Films have played a significant role in society in various ways, including educating, influencing and inspiring on various issues and perspectives. They raise political, social and environmental issues, promote cultural diversity, and help create social change (Jones, 2019). They also preserve the culture and provide a platform for expressing artistic skills. This essay analyses the main themes, techniques, and effects used to convey the director’s intended message in Blade Runner 2049. The impression and the perspective it creates on the world through people are also analyzed. Blade Runner 2049 is a science-based directed by Denis Villeneuve and released in 2017. The film’s setting is dystopian Los Angeles, as it was in 2049, the period in which the artificial humans created by the Tyrell corporation have been necessary to society as they replaced the slave labourers. The story is about K – a replicant Blade Runner – that works for the LAPD- who exposes the conspiracy that makes him critique his place and identity in society. The main themes explored in the film include artificial intelligence, the nature of humanity and the results of praying to God (Villeneuve, 2017).
Themes Structure and The Techniques Used
The broad themes explored in the film include memory, humanity, identity and the consequences of playing God. The story revolves around the replicant K, who brings in a discovery that could now impact society and the livelihoods of the people around him. The story explores how humans and replicants relate and how technology influences society. It passes the reader’s impression on the viewers’ minds.
The overall structure of the film
The film follows a traditional structure involving three acts. It starts with an introduction which lays out the setting and the characters; the second is the rising action that directs to the central revelation and the climax and the resolution, which links up the story’s loose ends.
Significant Techniques Used
The director uses a wide range of techniques to create a visually stunning and immersive world in the film. The techniques used are strategic to create the exact picture or impression the film intends to create in the viewers’ minds. These techniques include intricate production design, mastery of sound and music, and stunning cinematography. The film shows excellent cities and landscapes that drive the viewer to an imaginary world that is great and more advanced than the current world. The film’s colour and light are also intentionally and objectively used. Each scene features a unique colour that epitomizes the tone and mood of the story. The director also uses slow pacing and intentional editing to create a tension effect and anticipation as the film progresses (Villeneuve, 2017).
The film Blade Runner 2049 is a story using visualization to draw the reader into the imaginary world in the film writer’s mind and provoke them to think in a particular line of thinking. Among the most notable technique is the objective use of colour to communicate the mood and the meaning. For instance, the film dominates the use of a desaturated colour palette, with muted blue and grey colours in most scenes. Applying this colour scheme gives the film a sense of detachment and coldness, emphasizing the bleak and dystopian world the film seeks to display. However, other colours are also used, for example, the use of vibrant colours such as bright yellow and oranges in Las Vegas and the neon pinks and greens in the city’s advertisements. These colours highlight the difference between the artificiality of the world and the lost natural world.
The film also uses lighting to a great extent. Some of the scenes dim, with deep shadows and pools of light. The application of these effects creates a sense of mystery and danger. Applying this lighting undoubtedly influences the film’s climatic scenes (Villeneuve, 2017). For instance, where K confronts Wallace in a white starkly lit room. The light and dark contrasts are used to emphasize the ambiguity of the characters and the complexity of the moral questions the film raises.
The film is generally chronological, involving use encompassing non-linear constituents that are introduced through the use of dream sequences and flashbacks. These serve to show crucial information about information on the characters and their various motivations, as they also signify intrigue and mystery to the viewer. The use of non-linear elements enables the film director to explore their themes, especially memory and identity.
The viewer identifies with K – the film’s protagonist – all along in his struggle to identify himself and his place in society, which seems not to accept him. This effect draws the viewer into an imaginary world created by the film and emphasizes the themes of humanity on them as they try to think through their meanings. The technique is applied to have the reader weigh the matter from two perspectives and have them adopt what the film proposes (Villeneuve, 2017).
The film’s Villain is Niander Wallace. He is portrayed in a manner that needs to be critiqued. He is displayed as a megalomaniacal individual who aims to control the replicants and to play God and has little regard for the results of his actions. On the other hand, K is a hero and is portrayed as a complex individual who is a sympathetic character who works to make sure he does the right thing (Villeneuve, 2017). This difference works to emphasize morality themes and consequences that arise as a result of playing God.
The aspect of women’s treatment and multiculturalism is evident in the film. It displays women in leadership positions and stresses the diverse nature of its characters. Notably, a conflict rotates around white men with women and various races in supporting roles. This raises issues on how the film treats these issues and the extent to which the film adequately portrays diversity.
Viewers could have overlooked several events in Blade Runner 2049 concerning its themes and messages. An example is the significance of bees, which represent fertility and the preservation of life. This film additionally investigates how memories influence our views of who we are as people. False memories are implanted into the replicants in the movie to make them look more like humans, which highlights the question of what memory is made of. In Blade Runner 2049, the dangers of unrestricted technological progress are also discussed because replicants’ development has produced a less respectful culture of individuality and human life (Villeneuve, 2017).
Conclusion
To summarise, Blade Runner’s 2049 science-based fiction film explores essential themes in present-day society, such as humanity, identity, consequences of playing God and identity. A three-act structure and techniques such as sound, music, production design and cinematography are used. The silent protagonist, K, is displayed as a complex and sympathetic character to identify the viewers. The film shows the diversity between the characters and questions how it portrays women and minorities in society. This film displays how films are vital in educating, influencing, and inspiring people on various perspectives and issues.
Work Cited
Villeneuve, D. (2017). Blade Runner 2049: The story of the movie. Titan Books.
Jones, P. (2019). The Power of Film: Examining the Societal Influence of Cinema.
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