I'm not alone when I say I am tired of the blockbuster formula fit into so many movies in recent times - especially superhero movies. I might have enjoyed Dr. Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy if they didn't play out similarly to 150 other movies I saw before them. Deadpool aside, the last superhero film I enjoyed was perhaps X-Men First Class almost seven years ago.
Beginning of the year: Logan
It's a technically a superhero movie, but also something else. The focus isn't on superpowers, defeating a giant villain threatening to destroy/conquer the planet; rather, it's on the characters. Also, it's something meaningful too because important things happen - not back to status quo. Logan is the second try at the end of the X-Men story, and unlike 2006, they did it right this time! Also, not being restrained by a PG-13 rating helped this one out.
Later on, and Overall - Blade Runner 2049
I wasn't a fan of the first Blade Runner, although now I enjoy it more than I did before (kind of like Star Wars 77 after I watched Rogue One); I am also neither a fan of Villeneuve nor Ridley Scott - and downright hated some of their earlier work.
Like the original Blade Runner, 2049 is an art film. Multiple plot and sub-plot threads are leading the viewer through a post-apocalyptic world. Newer model Replicants are wiping out the remnants of the older Tyrell Corporation models. Wallace Corp is also preparing to colonize the galaxy, but they need Replicants, and it's impossible to even begin to come close to meeting the manufacturing demand within a reasonable budget; as you can guess, consumerism/capitalism is a central theme in this film - it's brushed through every scene.
My favourite thread of the film dealt with the theme of consumerism, and how it tied into the main character K's love life with his hologram girlfriend. Essentially, Wallace Corp had developed a product with holographic girlfriends; the AI technology was incredibly convincing. In consequence, K was so convinced that he and his holographic girlfriend were in love it blinded him to the purpose of her as a product. Plot threads, like this one, all converge later in the film. The holo-whore (or whatever) one hits K on a more personal level as he's struggling with whether he has a soul, and the two parallel each other - she wasn't real, but is he real (Unlike Dekard, K is established as a Replicant in his first scene)? While the film gives a few reminders, this one requires memory work; it's not a straightforward, in-your-face blockbuster.
2049 is visually impressive. In fact, the most impressive film I've seen outside of Avatar. It's a theater film. Full 3D. Forced to resist the multitasking urge (I always multi-task when I view from home). It's unique as well; while a good sequel to the original, it's different - I'd say much larger in scope with a much grander view of the Blade Runner Universe. It's one of the few high budget films I've seen in over a decade that doesn't feel it has had the soul combed out of it by producers. Lastly, it's not a wide-appeal film, in fact, it was a box office bomb, costing 185M and grossing only 260M - I think some here will like it, though.
I missed a lot last year due to not making it out to the theater nearly as often as I'd like. So I haven't seen everything, and I'm still hoping to catch more; if anyone has suggestions.
Beginning of the year: Logan
It's a technically a superhero movie, but also something else. The focus isn't on superpowers, defeating a giant villain threatening to destroy/conquer the planet; rather, it's on the characters. Also, it's something meaningful too because important things happen - not back to status quo. Logan is the second try at the end of the X-Men story, and unlike 2006, they did it right this time! Also, not being restrained by a PG-13 rating helped this one out.
Later on, and Overall - Blade Runner 2049
I wasn't a fan of the first Blade Runner, although now I enjoy it more than I did before (kind of like Star Wars 77 after I watched Rogue One); I am also neither a fan of Villeneuve nor Ridley Scott - and downright hated some of their earlier work.
Like the original Blade Runner, 2049 is an art film. Multiple plot and sub-plot threads are leading the viewer through a post-apocalyptic world. Newer model Replicants are wiping out the remnants of the older Tyrell Corporation models. Wallace Corp is also preparing to colonize the galaxy, but they need Replicants, and it's impossible to even begin to come close to meeting the manufacturing demand within a reasonable budget; as you can guess, consumerism/capitalism is a central theme in this film - it's brushed through every scene.
My favourite thread of the film dealt with the theme of consumerism, and how it tied into the main character K's love life with his hologram girlfriend. Essentially, Wallace Corp had developed a product with holographic girlfriends; the AI technology was incredibly convincing. In consequence, K was so convinced that he and his holographic girlfriend were in love it blinded him to the purpose of her as a product. Plot threads, like this one, all converge later in the film. The holo-whore (or whatever) one hits K on a more personal level as he's struggling with whether he has a soul, and the two parallel each other - she wasn't real, but is he real (Unlike Dekard, K is established as a Replicant in his first scene)? While the film gives a few reminders, this one requires memory work; it's not a straightforward, in-your-face blockbuster.
2049 is visually impressive. In fact, the most impressive film I've seen outside of Avatar. It's a theater film. Full 3D. Forced to resist the multitasking urge (I always multi-task when I view from home). It's unique as well; while a good sequel to the original, it's different - I'd say much larger in scope with a much grander view of the Blade Runner Universe. It's one of the few high budget films I've seen in over a decade that doesn't feel it has had the soul combed out of it by producers. Lastly, it's not a wide-appeal film, in fact, it was a box office bomb, costing 185M and grossing only 260M - I think some here will like it, though.
I missed a lot last year due to not making it out to the theater nearly as often as I'd like. So I haven't seen everything, and I'm still hoping to catch more; if anyone has suggestions.
