18 Jul 2025 01:00
Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - ATRM Classic | Ep. 117
In 2017, Denis Villeneuve dared to return to the neon-soaked streets of Los Angeles and somehow turned a seemingly impossible sequel into one of cinema's most breathtaking sci-fi masterpieces. Blade Runner 2049 earned critical acclaim and Roger Deakins an Oscar, but the weight of following Ridley Scott's iconic original was almost as crushing as the film's dystopian world.
We're unpacking two stories about this ambitious sequel: The pressure-cooker production tale - from Villeneuve's meticulous approach to honoring the original while creating something entirely new, to the studio's gamble on a $150 million art film that audiences weren't quite ready for. Second, we dig into the craft behind this visual symphony - Deakins' groundbreaking cinematography, Ryan Gosling's nuanced performance as K, and how Villeneuve created a meditation on memory and identity that somehow made a three-hour runtime feel essential.
Through segments like The Director, The Cast, and The Crew, we explore how a film about artificial beings became a profound examination of what makes us human - all while delivering some of the most stunning visuals ever committed to celluloid, proving that sometimes the best sequels are the ones that expand rather than repeat.
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