A visually stunning Masterpiece with an intricate but interesting plot

Rating: 10/10 (10 October 2017)

Los Angeles, 2049.
The human experiment has flourished in space.
9 new colony worlds now exist in the sky.
This was achieved with the use of manufactured slave labor, Replicants.
On earth, the experiment has failed. Earth has been largely abandoned to the rats and the rainstorms, as global warming is pushing the planet rapidly towards the next Ice Age. The seawalls barely hold back rising sea levels... people grovel in the muck for grubs to eat.
Across this barren landscape flies K, a new series replicant assassin, hunting down humanity's mistakes, the bad dog replicants that broke their programming.
Do Robots dream Electric Sleep?
Do Canadians attend movies on Thanksgiving Weekend?
The answers it appears, are Yes and No.
Being a huge fan of the original, the theatre was largely empty on opening night, mostly filled with people my age, watching faithfully for another taste of the original's dark noir, flying cop cars and giant neon backwashed with torrential rain...
You cannot compare this to the original. For although it faithfully picks up the threads of Deckard(Ford)'s old fling, this is a deep and well written detective story, not the action-packed retirement bloodbath that marked the original.
The music, straying between Tibetan chant and Apocalypse Now synth, is deep, loud, and foreboding, matching the bleak and over-built LA city scape to a tee.
The visuals, from the titanic last ditch wall built to stop the rising sea levels to the endless solar panel farms, is jaw dropping.
Ryan Gosling is at the top of his game here, throwing everything into the role as the at first blankly confident uber assassin K, while still revealing a tender side in his 1950's housewife 3D hologram girlfriend. As his latest case develops, we see his mind conflict and break down. This could be his finest work and he should Oscar up for it.
Harrison Ford brings his legendary gravitas in full force to the role of the fugitive Deckard, hiding in his luxury Vegas penthouse, drinking scotch and staring out at the dust storms. Ford leaves nothing in reserve as he launches his heart back into this character that helped to make him famous. His haunted scream 'WE WERE BEING HUNTED!' sends shivers down the spine...
Supporting cast are also for the most part in excellent form, with Robin Wright playing K's stern but secretly in love Madame commander, doing anything to keep the lethal secret that 'will break the world' from getting out, protecting her agent to the last.
Ana de Armas puts in a surprisingly heartfelt and believable performance as the 'pinnoccio-like' 3D hologram girlfriend, desperately trying to have a real relationship, knowing all too well there is no hope.
Jared Leto brings a solid performance as the mad scientist maker of the new replicants, with some apologies to the blind community perhaps.
Perhaps the only slight let down is our main villain. Unfortunately she must go up against the likes of Rutger Hauer from the original, no small boots to fill. Sylvia Hoeks plays the over-passionate killing machine Luv, a replicant assassin slash secretary in heels on steroids well, but there is something too souless in her act, something missing. No rousing speech about attack ships burning at the end for her, just a slow, cruel, difficult to watch drowning.
After watching in Ultra AVX 3D I immediately purchased new tickets for IMAX, and it was worth the extra. This is a movie that really MUST be seen in IMAX. How else to enjoy a 100 foot tall virtual naked blue woman advertising the popular JOi hologram girlfriend? Or the expanse of the sea wall, or the scale of the garbage dump?