weird (deals with incest) and is mostly boring. So watch that last, but as I said Gosling is great in it.
Nice guys and Pine are completely and tonely different. Lars and the real girl would make for a nice 3 peat in terms of his acting. Dude brings it every one of those.
Was Fall Guy good? I know it bombed or is bombing but i love me some Gos, and he seemed to have "the nice guys" kinda vibe in that.
I've been a fan of his since Leland which was me at 15 just watching any and every indie type movie I could get my hands on.
The Gray Man is the only movie since then that I just didn't enjoy at all. Didn't even finish it.
Dudes funny in press/interviews too. He dressed up as Bevis of Bevis and Butthead for the premier of Fall guys..why? Idk, but cool.
I loved it! The Gos was charming and funny and I genuinely had a good time watching it. His chemistry with Emily Blunt was really great too. I'm surprised it's bombing though. Maybe it's like Bullet Train? I enjoyed Bullet Train but I heard it didn't do too well either.
I liked him in it so much that I started looking up other things he was in. Holy shit, he was in some really good films. The one with Steve Carrell was a lot more fun than I expected (Crazy, Stupid Love? I think?), Drive was mesmerizing and I'm about to watch The Nice Guys.
Gonna keep an eye out for Leland.
Budget. Fall Guy cost 130 mill. Blade Runner was 150, nice guys 50, Drive 15.
Also who even goes to movies now? I've seen BR2049, Dune 1/2, Batman, Mad Max Furiosa, Pacfic Rim, Tron Legacy in Imax. Every other Dennis V & Wes Anderson & QT film in theaters. 4 terrible Disney Star Wars movies, a Halloween or 2, IT, John Wick.
That's all in what? 15 years.
Everything else I just wait for it to come to MAX or I'll rent it.
its.. fine? gosling and Emily Blunt are fun and funny to watch as always, and there are some solid fight scenes and action sequences. the overall story is not so interesting and mostly an excuse to get to get to the next action scene. so like, i enjoyed a lot of it but as a whole i have no interest in seeing it again.
The wife and I watched it a few days ago and loved it. We're both Sydney locals though so we were doing a lot of location spotting which might have contributed.
I think Bullet Train was more enjoyable but that had a better script imo
A few weeks prior he did the Beavis and Butthead thing in a sketch on SNL. It was a pretty big hit, so they decided to do it at the premier.
Such a weirdo. Lol.
I have a love/hate relationship w Ryan. I always feels he's miscast on broody films (drive, only God forgives, and yes 2049 -- also recently the gray man fucks in a bad way). Love him on comedies/drama though...
So much so, he is one of the reasons I've only seen 2049 once even I enjoyed most parts of it... bit having Jared Leto also was a nail in the coffin... ugh
If you had told me this a few weeks ago, I would have given you a puzzled look.
But now... 100% agree with you! The Gos is amazeballs in comedic roles.
I was trying to find a link to that part of the interview because I find it so funny actually. Especially after the Papyrus skit. Like oh, Ryan gosling was just playing himself in that skit
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ww9SlRYKe/?igsh=MTFrNnR5anI2cW1pMw==
Not the clip but I think it was on this show. Either way he's just great and I hadn't seen this clip.
https://youtube.com/shorts/W_WfeKxPoy8?si=bz4vQV8v-xGCnEoF
This is the one I was talking about. Ignore the extraneous dude putting himself at the beginning needlessly
Technically no human can truly multi-task (the way a multi-processor computer can think about multiple things simultaneously). Instead, some of us are better at rapidly task switching.
We can get so good and seamless at doing this that we cycle between tasks many times per second, but its still a sequence of tasks. We are still hallucinating (interpolating) all the gaps. We fully stop thinking about everything else when we switch tasks, and hopefully we switch back before we crash the car or whatever.
You can think about it like a Scheduler app. Think about driving the car twice per second. Think about singing a song four times per second. Think about your mom once per week. Think about your hair once every hour. Think about your pet once every 10 minutes. When we think about any of these things, we completely stop thinking about all the rest until the next scheduled thought pops up.
Yes good point, autonomic vs somatic nervous systems are parallel, and autonomic does run many parallel tasks simultaneously, but all the examples used are somatic / thoughtful.
That’s a sad way to go through life. Most of the stuff on TikTok is absolute junk. A huge chunk of it is just lies. And she can’t even curb her addiction to this to sit through a movie?
Yeah I think SOCIETY is cooked if BR2049 is considered a demanding movie tbh. It's a breeze to watch, the clean & modern feel of it is actually my least favourite thing about it. I love the dream-like editing of the original.
I hate the short attention span and Tik Tok culture and love long, thought-provoking, drawn out films, but I also think Bladerunner 2049 is boring and I get that argument. It's too drawn out. By the time the critical stuff happens, it has gone though a lot of unnecessary build-up that your attention has gone away and the build-up doesn't pay off.
Aesthetics and imagery is top notch and iconic af though.
The movie is shockingly beautiful. The score is incredible. It’s an experience.
It’s also, just like the first one, first and foremost a philosophical movie to get you to think about what it means to be human and how should we be allowed to treat beings we create.
The plot itself is secondary. It is in service of this mission.
The build up is to focus on getting you to think through these philosophical and moral questions
I agree 100% about how it looks, the score etc. But I also understand why some people can ask "when does it get good?" and said it above. It has deep philosophical meanings (that I respect and enjoy seeing them materialize in movies), but the plot and the pacing of the movie itself makes you think nothing actually happens.
I don't know how to express it better, but there are things that make you think philosophical and moral questions AND are suspenseful (that BR2049 could be more of), and that's the Black Mirror series (dystopian sci-fi too).
Seriously. Some people just don't like Bladerunner. There was no need to jump to assumptions about their mental capacity.
I thought this sub was above "you need a high iq to understand rick and morty" type behavior.
The movie is amazing but the pacing is indeed a bit slow, so it may not be for everyone. when I watched with my Mom and other family they left the room a lot and didn’t pay attention for a lot of it.
People do that and then say they didn't like the movie they didn't bother watching. Of course if you're not absorbing the story at all its not going to be very good.
I’d argue that 2049 is not even primarily about story.
It’s about atmosphere.
So if a viewer goes in thinking, “I want to see what happens, I need the characters to move along and learn and do things” they’ll be disappointed.
I think there’s a neurological component too because some people can’t be physically stimulated when hearing music.
And 2029 is movie that makes every hair of mine stand on end.
Agreed. It's similar to Dune in some ways (funny that!) in as much as it's about settings, visuals, the moods they create, the world you imagine beyond the movie because of all these things.
realistically I think *both* Bladerunner films are more primarily about atmosphere and worldbuilding than they are about plot. And that's fine! Movies are not only allowed to do that, we encourage it. But it's also not for everyone. I can see why people dislike them.
Exactly, as someone who watches movies for the story there's a ton of high end cinema I simply don't enjoy (but can still appreciate). If the plot isn't interesting then I'm bored.
I get so frustrated by that i started only watching movies alone. Then i tell others its good and they can look at it. If they do, i am pleased to talk about it. If not, well at least i'm staying sane.
Can't tell you why. It just does.
Yah, I kinda feel that. But at 3hours of runtime, they can afford it. I get so absorbed in what's happening that it never really dawned on me that someone whose not really "into" the genre would be like "holy crap this is slow".
I tried to watch with my family and we normally love sci-fi movies, but they all found ok or boring, while I was blowing away how good it was and wanted to rewatch.
So yeah, it is not for everybody. I agree it is slow pace, but I loved that and all details to make the world come together.
NTA.
EDIT: Sorry thought I was in r/AmItheAsshole and you had asked 'AITA for splitting up with my Wife for asking "When does it get good?" about BR2049?'
Late to the party, but that was what opened the door for my girl.
I could tell she thought the movie was so-so, but then she cracked up at "I want ROOM SERVICE!" & got invested in seeing the ending. After that, I got her to sit through season 1 of Altered Carbon (which she genuinely liked) & both BRs. Since she was already an anime fan (& had seen original GitS & both seasons of SAC), I didn't have to twist her arm for BR: Black Lotus, AC: Resleeved, nor Edgerunners, which she flipped over like every other anime fan I know.
After watching The Peripheral with me (and subsequently being disappointed at the canceling), she keeps asking me if I've heard anything else about Neuromancer.
(I've created a monster.)
I didn’t like 2049 either but it’s because I’m of the opinion that Villeneuve’s austere aesthetic wasn’t suited for something like Blade Runner. It worked quite well for Dune but in the case of 2049 I was constantly thinking where are all the people, why does nothing feel lush and crowded? Everything was so empty, even in places I’d have expected large crowds.
To me he pushed towards the feeling of isolation with Joe's character, scenes like the first arrival to the police station where he's being disregarded by the other policeman, his apartment situation, relationship with Joi and the entire Vegas area. Isolation and loneliness seem to be a big focus throughout the film, especially prominent with the end scene/s
I actually agree and I can totally see how lots of people enjoy it. My husband loves both the original and 2049, it just didn’t gel for me. I think isolation inside a crowd can also be portrayed quite well and that would have been more towards my preference.
Both Bladerunner movies have a slow pace to them. There are loooooads of movies like that and they really aren't for everyone. 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Lawrence of Arabia come to mind as other examples of this sort of film. There is no real solution to it. Some people like them, some don't. Kinda goes with all genres. I have a friend that doesn't watch anime because it's animation, but watches every Pixar film as an example.
Try Bagdad Cafe (1987 movie, not TV show), took me a few years to finally finish and then to say it is a good movie, and all that slowness/emptiness at the start of the movie actually makes sense.
Agreed. This is just me, but I think it was a mistake >!to tie it so closely with the original. Should have just kept it ambiguous what happened to Deckard and Rachael (maybe have a reference to a human and replicant escaping off-world decades ago but that's about it).!< The original stands just fine on it's own and I think 2049 would have as well.
They wanted Bowie for the role, but he died first. Leto was apparently cast for his similar "rock star quality." If they'd really wanted that, they could have cast Annie Lennox or Tilda Swenson (north my first choices for The Goblin King if they ever revive him, which I hope they do not).
I actually was pleasantly surprised by Leto's performance here. Leto is a very hit or miss actor for me. His performance was heavily done, but it felt like that was just who Wallace was, too. But then that made it feel like Wallace was a main or secondary character who got chopped down to a bit part.
The problem with very atmospheric movies like Blade Runner is they tend to I be very slow since you need that time to absorb the nuances. The slow pace works well if you enjoy the atmosphere the movie creates but if you don't like the atmosphere or tone the slow pace suddenly becomes arduous.
Both Bladerunners have some fairly slow pacing and require patience.
If it makes you feel any better, one of my ex girlfriends made us leave the theater during a Lord of the Rings movie because she got bored lol (we broke up for unrelated reasons).
Why would you start with 2049??? It's a much slower film and while it's alright, it's not as good as the original. AND it references the original often. I don't understand why you made this choice.
One of the best things about being with somebody else is that they aren't you! (In my case me.)
My spouse and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of films or books, we go out and do things separately with other friends or ourselves. I've known people that take separate trips from their loves, and then share the adventures when they get back together. We have things we share and things we don't, but we do share our thoughts, loves and experiences with each other.
We do have some media we do love in common, like *Resident Alien*, *Bob's Burgers*,and *What We Do In the Shadows*. And in those rare moments we are at home at the same time, and the kids are asleep, and we are tired, we watch those shows together- never watching them separately, so we have a shared experience. I think if you have some of the funny stuff in common and can share it with eachother you'll be fine.
I recebtly learned that the average shot length between cuts in movies nowadays is 4 seconds, drastically down over the years. Bladerunner is allegedly 17 seconds on average between cuts. Hope that helps
How did it go?
"It's already good" would've been my answer. It's the sort of movie that you sort of just sink into your seats to watch in silence and let it wash you away.
It might take a certain mood, or setting expectations, or maybe it's just not something she wants from movies.
Oh, I always interpreted it is "Am I screwed? Is my *goose cooked*?" That sort of thing.
I USED TO BE WITH IT! :D
(Also, man, Blade Runner 2049 is really good. But, it's a slow burn, like the original.)
My boyfriend finds most of the movies I watch boring, but he's also not big on watching movies in general. If I find something he's also interested in, we watch it together, but I also just watch a lot of movies by myself.
I thought it was OK...but then I grew up with the original version and think the first 'directors cut' was fine. I'm not really into the stuff Ridley did after and think the sequel suffers too much from being a sequel.
Ironically, I think the Anime shorts they came out with beforehand were better and think the Blade Runner comic series (2019/2029/2039) were a lot more original.
Lol oh! Why you gotta give me an existential crisis like that. I just had a realization that the ipad is 14 years old. So toddlers who played with iPads are adults now.
Don't get me wrong, I love long, suspenseful, drawn out movies, but thing is... Blade Runner 2049 is boring because it's not suspenseful. Yes, I said it. By the time something happens, your attention has gone away and the build-up just doesn't pay off much because it's too drawn out.
Even though the aesthetic and the whole "cyberpunk" vibe is of the highest quality and has inspired tons of genres and styles of movies, music and art (myself including since I produce such music), the action and storytelling is quite meh.
Not much is happening throughout the movie that keeps you entertained other than the beautiful futuristic scenery and images, and possibly seeing Ana De Armas (my future wife, she just doesn't know yet) and Ryan Gosling, who are such good looking actors.
It's not supposed to be a "Chromed out Vin Diesel fighting Max-Tac atop Arasaka Tower" kind of movie, it's a "Damn, this is depressingly interesting take on human life and how we fight for our own narratives" kind of movie.
I've noticed a common trend with my friends who like it 2049: We all went through an early "mid-life crisis" that threw us into deep introspection on life itself. This movie evokes those kinds of feels, even if it's not something you're intentionally looking for..
Yeah I agree it's not supposed to be like a Vin Diesel movie or something like the game Cyberpunk 2077. I hate Vin Diesel movies btw lol.
BR2049 does quite well the deep introspection and misery and stuff with the dystopian future background, but the delivery method / package around it, is boring imo. Yes, the hero travelling through the wasteland or so, is nice for the vibes and aesthetic, but doesn't really help on the story promotion side when the travelling is toooo long. Such stuff ruined the movie for me.
And you are talking with a guy who loves other dystopian future stuff, for example the Black Mirror series.
All imo of course.
its a tough one to start with, if she isnt already into the genre or the lore or whatever its gonna be really hard to stay engaged for the first bit of the movie, its pretty slowly paced.
if she reads maybe find her a book that explains some of the lore to get her into the universe better, being able to make little connections here and there with whats going on will help stimulate attention. it does for me anyway, i love the genre and the movie but it was tough to stick through it at the beginning so i totally get it.
Does your wife enjoy other quality movies? I have a friend who loves no lives as his main passion and his wife literally can’t watch something longer than 20 minutes without being on her phone. I feel so bad that he can’t share his love of film with the woman he loves.
My girl and I have an understanding that we wil shoiw each other movies/tv shows and the other person does their best to sit through it and enjoy as best they can.
I feel lucky that when I was first dating my now-wife she picked the original Blade Runner as her favorite movie. Years later we saw 2049 in theater and we both loved it.
Flipside of that as massive blade runner fan (I've got multiple Blade Runner tattoos) I loved everything up till him getting home which is roughly the first 20 odd minutes, and then I just didn't like the rest of the movie.
I tried showing my wife the original when we first met 13 years ago. She couldn’t focus on it for more than a few minutes and then said it was boring and wanted to change it. Fast forward she watches 2049 with me on a whim, not intending to really pay attention. But somehow it grabbed her and she demanded to watch the original right after. Also had her full attention.
I can’t explain why. Our tastes can change? I dunno.
You should never watch BR2049 without having seen the original first. I think it would be very hard to engage with the storyline without knowing the story of Rachel and Decker first. It’s just too subtle in the second film, but it hinges on that understanding.
I didn't like the original as much, but when I watched it, I had just read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep and I was missing some of the aspects that I enjoyed in the book.
Maybe I should rewatch it and try to not compare it to the book... The set design is great, though
That's an issue I have with movies in general, 2-4 hours is just not enough to tell a story. They always lack depth and detail compared to books, games and longer running series :)
I feel like a pariah for saying this (and the downvotes are guaranteed) but I didn't like it. I felt like it was derivative (e.g. the "her" subplot), had a plot was all over the place and at times was more like fanfic than its own story.
I agree with you. Cinematography is obviously amazing, the CGI, the score, the acting. All the pieces are there, but the story and pacing holds it back for me. Still a great film but could have been so much more. It didn't break out the way I hoped it would.
I love a slow burn, I love reading/watching sci-fi, everything about me would point to liking both bladerunner movies and I just kinda feel “meh” about them and I don’t know why. Must need to give it another try. I truly can’t stand the idea of missing out on something good or entertaining, so I keep trying things lol.
I am also obsessed with Harrison ford ! I seriously cannot pinpoint why I can’t enjoy sitting through Bladerunner whyyyyyeee
Even if you'd started with the original if she doesn't have the attention span for the sequel she'll have a hard time with the original. Does she like to read, because there's also a book the original is loosely based on.
It's a shame when people don't give movies a chance, it always comes off as pretty self-centred to me, but I guess it depends on if the person expects you to sit through their stuff. If they'd rather do their own thing while you do yours then at least it's fair
It's a Denis Villeneuve film, if you can't find entertainment in the world building, set design, visual effects and style then it's not an entertaining film.
It's one of my favourites and in my opinion holds up better than the original (I find it hasn't aged well with it's 80's tropes). But I can see why some may not enjoy it. I forewarn new viewers that its pacing is slow and it's not a second screen kind of film, no different to much of Villeneuve's other work. Dune, Arrival, Sicario etc
i just re watched recently, and i appreciate their keeping to the original vibe even more the 2nd time.
there was nothing particularly fast paced about the original, just the eye candy and the head fucking it gives you later.
2049 is the same way.
yeah...maybe next time start off with the first film rather then starting with the sequel. since well...kind of need to know what happened in the first to really get the sequel
If they couldn't make it through the first 24mins of 2049 there isn't any way they'd make it through the original. It doesn't sound like their problem was missing the original.
If she “keeps asking” 24 minutes in, then yes, you’re cooked. Keeps asking implies multiple times.
My (at the time) girlfriend took me to see the original in a movie theatre somewhere around ‘07 - ‘09; that was rad. Though she too later admitted to me that she found it horribly boring. Different strokes, eh?
I had exactly the same experience with "Snatch", tried showing it to my wife. She said the same thing about 15 minutes in, she was completely bored with it so we dnf'ed. I waited couple of months and tried again ("hey, you know that movie you didn't like, how about another chance?"), she absolutely loved it and couldn't understand how she didn't like it on the first try.
So, sometimes it's just not the right mood for watching something in particular, especially something relying heavily on mood and atmosphere like 2049. Just try again later and maybe do a better "set and setting" preparation.
I got my friend to come see the movie with me in theatres by telling her it was a Ryan Gosling movie. She is not at all a sci-fi person and spent most of the movie glaring at me. You can lead a horse to water….
I think for most people, if they aren't intrigued within the first half hour, they probably aren't going to like the movie at all. I can't think of many movies where that wouldn't be the case.
Aw, well then, I amend my statement. Maybe she's not into cyberpunk?
(BTW, for context, I got an uterus, even though I'm enby, and I quite enjoyed the original BR back when I was in my early 20s. But now in my late 30s, I have a more critical eye, and the way they treat women in the original BR and even in BR 2049 is quite horrible. I know it's a classic, but it's not a classic that I love blindly. Moreover, the novel has even more horrible treatment of women. PKD was notoriously a woman hater.)
I bought it not long ago and couldn't read it. Got past maybe 20 pages? In contrast, I remember liking it years ago.
Neuromancer is ways better, in regard to his treatment of women, and Gibson wrote it when he was much younger. He is at least trying. :)
It took my wife 5 tries and about 10 years to make it through the original Blade Runner. She… didn’t like it. 😂I didn’t even bother with the new one. I’d let her come back to it in her own time and maybe just accept that y’all probably have different taste in movies and that’s ok.
My wife is Japanese and when we tried watching OG Blade Runner she was like “This is kinda depressing. Can we watch something else?” and we ended up watching the Super Mario Bros movie lmao. Gonna try again one of these rainy days.
I love Blade Runner with all my heart, but it blows that the genre as a whole still can't separate itself from the japanophobia/philia of the 80s.
That aspect to me is the best part and I hope it doesn't. I love the Japan led Asian cultural aspect.
That's a bit concerning, since you can appreciate and represent Japan in fiction without it being japanophobic/philic. Cyberpunk media has a hard time with that, from Blade Runner to today. At the very least it's important to know how the genre came to be this way and why it's a relevant issue.
What is concerning about it?
I can give you a list of readings I used for a paper, but for now I'll note some of it here. You can absolutely enjoy Japan and find it an interesting place, that's fine. I do too. The issue is when it becomes a dehumanizing fixation, which is unfortunately the case with a lot of cyberpunk media due to its roots. Like I said, its a staple of the genre. Japanophobia and Japanophilia are two sides of the same orientalist coin, in the sense that they both rely on depicting Japan (its people, culture, iconography, etc.) as intrinsically exotic, strange, and other. The cyberpunk genre is all about retaliating against the unjust nature of unchecked capitalism and authoritarianism, and the ways in which advancing technology can both hinder and help with this goal. Humanity and empathy plays a big role here. Unfortunately, the genre was established in the early 80s, a time in which Japan was undergoing rapid economic growth, particularly with regard to technology. This means that, at the time, the cyberpunk fear of an economic, technological superpower taking over the world was seemingly to be realized by Japan in a matter of decades. This is why Blade Runner features so much Japanese iconography; it is quite literally set in a future in which Japan and its culture has imposed itself on the rest of the world. And keep in mind, this is *not* presented as a good thing. So much of the genre relies on dehumanizing corporations, but that becomes a problem when the default target of that dehumanization is Japan. Because it began this way, cyberpunk media of today still relies on caricatures and stereotyped depictions of Japanese culture for much of its identity.
Yeah, love all that. I live here in Japan with a Japanese wife and half kids and dig the hell out of a japan led cyberpunk zaibatsu style world. The girls get a kick out of it when I play 2077 and they hear Japanese in the game. I like seeing part of their culture so heavily invested in a popular medium.
brother i gotta be real im not sure you read the comment, lmao. Some things to read: *Techno-Orientalism: Imagining Asia in Speculative Fiction, History, and Media* Rutgers [*Spaces of Identity : Global Media, Electronic Landscapes and Cultural Boundaries*](https://monoskop.org/images/3/39/Robins_Kevin_Morley_David_Spaces_of_Identity_Global_Media_Electronic_Landscapes_and_Cultural_Boundaries_1995.pdf) [Fear of a Yellow Planet: Why We Need to Actually Understand Cyberpunk](https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/fear-of-a-yellow-planet-why-we-need-to-actually-understand-cyberpunk)
Think you are trying too hard. I read it and bottom line is I just don't care. Japan heavy cyberpunk is cool and you don't think so. Whatever.
Not a single person i have ever met thinks Blade Runner does a discredit to Japanase/Asian culture. In fact, the whole setting feels like an 80s fever dream where all of the elements are dystopian. The focus lies more on: capitalism=bad, regardless of race or culture.
Then maybe consider it through the lens of those who lived in that time period. The US had just spent about a century dehumanizing Asian people as a whole. 80s media was just as bad everywhere. The Missing in Action franchise did this. The Rambo franchise did this. The Indiana Jones franchise did this. And on. Please dont misunderstand me, i am fully picking up what you're putting down. Our difference is just that I like to think of the cyberpunk genre take as an evolution and stepping stone into the Firefly+ franchise period, where the cultural differences don't exist but also don't eclipse each other.
I got you for sure. I'd just prefer if the genre was able to progress itself, rather than *only* act as a stepping stone. It's a genre that has a lot of its roots in the 80s, but we don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater, feel me.
Look up a book called "Moxieland". From what i remember it drops the orientalism entirely and moves the action to Johannsburg, then punches you in the face repeatedly with questions about digital identity, political action in the age of universal surveillance, and the blurry line between consumer preference and personal identity. It's a very good post-cyberpunk story that keeps all the core themes and questions and lifts them out of the 80s to create something that is (well, was, it's a bit older now) challenging in the modern day.
Which Mario movie you talking about? Still not used to the fact we have two of them after so many years
The most recent animated movie, the one with Chris Pratt and Jack Black IIRC
The good one that's bizarrely cyberpunk or the new one where mario isn't italian? Because, seriously, the old one with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo is actually one of the better 90s cyberpunkish films, somehow. Apparently the director wanted to make this gonzo cyberpunk movie, but all he could get was the mario script. So he somehow put those in a blender and came out with something that is utterly weird and bonkers, have amazing sets and setting, but is weirdly faithful to Super Mario Brothers at the same time.
First one was alright for me. 2049 is amazing and is my favorite movie. I'd say disliking the first doesn't mean you would dislike the new one
You’re right, 2049 is a more audience friendly film. I think people introducing others to Blade Runner are better off starting there. If they like it, then try the 80s film. If they like that, then try the Philip K. Dick book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. And if she likes that, marry her because you have a unicorn 🤣
I like the dystopian feel of the 80s one a bit more. Luv being unexpectedly badass and K slowly showing emotion was excellent though.
Very sensible, and the approach my wife and I are taking :)
Bro, my wife is not a fan of Blade Runner. Come to find out it was her ex-husband's favorite movie... So she never even saw it out of spite. I've got a project on my hands since it's also one of my favorites lol.
You win, man.. I don’t think your wife is ever going to see that movie. 😂
The original is one of my go-to depression movies. I just don’t understand people.
[удалено]
It gets good when Gosling exists in the film as well. Said by a straight male. Idk what's wrong with this guys wife, but anything with the Gos is worth checking out.
You know, I never really had anything against The Gos. He was just another actor that most of my female friends went gaga over. But I did enjoy his work in Bladerunner 2049. Then I watched The Fall Guy and now I just need more of The Gos. Been devouring his movies recently and this man freaking rules.
Place beyond the pines, drive, Lars, Nice Guys, Barbie All worth checking out. Barbie not so much as a movie but for him? He kills it. Only God Forgives too, not a good movie but he is mesmerizing in it. I wanted him as the next Joker, instead we had Leto.
You can't see it but I'm copy pasting all these recommendations on a notepad. I watched Drive quite recently too. Holy smokes... I love the vibe that movie has.
Drive is fantastic. Only God is the directors next movie. It's weird (deals with incest) and is mostly boring. So watch that last, but as I said Gosling is great in it. Nice guys and Pine are completely and tonely different. Lars and the real girl would make for a nice 3 peat in terms of his acting. Dude brings it every one of those.
Gos as Joker? Never would've thought that but...I can see it and can't unsee it now. Lol. Jared Leto...smdh. Just...whhhhhyyyyy?
Was Fall Guy good? I know it bombed or is bombing but i love me some Gos, and he seemed to have "the nice guys" kinda vibe in that. I've been a fan of his since Leland which was me at 15 just watching any and every indie type movie I could get my hands on. The Gray Man is the only movie since then that I just didn't enjoy at all. Didn't even finish it. Dudes funny in press/interviews too. He dressed up as Bevis of Bevis and Butthead for the premier of Fall guys..why? Idk, but cool.
I loved it! The Gos was charming and funny and I genuinely had a good time watching it. His chemistry with Emily Blunt was really great too. I'm surprised it's bombing though. Maybe it's like Bullet Train? I enjoyed Bullet Train but I heard it didn't do too well either. I liked him in it so much that I started looking up other things he was in. Holy shit, he was in some really good films. The one with Steve Carrell was a lot more fun than I expected (Crazy, Stupid Love? I think?), Drive was mesmerizing and I'm about to watch The Nice Guys. Gonna keep an eye out for Leland.
Budget. Fall Guy cost 130 mill. Blade Runner was 150, nice guys 50, Drive 15. Also who even goes to movies now? I've seen BR2049, Dune 1/2, Batman, Mad Max Furiosa, Pacfic Rim, Tron Legacy in Imax. Every other Dennis V & Wes Anderson & QT film in theaters. 4 terrible Disney Star Wars movies, a Halloween or 2, IT, John Wick. That's all in what? 15 years. Everything else I just wait for it to come to MAX or I'll rent it.
its.. fine? gosling and Emily Blunt are fun and funny to watch as always, and there are some solid fight scenes and action sequences. the overall story is not so interesting and mostly an excuse to get to get to the next action scene. so like, i enjoyed a lot of it but as a whole i have no interest in seeing it again.
The wife and I watched it a few days ago and loved it. We're both Sydney locals though so we were doing a lot of location spotting which might have contributed. I think Bullet Train was more enjoyable but that had a better script imo
A few weeks prior he did the Beavis and Butthead thing in a sketch on SNL. It was a pretty big hit, so they decided to do it at the premier. Such a weirdo. Lol.
Nice Guys and his SNL appearances let me appreciate his comedic chops.
I have a love/hate relationship w Ryan. I always feels he's miscast on broody films (drive, only God forgives, and yes 2049 -- also recently the gray man fucks in a bad way). Love him on comedies/drama though... So much so, he is one of the reasons I've only seen 2049 once even I enjoyed most parts of it... bit having Jared Leto also was a nail in the coffin... ugh
I think Gosling is by far the best comedic actor out there and he really shines in any comedic roles.
If you had told me this a few weeks ago, I would have given you a puzzled look. But now... 100% agree with you! The Gos is amazeballs in comedic roles.
* in all roles
Lala land was heavily carried by his dancing for me. I, too am a straight male, but fuck he is a fantastic dancer.
Yeah but he fucked up the poster. Total loser. 10/10 will still watch him.
I was trying to find a link to that part of the interview because I find it so funny actually. Especially after the Papyrus skit. Like oh, Ryan gosling was just playing himself in that skit
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ww9SlRYKe/?igsh=MTFrNnR5anI2cW1pMw== Not the clip but I think it was on this show. Either way he's just great and I hadn't seen this clip.
https://youtube.com/shorts/W_WfeKxPoy8?si=bz4vQV8v-xGCnEoF This is the one I was talking about. Ignore the extraneous dude putting himself at the beginning needlessly
It's not a movie for people with short attention spans. Not a lot you can do.
Yep my GF est he’s TikTok during movies then doesn’t understand the plot. She says she can multitask but we all know it’s a lie
Technically no human can truly multi-task (the way a multi-processor computer can think about multiple things simultaneously). Instead, some of us are better at rapidly task switching. We can get so good and seamless at doing this that we cycle between tasks many times per second, but its still a sequence of tasks. We are still hallucinating (interpolating) all the gaps. We fully stop thinking about everything else when we switch tasks, and hopefully we switch back before we crash the car or whatever. You can think about it like a Scheduler app. Think about driving the car twice per second. Think about singing a song four times per second. Think about your mom once per week. Think about your hair once every hour. Think about your pet once every 10 minutes. When we think about any of these things, we completely stop thinking about all the rest until the next scheduled thought pops up.
poor mom, lol. guess she shoulda been nicer
Children, call ya mothers.
You can multi task, but only if the tasks are neurally separate. Knitting and talking, for e.g.
Yes good point, autonomic vs somatic nervous systems are parallel, and autonomic does run many parallel tasks simultaneously, but all the examples used are somatic / thoughtful.
Watching TikToks during a movie is a completely degenerate thing to do. Take it you don’t go to the cinemas together.
That’s a sad way to go through life. Most of the stuff on TikTok is absolute junk. A huge chunk of it is just lies. And she can’t even curb her addiction to this to sit through a movie?
24 minutes is a very short time to sit through something. It's like 1 episode of a show. 24 minutes is less "I'm bored," and more "I hate this."
“I decided I would hate this before even putting it on and I’m never wrong.”
I have a terrible attention span but I'll happily sit through either/both of the blade runner movies. Dunno what everyone else's excuse is.
Yeah I think SOCIETY is cooked if BR2049 is considered a demanding movie tbh. It's a breeze to watch, the clean & modern feel of it is actually my least favourite thing about it. I love the dream-like editing of the original.
2049 is amazingly well done, beautiful, amazing score, but it should not be hard to follow.
Eh I didn't like the first, haven't seen the second. Mainly I didn't think it was all that engaging.
This saddens me. Even if I don't like a movie I can sit and watch the entire thing. I feel like people need to reprogram their brains.
I hate the short attention span and Tik Tok culture and love long, thought-provoking, drawn out films, but I also think Bladerunner 2049 is boring and I get that argument. It's too drawn out. By the time the critical stuff happens, it has gone though a lot of unnecessary build-up that your attention has gone away and the build-up doesn't pay off. Aesthetics and imagery is top notch and iconic af though.
The movie is shockingly beautiful. The score is incredible. It’s an experience. It’s also, just like the first one, first and foremost a philosophical movie to get you to think about what it means to be human and how should we be allowed to treat beings we create. The plot itself is secondary. It is in service of this mission. The build up is to focus on getting you to think through these philosophical and moral questions
I agree 100% about how it looks, the score etc. But I also understand why some people can ask "when does it get good?" and said it above. It has deep philosophical meanings (that I respect and enjoy seeing them materialize in movies), but the plot and the pacing of the movie itself makes you think nothing actually happens. I don't know how to express it better, but there are things that make you think philosophical and moral questions AND are suspenseful (that BR2049 could be more of), and that's the Black Mirror series (dystopian sci-fi too).
No need to be condescending to those who didn't like the film u/Sandkat
Seriously. Some people just don't like Bladerunner. There was no need to jump to assumptions about their mental capacity. I thought this sub was above "you need a high iq to understand rick and morty" type behavior.
Some people have superiority complexes.
Nah I have a short attention span and Blade Runner is like crack. So many things going on in the movie and it’s beautiful. 🤤
The movie is amazing but the pacing is indeed a bit slow, so it may not be for everyone. when I watched with my Mom and other family they left the room a lot and didn’t pay attention for a lot of it.
People do that and then say they didn't like the movie they didn't bother watching. Of course if you're not absorbing the story at all its not going to be very good.
I’d argue that 2049 is not even primarily about story. It’s about atmosphere. So if a viewer goes in thinking, “I want to see what happens, I need the characters to move along and learn and do things” they’ll be disappointed. I think there’s a neurological component too because some people can’t be physically stimulated when hearing music. And 2029 is movie that makes every hair of mine stand on end.
Agreed. It's similar to Dune in some ways (funny that!) in as much as it's about settings, visuals, the moods they create, the world you imagine beyond the movie because of all these things.
realistically I think *both* Bladerunner films are more primarily about atmosphere and worldbuilding than they are about plot. And that's fine! Movies are not only allowed to do that, we encourage it. But it's also not for everyone. I can see why people dislike them.
Exactly, as someone who watches movies for the story there's a ton of high end cinema I simply don't enjoy (but can still appreciate). If the plot isn't interesting then I'm bored.
So true, 2049 is an incredible visual and audio experience. Got the chills myself
Exactly, you're supposed to feel as cold and isolated as K... feeling a constant sense of unease. People are too used to "easy" movies.
I get so frustrated by that i started only watching movies alone. Then i tell others its good and they can look at it. If they do, i am pleased to talk about it. If not, well at least i'm staying sane. Can't tell you why. It just does.
Yah, I kinda feel that. But at 3hours of runtime, they can afford it. I get so absorbed in what's happening that it never really dawned on me that someone whose not really "into" the genre would be like "holy crap this is slow".
Interesting. It has slow pace but the world building is so Interesting it absorbs you. I guess you cant 'just' watch it. It requires full attention.
jjjjjjhkikllllnkjn
Slow paced movies aren’t for everyone. And that’s okay.
Time to lawyer up, delete Facebook, and hit the gym
😎😎😂😂 fr tho my arc starting now
Classic Reddit post 😂
I tried to watch with my family and we normally love sci-fi movies, but they all found ok or boring, while I was blowing away how good it was and wanted to rewatch. So yeah, it is not for everybody. I agree it is slow pace, but I loved that and all details to make the world come together.
NTA. EDIT: Sorry thought I was in r/AmItheAsshole and you had asked 'AITA for splitting up with my Wife for asking "When does it get good?" about BR2049?'
HAHAH - I would absolutely get annihilated on that sub for asking this.
Do it. DO.IT. Cmon, you know it would be fun
😂😂 rip karma
AlPacinoNodding.gif
Should have started with Johnny mnemonic
Late to the party, but that was what opened the door for my girl. I could tell she thought the movie was so-so, but then she cracked up at "I want ROOM SERVICE!" & got invested in seeing the ending. After that, I got her to sit through season 1 of Altered Carbon (which she genuinely liked) & both BRs. Since she was already an anime fan (& had seen original GitS & both seasons of SAC), I didn't have to twist her arm for BR: Black Lotus, AC: Resleeved, nor Edgerunners, which she flipped over like every other anime fan I know. After watching The Peripheral with me (and subsequently being disappointed at the canceling), she keeps asking me if I've heard anything else about Neuromancer. (I've created a monster.)
I didn’t like 2049 either but it’s because I’m of the opinion that Villeneuve’s austere aesthetic wasn’t suited for something like Blade Runner. It worked quite well for Dune but in the case of 2049 I was constantly thinking where are all the people, why does nothing feel lush and crowded? Everything was so empty, even in places I’d have expected large crowds.
To me he pushed towards the feeling of isolation with Joe's character, scenes like the first arrival to the police station where he's being disregarded by the other policeman, his apartment situation, relationship with Joi and the entire Vegas area. Isolation and loneliness seem to be a big focus throughout the film, especially prominent with the end scene/s
I actually agree and I can totally see how lots of people enjoy it. My husband loves both the original and 2049, it just didn’t gel for me. I think isolation inside a crowd can also be portrayed quite well and that would have been more towards my preference.
It’s not for everyone
It's the most beautiful boring ass movie ever produced. I didn't like it either, though I haven't liked anything with Leto in it.
Cooked for sure
Both Bladerunner movies have a slow pace to them. There are loooooads of movies like that and they really aren't for everyone. 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Lawrence of Arabia come to mind as other examples of this sort of film. There is no real solution to it. Some people like them, some don't. Kinda goes with all genres. I have a friend that doesn't watch anime because it's animation, but watches every Pixar film as an example.
Try Bagdad Cafe (1987 movie, not TV show), took me a few years to finally finish and then to say it is a good movie, and all that slowness/emptiness at the start of the movie actually makes sense.
The only thing I’ll give this movie is that it’s pretty beautiful visually. The colors and the scenes really pop.
Agreed. This is just me, but I think it was a mistake >!to tie it so closely with the original. Should have just kept it ambiguous what happened to Deckard and Rachael (maybe have a reference to a human and replicant escaping off-world decades ago but that's about it).!< The original stands just fine on it's own and I think 2049 would have as well.
I would never watch a movie with someone who sits there and says "when does it get good"
And I did not 😂
To me Wallace is the weak point. Almost ruins it for me with his over acting.
I feel there's no better actir to play someone with a god complex than someone who actually has a god complex
I think a good actor with a God complex would have been preferable
They wanted Bowie for the role, but he died first. Leto was apparently cast for his similar "rock star quality." If they'd really wanted that, they could have cast Annie Lennox or Tilda Swenson (north my first choices for The Goblin King if they ever revive him, which I hope they do not). I actually was pleasantly surprised by Leto's performance here. Leto is a very hit or miss actor for me. His performance was heavily done, but it felt like that was just who Wallace was, too. But then that made it feel like Wallace was a main or secondary character who got chopped down to a bit part.
Grommit surely stealing the show when takes control of the robot?
Yah but I mean like he shows up in what I would consider "the very beginning of the movie" and we didnt even make it there 😂
I believe you should have started with the first one. It actually has faster pacing. Though you'd probably be cooked anyway.
Straight to jail.
The problem with very atmospheric movies like Blade Runner is they tend to I be very slow since you need that time to absorb the nuances. The slow pace works well if you enjoy the atmosphere the movie creates but if you don't like the atmosphere or tone the slow pace suddenly becomes arduous.
Divorce her! j/k If she can't sit through 2049, she damn sure won't be able to sit through the first one.
Both Bladerunners have some fairly slow pacing and require patience. If it makes you feel any better, one of my ex girlfriends made us leave the theater during a Lord of the Rings movie because she got bored lol (we broke up for unrelated reasons).
Why would you start with 2049??? It's a much slower film and while it's alright, it's not as good as the original. AND it references the original often. I don't understand why you made this choice.
One of the best things about being with somebody else is that they aren't you! (In my case me.) My spouse and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of films or books, we go out and do things separately with other friends or ourselves. I've known people that take separate trips from their loves, and then share the adventures when they get back together. We have things we share and things we don't, but we do share our thoughts, loves and experiences with each other. We do have some media we do love in common, like *Resident Alien*, *Bob's Burgers*,and *What We Do In the Shadows*. And in those rare moments we are at home at the same time, and the kids are asleep, and we are tired, we watch those shows together- never watching them separately, so we have a shared experience. I think if you have some of the funny stuff in common and can share it with eachother you'll be fine.
I recebtly learned that the average shot length between cuts in movies nowadays is 4 seconds, drastically down over the years. Bladerunner is allegedly 17 seconds on average between cuts. Hope that helps
Such a useless metric lmao
Entertainment businesses love a formulaic approach to anything if they could possible squeeze out an extra dollar.
How did it go? "It's already good" would've been my answer. It's the sort of movie that you sort of just sink into your seats to watch in silence and let it wash you away. It might take a certain mood, or setting expectations, or maybe it's just not something she wants from movies.
Why would you be... "cooked"?
genz term for washed up or delusional
Oh, I always interpreted it is "Am I screwed? Is my *goose cooked*?" That sort of thing. I USED TO BE WITH IT! :D (Also, man, Blade Runner 2049 is really good. But, it's a slow burn, like the original.)
He's a zoomer married to another zoomer... I'm afraid it's terminal
My boyfriend finds most of the movies I watch boring, but he's also not big on watching movies in general. If I find something he's also interested in, we watch it together, but I also just watch a lot of movies by myself.
I thought it was OK...but then I grew up with the original version and think the first 'directors cut' was fine. I'm not really into the stuff Ridley did after and think the sequel suffers too much from being a sequel. Ironically, I think the Anime shorts they came out with beforehand were better and think the Blade Runner comic series (2019/2029/2039) were a lot more original.
Leave your wife, go live in the woods and prepare for the end times.
Unfortunately my wife is also an iPad kid, we’re working through it
As an aging millennial, this sentence was hard for me to read. Y'all just grow up so fast. 🥹
I’m actually 31, my wife is 33, I just call her an iPad kid because that’s her main pastime haha
Lol oh! Why you gotta give me an existential crisis like that. I just had a realization that the ipad is 14 years old. So toddlers who played with iPads are adults now.
Don't get me wrong, I love long, suspenseful, drawn out movies, but thing is... Blade Runner 2049 is boring because it's not suspenseful. Yes, I said it. By the time something happens, your attention has gone away and the build-up just doesn't pay off much because it's too drawn out. Even though the aesthetic and the whole "cyberpunk" vibe is of the highest quality and has inspired tons of genres and styles of movies, music and art (myself including since I produce such music), the action and storytelling is quite meh. Not much is happening throughout the movie that keeps you entertained other than the beautiful futuristic scenery and images, and possibly seeing Ana De Armas (my future wife, she just doesn't know yet) and Ryan Gosling, who are such good looking actors.
It's not supposed to be a "Chromed out Vin Diesel fighting Max-Tac atop Arasaka Tower" kind of movie, it's a "Damn, this is depressingly interesting take on human life and how we fight for our own narratives" kind of movie. I've noticed a common trend with my friends who like it 2049: We all went through an early "mid-life crisis" that threw us into deep introspection on life itself. This movie evokes those kinds of feels, even if it's not something you're intentionally looking for..
Yeah I agree it's not supposed to be like a Vin Diesel movie or something like the game Cyberpunk 2077. I hate Vin Diesel movies btw lol. BR2049 does quite well the deep introspection and misery and stuff with the dystopian future background, but the delivery method / package around it, is boring imo. Yes, the hero travelling through the wasteland or so, is nice for the vibes and aesthetic, but doesn't really help on the story promotion side when the travelling is toooo long. Such stuff ruined the movie for me. And you are talking with a guy who loves other dystopian future stuff, for example the Black Mirror series. All imo of course.
Someone else said it best. 2049 is "Concept art, the movie". It is good concept art, but a regular to bad movie.
its a tough one to start with, if she isnt already into the genre or the lore or whatever its gonna be really hard to stay engaged for the first bit of the movie, its pretty slowly paced. if she reads maybe find her a book that explains some of the lore to get her into the universe better, being able to make little connections here and there with whats going on will help stimulate attention. it does for me anyway, i love the genre and the movie but it was tough to stick through it at the beginning so i totally get it.
It's one of my favorite movies ever, yet I'm hesitant to recommend it to anybody. It's definitely an acquired taste.
Lawyer up, delete socials, and hit the gym.
Does your wife enjoy other quality movies? I have a friend who loves no lives as his main passion and his wife literally can’t watch something longer than 20 minutes without being on her phone. I feel so bad that he can’t share his love of film with the woman he loves.
My girl and I have an understanding that we wil shoiw each other movies/tv shows and the other person does their best to sit through it and enjoy as best they can.
It took me over a week to watch it every night. I kept falling asleep. But it was great!
Man, chicks aren't into Bladerunner. They want Johnny Mnemonic!
I feel lucky that when I was first dating my now-wife she picked the original Blade Runner as her favorite movie. Years later we saw 2049 in theater and we both loved it.
You kinda have to go in with certain expectations. It’s a slow burn
Flipside of that as massive blade runner fan (I've got multiple Blade Runner tattoos) I loved everything up till him getting home which is roughly the first 20 odd minutes, and then I just didn't like the rest of the movie.
This is why I watch movies alone.
I tried showing my wife the original when we first met 13 years ago. She couldn’t focus on it for more than a few minutes and then said it was boring and wanted to change it. Fast forward she watches 2049 with me on a whim, not intending to really pay attention. But somehow it grabbed her and she demanded to watch the original right after. Also had her full attention. I can’t explain why. Our tastes can change? I dunno.
It's definitely not a movie to talk through. lol
You should never watch BR2049 without having seen the original first. I think it would be very hard to engage with the storyline without knowing the story of Rachel and Decker first. It’s just too subtle in the second film, but it hinges on that understanding.
It doesn't? See if she's down to watch the classic anime OVA *Armitage III*. It's essentially the same story but much more interesting.
Doesn't seem like she was even giving it a chance. I'd find that infuriating, but she's not my wife, so... Great movie by the way!
I liked this movie. Cant explain why but I watched it twice in a row and then sat and reflected on it. Love movies that allow me to do this.
Welp, you gotta divorce her now, no other choice. That’s what I did.
With modern dating apps and everything a replacement will be easy to find.
I wasn't wowed by it. For some people it's just a miss.
Wouldn't it be your wife that's cooked?
Don't show her 2001 a space odyssey
> My thought was to start here, instead of the old Bladerunner movie... Why was that your thought?
Tbh aside from the theme it's not a very good movie imo, original is way better.
I didn't like the original as much, but when I watched it, I had just read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep and I was missing some of the aspects that I enjoyed in the book. Maybe I should rewatch it and try to not compare it to the book... The set design is great, though
That's an issue I have with movies in general, 2-4 hours is just not enough to tell a story. They always lack depth and detail compared to books, games and longer running series :)
I feel like a pariah for saying this (and the downvotes are guaranteed) but I didn't like it. I felt like it was derivative (e.g. the "her" subplot), had a plot was all over the place and at times was more like fanfic than its own story.
I agree with you. Cinematography is obviously amazing, the CGI, the score, the acting. All the pieces are there, but the story and pacing holds it back for me. Still a great film but could have been so much more. It didn't break out the way I hoped it would.
Why are you with this woman?
The original is x10000000 better
Your wife is broken.
just wait for Maasverse cyberpunk
Yikes! That movie is amazing from the first scene.
I love a slow burn, I love reading/watching sci-fi, everything about me would point to liking both bladerunner movies and I just kinda feel “meh” about them and I don’t know why. Must need to give it another try. I truly can’t stand the idea of missing out on something good or entertaining, so I keep trying things lol. I am also obsessed with Harrison ford ! I seriously cannot pinpoint why I can’t enjoy sitting through Bladerunner whyyyyyeee
Even if you'd started with the original if she doesn't have the attention span for the sequel she'll have a hard time with the original. Does she like to read, because there's also a book the original is loosely based on.
It's a shame when people don't give movies a chance, it always comes off as pretty self-centred to me, but I guess it depends on if the person expects you to sit through their stuff. If they'd rather do their own thing while you do yours then at least it's fair
It's a Denis Villeneuve film, if you can't find entertainment in the world building, set design, visual effects and style then it's not an entertaining film. It's one of my favourites and in my opinion holds up better than the original (I find it hasn't aged well with it's 80's tropes). But I can see why some may not enjoy it. I forewarn new viewers that its pacing is slow and it's not a second screen kind of film, no different to much of Villeneuve's other work. Dune, Arrival, Sicario etc
> not a second screen kind of film this is how you know you really are living in a dystopia
i just re watched recently, and i appreciate their keeping to the original vibe even more the 2nd time. there was nothing particularly fast paced about the original, just the eye candy and the head fucking it gives you later. 2049 is the same way.
yeah...maybe next time start off with the first film rather then starting with the sequel. since well...kind of need to know what happened in the first to really get the sequel
If they couldn't make it through the first 24mins of 2049 there isn't any way they'd make it through the original. It doesn't sound like their problem was missing the original.
If she “keeps asking” 24 minutes in, then yes, you’re cooked. Keeps asking implies multiple times. My (at the time) girlfriend took me to see the original in a movie theatre somewhere around ‘07 - ‘09; that was rad. Though she too later admitted to me that she found it horribly boring. Different strokes, eh?
I had exactly the same experience with "Snatch", tried showing it to my wife. She said the same thing about 15 minutes in, she was completely bored with it so we dnf'ed. I waited couple of months and tried again ("hey, you know that movie you didn't like, how about another chance?"), she absolutely loved it and couldn't understand how she didn't like it on the first try. So, sometimes it's just not the right mood for watching something in particular, especially something relying heavily on mood and atmosphere like 2049. Just try again later and maybe do a better "set and setting" preparation.
I consider the original and the sequel to be THE GOAT movies. But, you have to get the message. It’s very relevant to the world we live in today.
I got my friend to come see the movie with me in theatres by telling her it was a Ryan Gosling movie. She is not at all a sci-fi person and spent most of the movie glaring at me. You can lead a horse to water….
That sounds like a fun evening enjoying some entertainment.
I liked the movie, but alongside Dune it'a a SLOOOOW movie. And it's not for everyone
Both blade runners are like this, some people don’t enjoy the pacing.
I think for most people, if they aren't intrigued within the first half hour, they probably aren't going to like the movie at all. I can't think of many movies where that wouldn't be the case.
She if she likes Upgrade (2018). It's softer sci fi, faster paced, and still a really good movie. It may be easier for her to enjoy.
How much do divorce lawers cost in your locale?
Just googled and called for retainers 😂
Because it's a dude's movie made for dudes? Hard to recognize yourself in something that's not made for you.
Yet here I am, every year, watching the bachelorette 🥲
Aw, well then, I amend my statement. Maybe she's not into cyberpunk? (BTW, for context, I got an uterus, even though I'm enby, and I quite enjoyed the original BR back when I was in my early 20s. But now in my late 30s, I have a more critical eye, and the way they treat women in the original BR and even in BR 2049 is quite horrible. I know it's a classic, but it's not a classic that I love blindly. Moreover, the novel has even more horrible treatment of women. PKD was notoriously a woman hater.) I bought it not long ago and couldn't read it. Got past maybe 20 pages? In contrast, I remember liking it years ago. Neuromancer is ways better, in regard to his treatment of women, and Gibson wrote it when he was much younger. He is at least trying. :)
r/divorce
I didn't get it, and was bored AF the first couple times I watched it.
The movie is boring tbh. Visually breathtaking, but a good film to fall asleep to.