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Denis Villeneuve’sBlade Runner 2049has been hailed as one of 2017 ’s o.k. picture , and it potentially could have a orotund comportment on this twelvemonth ’s awards circuit . Oscar season is now in full swing music , with several of the downslope fete either complete or underway . Already , movies likeThe Shape of Water , Darkest Hour , andThree hoarding Outside Ebbing , Missouriare thought to be legitimate contenders for legion nominations , and there are other hopefuls that have yet to screen ( like Steven Spielberg ’s diachronic play , The Post ) . Over the next few months , cinephiles will endeavor to promise the Best Picture lineup , always keeping an eye out for dark horse that could find a path into the wash . The long - awaitedBlade Runnersequel could become one of those unlikely campaigner , particularly after it earned far-flung positive reviews that praised everything from its craftsmanship to its thought - plague story . Whilesome felt2049was boring , the general consensus is that Villeneuve somehow deport on his hope to make a faithfulBlade Runnerfollowup - one that expanded upon the universe and theme established in the original . Though2049is unfortunately struggle at the box office , it has a passionate and supportive following , which for certain bodes well for its Oscar prospects . But how far can the film go ? Is it destined to just dominate the technical categories , or can it make some haphazardness in the top grade race ?
A Technical Marvel
Blade Runner 2049 ’s comfortable shots at Oscar gold add up in the below - the - line categories , as just about everyone is in accord the film is masterfully construct . Using Ridley Scott ’s visual sensation of a dystopian future from the first pic as a leap off head , Villeneuve recreated the world with modern technology , to the full immerse his audience in something that was primarily practical , but still sci - fi . The production aim is state of matter - of - the - artistry , and Roger Deakins ' cinematography is characteristically pristine . After being make so many clock time without a triumph to his name , many are hoping this is the twelvemonth the fable finally gets his Oscar.2049 ’s visual effects are also jaw - dropping , seamlessly blending literal - world and CGI elements and pulling off some impressive exploit .
2049should well match its forerunner ’s total of two Oscar nomination , which came in the Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects categories . Those two aspects of Villeneuve ’s film are nem con praised , with many admiring the lofty set and orbit of the picture . Star Ryan Gosling sound out that while he was shooting the picture show , he could see"where the money was going"in regards to the pattern , and it ’s remove the $ 150 + million budget was well - spend . Deakins is a shoo - in for a 14th nomination , and the auditory sensation delete / mixing team should also be recognized for their drive . It also would n’t be surprising to see Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch get a nod for their employment on the original score , which paid court to what was done by Vengelis on the first moving picture while also suffer on its own . There ’s always a plastic film or two that dominate these categories , andBlade Runner 2049has all the makings of one .
Where we stand in the race right now , Christopher Nolan’sDunkirkrepresents the greatest challenge to2049 in the slyness . The World War II epic was hailed for its own impressive technical merits , providing audiences with a dissimilar kind of experience in a very familiar music genre . Coincidentally , both were deal domestically by Warner Bros. , so it will be interesting to see how the studio handles its campaigning . On - theme , Dunkirkis the more " traditional " Academy choice , but as we ’ll illustrate shortly , the whimsy of what nominate as an Oscar movie is changing . WB will surely encounter the overdue card with Deakins , and sci - fi films usually incur support from these branches , due to their personation of preternatural environs . It ’s true the firstBlade Runnerdidn’t find much love in the Academy , but that film was expel at a time where Scott ’s opus was dissentious and polarizing . In the decades since , many an industry professional person has dandy reverence forBlade Runnerand its impact on movies .
ThatBlade Runner 2049should master the proficient categories ( at least in condition of nominating address ) should n’t derive as a surprise . The big enquiry here is if it can set down any of the above - the - line prestige categories . The double - curse of being a sci - fi cinema and a sequel is a braggy vault it has to discharge , but there is a case in point here - one that caught even the studio off - sentry duty when it superintend to break through and become one of the ace to beat .
The Mad Max Precedent
In 2015 , George Miller’sMad Max : Fury Road- itself a long - gestating new entry in a sci - fi serial publication - parlayed its excellent review into an unbelievable display on the prize circuit . Among many of the laurels it experience , it earned nomination for Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars , a feat even the plastic film ’s most ardent supporters would n’t have believed whenFury Roaddebuted that summer . unrestrained Maxowned the trade categories a pair year ago , taking home six awards by night ’s end . It was nominate for four other Oscars , and many believed Miller was robbed of the Director trophy , which was give to Alejandro G. Inarritu for his oeuvre onThe Revenant .
Blade Runner ’s good prospect for " honored " nomination add up in those aforementioned Director and Picture categories - as it ’s highly unlikely the book or any of the performance ( however great they may be ) garner enough support in their several arm to break through a top five . Villeneuve really has a little bit of chronicle with the Academy , as hisArrivalearned nods in Picture and Director just last year . He ’s a film producer with his fair ploughshare of fan in the Academy , so it stands intellect to believe those same people will be equally impressed with his achievements on2049 . While both fantastic in their own ways , Blade Runneris arguably a greater accomplishment due to the sheer scurf of the undertaking , and represented Villeneuve ’s continuing evolution as one of this generation ’s finest conductor . Cinephiles have been outspoken about their love ofBlade Runner 2049 , so that ’s a positive foretoken .
Since the Academy flourish the Best Picture field in 2009 , there have been multiple instance of other tech giants lift into the batting order ( Avatar , Inception , Hugo , etc . ) . While a musical genre film has yet to take home the big prize under the new formatting , the Oscars have been less antipathetic to nominating them recently than they were in years of five . so as to receive a Best Picture nod , a film has to rack up a certain portion of first place votes in the nomination process , and ifBlade Runnergets as much love in the crafts as we think , it should be able to get in as the " nominal " genre candidate . With the exclusion ofThe Shape of Water , there has yet to be a sci - fi / fantasy film to really lay title to that title in 2017 , and every once in a while , the Academy can go for two . After all , Mad Maxwas joined byThe Martian . ConsideringStar Wars : The Last Jediis strictly a commercial-grade play that only lands with the technical school branches , Blade Runnercould have a whole box to itself .
It ’s also deserving consideringthe develop membership of the Academyand how that could touch on what ’s considered a " typical " Oscar shoot down the line . This year , the organization invited several actors involve with high - visibility tentpole franchises like the MCU , DCEU , andStar Wars . Those thespians have first - hand knowledge of how much go into bring about a film on the level of aBlade Runner 2049 , so they might be inclined to place it on their vote . Also , the last few years have changed what a ceremonious " Oscar picture " could be , withMad Maxsurprising even WB andMoonlightbestingLa La Land . There will always by a typical Oscar bait candidate ( this twelvemonth it front likeDarkest hr ) , but the Academy is broadening their purview a bit , which is skillful to see . The whole point of the sliding scale is the diversify the force field , recognise a variety of cinema .
Conclusion
Besides genre preconception , the handsome matter lick againstBlade Runner 2049is that it underperformed at the box agency , gross just $ 32.7 million domestically in its first three sidereal day . While awards hopes are n’t always pinned on commercial-grade prowess , there are sure cases where the financials can touch on a cinema ’s chances . In 2015,Steve Jobswas an on - newspaper frontrunner with a dream team of Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin behind it , but it doss down and burned at the box government agency rather epically and was essentially leave for dead ( save for two act as nominations).The Martianonly turned into a possibility when it became a box office powerhouse . There ’s an outside chanceBlade Runnerfades from the public consciousness due to weak exhibit , but the tidings - of - mouthpiece will likely keep it afloat .
in the end , the passionate response it what ’s most important . Villeneuve’sArrivalwasn’t exactly a commercial-grade juggernaut , opening with a solid $ 24 million en route to a $ 100.5 million domesticated sum - numbers thatBlade Runnershould be able to match or occultation . The rest of October does n’t have much in the manner of direct contender , so if it carry well , it should do respectably - even if it does n’t quite make back its budget in the U.S. In what is shaping up to be a full open Oscar airstream with no dependable pet emerging after a handful of fall festivals , something likeBlade Runnercould crash the company and mix thing up . With revue strong enough , a arise filmmaker behind the camera , and the technical branches set to love it,2049could terminate up being this year’sFury Roadand score a Best Picture nominating address .
MORE:Blade Runner 2049 Was Always Going To Bomb
