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
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