A replicant of the first Blade Runner

Rating: 6/10 (6 October 2017)

After seeing the the sequel to the amazing and amazing first Blade Runner, i am not disappointed. But i am not impressed either. In summary, 2049 plays it's cards too close to the chest, but without the element of surprise or good main characters to back it up. So lets break this movie down shall we?
Sound: 3/10 The sound is perfectly mixed.... and that's that. Otherwise it's like the new Doom soundtrack, just a bunch of bass rumbling around on top of old Vangelis lines(but probably without the vintage hardware). A few of the tracks are Psybient/Solar Fields like, which really fit into the scenes. But overall, its pretty uninspiring.
Visuals: 7/10 The sets are amazing, but there is definitely something off. The first movie had some sets that were really realistic, which is what i think made the movie believable. There was dirt, glass, patches of color, mats, live candles. It is the same as the visual difference between Alien/Aliens and Prometheus, if that makes any sense. It is obvious that they tried to replicate the set pieces of the original, but it comes off as way, way to grandiose and large-scale.
Pacing: 2/10 Horrible. Every scene is dragged out so long that you could walk out, cook some food and come back without missing a single important thing in the story. Sure, the first Blade Runner was slow, but it wasn't moving like a drugged sloth. To sum it up, they could have easily pushed the story into an hour long movie instead of three.
Story: 4/10 This is really where they dropped the ball. The characters are so boring they might as well be extras, especially Deckers girlfriend. I didn't care about her at the start, and i didn't care about her when she died. Also, the main villain. I mean, really? What were they thinking? She is so one-dimensional, she might as well be played by Brian Thompson. And no, making her cry while she kills things does not make her more complex and believable. The villain in the first Blade Runner, played by Rutger Hauer, at least had a glowing personality. Also, some scenes and ideas are just there for shock value. You will know which ones they are.
In summary: There is not one line or scene in the whole movie which is even close to the quality of the monologue at the end of the first movie.