In 1982, Ridley Scott forever changed the science fiction landscape with Blade Runner, his neo-noir take on Philip K. Dick's classic novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The groundbreaking film was so seminal that many fans (present company included) raised an eyebrow when news broke that over three decades later, a sequel was in the works. Eventually, the movie was greenlit, and the film would not only continue the ostensibly self-contained story of Scott's classic, but even see Harrison Ford reprise his leading role as Deckard. Blade Runner 2049 debuts this weekend, and peoples' concerns are disappearing.
The early critical buzz for the almost three-hour sci-fi epic couldn't be more scorching, with many reviewers exclaiming that the movie comes close to, if not surpassing, the original, and 2049 now currently sits at a certified fresh rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Commercially, the film is also primed to impress, with experts estimating over $100 million at the global box office during its first weekend.
RELATED: Review: Blade Runner 2049 – The Sequel Almost Equals the Original
Naturally, talk has already begun regarding another sequel, and many fans are predicting that we might get a glimpse at future installments in the form of a post-credits sequence. However, those individuals might understandably find themselves a little bit disappointed to discover that no -- Blade Runner 2049 has no mid or post-credits stingers.
But those who think that 2049's lack of a post-credits sequence signals the bookend of the property should fret not; we probably will get more entries in the Blade Runner universe, they just won't be delivered in the same method we have grown accustomed to in the era of shared cinematic universes.
To quote Gary Unwin: "This ain't that kind of movie, bruv," and it all stems back to the film's director, Denis Villeneuve.
Simply put, the Arrival and Sicario helmer is in the business of film-making, not franchise-making. Eschewing the business-driven models that dominate modern Hollywood, the director embraces the more oldschool approach of singular cinematic experiences similar to that of Hitchcock or Kubrick. He doesn't want to undercut his own movie by teasing what's next -- he wants you focused on the here and now. And just because his methods don't follow suit with Marvel's never ending marketing train, that doesn't make it a bad thing. Plus, he's got a track record to back it up.
RELATED: Blade Runner 2049: What You Need to Know Before Watching
Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel thirty-five years in the making, and by all accounts, is a modern classic, so if fans have to bide their time for a few extra years while another sequel organically gestates, so be it.
Villeneuve and company will undoubtedly make it worth the wait.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) from a script by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Barkhad Abdi, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis and Sylvia Hoeks. Executive produced by Ridley Scott, the film arrives in theaters on Oct. 6.