BLADE RUNNER 2049 AT THE GULBENKIAN

A sequel to the 1982 original Blade Runner –a science fiction film with themes adapted from a novel of the same genre (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick)– Blade Runner 2049 will premier at University of Kent’s Gulbenkian theatre on Friday 3 October at 8.30 PM.

Moving another thirty years into the future from the first one, the dystopian plot of Blade Runner 2049 follows the new blade runner; LAPD Officer “K” (Ryan Gosling) ‘unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos.’ Also starring: Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Dave Bautista, Edward James Olmos.

The first screening will feature a special introduction from Professor Aylish Wood, a film and media professor at Kent’s School of Arts.

With the number of old classics getting revived in recent years and the mixed responses to this course, it was interesting to get the Professor’s thoughts on this

Blade Runner has a special place in its admirers hearts and so a revival has been inevitable for some time. People really wanted answers to Deckard’s status as human or replicant, and were engaged by way the film dealt with the humanity of both human and non-human beings. Blade Runner 2049 runs with this point again. That places it in a different category to other revivals, many of which come closer to being remakes. I have in mind here the current trend to re-make animations as live action, such as Ghost in the Shell and the Disney live-action features. As a big fan of animation I prefer the originals, and the ways they play with the possibilities of animation. That’s tamed in the re-makes as the visual effects have to stay pinned down in a live-action version of the world.

Blade Runner 2049 will be running at the Gulbenkian from 3-9 November. Get a chance to see it? Tell us what you thought in the comments section.

Tickets and information: https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/event/blade-runner-2049/