What do you think?
Rate this book
The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049
In 1982's groundbreaking film Blade Runner, the world saw a vision of the future so bold and breathtaking that it still remains at the forefront of film.
In 2017, we make a thrilling return to that world, a journey chronicled with captivating detail in this official visual guide to Blade Runner 2049, presented in an oversized, luxe, full-color format.
The author documented the film's production for two years, gaining unprecedented access to the creative process of bringing this epic to life. Exclusive concept art, storyboards, behind-the-scenes photography, and production stills are accompanied by fascinating insights from the cast and crew.
The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049 is both a display-worthy art piece and a mesmerizing insider's look at the unforgettable characters, iconic environments, and unbelievable technology featured in the film.
220 pages of unforgettable characters, iconic environments and technology featured in the film.
In 2017, we make a thrilling return to that world, a journey chronicled with captivating detail in this official visual guide to Blade Runner 2049, presented in an oversized, luxe, full-color format.
The author documented the film's production for two years, gaining unprecedented access to the creative process of bringing this epic to life. Exclusive concept art, storyboards, behind-the-scenes photography, and production stills are accompanied by fascinating insights from the cast and crew.
The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049 is both a display-worthy art piece and a mesmerizing insider's look at the unforgettable characters, iconic environments, and unbelievable technology featured in the film.
220 pages of unforgettable characters, iconic environments and technology featured in the film.
220 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2017
22 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Lapointe
9 books23 followersTanya Lapointe worked for 15 years as a field reporter, interviewer, and TV Host for Radio-Canada/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, covering international entertainment, news and high-profile events such as the Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival. She is the author of The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049. She is also a documentary film writer, director, and producer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 2, 2018
Blade Runner is one of my all time favourite films & Blade Runner 2049 was my favourite films of 2017, so this huge coffee table book was an essential purchase. It is written by Tanya Lapointe, a reporter who had unprecedented access to the entire creative process of Blade Runner 2049. It did help that she was an assistant on the film, as well as the director's partner.
The book contains superb artwork & photographs from the film, as well as interviews with numerous people involved in its production.
The cast & crew of Blade Runner 2049 showed great respect for the original film and put a huge amount of work into making a very worthy sequel. This outstanding book thankfully does them justice.
The book contains superb artwork & photographs from the film, as well as interviews with numerous people involved in its production.
The cast & crew of Blade Runner 2049 showed great respect for the original film and put a huge amount of work into making a very worthy sequel. This outstanding book thankfully does them justice.
August 18, 2023
A movie I was very ambivalent about when I first saw it in IMAX. Firstly, why a 'sequel' to such a notoriously obscure 'cult' SF movie? And then there's the glacial pacing and frustratingly oblique characterisation and lack of narrative drive. I have subsequently seen the movie three times, and this book reinforces my opinion it is one of the greatest world-building SF movies ever made.
July 28, 2018
I have loved Blade Runner from the day I saw it as part of a Sci Fi season of films on TV (yep didnt even get to see it at the cinema) however it did not stop me from immersing myself in its story, its creation and even the people who contributed to it (I even have some rare designs by Syd Mead who is credited with designing its iconic Spinner - although I have also work by Jim Burns as well curiously).
Anyway when I head that there was a long (very long) awaited sequel coming out I had to know more. Now like it or loath it - or generally not really bothered by it the sequel Blade Runner 2049 has some amazing visuals.
This book celebrates those images and the stories behind them.
Now first off this does celebrate the films and yes there are details on how the film was made, filmed and justified (like the little touches of how they explained away the hydroponic units in Deckards hideaway). Its as if the film has to explain why something is there, more to explain its heritage than justify its existence.
Now that aside - and what really created its lasting impression on me was the images, this book for its size (and its big) has fewer words than you would expect and that is partly down I think to the intention of letting the pictures do the talking. And boy do they shout loud and clear.
This book is for the fan- the images are crisp clear and huge! Its as if you have the film on pause and I think who ever put this book together it was a labour of love.
Now I loved the film and this book to me is a fitting celebration of that creation. If you get the chance and you enjoyed the world of Blade Runner this book is a must.
Anyway when I head that there was a long (very long) awaited sequel coming out I had to know more. Now like it or loath it - or generally not really bothered by it the sequel Blade Runner 2049 has some amazing visuals.
This book celebrates those images and the stories behind them.
Now first off this does celebrate the films and yes there are details on how the film was made, filmed and justified (like the little touches of how they explained away the hydroponic units in Deckards hideaway). Its as if the film has to explain why something is there, more to explain its heritage than justify its existence.
Now that aside - and what really created its lasting impression on me was the images, this book for its size (and its big) has fewer words than you would expect and that is partly down I think to the intention of letting the pictures do the talking. And boy do they shout loud and clear.
This book is for the fan- the images are crisp clear and huge! Its as if you have the film on pause and I think who ever put this book together it was a labour of love.
Now I loved the film and this book to me is a fitting celebration of that creation. If you get the chance and you enjoyed the world of Blade Runner this book is a must.
October 24, 2017
A fittingly beautiful book that lives up to its somewhat presumptuous title. Having collected a number of "Art of" books, this is easily one of the best that I've actually read. In addition to providing loads of concept art, set photos, and stills from the finished product; this book also features a load of cast and crew interviews that cover a fair bit of what went into the making of the movie without overloading the reader.
What stands out to me - and I suspected this from having watched the movie a few times - is that this movie was made with a staggering amount of practical effects. Miniatures and detailed sets are used for virtually every part of the movie. The miniatures are all over this book, and they're incredible. I can't imagine how much of the budget went straight to Weta Workshop, but it seems like they earned every bit of it considering a huge chunk of this movie would not work without them.
Lapointe does a good job of highlighting different parts of the movie's production as needed and also in reiterating key design philosophies behind the movie - the consistent reminders of the noir influence, the authenticity, the "soviet brutalism" style, etc - that went into the making of the film.
At 200+ pages, I'm pretty satisfied with what is here. I tried to think of what could be missing, and the only real thing I suppose would have been neat to see would be more unused elements of the film. Pretty unnecessary though given the well-presented 200+ page behemoth we have here. I can safely and highly recommend it for fans of the film.
What stands out to me - and I suspected this from having watched the movie a few times - is that this movie was made with a staggering amount of practical effects. Miniatures and detailed sets are used for virtually every part of the movie. The miniatures are all over this book, and they're incredible. I can't imagine how much of the budget went straight to Weta Workshop, but it seems like they earned every bit of it considering a huge chunk of this movie would not work without them.
Lapointe does a good job of highlighting different parts of the movie's production as needed and also in reiterating key design philosophies behind the movie - the consistent reminders of the noir influence, the authenticity, the "soviet brutalism" style, etc - that went into the making of the film.
At 200+ pages, I'm pretty satisfied with what is here. I tried to think of what could be missing, and the only real thing I suppose would have been neat to see would be more unused elements of the film. Pretty unnecessary though given the well-presented 200+ page behemoth we have here. I can safely and highly recommend it for fans of the film.
March 6, 2020
I love both Blade Runner films, and I've been saving this book as a special treat. It's just too beautiful. It's the heaviest, largest-format "Art of" film book I've seen (and dangerous—it gave me a bad paper cut when I was about a third of the way through it), and the production quality is excellent. I especially love the big, two-page spreads of beautiful set photography by Stephen Vaughan. And of course the chance to see props and sets up close is a real treat. Tanya LaPointe's text provides helpful explanations of the images, supplemented with comments from the cast and crew of the film.
This makes me very eager for volume 2, coming later this year. I'm grateful for the film, and for this book that lets me move around in that world a little more. (And of course I'm grateful for my beautiful wife, who bought me the book—thank you, sweetheart!)
This makes me very eager for volume 2, coming later this year. I'm grateful for the film, and for this book that lets me move around in that world a little more. (And of course I'm grateful for my beautiful wife, who bought me the book—thank you, sweetheart!)
June 10, 2019
Every bit as pretty and pretentious as the movie, but graced at least with some compelling background on questions of production and design.
September 9, 2018
Really well done, a beautiful addition to the film. Props are so important to the texture of a film. Well done these small details alow a movie to come alive.
March 8, 2019
11/10, would buy again.
For the production photos, the small stories, pictures of miniatures and out of respect for all the places that weren't full CGI.
For the production photos, the small stories, pictures of miniatures and out of respect for all the places that weren't full CGI.
February 13, 2025
Excelente libro y película (aunque se llevó 3 horas de mi tiempo de vida).
2049 ya no está tan lejos del presente actual
2049 ya no está tan lejos del presente actual
November 26, 2023
DENIS VILLENEUVE SUPREMACY
May 10, 2018
Una joya de libro, que le hace justicia a una película maravillosa.
April 4, 2021
Really enjoyed this book, both the text and the art.
This is the first of two Blade Runner 2049 art books, the newer one being "Interlinked - The Art" (which I have also recently reviewed). Comparing the two books, this one has much more information about the whole process of making the movie, which was very interesting and gave me a lot of insight that I look forward to considering the next time I watch the film. The art was also beautiful, though including many photographs from production, and being much more focused on detailing the process of making the film. "Interlinked," on the other hand is almost all concept art.
Paired with "Interlinked," this book is fantastic in filling in the gaps for those of us who love this film. The one complaint I have is that, compared to "Interlinked", the physical build quality of the book was relatively low. It wasn't extreme, and I still highly recommend the book, but having just enjoyed "Interlinked," with its higher build quality, I wished I could have spent an extra 5 dollars on this volume and gotten a similar binding and cover.
One other note on the physical dimensions of this book: It is HUGE. So large, in fact, that it was a little bit unwieldy to read, and definitely hard to fit on a standard bookshelf. If you plan to leave this out on a coffee table, that's one thing, but - again - I thought "Interlinked" struck a better balance in terms of its size, as well.
This is the first of two Blade Runner 2049 art books, the newer one being "Interlinked - The Art" (which I have also recently reviewed). Comparing the two books, this one has much more information about the whole process of making the movie, which was very interesting and gave me a lot of insight that I look forward to considering the next time I watch the film. The art was also beautiful, though including many photographs from production, and being much more focused on detailing the process of making the film. "Interlinked," on the other hand is almost all concept art.
Paired with "Interlinked," this book is fantastic in filling in the gaps for those of us who love this film. The one complaint I have is that, compared to "Interlinked", the physical build quality of the book was relatively low. It wasn't extreme, and I still highly recommend the book, but having just enjoyed "Interlinked," with its higher build quality, I wished I could have spent an extra 5 dollars on this volume and gotten a similar binding and cover.
One other note on the physical dimensions of this book: It is HUGE. So large, in fact, that it was a little bit unwieldy to read, and definitely hard to fit on a standard bookshelf. If you plan to leave this out on a coffee table, that's one thing, but - again - I thought "Interlinked" struck a better balance in terms of its size, as well.
Read
April 8, 2021I think the audience for behind the scenes content, while smaller than a general filmgoing audience, is probably just as broad in terms of what they’re looking for when it comes peaking behind the camera. This book, about a film that utterly fascinated me, never grabbed me. A lot of the images and blurbs felt very surface level, like press kit materials. I would have liked to get into more detail regarding preproduction and production in lieu of the many, often two-page screen-caps from the film and the bits of in-universe exposition that would likely prove redundant to anyone reading this book.
But of course, BTS-junkies are not a monolith!
But of course, BTS-junkies are not a monolith!
March 5, 2018
The awesome art of the making off of the best movie from 2017, which tonight had 5 nominees to the 90th Oscars Awards.
February 24, 2020
Interlinked
August 25, 2020
4.75
After my latest re-watch of the film I found myself overcome with the same emotions that seem to flow through me each time I view it. Though, on this occasion I was triggered to dig up the accompanying coffee table book that I had not yet read, which lay buried among a pile of similarly sized books collecting dust. It has long been begging for a christening. And this time I obliged.
As a “Blade Runner” super fan and staunch supporter of the sequel (dare I say, more enjoyable than the original?), any literature I buy on theses films can easily satiate my ravenous appetite for speculative fiction. However, my assumption was that this would include nothing more than gorgeous photography and concept art. Sure, it has that and that alone is worth flipping through the pages. But I quickly found out that much more laid buried within its covers.
There are captions accompanying most of the inset shots but each section of the film is separated here as well to show the thought and detail put into the visual and thematic components of the story. Each of these also has its own set of descriptions and explanations that one would not be able to find elsewhere. For example, one recurring theme is that everything had a purpose in the film no matter how trivial it may have appeared. If it is there (or not) it matters. This is no more evident than in the explanation of a 30 page booklet Denis Villeneuve created to serve as a backstory for replicants. Everyone involved understood the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ surrounding replicants and their existence in this world. Of course, finding visible evidence of this in the film may prove difficult. Though, it allowed the actors to portray the characters with greater depth and nuance creating a much more believable story.
This coupled with additional tasty nuggets such as the origin of the Baseline Test and Niander Wallace’s motivations will enhance my next viewing experience. They should also have the same effect on others. The photography will grab your attention and the words will leave you stimulated. Get lost in it and enjoy.
After my latest re-watch of the film I found myself overcome with the same emotions that seem to flow through me each time I view it. Though, on this occasion I was triggered to dig up the accompanying coffee table book that I had not yet read, which lay buried among a pile of similarly sized books collecting dust. It has long been begging for a christening. And this time I obliged.
As a “Blade Runner” super fan and staunch supporter of the sequel (dare I say, more enjoyable than the original?), any literature I buy on theses films can easily satiate my ravenous appetite for speculative fiction. However, my assumption was that this would include nothing more than gorgeous photography and concept art. Sure, it has that and that alone is worth flipping through the pages. But I quickly found out that much more laid buried within its covers.
There are captions accompanying most of the inset shots but each section of the film is separated here as well to show the thought and detail put into the visual and thematic components of the story. Each of these also has its own set of descriptions and explanations that one would not be able to find elsewhere. For example, one recurring theme is that everything had a purpose in the film no matter how trivial it may have appeared. If it is there (or not) it matters. This is no more evident than in the explanation of a 30 page booklet Denis Villeneuve created to serve as a backstory for replicants. Everyone involved understood the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ surrounding replicants and their existence in this world. Of course, finding visible evidence of this in the film may prove difficult. Though, it allowed the actors to portray the characters with greater depth and nuance creating a much more believable story.
This coupled with additional tasty nuggets such as the origin of the Baseline Test and Niander Wallace’s motivations will enhance my next viewing experience. They should also have the same effect on others. The photography will grab your attention and the words will leave you stimulated. Get lost in it and enjoy.
June 5, 2023
This is a review of a self-congratulatory book on the making of a movie that was rather superfluous to begin with. It was a continuation of a story that did not need to be continued. The theme of the design of the movie was apparently "brutality" and this was conflated with "brutalism", an architectural movement. The result is a rather curious and lacklustre mix of Apple store minimalism and an unintended blandness. The concept artists, lighting specialists and production designers of this production are all top professionals in their fields but the resultant work in this body of work as presented in the book is nothing short of disappointing. There is no feel, no striking scenes, with lighting that is akin to that of a high class hotel. The extensive set-building is impressive but the results were unmemorable, it does make one question if all that set-building was necessary.
A large part of the volume consists of photographic plates of the movie.
A companion volume has more artwork and rejected concepts and is somewhat more interesting.
A large part of the volume consists of photographic plates of the movie.
A companion volume has more artwork and rejected concepts and is somewhat more interesting.
February 17, 2018
In the first Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott's vision of the year 2019 was constrained within an 80's perspective; CRT monitors are still prominent; no obsession with 90's television; no popular utilization of the internet, of gismos and gimmicks; and, to quote the art book, no Steve Jobs. The sequel then becomes an extension of a parallel universe, rather than a close prediction of what the actual future would be like--particularly the year 2049. And yet, derivations from the real world were inescapable; Dubai's architectural designs, the Ivanpah solar farm and the 2009 Sydney sandstorm to name a few. The final product is evocative enough, just the right amount of familiarity, to still render a distinction to another Denis Villeneuve picture.
January 4, 2019
This is a great behind-the-scenes look into the production of Blade Runner 2049, one of my favorite movies of recent days. As a cinematographer, it's great to see as much detail as possible into what goes into making such large-scale productions, and this is one of my favorite franchises and some of my favorite characters all working together. I would have liked to see more detail into the cinematography, as I feel this features most heavily in the set design. However, as a general overview it does a good job. To go into the minutiae about everything would have made the book excessively long and, certainly, much more expensive.
June 29, 2022
Uwielbiam niemal wszystko, co związane jest z filmem, ale "The Art and Soul..." nie jest w żaden sposób tak fascynujące, jak twór Villeneuve. To dość standardowy dodatek dla fanów - parę świetnych zdjęć i wczesnych konceptów, kilka interesujących faktów o tworzeniu makiet czy pomysłach scenariuszowych. Wypowiedzi aktorów i osób zaangażowanych w produkcję brzmią niejednokrotnie sztucznie niczym PR-owe wystąpienia. Ale pewnie, niezależnie od rzeczywistych ekscytacji tym projektem, tak musiało być.
July 28, 2022
Helped me understand a ton about the movie. I would recommend reading it if you didn't understand something. Also showed how the wonderful sets were constructed and shed light on the design process and workmanship. Excellent companion to the film.
August 28, 2022
This book shows the incredible effort and thought that went into creating Blade Runner 2049 from everyone involved in the making of the film. There is years of hard work involved in creating what is technically just a few hours of entertainment, but transcends to be a timeless work of art.
June 5, 2023
"The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049" by Tanya Lapointe, Denis Villeneuve (Foreword)
This is awesome. Fascinating insight into the passion and commitment that went into dreaming and creating this epic film. Weta Workshop, you legends! ****
This is awesome. Fascinating insight into the passion and commitment that went into dreaming and creating this epic film. Weta Workshop, you legends! ****
July 15, 2023
2049設定集的其中一本，由電影截圖、劇照、概念圖與解說所組成，的確有助於進一步了解設定背後的故事，只可惜導演實在太在意畫面的美感，反而失去了對許多設計功能上的重視，這不僅拋棄了前作最為人稱道的部分，更使得電影徒留外表而內在空洞，如果是沙丘或星際大戰這種假科幻真奇幻的電影，也許人們還不會太過苛求，但2049的背景是在不遠的未來，缺少真實度一定會讓人很難融入這個世界，幸好我一向不對電影續集有過高期待，所以相對失望也只能說是剛好而已…
March 7, 2018
Beautifully illustrated book featuring preproduction artwork and production stills from the movie. I only wish there had been more text covering the production.
September 3, 2019
An interesting book to go with an interesting movie
June 28, 2020
Gorgeous book. Beautiful breakdowns and insight into the making of a modern sci-fi classic.
January 10, 2021
Dives into the depths of Villeneuve and Deakins' genius vision. An absolute must-have for any fan of the Blade Runner, cyberpunk world.
November 14, 2021
Fantastic! I was hoping for much more concept art but it is light on that, and more focused on production shots, which is why I gave it a four otherwise was 5star content.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews