This week’s assemblage of films includes:
Blade Runner
"Black Out 2022"
"2036: Nexus Dawn"
"2048: Nowhere to Run"
Blade Runner 2049
The focal features will be Black Out 2022 and 2036: Nexus Dawn.
I’ve emerged from the hyper-sleep of Spring Break refreshed and ready to send out my next transmission. Hopefully the same was true for you, but if not, there is an easy fix: lose yourself in a sci-fi movie marathon. Last week, I took a dip into the more comedic films of the 80’s. This week, follow along for a more serious run: a Blade Runner marathon.
The common link these films share is that they were born from the mind of Philip K. Dick. Specifically, Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. For those who are not aware, Philip K. Dick is one of the most famed writers of science fiction. While I personally have only completed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Ubik, his works are commonly referenced and have served as the inspiration for other movies including Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Adjustment Bureau. If you are interested in learning more, I would personally recommend starting with Ubik and continuing with the VALIS Trilogy. Just hold off on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? until you see the original Blade Runner.
Both Blade Runner and its source inspiration follow a series of refugee androids from Mars as they attempt to live life on Earth rather than remain in the yoke of servitude where they came from. Bounty hunter Rick Deckard is tasked with hunting down and killing the “andies” (replicants in the film). Whereas the novel focuses on several elements – a religion/cult based around the figure of Mercer, the use of live animals as status symbols as a holdover from a nuclear holocaust, and mind-bending technologies, Blade Runner directs its focus on the struggle of the androids and protagonist Deckard.
While the franchise could not survive without this film, it is the supplementary short films that truly revolutionized the way I viewed the Blade Runner franchise. I originally feared that Blade Runner 2049 was going to be an unnecessary addition, but after seeing how elegantly the two films were bridged together, I can safely say this is not the case.
On to “Black Out 2022,” directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo). Now, I must note that this short film is the longest of the short films as well as the only anime one. It also takes place the earliest chronologically and is, in my opinion, the most important of the shorts to watch in order to have the best possible grasp on how the world of Blade Runner operates in 2049.
On the surface level, the art is gorgeous. The film replicates Blade Runner’s method of introduction more closely than Blade Runner 2049, giving the impression that not only the history but the style of film is being connected through the progression of these shorts. Even so, the style of the short is still distinctive. The differing art styles between the early flashbacks and the present as well as the “camera” movement gives a sense of chaos to the already chaotic images on screen. Later, when the art style stays consistent between moments in time, it is the sheer amount of flashbacks and forward jumps that help continue the chaos. The music at times contrasts with what is going on within a scene, adding subtly to the horror by creating a sense of disjunction; however, there are times where the tone of the music fits the mood of the moment and also adds tremendously to the scene. Every detail put into the visuals and sounds of the short is exquisite.
The storyline of "Black Out 2022” in some ways reminds me of some of the elements of world-building found within the game Detroit Become Human, but questions of human supremacy and android rights are common within the genre, and '2022' predates DBH by a short while. There are several things (for lack of a better categorical grouping) that live action film will never be able to do better than anime, and one of them is the sheer athletic intensity required for any film with action, especially stylized as in the Blade Runner franchise. The stillness and perfection that can be drawn in a character when not dependent upon a human body’s performance adds to the inhumanity of the situation in so many ways. This complete control of what is presented also works in the reverse beautifully in the development of the replicants.
To a certain extent, Trixie falls within the “Born Sexy Yesterday” trope through how she is portrayed, but to open up this discussion requires the context of the feature-length Blade Runner films as well as the novel in my opinion, so I will leave that at that. Iggy is the other main replicant we are introduced to, and his characterization is almost as flat as Trixie’s. He is a programed killer that has decided to kill because he has decided to live. While both characters seem somewhat flat, they still change enough – and cause enough change – to create a complete and moving story. I hesitate to say much about said story other than what the title already explains: the Blackout of 2022.
Next in the series is “2036: Nexus Dawn,” directed by Luke Scott. The difference in style (besides this short being live action) is palpable from even the title card. "Black Out 2022" closed the chapter of the last era; "2036: Nexus Dawn" opens the next chapter. There is something uncanny and dark in the air from the moment Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) appears on screen, and by the time he speaks the feeling has intensified tenfold. '2036' serves as an introduction to the new brand (or “breed”) of Replicants that are referenced in the film. The short also introduces Niander Wallace, their creator, and hints at the depravity and casual cruelty to come.
Riding on the tails of the Blackout, the next generation is introduced over the rhythmic, pulsing beat of the soundtrack and Wallace’s strange speech. As the moment of truth arrives, the scene is silent. If the first short had some horrific imagery, '2036' takes this to a new height. What happens from this point on is anxiety-inducing at the least, triggering at the worst, and devastatingly effective either way.
'2036' is a simpler short, taking place within one room and one consecutive moment, but it is as informative and challenging as '2022' for all of their differences. I would focus on 2048 as well, but I feel as if that short is of less importance than the others since it mainly sets the stage for the earliest event in the film. That is not to say it is unimportant – I just don’t wish to overprescribe in my selections. I personally think this would be a fun (albeit lengthy) movie marathon.
Did this journey into the works of Philip K. Dick only make you want more? There are departures weekly. Next stop: Destination Twilight Zone.
Indira Ramgolam is a freshman in Columbia College.