Blade Runner 2049 (4K UHD BD) [Blu-ray]

Product Information

Nexus Dawn (HD, 6:31) – This short short was directed by Luke Scott, son of Ridley, and explains in more detail how Jared Leto's Wallace was able to continue production of Replicants and how his versions differ from the older models. So when one of Officer K’s investigations uncovers the remains of an early-model female replicant who appears to have given birth before she died, Wallace will stop at nothing to obtain this secret.

And it's a marvel that Villeneuve manages to get the best acting we've seen from Harrison Ford in years, maybe even decades. Right from the marriage of intense, oppressive low end rumbles with Vangelis twangs, this is how to do a sequel to such a classic.While I won't go so far as to say that Blade Runner 2049 is as good as or better than the original Blade Runner, it gets pretty damn close. These exchanges can be particularly jarring and unsettling when K undergoes his baseline tests as words are thrown fast and furious with an increasing intensity. Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is a deeply cinematic experience, a film that dazzles the senses even as it challenges the intellect. The hues get a better showcase on the 4K, such as the fluorescent tinge to the lights in K's kitchen. The various oranges and reds, mixed with yellows and glossy creams in the Las Vegas sequence are gorgeously rendered.

Roger Deakins captures every minute detail with wide expansive vistas and long takes that allow your eyes the freedom to wander. Ana de Armas' Joi is a stunning visual concept, an AI that blurs the line (certainly for K) as to what's real and what's not. But trust me when I say that Villeneuve deftly handles the material and allows the audience time to ruminate on the ideas and come to their own debatable conclusions. Bigger in scope, with more to grapple with and discern, it's a long watch but it's hard to take your eyes off it.Using a mix of old-school practical effects and models with new digital effects, he created a beautiful yet horrifying landscape that echoes the world presented in the first film, but shows that humanity has stumbled further into a frightful dystopia where it rains all day, snows all night, and the sun rarely pierces the haze that lingers above Los Angeles. Image clarity is excellent overall, with remarkable texturing and fine detail, both notable given the film’s dense atmospherics (which include almost the persistent use of smoke, fog, rain, snow, and/or smog). After receiving some inquiries from fans, none of the home video releases replicate the Imax experience. As Dolby Vision allows the filmmakers to actually fine-tune the HDR grading from shot to shot, scene by scene, you're able to get a more intricate look at the image. Be prepared to get a dark and wonderful welcome back into the rich and atmospheric futurescape of Blade Runner.

transfer of the film for Imax - and it did look great on that huge screen - but it was not made available for either the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, or 3D Blu-ray release. The only way this presentation could have been better is if Dolby Vision had been available on disc, but what's here is likely to be the best there ever will be on physical media. Blade Runner 2049 builds a whole universe of big questions to answer; layer upon layer of metaphysical reflection which could fuel a whole franchise that fans might actually champion to see.

Note that the BD disc opens with a promo for the Blade Runner: Revelations Daydream VR experience and there’s a Movies Anywhere Digital Copy code for the film included in the packaging on a paper insert. Blacks are immense, both firm and inky deep with Deakins sculpting the film with light and shadows (silhouettes are incredibly refined).

After blowing me away with his thoughtful approach to science fiction with Arrival, and his impressive work with Sicario, Enemy, and Prisoners - I felt that this film at least would be interesting. The included Digital code is redeemable through Movies Anywhere and unlocks a 4K UHD with Dolby Vision on Vudu.The cleverly-developed narrative echoes the original, and builds upon its foundation, but never once seeks to disrespect it, unravel it, or repeat it. Ridley Scott himself has recently come out and said that part of the reason why this film didn't connect at the box office was probably due to its length. Blade Runner 2049 was one of the greatest cinema experiences of 2017; potentially even the decade, and now it's one of the best 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray releases of 2018, and easily to date.