THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The rebellion doesn't start until you do something about it.
PLOT
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 follows replicant Trixie who gets recruited by replicant ex soldier Iggy into an underground movement to set out in sabotaging the database and internet tracking of Tyrell Corporation, making it harder for them to be hunted by blade runners. Trixie is also able to befriend a human technician named Ren, convincing him to redirect a test missile over Los Angeles. Doing this would black out the city with an electromagnetic pulse and wipe out all electronic data. Despite Trixie dying in her attempted break in of the facility, the plan still works as all servers powering LA would be disabled and the power to the internet would be destroyed. With the plan working, Iggy would escape and remove his right eye, letting everyone know what he is. The short would end in an epilogue, revealing production of replicants to reach an end as Tyrell would go bankrupt until being purchased by Wallace Corporation a decade later, beginning an era of new models.THOUGHTS
After seeing 2036 and 2048, I felt like I was saving the best Blade Runner short for last, and I was proven right by the end of it because I was very impressed. It was a big shift to see this sci fi dystopia be told in the style of anime. So I was even more surprised to see it match the same energy done in live action. Shinichiro Watanabe is able to pull us into the grim that this fictional world is all about. It calls out the endless cycle of violence we place on each other, our own kind and need to bring an end to it because we won’t get far as a society if we don’t. This became visible for me to realize thanks to the characters who knew it better. Iggy was as tough as nails of a soldier, but felt broken upon realizing he was fighting his own king for god knows how long. It also made him ashamed because it was going against his morals. Taking part of causing the blackout was the one way in his eyes he would be able to make peace with the past. Trixie in a way is us the viewers because she’s unsure how to feel with reality and chooses to go where the truth is. Thankfully, Iggy tells her enough to be by his side. She likely wasn’t planning on dying for the cause but probably didn’t care because at that point, she had the confidence to be herself for once. And also, there was an unsung hero within it all when Ren was in the picture. He was aware of the discrimination on the replicants and knew they deserved better. Causing the blackout was his way to honor them all at once, even though the world likely doesn’t know his reasoning. Little would anyone expect this would start an unlikely era. To wrap up, Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 is the best of the franchise’s preludes for answering the biggest plot hole discussed in 2049. So if you love Blade Runner and are about to watch the infamous legacy sequel, please check this out on YouTube to avoid confusion.
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