Elon Musk has been in the eye of the storm every day since he acquired X (formerly Twitter) in late 2022. Not a day goes by on the internet without the Tesla and SpaceX CEO being shrouded in controversy, whether because of his recent political aspirations or something related to how he handles things on the popular social media platform. This week, however, Musk drew the ire of a new group of vocal internet denizens: film lovers. The confrontation took place shortly after the reveal of Tesla’s new line of automated vehicles – which, in all honesty, look too cool to be true.
Tesla’s “We, Robot” Event
Tesla’s “We, Robot” event unveiled some of the company’s most ambitious projects to date. And no, none of them are as unsightly as the Cybertruck. The event marks a shift in the company’s approach to electric vehicles, as Musk and the rest of the company believe self-driving cars are the future of EVs and public transportation.
Besides the uncanny reveal of the Tesla Optimus, the company also unveiled the upcoming Robovan and the Cybercab. Both fully autonomous EVs should become available next year. So far so good, right? Well, here’s how Musk and Tesla missed the mark: they used AI-generated imagery for their product mockups, and some of it happens to resemble Blade Runner 2049 a bit too much.
Legal Troubles with Alcon Entertainment
Alcon Entertainment, owners of the Blade Runner 2049 trademark, sued Elon Musk over the AI pic. The legality of AI-generated images has always been a touchy subject, but that’s not the issue here. Things got even more heated over at X, where Musk acknowledged the controversy in the worst way possible.
Musk chimed in on a post made by @ajtourville that explained some of the strange reasoning behind Alcon’s lawsuit. According to him, Alcon claims Musk’s AI image “suggests a relationship between Alcon and [Tesla].”
Elon Musk’s Controversial Take on Blade Runner 2049
The X owner, instead of just acknowledging that the lawsuit is indeed bizarre, tried to rub salt in the wound with a monumentally terrible film take.
“That movie sucked.” That’s all Elon Musk had to say about Alcon and Blade Runner 2049. For now, at least. Immediately, fans jumped in to defend Dennis Villeneuve’s masterpiece, which currently holds an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Even though some fans still prefer Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner, no one can deny that 2049 holds its own against the monumental cyberpunk classic. Still, even if Musk made the post in jest, to say that an almost universally beloved movie “sucked” due to an ongoing legal dispute (that has nothing to do with either Villeneuve or the film itself) is rather unprofessional behavior, to say the least.
Reactions from Filmmakers
Curiously, Blade Runner 2049 wasn’t the only movie Musk “offended” with his We, Robot presentation. Alex Proyas, director of 2004’s I, Robot, claims Musk based the look of Tesla’s Optimus on his pearly automatons.
Proyas commented on X “Hey Elon, can I have my designs back please?” Though the post did some outstanding numbers on X, users noted that most of the designs Proyas mentions predate I, Robot. Still, the post was more a jab at the tech entrepreneur rather than a legal settlement like Alcon’s.
Far from a perfect film, Blade Runner 2049 is one of the rare epic sci-fi films made after 2010. There’s no need to offend the movie (and its fans) just because you’re in a legal quarrel with its production company.
If Mr. Musk wanted to insult Alcon Entertainment’s track record, he should have pointed out they made The Garfield Movie. That alone should exonerate him from any wrongdoing in a court of law.
RELATED: Blade Runner 2049 Explained
Do you agree with Elon Musk’s take on Blade Runner 2049? Let us know in the comments
Blade Runner 2049 |
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Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years. |
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| Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures |
| Running Time: 163 minutes |
| Release Date: October 6, 2017 |
| Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto |
| Director: Denis Villeneuve |
| Writers: Hampton Fancher, Michael Green |
| Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery |
| Box Office: $276.6 million |
