Blade Runner 2049

Year: 2017
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Lennie James, Carla Juri, Hiam Abbass, Dave Bautista, Mackenzie Davis, Barkhad Abdi


Plot: 30 years after the events of the original Blade Runner, the Tyrell corporation has been bought over by Niander Wallace, who now manufactures replicants who obey. The older models are still being hunted by blade runners. K, a blade runner who is a replicant himself, finds a clue about his past which leads him back to Rick Deckard, who has been in hiding for three decades.


Review: The original Blade Runner wasn't a success story at first, but has since become a cult favorite. Fans would say that the sequel can't possibly top it, but acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve has proven them wrong.

Thirty years removed from the first film, Earth hasn't changed that much. It still rains a lot and looks rather bleak. K, a replicant blade runner who hunts down his predecessors, finds a box of bones next to a tree along with a clue that ties in to one of his memories. He is aware that his memories aren't real, so his curiosity leads him to the origins of the memories and to whom those bones belong to. Meanwhile, Niander Wallace, the new man behind the creation of replicants, is also after the same thing, and the clues lead them both to Rick Deckard, the original blade runner.

But unlike the original Blade Runner, 2049 explores its protagonist's background and develops his character thoroughly. K isn't just a replicant programmed to obey, he actually is as they say, more human than human, judging by his need for companionship in the form of Joi, a holographic consort. He is still required to take tests to show his emotional detachment, which is all part of his struggle in walking the line between human and replicant. Without a doubt, 2049 is K's story, and Deckard only steps into the picture in the third act. Villeneuve and writers Hampton Fancher and Michael Green (Fancher wrote the original as well) have certainly outdone themselves here.

From a technical standpoint, 2049 is gorgeous. The great Roger Deakins, who worked with Villeneuve on Sicario and Prisoners, once again turns in superb work, coupled with great production design and visual effects, making it look like a world we'd easily want to step into ourselves. Credit also goes to Renee April for the costume designs and the pair of Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch for the music score. Some, if not all of these departments are due for Oscar nominations next year.

Almost every cast member is on point. Ryan Gosling nails it as K, exuding magnetic presence without much effort. Harrison Ford plays the other human heavy role as Deckard, and still shines despite having limited screen time. All the other supporting actors, from Robin Wright as K's superior, to Sylvia Hoeks as Wallace's strongwoman, to Lennie James as a child labor boss, to Mackenzie Davis as a hooker who is part of the replicant freedom movement, also turn in great peformances. Even Dave Bautista impressed me in his small role as an older model skinjob, who will easily get your sympathy here. Special mention goes to Ana de Armas as Joi, who like K, longs to go beyond what she was made for. Oddly enough, it is Jared Leto's Wallace that becomes the weak link among the cast. Not that Leto wasn't good, it's just that his eccentric performance was predictable, even though it suited the role.

Despite running at a lengthy 163 minutes, 2049 doesn't really feel that long, thanks to Villeneuve's solid direction. Aside from Leto, the only other flaw would be the subplot about the replicant freedom movement which isn't fully explored.

It must be said; Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best sequels ever made, and is one of the best films of 2017. I do recommend watching the original before checking this out. (9/10)