Blade Runner: Black Out 2022

This is by far my most favorite piece of the Blade Runner films.

A great prequel to Blade Runner 2049 that expands the universe well. Visuals are absolutely amazing and adds to the story well. Too bad this one was so short.

It's 2022. Tyrell is producing the new Nexus 8 series with a natural lifespan. They are indeed more human than human. Human supremacy movements rise up to hunt down Replicants using registry databases. The Replicants rebel against their human masters attacking the databases including the use of an EMP. The resulting blackout leads to the prohibition of Replicant production and the end of the Tyrell Corporation. It's over a decade before Wallace Corp starts manufacturing a new breed of Replicants.

This is very much like the animated shorts in Animatrix. It helps paint a picture of this movie universe and fills out some plot elements connecting the original 1982 movie to the upcoming sequel. It taps into the old movie to prepare fans for the new movie. I can't explain why seeing the Pan Am logo feel so exhilarating. This is good for both plot and for stylistic reengagement.

This third and last of the Blade Runner prequels (that is actually the first one, chronologically speaking) provides a glimpse into the events that happened soon after the original Blade Runner. Beautifully animated and directed by Shinichirô Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Animatrix, Samurai Champloo) Black Out 2022 is a 15 minutes must-see even if you're not a big Blade Runner fan, but plan on seeing the Blade Runner 2049 film because it provides some important elements to the story.

As I've already said in the Alien: Covenant prequel review, I really hope studios would start making more of these prequels as they actually get you in the mood for the actual film without spoiling anything, like trailers do, and also add a whole lot of substance to the overall universe.

In "Blade Runner: Black Out 2022", the style of the animation is kind of new and looks similar to that in a Japanese cartoon. However, the storytelling is really awful. There are neither impressive scenes nor memorable characters. Anyone who watches it will forget about the short almost immediately.

The medium (short-film) was my issue, I simply don't care for short films: Just too short to say much or do much. I liked the potential for the characters.