Are Audiences Too Lazy to Appreciate 'Blade Runner 2049'?

Blade Runner 2049 is something of a miracle--a sequel to a 35-year-old science fiction classic that feels urgent and necessary and which actually improves upon the original in some ways. Writer Sara Lynn Michener is thrilled with the new movie. "It passed the piss test," Michener says in Episode 277 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. Both my partner and I had to pee halfway through, and neither of us could go to the bathroom, because we didn't want to miss any of it." Science fiction author Matthew Kressel is a massive fan of the original Blade Runner, and appreciates that the sequel replicates its mood and pacing. "A lot of today's Hollywood films don't have a lot of patience," he says. "They sort of expect the audience to get bored really quickly, so they're like, 'We've got to have an explosion every 10 minutes.'" But the slow pace of Blade Runner 2049 is proving a challenge for many viewers, and so far the movie hasn't attracted an audience that extends much beyond fans of the original. Michener thinks it's appropriate that the film, like its predecessor, is a box office disappointment. "They made a sequel to a cult classic," she says. "It was not designed to work with the Fast & Furious crowd." Bestselling author Daniel H. Wilson thinks the movie will pick up steam over time due to its many ambiguities, which compel discussion. "If your friend hasn't seen it, well then they damn well better go see it, so that you can talk about it, because I've got things I need to talk about," he says. "That is how this virus spreads." Listen to the complete interview with Sara Lynn Michener, Matthew Kressel, and Daniel H. Wilson in Episode 277 of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below. "In 2017 the'radical visionary' is a kind of villain and a kind of hero at the same time.