On its own, a great movie

Rating: 7/10 (8 October 2017)

Having been a Blade Runner devotee from its inception of the original (even during pre-production), I had great expectations for this sequel. Expectations that probably would be nearly impossible to meet. And so they were. That withstanding, the film deserves stand alone credit for proving to be an honest attempt at living up to the fictional world established in the original film. It more than adequately carried on the overall atmosphere and vitality of the original, but failed to truly capture its "future noir", as suggested in Paul Sammon's book about the film's creation(1996).
The cast and the production itself, on the other hand, combined to make it entertaining, in spite of the film's longer than necessary length. Some additional refinement would have been appropriate (ex: cut the junk yard scene with the toy horse.) Gosling's performance as "K" was truly believable; what one would expect from one of Hollywood's better actors today. Ford, as Deckard, needs no comment as he will always be Deckard. Ana de Armos, as Joi, was captivating and added an interesting twist on 'K's' backstory. Sylvia Hoeks, as Luv was okay, but she's no Roy Batty by any stretch. Robin Wright, as Lt. Joshi was well done (big fan of her). And it was good to see Edward James Olmos as Gaff again,; even if the role was minimal. Casting Mackenzie Davis as Mariette was obviously done to remind fans of Daryl Hannah's great work in the original.
Deciding to have Rachel give birth to Deckard's child worked for me, even though it's not the route I would have preferred be followed. However, Tyrell did say that the replicants were "more human than humans." It became the quest for the golden fleece that any hero's journey requires, so I can go along with it.
SF author K.W. Jeter wrote three sequels to Phillip K. Dicks original, all under the title of "Blade Runner". Together, these three books carried on a much better series of events and circumstances that I believe would have made for a better possible franchise; something that may be on the horizon with the release of this film. Especially, considering the many open possibilities presented at the end of the film (i.e. Deckard meeting his daughter; the possible Nexus8 revolt; Wallace's next move, "K's" fate, etc.) In conclusion, I really did like the film and would easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys legitimate science fiction.