One of the best things about San Diego Comic Con are the tons of immersive experiences laying beyond the convention’s doors, pop-up exhibits, augmented reality hunts, parties and more. At this year’s Con, the Blade Runner 2049 Experience, taking place off-site was one of the best flourishes to an already packed weekend.
Housed in a massive tent on 1st and Island Ave, right across from the convention center, the Experience garnered long lines all weekend, boasting a combination of VR, food, sets and props, with myself and girlfriend Stacey lining up at 8am on Sunday, even before the line ballooned towards the experience’s 11:30 start time. After waiting briefly in a dark hallway adorned with concept art and quotes from the original film’s script, 3 rows of motion seats greeted us, along with a set of VR goggles.
Entitled Blade Runner 2049: Replicant Pursuit, the exhibit’s VR portion put the viewer in the driver seat of an LAPD spinner. The objective was to scan every passing vehicle to detect a replicant. Overall the motion seats turned the ride into a roller coaster type experience that had us zooming between buildings and ramming vehicles in the middle of a tense chase.Visually, the game was bizarre and sterile but fitting. All around you is the cold, rainy future depicted in the film, but with the look of a 90s nintendo game. To top it off, Vangelis-esque synths blare throughout, adding that final touch. For those that couldn’t attend, the actual game is available via Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift.
Heading out of the VR experience, a full size spinner straight from the film greeted us. It was a surreal moment that really drove home the immersive detail of the Experience, and I was speechless standing next to such an iconic vehicle.
From there, we entered a fully functioning recreation of future Los Angeles. An entire city block was set up for fans to walk around and explore, offering tons to look at and get lost in. The street was even populated with tons of actors, helping to create the proper setting, with LAPD officers and extras wanting to scan fans to determine whether they were a replicant or not. Because no street is right without a food stand, Blade Runner’s iconic White Dragon Noodle Bar was set up, serving up udon so that we could eat just like Deckard. Throwing things over the edge, sponsor Johnnie Walker had 3 types of whisky to sample, which were a perfect send-off.
I can’t stress enough how amazing the attention to detail was – the sets, alongside select costumes and props from Blade Runner and 2049 were a one-of-a-kind experience, and brought us that much closer to Ridley Scott’s iconic future. From the bright neon of Bibi’s Bar, coupled with actual sections of smoke and rain inside, this was the film come to life, or rather, a dream fulfilled.
EDV
