This week is the movie premiere of Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to the 1982 cult movie Blade Runner. The first installment is a science fiction film involving the existence of replicants hunted by  blade runners that created a new perspective on a dark and depressing future – although back then, it wasn’t a big hit. Before you go running off to the movie theater to watch the sequel, however, you should read this first. It might help you fill in the gaps in the story and not leave you confused after almost three hours of movie.

Prior to Blade Runner 2049, there were three main events that lead to the main plot. Denis Villeneuve, the movie’s director, has given the liberty to a couple of artists to establish those events as short stories. Each of them takes place in the timeline between the first movie set in the year 2019 and the sequel set in 2049. Many things happened in those 30 years, so to say. The trailers are crafted beautifully and fit rightfully in the mood and context of the sequel. Without further ado, let’s start this ride.

YEAR 2019: Blade Runner (directed by Ridley Scott) – main events in Blade Runner, the daddy of everything with super young Harrison Ford

YEAR 2022: Black Out (directed by Shinichirō Watanabe) – the first trailer involving replicants executing a blackout in Los Angeles

YEAR 2036: Nexus Dawn (directed by Luke Scott) – the second trailer is the introduction of Nexus 8 from Wallace corporation

YEAR 2048: Nowhere to run (directed by Luke Scott) – a hidden replicant who is exposed by helping human beings

YEAR 2049: Blade Runner (directed by Denis Villeneuve) – A young blade runner named Officer K is looking for Deckard, the blade runner of the first movie, and the story builds up from there.

I have only been introduced to Blade Runner very recently. As a fan of futuristic settings, I am all in for a good story on how things will run and develop. The first movie has its flaws, but it has actually inspired a lot of current directors and film making aspects. Introducing these short stories as trailers is a very interesting path of reintroducing a lost world to the audience. It catches your attention and more importantly retains your imaginations. They are made for the audience to have discussions and invoke many fan theories. As a marketing fanatic, I am very amazed by this idea of releasing trailers as a part of the main plot, exploring the events that are essential to the bigger picture. It promotes re-watch value for both the trailers and the movies.

Am I becoming a fan? I would say so. I am already itching to get the Blu-Ray of Blade Runner 2049. I might be even interested to read the book that the first movie was based on:  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, written by Philip K. Dick.

More videos to get your hype going (SPOILERS FREE)

Inside the Making of ‘Blade Runner 2049 

The Cast and Crew of ‘Blade Runner 2049’ on the Original Film