Nerds That Geek Movie Review - '2047: Virtual Revolution'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Let’s be honest, life can get pretty darn overwhelming at times and in order to cope with the stress of it all, we find ways to escape. Vacations, hobbies, movies, gaming and television shows all serve as that little voyage away from everyday life where we can recharge our mental and spiritual batteries before heading back out in the world once again and the important thing to remember when it comes to our little escape venues is that they are only a temporary respite from our problems or woes because like it or not, we eventually have to face them.
 
But for some people, reality and all of its hardships are sometimes too much to bear and they rely upon the wonder of their respective escapes more often than they should in order to get through the day and while others often look down upon these people as weak or lost, one has to wonder…what would the rest of us do if given the chance to escape everyday life, without any kind of consequences? Would we pursue everything we ever wanted to accomplish in life? Or would we join the ‘lost’ and disappear into our own little world, and these are questions that are explored in the fascinating science fiction film, 2047: Virtual Revolution.
 
Now in this motion picture we are transported into the year 2047 where the world is a vastly different place. After all, technology runs rampant all over this world and it would seem that mankind has accomplished wonders but in fact, it has grown stagnant. For virtual reality has reached its pinnacle, to the point where people find the virtual world far more preferable to the regular one and a vast majority of the population stays online every hour on the hour, enjoying this wonderful escape from reality. But something is happening online, and ‘The Connected’ as they are referred to, are beginning to die while using VR in mysterious fashion and the one man who is tasked with finding out who is responsible for such an act, is about to discover a conflict in the virtual world that goes beyond a mere struggle for power and control, no, this fight, is about saving the future of all mankind…

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​So, fair warning, the first thing you’ll notice when you watch this film is the sheer fact that it resembles a sci-fi classic, since this movie looks and feels a lot like Blade Runner with its sprawling cityscapes and flowing technology and the familiar feel of a replicant-themed world is only enhanced further by how the main character, Nash, dresses like Rick Deckard when he’s out and about the town. But thankfully, all of this is nothing more than mere homage and by using a familiar visual style the movie is able to suck you in and allow you to enjoy some seriously dark and powerful storytelling concepts that quite frankly, my mind is still pouring over days after watching this motion picture.
 
Because really, this movie takes the time to dig incredibly deep into the questions that I posed at the beginning of this article and I’m not sure if the audience will be happy with the answers that it provides because in the end the movie truly paints a bleak picture for the future of mankind and well, to me that’s a brilliant stroke of writing through and through from writer/director Guy-Roger Duvert. Because let’s be honest, sci-fi films like this tend to always present us with hope for the future, that scenarios like this are merely speed bumps where mankind loses its way for a moment. But this film, well it doesn’t offer a sunshine and roses outlook for mankind, it instead presents us as greedy and vapid and this storytelling decision brings up an important and poignant reminder for the genre in that, sci-fi doesn’t have to always look at the bigger picture, it can in fact, encapsulate the moment.
 
Which really makes this particular film a grander commentary on our current world since there are elements of class warfare and concerns about the elite keeping the masses docile and that really is stuff that’s flat out ripped from everyday headlines and it made this film a refreshing surprise when is all said and done and one that quite frankly I recommend. Because this is a film that kept my attention from beginning to end, and like I said before it’s stayed with me, especially that ending, simply due to the fact that this particular story tried to do something new and I respect it for being bold and bucking the mold. 

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