Blade Runner 2049 doesn't Completely Disappoint

Rating: 6/10 (19 October 2017)

Blade Runner 2049: It wasn't the terrible replicant I expected
Blade Runner 2049 is too slow for some, too confusing for others, and too repetitive for many. But few argue that it doesn't look fantastic!
BR 49 packs in a lot into one film; it could have been two installments. My film-mates said it could have been a series, and that West World covered a lot of the same themes, but more in depth. I, however, don't want to watch a full season of a series to just get mildly interested, i.e. West World, Ozark, Game of Thrones, at the end of the season. And of the three, I will watch GoT one day. It's not going anywhere. Strangely, some of the same people that sat through hours of characters yapping at each other while posing in costume thought BR 49 was slow.
I like that BR 49 got right into the plot and was full of philosophical ideas about what makes one human and if replicants can evolve and are a separate species. Until you see the film, you won't know exactly what I mean. For my money, two films would have been better to fully develop the complex story and characters. A series would have been milking a dry cash cow. Profitable, sure, but entertaining? Not for me.
The major premise that the film poses is that replicants are designed to be a slave work force for humans. We see that in the trailer. One problem is that in many ways, the human body and shape makes terrible analogues for workers. Look at a factory producing cars. The arms are not imitations of a human arm, just levers that can grab and place parts where needed. And, the arms have none of the rest of the useless parts humans have: torso, heart, lungs, legs, head. The other major problem that drives the plot is how to produce more replicants, faster. For what, we aren't sure, so I couldn't spoil that plot if I wanted to.
They explain next to nothing about how replicants are produced in 2049, which could have been added in part one of a two part series, a duology. The 'evil' Tyrell corporation is gone, but replicants abound, newer versions. Also, there are holograms, very real holograms. And a fantastic, trippy ménage à trois scene worth the price of admission. Moreover, there is more AI in BR 49 than at a sci fi comic book convention.
While BR 2049 put too much in one film, there are things I am happy they left out. There wasn't a huge battle for the survival of the planet at the end. There wasn't a huge shoot out where our hero 'K' kills eight-hundred of the enemy bare-handed or Decker is rejuvenated and kills nine- hundred replicants or... You get the point. There wasn't a sappy ending nor a happy ending. It ended in a thoughtful, somewhat predicable, manner.
The music was excellent, but there was too much of it and it was often too loud. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. The acting was mostly flat, though the human emoting wasn't horrible. The one dynamic combat replicant was the best character in the film. She has a nice set of action scenes. Did I say how fantastic the film looked?
Another problem is that the film was way too depopulated. Some of the film occurs in urban Los Angeles, but the people are missing. However, there are enough buildings for millions of beings, both human and replicant. Was it too hard to find extras to dress up in futuristic fashion and mill about? Next time, call me.
Rating: Matinée See it on the big screen to get the full effect of the visuals.
Peace, Tex Shelters