Blade Runner 2049 Movie Review
Denis Villeneuve’s newest movie is the sequel to the much acclaimed Ridley Scott sci-fi blockbuster of 1982 and an amazing visual experience with fantastic acting and an impactful soundtrack.
Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Hiam Abbass, Harrison Ford & Edwards James Olmos Run Time: 164 min.
US Release: 06 October 2017
UK Release: 05 October 2017
German Release: 05 October 2017 If interested, scroll to the end to find my review for the first Blade Runner movie.
Blade Runner 2049 is finally here! I might not have been waiting as long as others for a sequel to the epic masterpiece of 1982, basically, because I was too young to understand what Blade Runner was all about, but ever since I bought the Final Cut on Blu-ray in 2011, I was looking forward to this day! Even better that Denis Villeneuve took over as the director because the man proved to be one of the best artists of this generation, no matter the genre of movie. While mean, Ridley Scott himself seems to have lost his touch, even though The Martian is quite the film.
After having watched the movie twice now, I can honestly say that Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best movies of 2017. That is not to say that this sci-fi flick is for everyone! This is a very artistic movie, that takes its time in telling the story and lets the audience be absorbed by the fantastic looking cinematography. 30 years after the events of the first film, Rick Deckard (Ford) and Rachael (Sean Young) disappeared from the face of the Earth. K (Gosling), a Blade Runner working for the Los Angeles Police Department, gets involved in a mystery concerning old model replicants. While mean, Niander Wallace (Leto), an industrialist who took over the Tyrell Corporation, sends his assistant Luv (Hoeks) to follow K (Gossling), who in turn is searching for Deckard to help him solve his case.
That’s all I’ll write, as the story is much richer and contains quite a few surprises I don’t want to spoil! I recommend that anyone who is interested in the movie should enjoy it without knowing too much!
Hempton Fetcher, who co-wrote the screenplay for the first movie, and Michael Green made sure to keep the tone of the original blockbuster and succeeded in doing so. Fetcher, Green and Villeneuve not only managed to capture the atmosphere but also managed to improve on the storytelling. The first film had a thought-provoking philosophical message, about what it means to be human. It also focused on the replicants rebellion for individuality, but swerved away from that topic every now and then by focusing too much on side characters that weren’t interesting or important.
The sequel, on the other hand, focuses most of the time on K and his case. It also doesn’t include one dull character, as all of them are intriguing. I also thought that the dialogues are incredibly strong; they include a lot of religious and philosophical topics. My favourite piece of the puzzling story, though, is how it picks up on the theme of individuality and evolves into deeper sociological thoughts.
Now I can’t talk about all the different characters in the movie without spoiling the story, so just let me be brief about it. Everyone in this beautiful sci-fi blockbuster is tremendous, especially Ryan Gosling, who gives the best performance of his career! But it is also Harrison Ford, Jared Letto, Sylvia Hoeks that kept surprising me with their powerful renditions, and Ana de Armas is simply terrific! Her character is so multilayered while being simplistic at the same time; she really impressed me - and distracted me with her incredible beauty - if I am to be honest.
As with Scott’s flick of 1982, the cinematography of the sequel is simply jaw-dropping. Roger Deakins, who co-worked with Villeneuve before in Sicario and Prisoners, really outdid himself this time and created a realistic dystopian future, with pop-cultural references to the 1980’s that stay true to the style of the first Blade Runner. The lighting and the vibrant colour palette is a true feast for the eyes and the use of practical and computer-generated effects enhance that beauty. As with Sicario, Deakins used a mix of panoramic longshots and aerial takes, to give the viewer a feeling of the world that surrounds the characters. Just as with the cinematography, the sound effects and music in this flick are excellent. The complete cinema was shaking and moving to the impressive bass during dramatic or thrilling scenes and the soundtrack is a beautiful extension to the original melody used in Scott’s sci-fi flick.
Verdict: Blade Runner 2049 is a true masterpiece and Denis Villeneuve’s best film to date! Everything about this movie left me in utter awe; from the very emotional characters, portrayed by an extraordinary cast and the stunning futuristic world of 2049 that is depicted by Roger Deakins, to the ear deafening but hauntingly gorgeous soundtrack and sound effects. Every piece of this film is as close to perfect as it can get and I can say, without a doubt, that this may even be the best film I have seen this year, and it definitely is one of the better sequels of a movie ever made! I will give Blade Runner 2049 a well deserved 10 out of 10 and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-made movie. Do me a favour, if you are a fan of the first film, go and see it in theatres. It looks amazing even in 3D! If you didn’t like Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi movie then you will probably not like this one and I would advise you to stay away from it.