Annabelle: Creation Is One Of 2017's Most Interesting Creations

For Cinema moviegoers, generally the month of August for the summer box office is typically a dry month with the summer winding down as school vacations come to an end and students returning to complete another year. Studios typically use the months of August and September as dumping grounds for films, that studios don't have the most confidence in, and can potentially survive without zero competition from other big blockbusters. Despite a few exceptions in the month of August such as Guardians Of The Galaxy and Suicide Squad, August is a relatively slow month for movies to perform at the box office. In the case of this past August, Annabelle: Creation utilized it's slow box office month to it's full advantage, and managed to be quite successful in the long run without running into direct competition with another fall horror flick turned box office giant such as Stephen King's IT. While the first Annabelle film wasn't particularly memorable (It was satisfactory at best, but not good enough to warrant the kind of box office anticipation and hype the prequel had going in), Annabelle: Creation somehow manages to be a stronger horror film than that movie. garnering bigger box office and reviews, that soundly call it an improvement over it's mediocre predecessor. Having seen Annabelle: Creation now that it's officially landed on DVD this week, one can most definitely say that Creation is hands down the better movie as well as being more satisfying.

  

      Annabelle: Creation continues to prove that the box office for 2017 is being driven not by the big budget sequels to popular franchises, but a growing trend among films with smaller budgets making a surprise splash with audiences. Annabelle: Creation continues that trend as the films reception is warmer than the first film, which led to it performing much better than the first film. The prequel feels larger in scope, as well as being more confident in it's storytelling. The film never truly manages to be scary, but is creepy enough to draw audiences into it's story with it fast-forwarding a full 12 years after the tragic death of a dollmaker and his wife's daughter, with them welcoming a nun and  a group of several young girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon making them the direct target of the dollmaker's possessed creation called Annabelle. Right off the bat, the second Annabelle film is stronger than the first film largely due to its story. The first movies storyline was basic with Annabelle focusing on a couple experiencing terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll after their home is invaded by satanic cultists. The first Annabelle's storyline is basic with the concept of a possessed doll being the most intriguing aspect of the story despite being done before with Chucky. The first film didn't really have many jump scares but it was watchable due to the concept and the creepy atmosphere it created.

      With Annabelle: Creation, it felt as if the filmmakers behind the prequel were taking notes on what worked with the first movie and what needed improvement. The story feels more fleshed out with the prequel, the production values more grand, and the atmosphere feeling more chilling with the actors delivering strong performances. The movie's pacing is very strong with the scares being well-spread out allowing the suspense and tension to slowly build for the audience. The film works best as a combination of a haunted house story mixed with a freakish doll, that looks and acts just downright creepy. For those who enjoyed the Conjuring films, this movie is another strong entry in the popular franchise as the film works best as a prequel to those films. For those who weren't particularly fond of the first Annabelle and are on the fence about watching the prequel, its most certainly worth watching as the whole film feels much stronger than the first and there's a much stronger confidence behind this story being told. The film tries less to scare its audience in comparison to the first movie, and relies more on mood to set everything up so when the scares do come, they are more effective with the audience desiring what happens next. What's most surprising about Annabelle: Creation, is how much stronger of a film it comes across in comparison to it's predecessor. The film works so well in telling its own story, that the audience doesn't necessarily need to watch the first film in order to get the concept at play here, although it would help with little bits of information given between the two films. It's almost as if the filmmakers are well-aware that the first film wasn't that great, and used this prequel as an opportunity to rectify that movies flaws. The key to this films success is how well it builds up the tension with its story as the mood and setting are perfect with the performances being brilliant. The young actresses are completely convincing here, particularly Samara Lee with Anthony LaPaglia giving a strong performance as the dollmaker/priest, Stephanie Sigman as Sister Charlotte, and Miranda Otto doing a terrific job with her small yet effective role as the dollmaker's wife Esther. The strong performances as well as the strong scriptwiriting, beautiful tension set-up, and David. F. Sandberg's impressive directing make this prequel what it is: One of the stronger horror sequels in recent memory as well as being one of the few that not only lives up to the first movie but surpasses it in quality.

      Annabelle: Creation is easily one of the best horror movies of 2017 as it manages to stake its own claim as being a worthy horror story without relying on the first movie to make it appealing to audiences. As far as finding issues with the movie, its hard to find any faults the movie has other than slow-pacing at times, and it not actually being scary, but comes off as being more of a personal feeling rather than a shot taken at the film itself. Creation does everything possible to make for a creepy experience with its audience, and here it does a very fine job at doing so. This is a well done horror flick, that's engaging from start to finish and very fun to watch with the Annabelle doll being creepy everytime it pops up on the big screen to scare audiences. The film deserves props for its brilliant build-up of tension and suspense as Sandberg appears to understand the creepy nature of its story much better than John R. Leonetti did with the first film. Creation is one of the rare prequels, that's smart and knows exactly what it wants to do in regards to terrifying it's audience. The DVD release of the film being around Halloween could not come at a more perfect time, as it gives audiences a unique opportunity to align it's story with the rest of the Conjuring franchise for Halloween. The film takes the demonic spirit concept that's obviously been done before and gives it a nice added touch. There is nothing in Creation that's truly original, but it utilizes all the familiar formulas and creates its own terrifying story, that also manages to be an awesome prequel to a first film that really doesn't deserve this kind of follow-up. Here's hoping that David. F. Sandberg returns to direct the next installment, as he truly seems to get the terror aspect of the story that revolves around a creepy doll. If you haven't seen Annabelle: Creation yet, its time to put one's shield down and let it creep you out for 109 minutes, while also showing how building up suspense and tension is properly done with solid storytelling.

                                                                                                                              Final Verdict: Buy It

Baby Driver Is Proof That 2017 Is Driven By Smaller Budget Films

The year 2017 in regards to Cinema, has come and gone for the most part with movies either meeting and exceeding expectations, films that fell far below expectations with the end result being a financial and critical dud, and films in between those that caught audiences by surprise and managed to deliver both in regards to being entertaining, as well as being a surprise box office smash. While the underwhelming box office performances of War For The Planet Of The Apes and Transformers: The Last Knight are surprising given the performances of the previous installments in both series, it is the performances of the smaller budget films such as John Wick ll, Get Out, Atomic Blonde, Annabelle: Creation, and Happy Death Day, that have become the true Cinema stories of 2017 both critically and financially. With Baby Driver, the resume of smaller films dominating the box office proves to be even more impressive as the film managed to be more of a success than the fifth installment in Michael Bay's popular yet overblown CGI-driven franchise. Baby Driver is not only a solid film, but manages to entertain it's audience and give them a genuinely fun time at the Cinema than many big budget films this year tried to, but ultimately failed at generating the same kind of reaction. Perhaps it's a sign that Hollywood's reign of excessive sequel tent poles, are steadily declining as experimentation with newer ideas, smaller budget films, and concepts are slowly taking over.

      Baby Driver is stylish, exciting, hilarious, well-acted, and boasts a killer soundtrack, that makes the whole experience of watching it even more special. Driver is proof that action-movies can be brilliantly written, fast-paced, and not need to rely on explosions and CGI to satisfy audiences as it uses its strong scriptwriting and character development to do the work in terms of drawing the audience in. The storyline for the film is creative and original with the audience becoming intrigued with the main character, as he tries to juggle the situation he finds himself stuck in. Baby Driver centers around a young getaway driver finding himself becoming apart of a bank heist, that's doomed to fail after being forced into working for a crime boss. What makes the concept of Baby Driver so appealing to audiences, is that the film delivers a main character the audience can grow to care about, rooting for his blossoming romance with a young waitress at a diner, while wanting him to break loose from the situation that he's in. Ansel Elgort's performance as Baby is spot-on as he brings a sense of charm to the part, while making the audience believe that he's really this character. Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Elza Gonzalez, and Lily James all give strong supporting performances as Baby's heist crew and female love interest. Kevin Spacey does a terrific job at playing Driver's crime boss as Spacey feels perfect for the role given that he does a terrific job at playing sleazy roles. 

      With its quick pacing and well-choreographed action sequences, Baby Driver remains one of the most thrilling action-packed movies of the year, and just happens to be one that has alot going for it in regards to both character development and story thanks to Edgar Wright's brilliant scriptwriting and directing. What makes the film a surprise treat, that struck a chord with audiences over the summer is how flat-out cool the film comes across with its stylish cinematography, rapid editing, and believable performances, that make the audience convinced what's happening on the big screen is reality. The car chases are stunning and Elgort's performance, is one that can potentially be a star-breaking moment as he gives life to a character, that the audience becomes engaged with from the beginning to applauding at the very end. What's most impressive about Baby Driver, is how it takes a generic heist genre and adds it's own unique and stylish approach to it with references to modern pop culture. As far as heist movies go and the movies released in the summer 2017, Baby Driver is easily a much welcomed breath of fresh air, as well as a reminder that story always come first before action and visuals, which also is what makes a film memorable to audiences.

      In terms of style and substance, Baby Driver delivers a great deal of it unapologetically. The film is quite the catch with audiences because of how it beautifully blends action with comedy, romance, and a hip style that will attract teens and young adults to the main character. Baby Driver is the type of blockbuster, that doesn't need explosions and overuse of CGI effects to make it a hit with audiences. The film is proof that a good story, strong characters, hit soundtrack, and slick editing can make a highly enjoyable film for audiences, and not need to have an enormous budget in order to appease the crowd. Baby Driver is not only one of the best movies of the past summer, but one of the best films of the year period. With Baby Driver, the hope is there that Hollywood will take a lesson from all the smaller films this year, and how they performed above expectations, even managing to outdo some of the bigger blockbusters for the year. The film is proof that audiences still care for original stories and characters they will become invested in for two hours, while just happening to be taken on a thrill ride that includes laughter, well-filmed car chases, and strong characters that are appealing, particularly the films lead character whose intriguing. Films like Baby Driver, as fun as they come across as being, are proof that audiences continue to desire story over high budget effects.

                                                                                                                           Final Verdict: Buy It

Darren Aronofsky's Mother Is The Mother Of All Controversial Films For 2017. But Its Good

The fall of 2017 has brought forth a string of awkward new releases, that have either gone onto achieving both critical acclaim and box office stature such as Stephen King's IT, or critically acclaimed yet disappointing box office run such as Blade Runner 2049. In between the two lies the films, that are released with the hope and promise that they will not only receive the acclaim from critics as well as audiences, but would also find an audience to push the film towards profitability. In the case of Darren Aronofsky's Mother, the film has not only underperformed with audiences on a critical level judging by it's F Cinemascore despite critics giving it mixed to generally positive reviews, but has completely been shafted by audiences despite the film not deserving to be. Darren Aronofsky's Mother may be many things as there's many different ways that audiences can read his latest film, Mother may be ambitious, and misunderstood, but one thing it's far from being is a terrible movie

      The best kind of viewers that Mother can ask for, are those who are familiar with Darren Aronofsky's work prior to his new film. Aronofsky is a different type of mainstream filmmaker, who molds his film into being literal pieces of art, making them appear to be gorgeously photographed with stunning Cinematography along with getting the finest performances out of his actors/actresses, while challenging his audience to think about the films he has them viewing. It helps that Aronofsky chooses stories that are not only engaging to the audience, but draws them in whether they agree with the outcome of the story or not. Requiem For A Dream was amazing in showing how people can have downward spirals as direct consequences of doing drugs. The Fountain was an underappreciated masterpiece, that needs a second reevaluation from audiences with perhaps a longer directors cut The Wrestler was a solid film about a faded Wrestler being forced to retire, but ends up finding his life outside of the ring to be an emotional struggle. Black Swan was an intense psychological thriller, that has Natalie Portman delivering the best performance of her career. Noah was visually stunning and well-acted, but the artistic approach that Aronofsky took with the film is questionable given that the film felt like it went off the rails at times. The final product wasn't disastrous, but didn't stand up to par with the rest of Aronofsky's previous work.

      Mother is a return to form for the unique director, who specializes in telling dark stories about people's downward spirals. Mother is approximately two hours long with 90 mins of it being relying on it's main stars to drive the story as the pacing is slow and steady, but the tension builds slowly up until it's bizarre and disturbing climax. The plot for Mother centers around a couple's relationship being tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, placing a disruption with their tranquil experience. The four main actors that drive the story with Mother are Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Ed Harris. The story is told through the perspective of Lawrence's character as she tries to make sense of what's happening around her while slowly losing her patience with the uninvited guests. Lawrence is the perfect choice for the part as she is believable, captivating, and utterly convincing in the part. Despite Mother's polarizing reception with audiences, one hopes that she receives a worthy Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance in this film. Javier Bardem is terrific as usual and brings his A game to the part with Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer turning in strong supporting roles as well, the latter is nice to see on the big screen again given she doesn't work as frequently nowadays. The film moves at a rather slow pace, but the stellar performances and the mood of the film make the story engaging as the tension slowly builds up until the films bizarre third act.

Stating the direct obvious, Mother isn't for everybody as only true fans of Aronofsky will have the patience and open-mind to embrace the story for it's unusual tone and numerous question the film poses. The movie covers topics ranging from narcissism to hero worship, exotic religions, and plagues of the old testament, death, and immortality. Many of these themes Aronofsky has previously covered with his earlier films such as the Biblical aspect of his films along with death and immortality. Mother's final message says that being married to a narcissist searching for everyone's love can ultimately become unbearable as the film shows. Mother is a film, that's unafraid to take risks and challenge it's audience with what they think they know about the story, but being daring can also be it's downfall. There is no question that Mother is thought-provoking and an ambitious product of the director's artistic vision, the film is entertaining and involving despite the storyline feeling a bit uneven at times due to it's pacing. It can be speculated that one of the reasons the film underperformed with audiences on a critical level is how misleading the marketing was aimed towards it, leading audiences to believe that the film was a thriller/horror flick. The film doesn't reveal it's true form of madness into it's second half, but even then it still doesn't come close to qualifying as being a horror flick.

      Its rather unfortunate that Mother's marketing was misleading as those who gave the film a chance and enjoyed it can't help but wonder how audiences would've embraced it if the marketing push for the film was more straight-forward. Mother is not a bad movie and certainly worth watching if you're a fan of the actors in the film or it's brilliant director, it just comes across as being a bit too artsy for the general audience ultimately. The acting by the main cast is stellar particularly Lawrence and Bardem with Aronofsky at the peak of his artistic craft, delivering eye catching visuals as well as beautiful Cinematography, that accompanies all of his films. There are many different ways people can read the film as there are more symbolism to it outside of the obvious observation of the story revolving around a narcissistic man who drains his partners of their love and moves onto the next, younger model. Mother will go down as one of the most controversial movies of 2017 as questions will arise over the films disappointing box office performance as well as the critical slamming it took from audiences with it's F Cinemascore with the critics being much more welcoming towards it. The film is far from being a bad movie but also isn't a great film, it manages to fall somewhere in between but it's the performances of the cast as well as the directors vision that make it worth watching. Mother is a good film, dare one says a pretty solid one, but one wonders what this movie's legacy could've turned out like had it's marketing been more straight-forward.

Final Verdict: SEE IT

IT Is A Stephen Kings Adaptation That Actually Manages To Float

       As the summer of 2017 has drawn to a close, the fall season of 2017 has opened up and off to a great start with the much anticipated and highly satisfying adaptation of Stephen Kings classic book titled IT as well as the 1990 TV miniseries.

      Doing a modern upgrade of the popular miniseries was no easy task as high expectations were placed upon the production from the moment it was announced up until the first trailer released to record breaking views on You Tube. Living up to the miniseries was not as difficult of a task as living up to Tim Curry's iconic performance as Pennywise The Clown. The original miniseries for all intents and purposes, was successful despite not being that great when you look at the film outside of Curry's killer performance. The problem was not that it was an unfaithful adaptation of the classic book, but rather that it was bound to the limitations of it being a television movie. While the original film contained what was a generally creepy atmosphere, it didn't live up to its full potential in terms of scaring its audience. With the newest version of the classic story, the 2017 adaptation is not only creepy to the core, but is scarier in regards to leaving its audience both thrilled and genuinely disturbed by the nature of the story. The synopsis for the newer IT is virtually the same as the original with the main difference being this version of the story focuses on the young group of misfit friends being terrified by a killer demonic clown named Pennywise in the year 1989. Whereas the original miniseries had a running time of three hours and focused on the young group of friends both in their youth and later reuniting as adults to combat Pennywise again, the new IT focuses on the childhood aspect of the story with the adult perspective of the young kids being saved for chapter two that's due in theaters in September 2019. 

      As far as authenticity goes, IT has the look of the original miniseries while feeling like a similar film to Stand By Me, with a horror ring to it. Each scene feels like a page of Stephen Kings book brought to life with great love and care taken with the characters, the story, and setting with the Art-Set Decoration feeling nothing short of absolute perfection. The jump scares are effective and well-staged and the use of Pennywise is very much done in the same form of the shark appearing in Jaws, where he appears to scare the audience momentarily, then reverts back into the shadows to wait for his next moment to terrify the young actors. As far as acting performances go, the young kids playing the main characters are simply amazing, as they bring total believability to their roles as young friends coming together to fight an evil force, while having their relationships being shaped and molded because of it. The best acting out of the group comes from Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough, Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben, and Sophia Lillis as Beverly providing a strong trio making both their friendship as well as romantic triangle totally believable and compelling to audiences with Finn Wolfhard and Chosen Jacobs giving strong supporting performances. IT never becomes a question of which child actor delivered the worst acting job as everyone of them played their part to the T and appeared to be having a blast owning their roles.

       With the child actors proving their skills and demonstrating promising acting careers, it all comes down to how Bill Skarsgard did as Pennywise the clown. Living up to the bar that Tim Curry set is no easy task as his performance is considered to be iconic, particularly his opening scene in which he traumatizes young Georgie. Such a terrifying yet brilliantly staged sequence is flawlessly executed in the remake with Skarsgard delivering a chilling performance in that scene with the outcome being more brutal in the theatrical version. With both Skarsgard and Curry's performances, audiences shouldn't compare the two nor say that one performance is better than the other as both actors turn in terrific performances with Skarsgard beating the odds and living up to the characters legacy Curry started. Skarsgard's role isn't as big as Curry's in the miniseries since this version strictly focuses on the perspective of the kids, but the newer version keeps his part limited and only utilizes Pennywise when the moment calls for his presence, making his character creepier when he isn't overexposed. Going into the making of the 2017 version, the movies success relied much on the casting of not just the young childhood actors but also the performance of Pennywise. With Skarsgard, he gives audiences a villain that they both fear and take delight in knowing he will be back with chapter 2.

      What's more impressive than IT actually turning out to be a very good horror movie, lis how big of a box office and cultural phenomenon it's become since it's release. As of the writing of this review, IT 2017 has made 316 million domestically, placing it as one of the biggest R rated movies of all time as well as the biggest horror movie ever made. The films outstanding success has exceeded every expectation placed upon it not just as a box office juggernaut that's become a pop culture phenomenon but also as a horror movie. IT may not be scary to every single person who watches it, but those who don't find it scary can certainly praise it for the amazing acting from the main cast as well as it's high quality production values. IT is a crowd pleasing and well-structured horror movie, that does the utmost justice to the miniseries that came before it while updating it for modern audiences. The new adaptation of IT feels different from typical horror movies as it not only has the creep factor to maximum effect, but its also full of heart thanks to the young actors. IT not only works as a very good horror film mixed with Stand By Me, The Goonies, and Super 8, but it also stands as being one of the best films of the year. The movie is worthy of having Oscar nominaions for Best Screenplay, Best Make up, and Best Art-Set Decoration as the film is not only has an authentic feel to it but literally brings Stephen King's classic book to life. Director Andy Muschietti not only lived up to the challenge of topping the popular TV miniseries, but also managed to stake a claim in the history books with the films record breaking performance. Every so often a film comes along that manages to surprise audiences not just with it's quality, but how it manages to get the audience invested with it's story, IT is one of the rare occurrences where the film lives up to the hype and is every bit as satisfying as audiences expect it to be.

Final Verdict: SEE IT

Blade Runner 2049 Replicates The Awesomeness Of The Original While Surpassing It

The fall of 2017 has officially arrived with October's movie season hoping to get off to a strong start with the release of Denis Villeneuve's ScFi vehicle titled Blade Runner 2049. It's always risky to make a sequel to a film that has 35 years of built up legacy surrounding it, which is no easy task by any means. However despite that challenge and unrealistic expectations surrounding the film, the extremely talented filmmakers behind the much anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott's cult classic Blade Runner managed to pull it off with Blade Runner 2049.

NO SPOILERS

      

      Blade Runner 2049 manages to succeed where many sequels fail, allowing it to join a group of a handful of sequels, that have managed to not only live up to the name of their predecessors, but also stand on their own feet in cinematic history. With 2049, director Denis Villeneuve manages to beat the odds placed upon him by audiences and fans of the first movie, as he took the extremely risky and daunting task of making a sequel to one of the most well respected and innovative science fiction films ever made. While the original Blade Runner was not a box office success nor critically acclaimed upon it's release, it became a cult classic throughout it's run on television along with the releases of the 1992 directors cut and the 2007 Final Cut, that was supervised by Ridley Scott himself. The original Blade Runners story was adapted from a novel written by Philip K. Dick, which centered around a Blade Runner pursuing and trying to terminate four replicants, who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator. What makes the storyline for the first Blade Runner strike an emotional chord with audiences, is not the science fiction aspect of it, but the humanity that's presented with the replicants being hunted down and killed with their only crime being their desire of wanting to be human. Not to mention the first Blade Runner film was not just a chase film, but was also a love story between Harrison Ford's character Deckard and Sean Young's character Rachel, making it a more personal tale for audiences with it's human falling for a replicant dynamic. The plot for Blade Runner 2049 picks up thirty years after the events of the first movie with a young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret that leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, whose been in hiding for thirty years.

      What makes the storyline for the second Blade Runner work so well is how it connects with the first movie in regards to continuing the storyline of Deckard with a new Blade Runner searching for him with questions regarding the past, and how it manages to tell it's own story while bringing audiences back to this incredible world that's visually mesmerizing. The film's visual effects and cinematography are to put it mildly are absolutely stunning, making it feel authentic as if the audience never left that specific universe in the first film. It is no question that the films Art-Set Decoration, Sound, Visual Effects, and Cinematography will all secure much deserved Oscar nominations come awards time, with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch delivering an electrifying score, that channels much of the energy of the first film as well as similar beats and sounds. Director Denis Villeneuve, who directed last falls sleeper hit The Arrival with Amy Adams which went onto achieving box office success while securing an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, does an even more impressive job here as he pours his heart into delivering what's unquestionably a love letter to the first film, while expanding that universe with this movies tale. Villeneuve demonstrates the same kind of passion for storytelling and high level of energy, that Ridley Scott had when he directed the first film 35 years ago, and shows that there is potential for future stories revolving around the Blade Runner universe that can be told.

       As far as acting goes, this film is Ryan Gosling's characters show whereas the first one was centered around Harrison Ford's character Deckard. Gosling is very strong here and allows the audience to become invested in his character with Harrison Ford providing a strong presence in the story when he makes his appearance Ana de Armas delivers a strong performance as Gosling's characters love interest with Robin Wright Penn, Jared Leto, and Dave Bautista delivering strong supporting roles. It never becomes a question upon watching the film if there was a performance that wasn't up to par with the others, because everyone on the screen looked and felt like they were very passionate about the story being told, and was giving their all with the amount of screen time they had. If there can be one criticism that can be called out, its the film's questionable running time that far exceeds the length of the first movie which was only 117 minutes compared to the sequels 164 minute running time. On one hand, the story feels like it could've been told with the same amount of time as the first film and not lose it's impact with audiences. On the other its hard to find a scene to take out because every moment in the film is there to further assist the story and drive the development of the characters. Unlike a film such as Peter Jackson's ambitious 2005 King Kong remake that ran 188 minutes and despite being a terrific remake could've had numerous scenes taken out to trim down it's excessive running time, its hard to take scenes out of 2049 because each scene and moment advances the films story rather than feeling unnecessary. Like the first Blade Runner, the sequel is not concerned with rushing things and puts it's story first and foremost over anything else with the technological aspects of both films being used as tools to enhance the richness of the story.

      In a fall season that's been surprising and shocking audiences in numerous ways from the abnormal box office success of Stephen King's IT to the high quality of that film and others being released, Blade Runner 2049 bodes well as being a wonderful surprise for moviegoers, as well as proving that no sequel with a good story can come too late. Unquestionably one of the best movies of the year, and if the sequel ends up under performing much like its predecessor, it will have a strong legacy with developing a cult following much like the first Blade Runner. The sequel is a grand, epic, and visually stunning experience, that shouldn't be missed on the big screen by any true fan of the first film or those who are looking for a film a strong story and breakthrough technology. The question will most likely always persist of whether Blade Runner actually needed a sequel or not with the answer being that it most certainly didn't as it was great as a standalone Science Fiction classic, but the sequel is here, and it does a very exceptional job of honoring that movies story while bringing the concept to a new generation of audiences, who will discover that film through their love for the sequel. Just because the first movie didn't need a sequel doesn't mean the current one isn't a work of art, both The Terminator and Alien didn't need the second installments that came after those, but they not only managed to exceed expectations but also build upon the mythologies already established much like what 2049 does. Blade Runner 2049 is one of the year's most breakthrough films, deserving much praise as well as starting off what looks to be a strong award season of movies. Few sequels are better than their original counterparts, this one is.

                                                             

 Final Verdict: SEE IT