Blade Runner 2049 (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) (4K Ultra)

If you want a disc that will show off what your home theater system can really do, this is it! Blade Runner 2049 on 4K UHD is reference quality from start to finish and easily earns 5 stars. Video Quality: The 4K transfer with HDR is jaw-dropping. The neon-lit cityscapes, desert wastelands, and moody interiors all pop with incredible detail and contrast. Blacks are inky but never crushed, and highlights have a richness that streaming just can’t deliver. Every texture—rain, dust, skin, fabric—feels more lifelike. Compared to streaming, the difference is night and day; it’s like watching the film for the first time again, almost theatrical in scope. Audio Quality: The Dolby Atmos mix is demo material. Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score rumbles with chest-thumping bass, and the sound design surrounds you from every direction. Distant echoes, environmental effects, and flying vehicles overhead put you right inside the world. Even with a modest 7.2.4 Atmos setup, this disc makes you feel like you’re sitting in a high-end cinema. Bottom Line: This is the definition of demo-worthy. If you want to flex your system or experience Blade Runner 2049 the way it was meant to be seen and heard (at 0.0db Reference Level), the 4K disc is essential. Streaming doesn’t come close—this is pure home theater magic.

I needed a 4K Blu-ray to play in the Sony 4K player, and this is a good disk to test it with

Great dvd love it a classic Great

This is the 2017 long-awaited sequel to the (now) iconic 1984 film Blade Runner, which starred Harrison Ford a Deckard, a Blade Runner who hunted down and retried Artificially Intelligent Androids called Replicants. This movie is set 30 years after the original movie. We find out that the Tyrell Corporation has been taken over and is now the Wallace Corporation, run by Niander Wallace (played by Jared Leto). The corporation still makes replicants and has basically turned them into slaves, and the Earth has become a dystopian nightmare, in large part due to an electromagnetic pulse that wiped everything out in 2022. Ryan Gossling plays K, the most advanced replicant (a Nexus-9 Replicant) who is a Blade Runner that hunts down and retires rogue replicants. In the process of retiring a replicant at the beginning of the movie, he discovers evidence that replicants can reproduce biologically, and this leads him, through a series of events, to finding Deckard (again played by Ford). I will not spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, but if you have seen the original movies, similar themes play out in this movie that did in the first one. For those who get the 4-k blu-ray, it is a two-disc set with a UHD disc just containing the movie and a regular blu-ray with the movie and the extras. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is top-notch, pretty much what I would call reference quality. There are, of course, a lot of CGI effects in the movie, and everything looks seamless so, if not for flying cars and the like, it would be hard to tell what is real and what is not. The extras include two longer featurettes, one 17 minutes and one about 22 minutes, that focus on casting and the look of the new movie. Then there are a series of prologues which are prequel shorts to the movie that provides some backstory. The longest is just over 15 minutes and the other two are around 6 minutes. Then there are a series of short featurettes that total 11 minutes and can be played all at once, which cover different aspects of the Blade Runner world. Then there is a trailer for the game that was released around the same time as the movie. All in all, the extras total about an hour and twenty minutes, give or take. Overall, the movie is very good. The writers did a good job incorporating parts of the story from the original film into a new, updated movie, and made it work. The cast is very strong and includes Robin Wright, Ana De Armas (in her first major role in the US), and Dave Bautista. The movie even finds a way to incorporate Sean Young's character (using a similar kind of CGI and real actor blend that was used in Rouge One) from the first movie without her appearing in person (although she is still credited as appearing as Rachael). Like the first movie, it is hard to classify what genre this is. It is a movie that has a lot of action, but it is not really an action movie per-se. It is a mix of action, drama, philosophy, and thought experiment all rolled into one. The acting is top-notch with Gossling doing a great job taking over the leading role, and Ford steps back into the role of Deckard well. It is a worthy follow-up to the first movie and is definitely worth watching.

When has a cult classic that failed at the box office gotten a sequel? I can count the times on half a hand. “Blade Runner 2049” banked on that cache unfortunately, while it did well, the cost of the sequel prevented it from becoming a box office winner. In the long term that doesn’t matter though as this direct sequel is a worth follow up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 film. It does have its flaws that Scott’s original release but they aren’t as bad as could have been. Set nearly three decades after the original,film, Replicants are still out there and still on the run. Rather than rely on humans to retire them (and whether or not you believe Scott’s take on the original character of Rick Decars or not doesn’t really come into play), the force that retires them now relies on a Replicant that is less human than human who goes by K (Ryan Gosling).:He gets called into a termination that calls into question whether the most famous pair to escape ‘justice’ Deckard (Harrison Ford) and Rachel (Sean Young ) are still alive. Complicated by the fact that Niander Wallace, who,has bought the troubled Tyrell Corporarion, wants to create Rwplicants who can reproduce and is also looking for the pair, K has his job cut out for him. He also begins to sense what he is missing-the more human than human aspect that informed early Replicants. Directed by Denis Villenvue from a script by Hampton Fancher (who co-wrote the original film) and Michael Greene (based on a story idea by Scott and Fancher), the film is awash with the characteristic production design and photography that made the original film so memorable. While it does run too long by about 20 minutes,,the film is a fitting sequel to the original. The 4k looks exceptional although this is not the IMAX released version but the standard theatrical cut. The impressive production design benefited from the taller presentation of the film. The monochrome look of the film with desaturated colors is intentional. Detail remains exceptional on this digitally shot production. The 4K version wins over the standard blu-ray due to the format itself and presentation. The blu-ray looks fine but all the extras are crammed on the Blu-ray with a film that is well over two and a half hours long. That means that the space for the feature is limited somewhat by the extras (though it should be noted one really would be hard pressed to tell except on the largest possible monitor). The Dolby Atmos mix is rich with detail and puts one smack dab in the environment. The special features are copious with two featurettes, three “prequel” shorts that set up what occurred between the original film and now (and is alluded to in the sequel), and six short featurettes on the universe of the film. These are all located only on the Blu-ray (not 4K) disc. What’s missing is an in depth commentary track. “Blade Runner 2049” turned out to be a worthy sequel to the original film marred by some pacing and length issues. It isn’t a perfect sequel but it does measure up well to the original. It’s a worth while film that focuses as much on character as the built up to the mystery of locating Deckard and Rachel. There are some terrific performances as well in the film and some notable supporting cast members that do an outstanding job in the film. Will you enjoy it? Just go in knowing that the pacing is a slow burn and the film runs a bit too long and you will. Highly recommended.

There are things worth dying for. Sometimes you don't know it until you have to make a final fatal choice. Sometimes you don't know that you can make that choice. It helps to be familiar with the first "Blade Runner" movie before watching this, just so you can appreciate the connections between the two movies. Even so, I had to watch this movie twice to let everything sink in. The most wonderful think about "Blade Runner 2049" is that no character "good" or "bad" is one-dimensional. And thank heavens that Harrison Ford, returned as Deckard, is not romanticized. A very good movie that isn't non-stop action, there is some thinking going on. "Blade Runner 2049" came out in 2017 and is 164 minutes long. If you buy it on disc, you have several audio and subtitle options. Subtitles are available for the Special Features also: AUDIO – English (Dolby Atmos), English (DTS-HD Master Audio), English Descriptive Audio, French and Spanish (Latin America) SUBTITLES – English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, French, Spanish Special Features when purchased on disc: ...A... "Designing the World of Blade Runner 2049" (22 minutes) Commentators include Andrew A Kosove (producer), Denis Villeneuve (director), Ridley Scott (producer), Harrison Ford (plays Rick Deckard), Dennis Gassner (production designer), Ryan Gosling (plays K), Roger A Deakins (director photograhy), Broderick Johnson (producer), Cynthia Sikes Torkin (producer), Ana de Armas (plays Joi), Dave Bautista (plays Sapper Morton), John Nelson (visual effects supervisor), Karen Murphy-Mundell (visual effects producer), Doug Harlocker (prop master), Zsolt Tarnok (vehicle art director), Paul Inglis (supervising art director), MacKenzie Davis (plays Mariette), Jared Leto (plays Niander Wallace), Sylvia Hoeks (plays Luv), Alessandra Querzola (set decorator), Lennie James (plays Mr. Cotton) and Syd Meade (concept artist for the original Blade Runner). As you can see, lots of topics are touched on. Per Gassner, in 2049, "animals are extinct. We're kind of living on worms packaged in different ways." Giant sets were built, because they wanted as little green screen as possible. Gosling: "It was a living breathing universe." ...B... "To Be Human: Casting Blade Runner 2049" (17 minutes) New commentators, Hampton Fancher (screenwriter) and Carla Juri (plays Dr Anna). Kosove on Dave Bautista, [you will] "be quiet blown away by what a great actor his is. It's not just abou physicality, it's about depth and emotion and empathy." ...C... Prologues. Denis Villeneuve introduces each one. 2049 is 30 years after the original film. "I decided to ask a couple of artists I respect to create three short stories that dramatize some key events that occurred after 2019, when the 1st Blade Runner took place": ........ "2022: Blackout" (15 minutes, Wantanabe anime) How did the 10-year Black Out happen? ........ "2036: Nexus Dawn" (7 minutes, Luke Scott short film) The Black Out is over but a lot of data is lost and replicants are outlawed. In L.A., a meeting of the magistrate sector is stunned by a demonstration and proposal by Niander Wallace. ........ "2048: No Where to Run" (7 minutes, Luke Scott short film) How Sapper Morton comes to the attention of the Blade Runners. ...D... Blade Runner 101 (2 minutes each). New commentator is Michael Green (writer): ........ "Blade Runners" Gosling: "Replicants are seen as 2nd class citizens.... A very bleak, lonely existence." ........ "The Replicant Evolution" ........ "The Rise of Wallace Corp." ........ "Welcome to 2049" ........ "Joi" ........ "Within the Skies: Spinners, Pilotfish and Barracudas" Very good stuff, indeed. Happy Reader

I saw Blade Runner 2049 today, opening day, and it was exactly what I had hoped for. I highly recommend watching the 3 short films that Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve had commissioned. "Black Out 2022", an anime short, helps add depth and background to Blade Runner 2049. "2036: Nexus Dawn" and "2048: Nowhere To Run" add character background to 2 important characters. All 3 short films are really great and different from one another. Performances across the board in Blade Runner 2049 are high, from big parts to little. Gosling and Ford are exactly what you'd expect, and what you want. Their performances are fantastic. Ana De Armas and Sylvia Hoeks are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their characters in the film, and are both extremely captivating to watch. One can't really say much about this film without spoiling things. I like that like the original, this is a noir detective story. I like that it shares similar themes as the original, and explores some new concepts that deepen the world that Philip K. Dick invented on paper. This film is long, clocking in at 2 hours and 44 minutes, but it doesn't feel long. The pace of the film is consistent and editing is tight. I think Roger Deakins did a fantastic job as cinematographer and expanded on some things that the cinematographer from Blade Runner (Jordan Cronenweth) did with lighting and moving light sources. A trio of composers work together to make their own mark but also keep in tone and style with the original. Which ultimately sums up the entire film that Denis Villeneuve crafted from Ridley Scott's script. Denis took what was great about the original film, and created his own story. The Blade Runner sequel could have been about anything, and Villeneuve crafted something that's both old and new, and yet rather modern. The film isn't action packed but when there is action, it's very entertaining and violent, like the original. I like that not everything is tied up and resolved. Sequels tend to not be great, they're often a studio grasping at creating a bankable franchise. A sequel 30 years later is generally a really desperate attempt at recapturing some market and a bad idea. Making a sequel to something like Blade Runner, which is now considered a science fiction cinema masterpiece, is a big gamble. And I think it paid off for Villeneuve. He made something that pays homage to the original without force feeding us memberberries and in your face references and offers something new and unique and something of his own. Blade Runner 2049 looks and sounds and feels like the original but also feels new and different, which is exactly what I look for in sequels. Key events at the denouement of the film make you revisit previous scenes and view them from a new perspective. I've found myself thinking of certain scenes constantly since seeing it, much like the first time I saw Blade Runner. Whether you prefer the original theatrical release of Blade Runner, or the workprint or director's or final cut, whether you thought Deckard was a replicant or not, I think you'll be pleased with this film. I saw this in IMAX and 2D, as it was shot. Though I have read that the 3D presentation is good, it was shot in standard 2D. The release date itself is even significant with in the film. The sound design is amazing, that room was just quaking for 2 and a half hours. Blade Runner 2049 exceeded my expectations and I think it's an amazing complementary sequel to the original and I've no real complaints about the film in any regard. Performances are strong, it's shot and edited well, the story is fresh and it makes you think. Blade Runner 2049 comes FULLY APPROVED.

I may not be the world's biggest Blade Runner fan, but I count myself in the top 25. In the 80s, I drove around with an audio recording of the film and could quote entire scenes. I am talking about a time that pre-dates VHS. To say that I was excited about the 2049 sequel would be a huge understatement. I was excited to see the new film. I was equally ready to rip it to shreds if it did not do justice to the original. I consider myself a student of film having watched movies for sheer enjoyment/entertainment, art or both, for many, many years. This may be threading on thin ice, but I read an article, a few years ago, that advanced the notion that the average US movie viewer was not capable of understanding the higher concepts of irony, characters that were not black and white (purely good or purely evil), or conflicting concepts in a film. That was the author's reasoning for why films such as the Dutch masterpiece, The Vanishing, was produced in the US with a completely different ending...because American audiences could not handle the original ending. The Broadway production of Agnes of God was a masterpiece and won Amanda Plummer a Tony. The motion picture was a piece of celluloid crap. Several of Ridley Scott's films have been re-edited due to the fact that he tried new ideas and it did not go over well at advanced screenings. I feel that the negative audience reaction to Blade Runner 2049 was due to the fact that Director Denis Villeneuve didn't "blow enough shit up." Can an American movie viewer not sit through a film as long as 2049 and not enjoy it for its artistic value and not base it on the body count? Yes and No. The fans who watched the film, understood it and have written 4 and 5 stars reviews appear to have gotten it. The disgruntled 1-star critics apparently have not. Blade Runner 2049 is art! A masterpiece? It's very close. Visually stunning. True to the original. Denis is very proud of this film and should be. The real irony is that there were hints, in 2049, of a Replicant rebellion. Would Blade Runner 3 have been made into a film with a high body count? Possibly. But the world will never know due to the arm chair critics who shot down Blade Runner 2049 out of pure ignorance and helped discourage film goers from seeing one of 2017's best movies. In spite of high anticipation, Blade Runner 2049 will barely break even at the box office. On the bright side, there are other ways to see this Sci-Fi classic. If you decide to give it a shot, keep an open mind. Look at it for its entertainment value but also for its artistic merit. You will not be disappointed.