Blade Runner 2049 Review

  Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

  Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners) directs and cinematographer Roger Deakins films an absolute masterpiece that somehow goes beyond the original. In most sci-fi films based in the future or an apocalyptic type world the story or the acting are put on the back-burner to the visuals and cool new gadgets but that does not happen in this movie. The acting throughout the film carried by Ryan Gosling is great and the script and score of the movie are exceptional as well. Ana de Armas gives an exceptional performance as Joi and Sylvia Hoeks as Luv with Jared Leto give a villainous performance in the best way where they don't see themselves as the villain. Harrison Ford brings his character back to life and gives such an incredible performance that we really haven't seen from him lately.

  The story behind this film is great as well and doesn't leave this movie as a style over substance type situation. The references to the original film as well as some of the twists throughout the movie make this 2 hour and 43 minute film not seem as long as the time shows. The score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch is incredible and takes scenes with little dialogue and makes it where you can still sense how tense the scene should be. There are enough nods to the original that I believe fans of the 1982 classic will greatly enjoy this new film and the ending leaves nothing and everything to be desired.

  Like I said before the film is close to 3 hours and that may not work for everyone, especially in a theater, and the movie has many points where it is very slow so I would recommend watching early in the evening. I'm not sure how most movie fans will feel about this movie if you aren't fans of either the original Blade Runner or sci-fi films that aren't big action epics. The movie is rated "R" mainly for the action/blood and there is nudity throughout the film but nothing ever done in a sexual way. I absolutely loved this movie and had a lot of different emotional moments throughout as I have just seen the first Blade Runner for the first time since I was a kid hours before seeing 2049.

8.5/10