Salt Lake Film Society Summer Showdown: Blade Runner 2049 vs V for Vendetta

I had the pleasure to witness two insane science fiction films this weekend, both of which I had never seen before: Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and V for Vendetta (2005). Both films deal with dystopian futures in which the world visually is very different from the one we know today, but politically and socially may not be so different.

To prepare for the screening of Blade Runner 2049, I decided to do some homework and watch Blade Runner (1982) so I could get some context for the sequel that came 35 years later. I enjoyed the original movie for what it was, got a grasp of the lore and then went into 2049 expecting some of the threads of the initial film to continue and serve as the main story. That assumption was false — it really does work without seeing the original. Although some characters and storylines from the original are important, most of the development happens off-screen anyway. This film is visually stunning. There are so many shots that look like a painting. 

Officer K (Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary, Barbie) is a very likeable character while also being tough, resilient and even vulnerable without actually having all that many lines. Rich Deckard (Harrison Ford, Star Wars, Indiana Jones) returns and surprisingly has very little screen time but still has the loveable Harrison Ford sass and charm that makes him iconic. Niander Wallace (Jared Leto, Masters of the Universe, Tron: Ares) and Joi (Ana De Armas, Ballerina, Knives Out) also put in good performances as the villain and semi-love interest, respectively. 

The best aspect of the film is its genre; it is a detective noir-type story that is set in this incredibly thought-out world, and although it is a sequel to a movie from four decades ago, most of the time, the knowledge of that lore is not really needed to keep up with the film. Some aspects of the lore I felt did drag a little. With how much wasn’t referenced to the original, this really didn’t need to be a Blade Runner sequel at all, although I do love a sequel that utilizes the world rather than remake the same movie. I also didn’t appreciate Ford’s little screentime when he is all over the marketing for this movie. Give me more Harrison Ford! I would give Blade Runner 2049 a 4/5. 

Going into V for Vendetta, I was somewhat interested, but I already thought I had my mind made up that Blade Runner 2049 was going to be the winner of this matchup. Although I did like this film, I felt that way up until the very last scene of the movie, then it became a competition. This film is much simpler and easier to follow than Blade Runner 2049. There is much less lore, and while set in a dystopian future, it is not as far in the future and pretty much just looks like the London of 2005 but with curfews and more fascists. My initial gripes were that the movie felt kind of cheap and cheesy. The atmosphere really reminded me of the very few episodes of Doctor Who (2005) I have watched, which is not really where you want to be when competing against a Villeneuve blockbuster. 

I also thought that even though Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman, Black Swan, Thor) was a great character and arc, the fake British accent by Portman was very distracting. What really made this movie was the character development of Evey, the performance of V (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix, Captain America: The First Avenger) with no facial expressions and the balancing complicated morality of the character of V and Adam Sutler (John Hurt, Alien, Hellboy), a character so easy to hate as basically a stand-in for Hitler himself. The action is very well done and mostly practical, and the costumes were wonderful as well, very accurate to the comic the film is based on. 

What was most appreciated about this film was how tight and topical the plot was. Another detective story, but it was very easy to follow as the audience witnesses both sides of the crimes, whilst the history of the characters unwraps along with the runtime. V protesting the reign of Sutler and the police-state London is in may have seemed far-fetched for 2005 and a reflection of the 1940s past, but witnessing the story now shines a whole new light onto what the filmmakers were warning us of. I would give V for Vendetta a 4/5.

What a great decision to pit such incredible films against each other, but alas one of them needs to be crowned the champion. Both are excellent at world-building, very entertaining and have some incredible casts and performances. Going into this matchup, I figured that I would enjoy Blade Runner 2049 more. I heard more about it from my peers and social media, I was more excited for it and it felt more my speed. After watching Blade Runner 2049, I still felt it would be my pick. Even after watching most of V for Vendetta, I felt as though the choice was easy. But once the final moment played out in V for Vendetta, an amazing scene of togetherness, will and determination by the constituents of a fascist regime, all wearing the mask of V, I felt a tear come to my eye. Sadly, I did not let loose one for Blade Runner 2049 — emotion is important in cinema. The conclusion of V for Vendetta wraps up the film so perfectly and truly serves as a playbook for what needs to be done to put an end to a fascist regime. Although it is a dystopian science fiction film, I did truly relate to it. For that reason, I crown V for Vendetta the winner! —Braden Reed

Read more about the Salt Lake Film Society’s Summer Showdown:
SLFS’s Big Upgrade Comes Just in Time for Summer
Salt Lake Film Society Summer Showdown: The Handmaiden vs Gone Girl

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