Hit The Deckard: Dave Bautista Says 'Blade Runner: 2049' Is Better Than The Original

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner asked the question, "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?" But it doesn’t seem that wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista is too apprehensive right now.

Not only is he starring in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but he's feeling supremely confident thanks to his role in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner: 2049. Set to star alongside Harrison Ford and the dreamboat that is Ryan Gosling, Bautista bandied about some particularly high praise for the picture in a recent interview with AFP — and his words will no doubt stoke excitement for fans who are waiting to see the highly anticipated sci-fi film.

Is Dave Bautista Right Or Just Giving Us Hype?

Blade Runner 2049 got the whole internet talking after we glimpsed how captivating its colorful vistas are. Rich, atmospheric and cunningly composed, the widespread acclaim centered on just how much Villenueuve’s new installment seemed to replicate (heh) that cyberpunk feel of the original 1982 film. Therefore fans will be pleased to hear from Bautista that this is only a taste of what’s to come, as he told AFP:

"Visually, you are [truly] stepping back into that world. You're going to be reintroduced to Deckard... [and] I can tell you the script is super deep and really beautiful..."

The fact that Bautista had no issues with the screenplay is good to hear since he was open about disliking the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 script, which he didn’t feel was in keeping with what had already been established for his character, Drax the Destroyer. (However, as the glowing reviews for Vol. 2 show, he need not have worried too much about his most recent Marvel movie.) So we know he wouldn't just blow hot air.

In fact, Bautista was so vocal about his praise for Blade Runner 2049 that he took things one step further:

“I think it's going to be — and this is hard to say because I know I'm going to get some grief for this — I think it's going to be better than the first film...”

Whoa, that’s mighty praise indeed! After all, Blade Runner may have been poorly received upon its initial release, but it’s since gone on to be one of the most important science-fiction movies of all time. You can see its influence on the visuals of so many movies, whether it's the aesthetic of Ghost in the Shell or the design of the planet Coruscant in the Star Wars prequels. And that’s just one aspect of the film!

As great as Villeneuve’s follow-up seems, surely it can’t replicate that kind of widespread success?

The Secret To The Sequel's Success? Its Script!

If you’re a cynical sort of fellow, you might be thinking that Bautista is heaping on praise to promote the film. But it’s not unheard of for sequels to surpass their originals, deepening the mythology of the preceding films while ascending to new narrative heights.

Heck, in sci-fi alone, Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan are widely recognized as better films than those that spawned them. Even Guardians Vol. 2 has been hailed as a movie that’s superior to the first Guardians of the Galaxy in some quarters, so it’s very possible that Blade Runner 2049 could join this highly prestigious group.

Yet with some 35 years between the two films — during which, Ridley Scott’s masterpiece has become more and more revered — the pressure is most surely on. Bautista is on hand to say that Hampton Fancher and Michael Green’s script is more than up to the task:

"I'm saying [this] because I think the script is better, it's deeper... It's going to be great... I think it's a better story, I think it's told in a better way, and I think it just answers a lot of questions.”

Now that is crucial because there certainly plenty of questions that remain to be answered. Blade Runner was a brooding exploration of technology, the nature of humanity and morality which left a lot of things open to interpretation. What were the unicorns about? Plus, is Deckard a replicant? And of course, that’s not even mentioning the many teasers that 2049 posts.

What is the huge secret that #HarrisonFord's Deckard knows? How does it threaten humanity itself? Who is Dave Bautista, #JaredLeto, Robin Wright or the rest of the “absolutely amazing” cast playing? Agh! So many questions!

More light may be shed in the upcoming Q&A, which is set to live stream on Facebook on May 8th. However, we obviously won’t know everything until the movie motors into theatres this October.