Blade Runner 2049

[Skykid]

Saw it again.

I found it to be almost exactly the same experience on second viewing, only I was more aware of what the problems with it actually are.

SPOILERS AHEAD:


Firstly general errors:

- Why does an investigative policeman not question why missiles are raining out of the sky over a junkyard and dismembering people?

- Does a Wallace Corp Replicant killing an autopsy surgeon and a police chief have absolutely no ramifications, and do they not have video surveillance in 2049 when they have global GPS?

- Why do they leave K on the floor, alive, and take Deckard away? Wallace Corp has had no issue up to that point covering its tracks by murdering people, surely he'd be the number one loose end.

- Why would an advanced Replicant such as Luv destroy the JOI device when it would have had vital information on it?

- Why would you need to move Deckard off-world to torture him when you live in a corporate fortress?

- Why does Robin Wright's character single-handedly decide that a Replicant/Human child is her business to eradicate from the face of the earth on a whim. Does she not have superiors to consult, and why is everyone in the autopsy room complicit with her thinking.


And now the rest:

So it's definitely not as good as Blade Runner, but still a fairly decent detective movie. There's a lot more actual 'detecting' occurring, which I like about it. I think I spotted the model work in certain shots on second viewing, alas they blend into the CGI so well they don't really have much of an impact. Nevertheless, all the aerial shots are nicely handled. I appreciated the soundtrack more on second viewing too, but it doesn't produce the same emotional highs that the original does, simply because it's all caustic and has absolutely no musicality until K's death (which has more 'feels' than anywhere else in the movie).

Would I still cut the holographic girlfriend wholesale? Absolutely I would. I pinpointed exactly where the pacing issues occur in the movie and why, and it breaks down like this:

First 1.5 hours are actually really well paced. This is the majority of the investigative part. If he had held this pacing to the end it would have been a much better overall piece of work. The exact point where the pacing goes off the rails is the hologram/prostitute fuck scene - it's not only narratively irrelevant and entirely separate to the ongoing events in the movie, but it actually kills the ongoing events dead. I mean, K has 48 hours before his next baseline test and is therefore about to run for his life, and the very next scene is his JOI wanting to fuck? That's bad writing, sorry.

Additionally, that scene goes on for soooooo fucking long. The hooker comes in, stands around, everything is explained, she syncs, they caress, she undresses, they caress again - it feels about 10 minutes too long. If you gotta have a pointless sex scene with no nudity, just get on with it.

And that's not the last culprit. The Las Vegas arrival is forever and a day. K mooching about the casino after finally getting through the door after fucking around with beehives takes far too long, and the Deckard preamble is literally 10 minutes too long. The entire cat and mouse goes on and on and I really don't feel the fight sequence in the holographic Elvis showroom setting at all - and yet another example of everything occurring within a room (but more on that in a minute).

Then the Deckard/K exchange goes on so long K is actually sleeping by the end of it. Third and final scene-too-long-flow-killing culprit is the Wallace/Deckard interrogation. Nothing is established, it's all just hot air. Plus the resolution of having to move him off world to torture him makes no sense at all.

Those scenes in particular drag the movie from its original intriguing pacing right down into a slow cog of a wrap-up. They don't kill the movie, but they definitely cause a little seat shifting and watch checking.

And last but not least, the aesthetic certainly fails to live up to what was established in 1982. I accept some changes have happened, but on second inspection it all looks like a marginally retrofitted Budapest, which is exactly what it is. K's apartment is your average 60s apartment block, the outside cafeteria scene is actually full of really bad design (from the take out vending machine signs to the really awful bar logo that hangs in the background) and feels very linear and traditionally modern.

I maintain almost all of the events that move the story along occur within linear, enclosed environments and there's absolutely nothing to touch the texture created by the Hong Kong inspired 82 BR. In that movie you could feel the world in every shot, whereas here you only seem to glimpse it through windows or aerial effects sequences.

Robin Wright was even worse on second viewing, her performance both average and out of place.

Otherwise it was a good sequel with good elements, just flawed on the whole.

[MintyTheCat]

Following Skykid's account for the new film it made me recall just how raw and 'real' the love scene in the original actually was. Ford grabs her, gets all commanding and there's a passion there - he means it - he's pulling her hair and drawing it in - that's pretty real for Hollywood. K was far too much of the 'distant' lover type and you kind of get the impression that either he has some kind of issue in reciprocating desire and lust or it was poorly handled in the acting sense - I have no idea.
K's portrayal reminds me of almost that he is some kind of young priest in training at times and he's pretty steady for the most part - which lends itself to the notion that he is, well, you know a Replicant and all - who knows?

This statement that Skykid makes about "not knowing what was CGI and what was live model work" - well ins't that not the point? When you cannot distinguish what is real and what is not? I get that many older films tried their best and we all kind of love how much they tried and then they ham it up a bit in the likes of Red Dwarf which is fun too. But, well, I tend to agree that CGI is over-used and acts as a filler but still, it wasn't badly done I felt. It did seem to be sterile though. I kind of imagine it as some kind of long-distance airport terminal kind of 'sterile' with instance sanitation on tap but yes, it's incredibly lacking in any 'touch' too.

Still, I appreciate some of the failings and they may have over done it in places too. I thought K handled the whores better in public than in private personally and I was chuckling at the 'all you can eat' mentality of food, drink and fucking all the same - progress eh?

[Skykid]

Following Skykid's account for the new film it made me recall just how raw and 'real' the love scene in the original actually was.

Really? I thought that was probably the most iffy part of the original. It's really forced because there is zero chemistry between them. They didn't screen-test together and Ford really didn't like working with her.

This statement that Skykid makes about "not knowing what was CGI and what was live model work" - well ins't that not the point?

Yes. But it's hard to qualify. Basically I think it comes down to whether or not your subconscious is aware of something being 'in-camera'. I think a good fusion is extremely effective and there have been many examples where it has been done well. I suppose in BR2049 my brain never felt as though the shots were actually there, even if elements of them were. It's kind of a shame, but like I said, I still consider the aerial sequences to be well done - I just wish the ground sequences and outdoor parts had the same kind of engrossing and detail-rich fantasy as the original, but they really don't.

It did seem to be sterile though. I kind of imagine it as some kind of long-distance airport terminal kind of 'sterile' with instance sanitation on tap but yes, it's incredibly lacking in any 'touch' too.

Sterile is a fallback. In my opinion, you can't create dirty or 'used' with CGI. At least I can't think of an example. So they tend to opt for the polar opposite which is clean and sterile; and in the case of 2049, a clean, sterile dystopia. Nothing about it is 'used'... it's no longer the 'used future' that Blade Runner achieved so wonderfully. Every angular building exterior, room, window view, outdoor cafeteria table, is a blank smooth surface. There's no texture. And to Villneuve's credit, he handled clean and sterile well, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I much preferred the world achieved in the original and I feel as though this one was far less beautiful because of it's generic modernity. Sure, you can argue we haven't seen a dystopia like this before, but I'd argue we've definitely seen parts of it in a hundred movies or more where CGI was the driving force behind the futuristic aesthetic.

Bring back the filth I say.

[MintyTheCat]

Following Skykid's account for the new film it made me recall just how raw and 'real' the love scene in the original actually was.

Really? I thought that was probably the most iffy part of the original. It's really forced because there is zero chemistry between them. They didn't screen-test together and Ford really didn't like working with her.?

Well, again, they are actors and in the film she may have all the tackle in place but mentally she may never have actually had an form of intimacy and so it makes kind of sense that she'd be unsure. But, well, Deckard was leading this situation and made that call. Now, when we compare Deckard to K what do we find? To me the man is just too laid back about well 'getting laid'. I mean, he's either just not into it for some reason or it was not set up correctly. I doubt it was not set up incorrectly so I'm going to assume that it was the director's intention to screen it in that way.

This statement that Skykid makes about "not knowing what was CGI and what was live model work" - well ins't that not the point?

Yes. But it's hard to qualify. Basically I think it comes down to whether or not your subconscious is aware of something being 'in-camera'. I think a good fusion is extremely effective and there have been many examples where it has been done well. I suppose in BR2049 my brain never felt as though the shots were actually there, even if elements of them were. It's kind of a shame, but like I said, I still consider the aerial sequences to be well done - I just wish the ground sequences and outdoor parts had the same kind of engrossing and detail-rich fantasy as the original, but they really don't.?

I know what you mean in a way and I have this niggling sensation that 'digital is lying to me'.
Computers are very good at finding patterns, applying rules, executing algorithms but that organic, real dirt, you know the kind: the smoke, pollution, light haze and such are real things that they try their best to reproduce 'digitally'. Personally, I'm not very impressed with it but I liked how they made the scale of the protein farm stand out for us viewers. The city blocks fit like some gigantic puzzle to me and well, it did lack the culture and dirt but it's hard going to recreate something that has been used and lived in on a computer easily and give it a bit of time and it will stand out far too easily as they improve things over time but the original 'real world' SFX and shots will stand the test of time as they are 'real'. That's kind of how it went but give me miniature effects any day over CGI. Yes, I'm over 35 years old

[Skykid]

Well just stop using computers to do all the work. It's a simple solution and an affordable one: but they won't do it because time is money and farming work out to CGI companies speeds up the process so considerably that they can shit out four times as many movies in the space of time it used to take to make one. It's a studio decision and one the director has no control over. The director can't tell the studio "we're going to build elaborate sets for this", because the studio will inform them that if they can't achieve what they want with CGI they'll replace him/her. They want the movie finished early, not late; and physical construction has a history of consuming time.

So while Denis V. is a fan of scale models and dislikes CGI, his hands are still tied, and he does the best he can with the tools afforded to him. I don't blame him for that, but damn, this street shots of K outside his apartment are so underwhelming. The building itself is so bland, it looks like a place in Elephant & Castle with a few neon signs painted onto the windows.

Regarding your query about K's lack of 'lust', I think that's the point. He's a latest model Replicant that has lesser need for emotional responses or desires. He's not meant to be that way, and the scene was intended to show his emotional evolution. That's why I said JOI is an error in context; he would have no need for a virtual companion.

[schnuth]

Other than the bottle, any difference to 2049 Black Label?

It's the Director's Cut? Whatever that is supposed to mean when it comes to whiskey. I watched a YouTube video where the reviewers said it was more smokey. I haven't cracked it open yet.

[MintyTheCat]

Well just stop using computers to do all the work. It's a simple solution and an affordable one: but they won't do it because time is money and farming work out to CGI companies speeds up the process so considerably that they can shit out four times as many movies in the space of time it used to take to make one. It's a studio decision and one the director has no control over. The director can't tell the studio "we're going to build elaborate sets for this", because the studio will inform them that if they can't achieve what they want with CGI they'll replace him/her. They want the movie finished early, not late; and physical construction has a history of consuming time.

So while Denis V. is a fan of scale models and dislikes CGI, his hands are still tied, and he does the best he can with the tools afforded to him. I don't blame him for that, but damn, this street shots of K outside his apartment are so underwhelming. The building itself is so bland, it looks like a place in Elephant & Castle with a few neon signs painted onto the windows.

Regarding your query about K's lack of 'lust', I think that's the point. He's a latest model Replicant that has lesser need for emotional responses or desires. He's not meant to be that way, and the scene was intended to show his emotional evolution. That's why I said JOI is an error in context; he would have no need for a virtual companion.

I agree: know what works and use it at your discretion. There's especially a throw-back to using models and makeup effects to just relying on CGI which I am pleased to see especially in Horror films lately.

Indeed, the Hollywood machine would not permit any deliberation which is exactly why it's largely producing gigantic piles of cultural landfill and why the decent films are off the radar I tend to find.

E & C with a few neon signs It looks more eastern Europe to me than that.

Yes, the rationale makes sense: if she is designed to respond to the desire - innate and overt - of another then how would that manifest? We get the idea that he's not known her for all that long as the Ads are all over place for his version of "JOI" - an older model would have been taken out for a "LUV" or a "LIX" - and so on
So even if her design was beyond anything else she'd still be pretty advanced to have branched his reactance vectors let's say in such a short time. But it gets us asking the questions: is a One-Night Stand 'worth' anything? Is there any connection? Would these two lovers have required much longer amounts of time to come to terms with one another and to work each other out. You see, if she's ALWAYS going to appeal to him and at that very moment he can't actually 'work her out' - there's no apparent 'surface' - she's just going to be 'perfect' for him all the time so any notion of a 'relationship' per say is kind of restricted to servitude and service - to which she operates in that mode often but then there's the visiting prostitute scene where she tells her to sling it so all in all it makes little real sense in any case but it's a line of enquiry all the same.

Personally, I think AI can help and does help for some things as support but it cannot replace intimate relationships or anything

[GaijinPunch]

Well just stop using computers to do all the work. It's a simple solution and an affordable one: but they won't do it because time is money and farming work out to CGI companies speeds up the process so considerably that they can shit out four times as many movies in the space of time it used to take to make one.

That makes it more affordable to use CGI, and it's exactly why they do it. And most people don't care, sadly. Same can be said for pixels versus 3d. (Again, sadly).

[jugemscloud]

is the point of everything being new and sterile not to reinforce that this is a different world/environ after the blackout event and has been rebuild from the ground up or that this is at least true for the limited spaces that are depicted rather than the world as a whole?

[Skykid]

is the point of everything being new and sterile not to reinforce that this is a different world/environ after the blackout event and has been rebuild from the ground up or that this is at least true for the limited spaces that are depicted rather than the world as a whole?

The Blackout only killed data, nothing would be rebuilt from the ground up architecturally. If anything an event like the Blackout would have put them backward 30 years so by 2049 almost nothing would have changed.

No need to try and contextualise it anyway, the simple answer is sterile CGI is achievable, dirty used habitat CGI isn't. You're not allowed to rely on anything other than CGI so it's really the only design option left on the table. Do the best with what you have.

I just watched 3.5 hrs of Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner and wow, what spectacular hands-on film making. Wonderful, passionate, difficult stuff that took its toll on the cast and crew but from which timeless film magic was wrought. The magnitude of the set building and effects work is head spinning.

I really like the way everyone, including Daryl Hannah, outlines that a good in-camera effect can't be beaten because it's all actually there. Even the matte paintings which are exposed through the lens in real time. Truly a lost art.

Interestingly I realized watching this 10 year old docu that the opening scene in 2049 in the farm is lifted straight from Scott's unused opening for BR. The only difference is Deckard ices the Replicant in cold blood rather than discussing soft alternative methods. I quite like the opening scene in 2049 but there's definitely something not quite right about K offering to bring him in quietly - doesn't that go against everything we know about Blade Runners? Rogue Replicants aren't famous for going quietly to be retired, so it doesn't make much sense.

[borislaw]

Let me preface by saying I enjoyed Blade Runner 2049 primarily as a visual spectacle. As a film, however it don' think it holds up. Basically, its run-of-the-mill Hollywood drivel--cliche and derivative; ultimately, pointless. I loved the original Blade Runner. Its a film with powerful images and great lines (ie: "its a pity she won't live..." also: "i've seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of orion...") Atmospherically and visually it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The story was simple, elegant and considerably provoking. It stayed with me, heart and mind; the second one not so much.

One question I have--which I just can't make sense of--is this:
1. The wooden figurine that K has in his possession... Turns out it is incredibly valuable, worth at least enough to buy a ticket to one of the outer colonies. I assume the item was deemed valuable because it was wooden, and in the future wood is extremely rare and sought after. This really strikes me as odd, because later in Las Vegas I recall seeing many wooden objects, like chairs and the hotel bar. Please explain.


Another weird, perhaps even laughable thing happens in Vegas: K at one points runs directly through a brick wall, rather easily, it would appear without so much as a scratch. How so? We know their skin is soft enough to be cut open with a sharp blade. Also, when K and Deckard engage in a fist fight: assuming that Deckard is human, how is it that he's not immediately overpowered by K? Punching K would be like punching brick wall. One blow from K would surely be more than the human frame could withstand?

[Skykid]

One question I have--which I just can't make sense of--is this:
1. The wooden figurine that K has in his possession... Turns out it is incredibly valuable, worth at least enough to buy a ticket to one of the outer colonies. I assume the item was deemed valuable because it was wooden, and in the future wood is extremely rare and sought after. This really strikes me as odd, because later in Las Vegas I recall seeing many wooden objects, like chairs and the hotel bar. Please explain.


Another weird, perhaps even laughable thing happens in Vegas: K at one points runs directly through a brick wall, rather easily, it would appear without so much as a scratch. How so? We know their skin is soft enough to be cut open with a sharp blade. Also, when K and Deckard engage in a fist fight: assuming that Deckard is human, how is it that he's not immediately overpowered by K? Punching K would be like punching brick wall. One blow from K would surely be more than the human frame could withstand?

Some of these issues are a little nitpicky. I agree running through walls is a bit strange, but it's been outlined in BR with Leon that Replicants can punch holes in metal walling, but their heads through bathroom walls and other things. They have exceptional strength. Protecting his face properly I think it's fine for K to bust through a brick wall.

The thing in Vegas with the wood is more rational and I'd agree with you, but we never know what's meant to be artificial or otherwise. It did all look like it came from the 90s though, so I agree it appeared to be real wood.

Let me preface by saying I enjoyed Blade Runner 2049 primarily as a visual spectacle. As a film, however it don' think it holds up. Basically, its run-of-the-mill Hollywood drivel--cliche and derivative; ultimately, pointless. I loved the original Blade Runner. Its a film with powerful images and great lines (ie: "its a pity she won't live..." also: "i've seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of orion...") Atmospherically and visually it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. The story was simple, elegant and considerably provoking. It stayed with me, heart and mind; the second one not so much.

I think it's 70% a good film. I certainly don't think it's "run of the mill Hollywood cliche" at all! Quite the opposite. But I agree with you the dialogue is flat, some of the casting is iffy, and it lacks the dense, beautiful atmosphere of the original.

Is it better than 82' Blade Runner? Fuck no. Could it have been better? Yes, probably - I would have changed quite a bit about it, from editing to general production. But what we got was decent, especially when you consider Total Recall and Robocop; two series that received the reboot/remake treatment and ended up really being Hollywood drivel.

The director in 2049 has some skill, no doubt about it. He ignored some plot holes, which is problematic, and I don't consider it to be as artistic as what Scott achieved in 82. But it's better than you're giving it credit for.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Here's a YT vid of Weta Workshop working on the Blade Runner 2049 miniatures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLxxbfsj8IM&t=201s Attention to the smallest details (including some graffiti written on the sides of the miniature buildings for good measure (including some catchphrases like Who's your daddy?, I'm the Master of my Fate & I'm the Captain of my Soul) -- they're there even if the aerial scenes of the massive LA flyover leading to the huge LAPD building scene camera shoot doesn't catch it all). Usage of fiber optics and miniature LED lighting EFX incorporated into the miniature building models + distressed & weathered EFX applied to the outer buildings for that extra added realism indeed. There's mention of the miniature Wallace Tower building looming in the horizon (that's suppose to be between three to three & a half kilometers tall in reality) that's equally impressive. Even the use of a white colored grease pencil to apply some weathered EFX on the exteriors of the miniature LAPD building is cool to watch/learn about -- insider tricks of the trade with miniature model EFX builders.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[MintyTheCat]

That's a great video, PC Engine Fan X!

Those models are massive and would be fun to use in games The Wallace Tower is gigantic. I am pleased that they opted to use models for this.
My friend who paints my models for me goes for a dirty, weathered look too and each model ends up telling its own story and looks used and worn.
I just wonder where they store them all - I mean, they're huge Keep your eyes on the auction sites, folks as they may be offloading bits.

[jonny5]

So I finally saw this last night, although we went to a late show and I dozed off a couple times. Seemed pretty good, although that has to have been the loudest movie I have ever seen. I've seen lots of movies at this theatre, so this was unusually loud. The constant bass swells of the score were bone rattling loud, like squinting your eyes it's so loud, to be honest by the end of the movie I just wanted to get out of there, my ears were done!

Will have to give this another watch when it's out on bluray at a reasonable volume. The next morning and my ears are still kind of ringing. I've been going to drum and bass shows for 20 years, which are often soul crushingly loud, and this was on par with that. Way too loud for a movie.

/old man rant over

[Leandro]

So I finally saw this last night, although we went to a late show and I dozed off a couple times. Seemed pretty good, although that has to have been the loudest movie I have ever seen. I've seen lots of movies at this theatre, so this was unusually loud. The constant bass swells of the score were bone rattling loud, like squinting your eyes it's so loud, to be honest by the end of the movie I just wanted to get out of there, my ears were done!

Will have to give this another watch when it's out on bluray at a reasonable volume. The next morning and my ears are still kind of ringing. I've been going to drum and bass shows for 20 years, which are often soul crushingly loud, and this was on par with that. Way too loud for a movie.

/old man rant over

yeah, where I watched had a good volume, any more louder than that would hurt, but it was a just right kind of loud

[Skykid]

So I finally saw this last night, although we went to a late show and I dozed off a couple times. Seemed pretty good, although that has to have been the loudest movie I have ever seen. I've seen lots of movies at this theatre, so this was unusually loud. The constant bass swells of the score were bone rattling loud, like squinting your eyes it's so loud, to be honest by the end of the movie I just wanted to get out of there, my ears were done!

Will have to give this another watch when it's out on bluray at a reasonable volume. The next morning and my ears are still kind of ringing. I've been going to drum and bass shows for 20 years, which are often soul crushingly loud, and this was on par with that. Way too loud for a movie.

/old man rant over

They did push it a bit on the film print, first theatre I saw it in the speakers were rattling at certain bass depths - and they had a superior sound system!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

If you can watch Blade Runner 2049 with Dolby Atmos surround sound, it's considered the "gold standard" in terms of audio for many first-run films. Heavy bass surely accentuates certain key scenes (as a nice compliment at times).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Strider77]

Basically, its run-of-the-mill Hollywood drivel--cliche and derivative; ultimately, pointless.

Are you talking about Blade Runner 2049 or Guardians of the Galaxy? I'm lost...

[MintyTheCat]

Interestingly I realized watching this 10 year old docu that the opening scene in 2049 in the farm is lifted straight from Scott's unused opening for BR. The only difference is Deckard ices the Replicant in cold blood rather than discussing soft alternative methods. I quite like the opening scene in 2049 but there's definitely something not quite right about K offering to bring him in quietly - doesn't that go against everything we know about Blade Runners? Rogue Replicants aren't famous for going quietly to be retired, so it doesn't make much sense.

Not really, no. You can imagine that a life of handling the dirty end of things and such would serve to culture K. Violence is not always required. And it is kind of easier for him to not have to batter the guy but the guy also would have a pretty good idea either way that he'd not stay living after they'd finished with him so in a way he has not a lot to lose. Still, it may be either policy or at the Runner's discretion to offer the option to 'come in quietly', I mean the cops prefer not to have to batter felons so why not? Force as its up most doesn't really need to be demonstrated repeatedly really as a 'feeling and a notion' is usually all that is required. Still, K's character is pretty laid back I found and I kind of prefer this to Deckard's passion. This makes sense as K is really serving a purpose. There's no real need to inject any passion and perhaps he struggles to feel certain things outside the remit. He was of course able to cast off the advance that Lieutenant Joshi made though so he could have an 'intellectual model' but not have the feelings hooked up - who knows and we can only speculate really.

When all is said and done they are not involved in nice, clean work but giving the guy the option kind of serves to offer them something at the very least, it isn't much but he is after all closer to them than the natural humans so there could well be an affinity. We also see some signs of this affinity when Luv witnesses the murder of the new Replicant type and she sheds tears. It gets complicated and good and bad guys don't always behave consistently which makes the characters interesting I find.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The U.S. based Toys-R-Us stores are currently selling the articulated Blade Runner 2049 action figures of both Deckard & K @ the MSRP of $19.99 each. They're sculpted quite nicely and even come with an extra pair of hands to hold their respective accompanying PDK weaponry (Deckard's PDK weapon is the one from the original '82 BR flick whereas K's PDK weapon is the current one in use amongst the current-gen Blade Runners of 2049). How cool is that?

The outer box has that slick Blade Runner 2049 graphic design aesthetics vibe going on -- you can't miss 'em even if you wanted to.

Look for them in the speciality collector's aisle alongside with other cool action figure swag & whatnot.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The DVD, Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray & 4k UHD versions of Blade Runner 2049 went on sale in the USA 1/16/2018. Checked on amazon.com to see if the 3D Blu-Ray of BR 2049 was available but it's no cigar. It's a given that if you want to buy the 3D Blu-Ray disc of BR 2049, it's a Best Buy exclusive indeed.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/blade-runn ... Id=6169803

All three BR shorts (including the slick Blade Runner 2022 anime short) that were featured on Youtube, Vimeo and Crunchy Roll are bundled with the disc sets of BR 2049 -- how cool is that?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[wgogh]

(including the slick Blade Runner 2022 anime short)

I didnt knew about that anime short. I found out, with a quick search, that it is a work of Shinichiro Watanabe. Now I have to see it. I'm curious about how well his style will go with the Blade Runner universe. Cowboy Bebop already was his interpretation of western sci-fi, so maybe will be similar.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

In watching the Blade Runner 2049 scene of Joi inquring about her "anniversary" present, there is a wealth of hologram GUI 411 as shown here:

--------------------------
Joi Serial 27X:BAS1950:0213 Model 3.0

Height - 168cm
Body Type - Slender
Face Type - Classic
Skin Tone - Olive
Eye Color - Brown
Lip Color - Neutral
Hair Color - Brunette
Hair Style - Bangs
Ethnicity - Cuban
Language - English

Emanator Detected
-- Connect --
(In fine print) -- Joi and Joi System Technologies property of Wallace Corporation
Licensed under User License Agreement 9.3.6.53
Warranty Voided if Modified Beyond User Restrictions
All Rights Reserved
--------------------------

Blink and you'll miss it. A lot of work went into creating the world of BR 2049 even down to the smallest details including such on-screen holography GUIs and even the simplistic & stylish W logo typeface used to represent the Wallace Corporation, indeed. Quite impressive nevertheless.

The so-called "baseline" test issued to all Blade Runners is standard protocol/operating procedure after a retirement of the older Nexus 8 models (from the Tyrell Corp days of old).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~