Excellent

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2018)

The original Blade Runner although not unanimously received upon release has grown into a cult mega star, one of the first DVD releases sort of says it all.
Many critics have waned in the light of the sequels and spin-offs that are been pumped out, but here with this cult classics sequel there is a lot to like.
The combination of Villeneuve's direction and the actors performances is a pleasure to watch. Gosling should be proud of his performance, going beyond stoic, the one scene of emotional outburst the pinnacle of his performance. Hoeks as Luv was another standout, an excellent counterpart to Gosling's K, even Bautista's cameo lifted the whole performance.
With the return of Ford and Olmos grounding the movie in the original, the true surprise was the awe inspiring return cameo of Rachael, with a combination of actress Loren Petra and stunning visual effects is one of the greatest CG achievements I can recall of late.
Villeneuve's direction, visual backdrops and cinematography, although with much more muted tones than the original, stayed true to form. It didn't have the impact or awe as the original but that been said we have been inundated with visually demanding films from the original to now.
The plot is similar in pretense to the original, more of an extension than original screenplay, creating the feeling of an ongoing battle, be that good or bad.
We certainly were not bogged down in dialogue, with good action scenes, reasonable character development and an uncluttered timeline. However this time round the punch and depth didn't appear, nor does this critic feel pulled into the story line as the original so aptly achieved.
All in all an excellent film, one that all involved can be proud of and one the viewers can enjoy, as a fan of the original or not.