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The Preview Reel: Can a New Blade Runner Climb the Mountain Between Us?

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Last weekend saw one of the closest box office weekends in recent memory as Kingsman: The Golden Circle barely edged out It and American Made for the top spot. This weekend will tell a different story as one of the most anticipated movies of the fall comes out—Blade Runner 2049. The Kate Winslet and Idris Elba drama, The Mountain Between Us, also opens providing Blade Runner 2049 what could be stiff competition.

 

Blade Runner 2049

What we are excited about: Director Denis Villenueve is one of the most intriguing directors working right now. Arrival was nominated for Best Picture last year, Sicario was one of the best reviewed movies of 2015, and Prisoners is considered one of the finest crime mysteries of this decade. He’s always had a visual flair, but that seems to be increasing with each passing movie. Arrival is a beautiful looking movie, while also incredibly smart. Many said the same thing about Blade Runner back in 1982. If Villenueve can bring his visual style and marry it with smart science fiction storytelling, we could be in for something special.

What we are worried about: While many people consider the original Blade Runner a classic, it can also be a polarizing film. We’re wondering if this belated sequel will pick up where the previous one left off, or blaze a trail of its own. Either way, it’s bound to upset at least one portion of the moviegoing audience.

The Buzz: The buzz for this movie has always been strong, but it seems that it has skyrocketed in the past week or so as reviews began pouring in. Many critics are calling this one of the best movies of 2017 and it currently sits at 95% on RottenTomatoes and 84 on MetaCritic. If audiences love this movie as much as critics seem to, this could be one of the biggest hits of the fall. Look for an opening around $45 million.

Final Thoughts: Whether the reason you’re buying a ticket is Denis Villenueve or the fact that this is another Blade Runner movie, we think you should buy one either way.

 

The Mountain Between Us

What we are excited about: The star power behind this film has us the most excited. Idris Elba is always a standout even when his movies aren’t the best, and Kate Winslet has had a long and successful career. Putting them in a movie together makes sense and a survival drama could be effective with these two.

What we are worried about: Something about this movie just screams cheesy. From the over-photoshopped poster, to the melodramatic trailer, there’s something about this movie that feels fake. Hopefully that isn’t the case, but the marketing material hasn’t done much to assuage our fears.

The Buzz: There isn’t much buzz surrounding this movie, but it could find an audience if certain moviegoers aren’t feeling the big sci-fi release of Blade Runner 2049. The movie currently sits at 56% on RottenTomatoes and 52 on MetaCritic. Look for an opening around $10 million.

Final Thoughts: This seems like a rental a couple months down the line if you are interested, or a complete skip if the marketing seems as cheesy to you as it does to us.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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