Does a 30 year on sequel dream of being better than the original?

Rating: 10/10 (15 September 2019)

Coming into this movie I honestly was not excited. The original is of course a classic and sequels decades apart usually don't end up well. The only one I can remember recently was Tron Legacy, but even though I love that movie, it's not perfect by any means, even the original doesn't hold up well.
So when I heard there was going to be a sequel to Blade Runner, I was extremely skeptical. Ridley Scott wasn't the director he used to be for a long long time, despite a few gems like Gladiator and The Martian. But when I found out it wasn't him directing, I became a bit more excited. Denis Villeneuve was a director's style I liked, but I was not a huge fan of Prisoners or Sicario. Visually they were stunning, but they never got to me.
I was still on the fence until the critical acclaim started. So I bucked up and went to see it. It has been a long while since a movie had moved me like this one did. "Her" and "Drive" were probably the last two that I adored top to bottom like I did this movie.
It got everything right. It felt exactly like if the original was made today. The slow a hell pacing, the dirty future, the gritty lead.
A lot of people who I know at the theater I worked at did not like it. Their main gripe was "there wasn't enough action. "This is NOT an action movie. Just like the original it is a slow burning character and atmosphere piece. No one should go in expecting it, but unfortunately the trailers make it seem like a futuristic action movie like Minority Report or Star Wars (which are also good in their own right).
Nope, this is a slow sci-fi movie that goes much deeper than shooting lasers or robot battles. The action is sporadic and when it does happen it feels real as if you're in the movie.
Gosling is easily one of the smartest actors when it comes to choosing projects. From Drive, to Nice Guys to this, he is really selective at picking projects that usually end up being some really fantastic stuff. He shines here, despite being pawn in a bigger picture. Like Drive he is a silent, sulky type who knows what the hell to do when everything goes wrong. He is perfect for the lead in a future dystopian world.
If I do have one minor gripe, it is that Deckard maybe didn't need to be in this movie at all. I was glad that his stuff is minimal and at the end, but the past decade or so has felt like Ford is doing a tour and showing up as his most iconic characters. Some work, The Force Awakens; other don't, Crystal Skull. He does a fantastic job showing us what a 30 years on Deckard would be, but the story would total have worked without him. But his minimal role still allows the other characters to be the focal point.
As with the original, the cinematography and world building are the main draw of the movie. Seeing this one the big screen is a MUST, so it's a shame it was barely in theaters for 3 weeks. I so badly wish I had seen it again and possibly on an IMAX screen. There's not one bad shot in this movie, every frame is beautiful. I go back and forth on Hans Zimmer's work, but this is some of his best. He emulates the original Vangelis score, but makes it his own. Synth blares from all sides around you as you sit and bask in the godly cinematography.
I still have yet to go back and re-watch the original. I didn't watch it leading into this as I didn't want to spoil my expectations. So I need to see it again soon for sure, but this might be a better overall movie? Maybe not. The original will always be cemented as a classic, and this one too might be, but we will have to see how it is revisited through the years. As with the first this one still has a cult-ish following. Probably more fans than the average cult movie, but Blade Runner is never going to be a name you hear as much in public like you do Star Wars or Avengers. But that's how I like it.
I'm glad that some studios still let filmmakers take risks and make movies like this. They're few and far between thanks to producers mainly caring about the money aspect In this day and age it's great to see that someone greenlit a $100+ budget slow cerebral sci-fi movie. Sure it was a sequel, but a sequel to a cult movie.
It will be interesting to see what Villeneuve will do with Dune. The original Dune is a mess of a movie, mostly ruined due to studio interference and not because of David Lynch. So maybe he can re-invent Dune as he did here with this. I do hope this doesn't get forgotten and is remembered as well as the first movie.