Short Film

BLACK OUT 2022 Short Film: Replicants Wipeout Electricity in BLADE RUNNER 2049 Prequel

Trixie Black Out 2022 Blade Runner 2049

Black Out 2022 Short Film

Shinichiro Watanabe‘s Black Out 2022 (2017) short film stars Jovan Jackson, Luci Christian, Beyson Bauguss, Edward James Olmos, and Adam Gibbs. Black Out 2022‘s plot synopsis: As a prologue to Blade Runner 2049, “In 2022, an EMP detonation has caused a global blackout that has massive, destructive implications all over the world.”

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the 13-minute animated short takes place only three years after the events of the original film (though 27 years before [Blade Runner 2049]) and offers some insight into a global blackout disaster caused by a catastrophic EMP attack.

Black Out 2022 is the third of the short films released as prologues and in conjunction with the upcoming release of Blade Runner 2049. 2036: Nexus Dawn was the first short film and 2048: Nowhere To Run was the second short film.

Having watched all three Blade Runner 2049 short films, the producers of that sequel, scifi film saved the best for last.

Like 2048: Nowhere To Run, Black Out 2022 is has action and drama. Unlike 2048: Nowhere To Run, Black Out 2022 leans far more to cinematic action and story-telling than any of the Blade Runner 2049 short films. Black Out 2022‘s scope would have cost millions of dollars to create it in live-action thus animation was the perfect vehicle through which to realize the vision for this ambitious short film’s narrative.

The replicants, even though they are animated, are given weight, unlike real-life characters (when their CGI incarnation are jumping, etc.) in Marvel films. The viewer could see the physics at play as Trixie (Luci Christian) floated through the air.

I have to admit, I was not expecting the story within this short film to be as good as it was. It is logical and perfectly fits within the Blade Runner universe. I hope that Blade Runner 2049‘s narrative is this well-done.

Watch the Black Out 2022 Short Film. Leave your thoughts on it below in the comments section. Readers seeking more short films can visit our Short Film Page, our Short Film Twitter Page, our Short Film Facebook Page, and our Short Film Google+ Page. Blade Runner 2049 will be released in U.S. theaters through Warner Bros. in October 6, 2017. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

Black Out 2022 Short Film

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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