Exactly the sequel I have been waiting for...

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2017)

Though the original Blade Runner is over 30 years old, I only discovered the sci-fi masterpiece about 10 years ago, and I was instantly captured by it. The movie was a visual and audible spectacle despite its sharp and harsh tones and dreary dark settings. The plot was thick and rich, required real attention, and even a second look to really understand the depth of the story, largely due to jumps in chapter without the filler explanation material we normally receive. I loved the story so much, I bought and read the book, and then other Phillip K. Dick stories.
Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel I have been hoping for since the end of the first story, this movie is unique as sequels go because it not only does justice to the original film, but to the book as well. The expansion on the story line is perfect, just unusual enough to fit the style of the original author, but not so much that it tries too hard. The plot is deep and follows the same style of the original, still offering plenty of surprises. The characters are true successors to the originals and the return of appropriately aged characters from the original film are on point and an integral part of the story line. There are a lot of negative comments about Ryan Gosling's performance, lacking emotion and style, but I believe that his character is exactly as dry and stoic as he is supposed to be in the dystopian future where he resides. The performance of all the actors and actresses was excellent and left nothing to be desired. This movie adequately answers many (but not all) questions that arose after the first, and effectively puts the story line to bed. There is not much of an opening for another sequel, so I genuinely hope that no one attempts it.
To the naysayers of the film, the Blade Runner story is more than just a film, it travels much deeper into the writings of the original author, and to find films that truly project the style and vision of the author onto the screen is rare, but it happens here. I urge everyone to look at the film from a greater and more global view, with the book and two movies being equal parts of a whole experience. I for one, was thoroughly satisfied with the experience.