A welcomed expansion to Scott's universe

Rating: 10/10 (28 March 2018)

Back when I first saw the original sci-fi classic "Blade Runner", I never thought I'd get to see a sequel to it. Slowly times were changing and sequels, remakes and reboots were at the front-end of Hollywood's production line and by looking the quality of said sequels, I feared that a continuation of "Blade Runner" would be a bad idea. Well, I am glad to be wrong! Not only "Blade Runner 2049" is a masterpiece of film making, it's also one of the best additions to the science-fiction genre in the past decade.
Denis Villeneuve's class is remarkable, after his first stab at a sci-fi with "Arrival", the French-Canadian director manages to push himself even further and re-imagine the dystopian universe created decades ago by Ridley Scott. Partnering up once again with famed cinematographer Roger Deakins, the two expanded Scott's neo-noir classic to greater distances, sweeping up an abundance of awards just for cinematography alone, include an academy award.
The story takes place 30 years after the events of the first movie, where a young Blade Runner, played by Ryan Gosling seeks out the truth about himself, leading to the search of Rick Deckard, played by the same tireless Harrison Ford. Having Ford on board was crucial to the development on the script, proving that his grouchiness was essential to the character's current beaten down state of mind.
Another solid point is Dave Bautista's knack for playing supporting characters who won't steal the show, but will add plenty to the scenes they're in.
"Blade Runner 2049" has a long running time, almost reaching 3 hours and yes the pace was slow at times, but that should not make you leave the theater or fast-forward the movie at home. It's not surprising that it didn't perform beyond expectations at the box-office, slow paced gritty neo-noir aren't for everyone and certainly not for the "Transformers" era of cinema.
While it does top it's predecessor, "Blade Runner 2049" is an example of a sequel done right, just like "Terminator 2" and "Aliens".