A magnum opus which shows mastery in every aspect of the film.

Rating: 10/10 (17 October 2017)

There are many mediums available for artists to express their ideas and thoughts to an audience. Film in itself is a compilation of multiple mediums such as the written , the visual, and the auditory. A truly ground breaking movie which seemed to hit a sweet spot is Blade Runner from 1982. It was a visual spectacle that I adored with an incredible soundtrack to boot. The world Ridley Scott built from the ground up takes on a role as a character in itself as it lives and breathes in the most graphically appealing way. However, just as any first work in a series, there was plenty room for improvement and addition. With the world and ideas established, Blade Runner 2049 truly took everything great about the original and made a masterpiece constructed out of a neon future. Starting off with spectacle, this movie has it all. Beautiful shots, choreographed action sequences, and some of the best special effects I've seen all year. But, as any self respecting piece does, each moment of spectacle is built up to and made that much sweeter by the great pacing of the film. Some may complain about the 163 minute runtime, but I see it as essential to creating the perfect timing for every event in the film. No scene of spectacle stands on its own; it has a deeper meaning to it and always serves the narrative. Senseless action and CGI seems to be commonplace in today's movies, so having rooted reasons to astonish the audience is a nice change. More on spectacle, the world itself is living and breathing. I feel the crowded streets, the great expanses, and everything in between in this hyper realistic future Los Angeles. Somehow everything became even more dilapidated and lived in compared to the original interpretation of the city. Things look bleak for the inhabitants who live in near poverty, and it is felt by the audience. Despite being a gritty depiction, instead of always being rainy and blue like the first film, 2049 exceeds all expectations in using highly contrasting colors and grading to make every scene pleasing yet grounded. The city's neon breaks through the darkness and the life that resides there seems to flourish instead of wallow. Color's role even tells a sub narrative in the characters and is used effectively to show the separate acts. Dark neo-noir films have a special place in my heart, but the compelling storyline in Blade Runner 2049 made it skyrocket to the top of my favorite movie list. The story follows a biologically engineered human (called replicants in the Blade Runner universe) named simply K. He is a blade runner who is tasked to hunt down other escaped replicants and retire them by murdering them. While replicants have hyper intelligence, super strength, and certain immunities, K lacks a free will and his physical advantages were used by humans to destroy any controversial replicants. The start of the movie also initiates the start of K's character arch when a routine retirement spirals into an unexpected exploration of the case and ultimately K's shady past. What both he and the audience thought of replicants prior to the movie's beginning is fundamentally challenged and so is his identity. The star role of K is played by actor Ryan Gosling, who as it seems cannot escape L.A. (see Drive, Nice Guys, and La La Land.) His performance is impeccable as he limits his emotional responses in the beginning of the movie, but develops more reactions as the movie continues. He is supported throughout the movie by his holographic girlfriend Joi, who is programmed to love him even though he is a replicant. Another replicant character with an interesting character arch is Luv. She starts out the same way Rachael does in the original, as a supporting secretary-like character. However, as the movie progresses she becomes more and more vicious in her attempt to intervene in K's actions and is his opponent in the end. We can't talk about the performances without talking about Harrison Ford's. His involvement is left unambiguous due to the promotion of the movie (which I wish wasn't the case as a surprise cameo turned into a stellar performance would've been incredible) but he does not appear until far later in the film. He plays his character from the first movie Rick Deckard. His performance is just as lively as it was in the first film and the possibility of him being a replicant is still left unanswered. Through and through, Blade Runner 2049 is a film masterpiece that simply must be enjoyed firsthand. It is captivating, beautiful, inspiring and deserves much more praise than I alone can give it. Denis Villeneuve has taken the building blocks from Ridley Scott and made the greatest sequel to a movie I have ever seen. Breaking down every aspect of the movie you can see the detail and work put into the minutiae, which isn't observed often today. This work has been topping the box office since its release and with every bit of passion put into it, it deserves it's golden throne.