Excellent absorbing fun

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2017)

Just seen the movie (while on vacation in Canada). The original Blade Runner is one of my all time favorites. Watching this new Blade Runner 2049 I was absorbed and was never bored and highly recommend people see the movie. However to me it does not have the same level of innovative artistry as the original Blade Runner. Firstly the music score is not as good as the fantastic Vangelis score written for the original movie. Yes the music in the new movie is somewhat like that in the old movie but in reality the director seems to think that lots of very loud long chords is a good score. Secondly while visually the new movie is stunning sometimes the tiny scene details are not as consistent as they were in the original. The use of shadows and lights and rain is very well done following on the theme of the original Bad Runner. Of course the CGI effects are massively better in this sequel as would be expected. The story line is good and the baddies in this movie really are convincingly chilling and the twists in the plot are good. Clearly there will be a sequel - or two. Most of all I missed humor this is a movie that takes itself very seriously and in doing so has lost something.