Considering how little of La La Land is actually used in the trailer of Blade Runner 2049 I would say that it works just fine as well. The mashup isn’t the most complex thing that’s ever been made but it’s still kind of nice since it does happen to mesh well and the inclusion of Emma Stone in any movie is always a desirable thing. Aside from that, well, there’s not enough to go on really. The mashup is a little hard to spot if you haven’t watched either movie and to be honest the theme from La La Land could have fit easily into Blade Runner just because of its oddball nature.
In fact it might be safe to say that the two films share a kind of whimsy that, while vastly different, is still present enough to notice. The undeniable truth however is that Blade Runner 2049 is far darker and much more tragic. Ryan Gosling is also likely to be much more appreciated in La La Land than he was in Blade Runner despite the positive reviews the movie has received since being released. Despite his ability to hang with an action role Gosling is still much more of a sweetheart character and doesn’t seem too inclined to be a stand up action hero all that often.
It could be thanks to his dashing good looks or quiet but affable manner but he really seems more the song and dance and drama type than the sheer action and heroics kind of person. Even in Mobster Squad he wasn’t much more than a womanizer with a gun that could get mildly violent from time to time. Keep in mind this isn’t a negative review of the man, but he’s not exactly the kind of action hero that carries scars, has that thousand-yard stare, or even sneers in a certain way. Dave Bautista, who was also in Blade Runner 2049, definitely has the look of someone that needs to be in action films, and has excelled in such roles.
Maybe Gosling just needs more experience in such movies to really get the look down, or maybe it’s not his strong suit and should be tried sparingly. He’s a good actor but trying to avoid being typecast isn’t something that seems entirely possible for him. While Gosling can play the part of many different characters it always seems to come back to the fact that his characters are those that gladly sacrifice everything for an ideal or something similar in an attempt to make life better for someone close to him, or for him.
Even in La La Land he sacrifices what might have been with Mia, played by Emma Stone, after figuring out that what he has is something he doesn’t want. Gosling usually plays very touching characters that are easy to figure out but hard to predict at times unless you happen to have the script in hand when you’re watching the movie. It could very well be this that makes him worth casting for other movies, that unpredictable nature that seems to indicate that he could sink or swim based on his own merit.
