When it comes to any list of the greatest science fiction films, it’s assured that 1982’s “Blade Runner” from Warner Brothers has a spot in it somewhere in the top. This was Harrison Ford’s other famous sci-fi role aside from “Star Wars”, adapted from a famous novel by Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”.
Rather amazingly a sequel, “Blade Runner 2049” from WB and Columbia Pictures, is set to release this year after several decades, with Ford being joined by Ryan Gosling for more cutting-edge future action. While taking place several years after the original film’s 2019, the new movie is making some major homage to its predecessor’s 1980s production roots, such as one rather hilarious product placement in the latest trailer: Atari, a game company from the past.
Atari everywhere
Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment released a trailer for “Blade Runner 2049” just this May 8, and it seems director Denis Villeneuve looked at the grim and dystopian future setting of the original 1982 film by Ridley Scott and said, “I can do grimmer”. Still, the future time of 2049 does make an effort at looking like the future, though with some cool retro throwback such as big signs for Atari.
Indeed, a logo for the game company that once rocked video arcades and home consoles in the past is back to being nice and dominant in the film. In real life Atari was savaged by the 1983 video game crash, fading to being a mere software developer and currently as a subsidiary of Infogrames.
Since “Blade Runner” came out shortly before the company’s misfortune, it was in hindsight presented as a giant of commerce in 2019.
One famous shot of Harrison Ford’s character in the original has him walking on a sidewalk with an Atari logo in the background. “Blade Runner 2049” tops it with a sequence featuring a car on an urban road flanked by skyscrapers decked out in gigantic flashing Atari colors.
The effect was incredible.
Eighties brands still big in 'Blade Runner'
When Ridley Scott directed the original “Blade Runner”, he saw the future as being dominated by the current big brands of his 1980s: RCA, Bell phones, Pan Am, Atari and so forth. It comes off similar to people of this generation envisioning the future as being flooded with more advanced Apple gadgets.
Interestingly, many of the product placements in the film were from companies that were ruined financially in the intervening years.
The plot details for “Blade Runner 2049” involve a new titular blade runner (bounty hunters of rogue androids/replicants) named K (Ryan Gosling), who discovers a dark secret that can trigger an apocalyptic event, and must then find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford, from the previous film) to get some answers. It will premiere on October 6.
