2018 Oscars Challenge: [35] “Blade Runner 2049” – 5 Nominations

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Producers: Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Bud Yorkin, & Cynthia Sikes Yorkin
Writers: Hampton Fancher & Michael Green
Cinematography: Roger A. Deakins
Composer: Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: October 6, 2017
Run-time: 163 minutes

FILM SYNOPSIS: In 2049, three decades after original blade runner Rick Deckard went missing, LAPD officer K is tasked with eliminating older, rogue replicants, which have been replaced by newer, more malleable models. When K makes a devastating discovery, however, he seeks Deckard’s help to uncover the truth about both the history and future of replicants.

Last year, Denis Villeneuve got major love from the Academy for his film “Arrival” with the film getting eight nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture. Why “Blade Runner 2049″did not get the same amount of love I will never know. Based on Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” featuring Harrison Ford, this sequel dives into the same world but brings a new level to the visuals. Box office-wise, “Blade Runner 2049” failed to catch on, but usually the Academy overlooks that sort of thing. Not the case this year. “Blade Runner 2049” did not get a Best Picture nomination (not that it would have won it anyone) but it did land in some major awards, some of which could make history.

Roger Deakins has now been nominated fourteen times without a win. The man is destined to earn his first Oscar when they give it to him as an honorary one. Hands down one of the best cinematographers of all time, his work steadily keeps getting better and “Blade Runner 2049” is no exception. A long-time collaborator of the Coen Brothers, Deakins has narrowly missed out on wins on so many occasions, even when the films he works on wins Best Picture. The competition those particular years end up being too much. This year is slightly more of the same, yet I believe this is finally his year. What is going against Deakins mostly this year is the fact that there are three Best Picture nominees in the category. If love is strong for either “Dunkirk” or “The Shape Of Water,” it’s night night Roger Deakins. Very early on, pundits pitted Deakins versus Hoyte van Hoytema for “Dunkirk,” because it was an Oscar favorite and because the cinematography is absolutely stunning. But personally, nothing beats Deakins’ work, especially in “Blade Runner 2049.” The man can take any film and make it better. Give him a damn Oscar!

Production Design is a tough category. “Blade Runner 2049” definitely has some of the most jaw-dropping sets and decoration, paying homage to the original “Blade Runner” while creating entirely new features to this world take make it feel entirely unique. Each different set is set piece, with so much to discover around every corner. You can never get bored while viewing this film because their is so much to look at. The only other film that quite reaches the level of creativity that “Blade Runner 2049” does is “The Shape Of Water,” which creates some very interesting sets that feel as alive as their characters. With “Dunkirk” and “Darkest Hour” having a little less flair then these two and “Beauty and the Beast” falling a little short in my opinion, this comes down to “Blade Runner 2049” and “The Shape Of Water.”

The sound categories this year are quite stacked as well. “Dunkirk” is currently the odds on favorite, with its war sound design that honestly makes the film. Behind that, I would probably place “Baby Driver,” just because there is so much going on in each one of those scenes. But “Blade Runner 2049” definitely wins the creativity vote. Whereas some of the “Dunkirk” and “Baby Driver” sounds are a little less produced and a little more natural, “Blade Runner 2049” completely creates its sound design from stratch. Add to that some inventive noises and a pulsing, sometimes driving Hans Zimmer score beneath it and the film takes on a life all its own, unlike almost anything I’ve ever seen. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is probably the most comparable to “Blade Runner 2049,” but “Star Wars” in general feels like it has somewhat of a template drawn when it comes to sound design, with most of the huge developments this time around involved the lack of sound. But “Blade Runner 2049” is something new and trailblazing. Love for “The Shape Of Water” could also be strong enough to keep it afloat in these categories as well.

“Blade Runner 2049” has one last chance to take home gold in the Best Visual Effects category. In my personal opinion, “Blade Runner 2049” exemplifies that category better than any of the other nominees, doing so, again, without a template. It’s biggest competition is “War for the Planet of the Apes,” which is the third film in the series. Obviously there is room to improve over those three films, reinventing the craft and streamling certain aspects, but at its heart, it’s still the same motion capture with Andy Serkis that it has been the whole time. Whether the Academy decides to finally honor these films now after this many films is entirely up to them. But “Blade Runner 2049” is something new. Yes, it is slightly built off the back of Ridley Scott’s original, but honestly, it feels entirely new. Everything is breathtaking and the same cannot be said for “War for the Planet of the Apes.” The digital sets, the digital characters, everything feels unique to this film. However, if “Blade Runner 2049” can only win one Oscar, I’d much rather have Roger Deakins finally bring home the gold. And if he does, get ready for a standing ovation, because its a long time coming and the man is a legend.

ROGER A. DEAKINS
Cinematographer

PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS

DENNIS GASSNER & ALESSANDRA QUERZOLA
Production Designer / Set Decorator

MARK MANGINI & THEO GREEN
Sound Editors

RON BARTLETT, DOUG HEMPHILL, & MAC RUTH
Sound Mixers

JOHN NELSON, GERD NEFZER, PAUL LAMBERT, & RICHARD R. HOOVER
Visual Effects