Ok here's what I recommend for before watching Blade Runner 2049:
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Watch Blade Runner: The Final Cut (from 2007). Beware that there are other versions but they are worse. The original one that aired on the cinema was especially bad, since they changed the ending to make it "happy".
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Listen to this episode of iddle weekend (they start discussing BRTFC @ 54:40).
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There's actually more things you can watch before BR 2049; they created 3 free short movies as well. They "link" the events between the original one and the new one. Here they are:
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And then watch the 2049 movie, in Imax if you can (beware that they crank the volume to 11 in some scenes)
Some last notes without entering spoilery territory:
- The soundtrack is appropriate (Hans Zimmer) and hints respectfully to the original (Vangelis). It has its own personality.
- The main character is a man, but there're lots of women on this movie, all of them playing different roles very well, with significant weight in the narrative.
- The main character is a replicant (that's not spoiler, it's stablished on the first scene of the movie), and yet it is a movie about what it means to be human - like the previous one was.
I realize that all of the above looks as ... "a lot of work" just to watch a movie that is 3 hours long in itself. I did something similar with Ghost in the Shell (I watched all the anime & movies in preparation) and the movie was a big letdown. I can only say that for me, Blade Runner 2049 has been completely worth it. Take it as watching a TV Show if it makes it easier. I plan to watch it at least once more in Spain with my wife. Maybe twice if I can.
I am convinced that BR2049 will be one of those movies that will become a classic - one that you might want to have watched on a cinema screen.
Regards!