Blade Runner. From the cyberpunk noir, to the introspective thoughts it induced, the 1982 film was a huge inspiration during the creation of my new comic series, Neon Cell. And after seeing Blade Runner 2049, this sequel has already had a huge visual influence on the comic. I mean, ideas had already started swirling in my head as soon as the first trailer was released.
As with all films tightly fitting into a specific genre, both the original and the sequel are not for all sci-fi fans. The average moviegoer is likely to hate them if they go in thinking they’re sitting down to mindless sci-fi action, like Transformers or something. These movies are sloooow. The pacing can even be difficult for a fan of the genre. Luckily for me, the aesthetics fill in those gaps. The atmospheric music, combined with the long sweeping shots of the landscape, can really put you to sleep – or maybe it’s more of a trance… BUT, this style of storytelling really puts the audience into the world.
One aspect I really loved about 2049, was the minimal color palette a lot of the environments had. This was something that I think helped build viewer immersion. Another great thing was the scale of the statues, buildings, and digital advertisements – the characters in the film were dwarfed by their surroundings. You’ll definitely be seeing both of those elements (among other things) used in Neon Cell.
Three supplemental short films were also created prior to the release of the sequel. Two are live-action and feature actors from 2049 (Leto in one, and Bautista in the other). The third is an anime, which I’ve embedded below. All three are good, but I would love a series based on this anime. Somebody make that happen! *cough …Netflix
As harsh as the Blade Runner universe is, I kind of want to live there. Even with all the futuristic technology that is years beyond us, it still smacks me in the face with the 80s nostalgia (that I’ve never been able to get enough of in my life). The perpetual darkness in contrast with the bright neon lights reflecting in the rain puddles… I need more; I need to know what goes on “off-world”, AND if the speculation that it’s actually connected to the Alien film universe is true. So if I can’t officially get answers to that stuff any time soon, I’ll just write my own cyberpunk story that travels off-world – and throw in some sword & sorcery elements to make it my own.