Better Than The Original

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2018)

Before this movie came out, I went back and watched the original Blade Runner again (my second viewing of it). Neither viewing of that first one impressed me. Ridley Scott's original is a bit of a muddled mess of half-baked plots, odd characters, albeit containing stunning visuals (especially for the time). The only reason I had any interest in its sequel is that this one is directed by one of my favorite Hollywood helmers, Dennis Villeneuve. He "does it again" with "2049", of course, managing to put together a film that both pays homage to Scott's controversial original as well as crafts an even better, more interesting story than that film ever dreamed of.
For a basic plot summary, "2049" focuses on K (Ryan Gosling), a new type of Replicant in a post-Tyrell Corp. world. Through the course of an investigation (he's with the LAPD), K and boss Joshi (Robin Wright) discover that Replicants are now able to give birth...a revelation that is both shocking (shouldn't be possible) and terrifying (would induce panic among the colonies). As such, K is dispatched to find the "miracle child" and dispose of it by any means necessary. This includes a trip to new business head honcho Wallace (Jared Leto), as well as discovering that Deckert (Harrison Ford) may still play a role in all of this.
Likely because of Villeneuve's mastery behind the camera, "2049" is a film with a very defined, follow-able plot. At no time was I ever really lost or frustrated with the proceedings (as happened multiple times during my viewings of the original). Clearly, this sequel is less about "noir" (establishing an atmosphere) and more about actually following through with plot structure and characters. To me, that makes it considerably better than its predecessor because of this next point:
Even though it is a much more streamlined movie, it still creates a wonderful sense of atmosphere. The visuals here are stunning, and all the environments are interesting in their own right, filled with grandiose images/artifacts and futuristic color schemes. I don't think there is a scene in this movie that isn't filmed from behind some sort of crazy filter, but none of it ever really gets too distracting, either.
A Blade Runner film will probably never be my absolute favorite type of filmmaking. Even on its best day, it forgoes much potential plot nuance in favor of visuals and atmosphere. Even clocking in at nearly 3 hours, however, Villeneuve's "2049" easily held my interesting all the way through, and that is something I never expected from this film.
Overall, I think this is a film that will be enjoyed by most who watch it. If you are a big fan of the original, there's enough of that here for you. If you were ambivalent (like me) towards Scott's first one, rest assured that this one is much easier to follow and understand exactly what is transpiring. A win-win situation for all involved.