Stunningly beautiful, incredibly creative, amazing sound and effects

Rating: 6/10 (7 October 2017)

This is up there with one of the most beautiful movies ever, even though the majority of the movie depicted a post-apocalyptic Las Angeles which looked incredibly filthy. The sets were all visually amazing, and the sound and music integrated perfectly. I watched the movie in a "D-box" seat which pulsed and moved in sync with the film, it really put an exclamation point on what were already fantastic special effects.
If the movie was strictly about making a piece of art, it was a 10. But, not the case. I must preface by saying that I have never seen the original Blade Runner movie. Some reviews have stated advance knowledge of the story was necessary to fully grasp this movie, but I opted to see this film prior to the original, as I believe a movie should be able to have its own legs and not require having seen a 35 year old prequel (which I imagine many have never seen).
The movie started slow and stayed that way right up until one action sequence at the end. And by the time it ended, with certain characters predictably being killed, I was left with a feeling that virtually nothing had been settled and they just spent nearly 3 hours to merely set it up for - who would guess - another sequel.
Gosling's character was mostly a dud. He had one scene where he displayed what looked to be genuine fear, it was a solid piece of acting, but outside of that, his role was robotic and dry. It wasn't his acting, it was the writing and direction that left him playing a character who was tough to relate to or really root for.
I can see how some will rank this up there with some of the best sci-fi movies, it's easy to be mesmerized by its overall appearance and polish, but, I think initial reviewers have greatly overrated this film. It's definitely not even close to the same class as genre titans like Inception or Matrix.