I recently saw Blade Runner 2049, and it struck me in such a way that I had to get some thoughts down on it, both for the music and for the movie as a whole. This post is a bit different than the norm on a few fronts. It's mostly a music review with a bit of a focus on reviewing the movie as well, and it's focused on the soundtrack of the film, which is outside of my normal scope of expertise.
As a disclosure, I took some music courses in college and am familiar with classical music to a degree, but I haven't kept it up as well as I should have, so I won't be able to talk technical in terms of theory and other related subjects. I will talk about the movie and plot as well, so there will be some spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly suggest seeing it first.
The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch, the former of whom I'm very familiar with and the latter I had to do some research. I haven't seen the movies that Wallfisch has composed and conducted for, but am familiar with some of them, such as IT (2017), A Cure For Wellness, and Hidden Figures. Seeing the list of movies he has worked with and listening again to the soundtrack for Blade Runner 2049, it makes a lot of sense that he was chosen with Hans Zimmer to work on this project. He has done a lot of horror and thriller movies, and while 2049 was not a horror movie, it very much played with tension and suspense through the soundtrack and other elements. Wallfisch's knack for that, plus Zimmer's propensity for huge sounds and massive peaks, creates a soundtrack filled with insane highs and deep, deep lows. The opening track, "2049", is a great example of the scope of the soundtrack.The first half of the song is brooding, almost ambient with booming drums alternating focus with long, echoing 80's synths that ease in and out. There's a middle point where the song contains itself a bit, with light piano chords leading into the climax of the signature synths from the original movie; high, bright, dissonant tones that are captivating in their immensity. These sounds and tones are found throughout the soundtrack. The composers also used these noises that I personally thought were actual sounds from the movie and not from the soundtrack itself. An example is from "Flight to LAPD", a dark and fast paced piece where at one point a sound cuts through the synths and pounding drums that is reminiscent of a motorcycle or tuned-up car accelerating down the street. I was very surprised to discover it was part of the music itself. There's tracks on the other end of the spectrum, such as "Rain", that utilize the same large walls of sound, but with less intensity and more emphasis on softer, more beautiful tones. It inspires such a sense of wonder within the track, which is very fitting given it's place in the film. The scene it provides background for it when the character Joi (Ana de Armas) is going outside and "experiencing" rain for the very first time thanks to K (Ryan Gosling) buying an upgrade for her that gives her the ability to go with him wherever he goes. She has a sense of wonder and being awe-struck, and that is expressed incredibly well by the music for this moment.
The soundtrack relies a lot on moments of quiet and moments of loud sounds playing on one another, and helps create a lot of the tension that is found within the movie. There's also a big emphasis on dissonance and a lack of more recognizable melodies. It works more on creating sounds than refrains that different than typical refrains that a lot of soundtracks aim for; notable arrangements of notes that people recognize outside the movie (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, etc). An excellent example of these ideas is in "Mesa" a track that starts off soft and builds into the big sweeping synths, that all lean more towards the bright side. At about the 2:15 minute mark, the music explodes into this short but intense moment of dissonant, unsettling noises that are vastly different from the bright sound pallet that was just used moments before. It builds tension incredibly, keeping those watching on the edge with the builds in volume and shifting intensity from moment to moment within the same song. "Furnace" is another song that utilizes dissonance and unsettling sounds to create an enthralling moment. It begins with sounds that bring to mind an airplane descending from a high altitude, individual at first but changing in tone and slowly building upon each other as an incredibly low choral line sings. It's contrasted and complemented simultaneously by occasional high synths that provide an alternative in tones and timbres while still adding to the existing mood created. A moment further on consists of the choral voices beginning to break apart in their united front, with various ones singing in different moments and different notes and mumbles that create a frantic and eerie cacophony that's all framed by these huge rumbling bass notes. It's not a song that'll calm you down; as I write this, I continue to get chills down my spine from the mood set by the track.
"Sea Wall" is one of the more intense and lengthy songs from the soundtrack, coming in just shy of 10 minutes in length. It has one of the few moments of repetition from elsewhere in the soundtrack, using the same synth "melody" from the opening "2049" song starting at about the 2 minute mark. The first two minutes is more intense and upbeat, with an almost tribal drum beat that pounds along as the synths rise and fall in short bursts of distorted waves of sound. These two parts come together nearly halfway through the song, the huge bright synths and the low distorted ones fighting each other for dominance. This also creates a struggle for dominance in terms of the mood of the song, with these very different elements vying for control and shifting the tone of the song back and forth as they do so. This makes sense, given its placement in the movie. It's the backdrop for the final fight between K and Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) as they're battling for Rick Deckard's (Harrison Ford) life, and it's a fight that goes back and forth and keeps the viewer on their toes.
The soundtrack does a very good job of using the 80's elements from the original movie without making them sound cheesy; something that is hard to avoid association when watching movies from that era. "All The Best Memories Are Hers" and "Tears In the Rain" are both examples of this, as they play out for the final few moments of the movie and provide the emotional weight that complements those scenes. Both songs are full of the brighter synths, relying heavily on those and keeping a more ethereal sound as opposed to the more gritty elements found in other parts of the soundtrack. The tone and quality of the synths are very much inspired by the sounds of the original movie, but used in a more somber manner than before. It's a very fitting ending to the film.
As for the film itself, there are so many elements that are absolutely incredible. The cinematography, the visual pallet that they drew from, the dialog and plot and acting are all very well executed. It's a bit lengthy, at 2 hours 44 minutes, but well, well worth it. The film does such a good job of drawing you in and making you experience the emotional rollercoaster the characters embark on with them as the story plays out. The soundtrack comes into play heavily in furthering the depth of each scene, adding tension where needed, creating shock and awe during intense moments, and giving the more emotional scenes the raw punch needed.
One of my favorite scenes is when K visits Dr. Ana Stelline (Carla Juri) and has her examine his memory of the wooden horse and the bullies. When she tells him that it's real, confirming his suspicion, Gosling gives one of his best scene performances, going from seeming like he's on the verge of breaking down in tears to letting out a guttural scream as he throws his chair across the room. It's a moment that grabs you by the throat, keeping you locked on until it passes into the next scene. After that scene played out, I realized I was gripping the arm rest very firmly with my hand, unaware I had begun to do so. Gosling overall had an excellent performance, and I hope that it leads to him in more roles such as this, where I think he has now shown that he can excel in.
Other notable performances came from Harrison Ford, Dave Bautista, Sylvia Hoeks, and Ana de Armas. Ford gave what felt like a very ranged performance in terms of the emotions shown. The scene where he meets Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) and sees a replication of his love, Rachel, sees him actually shed tears for a moment, something I don't think I've ever seen in a performance of his. It was nice to see his grizzled, tough-guy exterior open for a moment. Dave Bautista's role was short but memorable, showing off his undeniable strength as he smashes Gosling's character against a wall inside his home repeatedly until Gosling goes through the other side. He also delivers a line that ends up being very important to the plot of the story: "You've never seen a miracle.", which references to the birth of a child from a replicant and a human. Sylvia Hoeks serves as the main antagonist of the film and provides Gosling with quite a challenge to overcome, almost succeeding herself in her mission. Her approach to the roll, an icy exterior that ever so slightly wavers when she is near Leto's character gives her more depth than a lot of movies give their antagonist; she is doing her job, which serves both as a reason to dislike her and a reason to sympathize for her. Ana de Armas serves as Gosling's love interest, which is interesting in itself given the nature of both parties involved (one is a Replicant, and the other is a holographic projection). One of the more intriguing and technologically facinating scenes is where she contacts Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) to come to the apartment her and Gosling share as she attempts to give him a "real" way to make love with her. Armas and Davis "sync" together in a CGI spectacle, one that is easy to forget is computer generated at all. The implications of the scene are tremendous as well, with Gosling (a machine) making love to Davis (a human) who looks like Armas (a holographic projection). Talk about something to keep your mind occupied.
The play between what is real and what is not was another one of my favorite elements. The plot and characters really bring into question what is real, thanks to the replicants and the ambiguity in whether they are fully human or simply machines. The impression it makes and questions it raises feel very postmodern, in the notion of reality versus hyper-reality (when the imitation of reality actually replaces reality). I was thrilled with that idea, as it is something that very much intrigues me in stories and writing. It's not a new idea, as many other philosophers, thinkers, and writers have explored this topic before. The way that the movie approaches and displays the argument between reality and hyper-reality is very well executed, and I think serves as a great lesson in postmodernism for a more mainstream audience.
Overall, I was incredibly impressed with this movie. I had been looking forward to seeing it, but it far exceeded my expectations. I absolutely recommend seeing this movie, although it is rated "R" so be careful about bringing kids. You will not be disappointed.
Soundtrack Rating: 8/10
Movie Rating: 9/10
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