An amazing unwanted sequel...

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2017)

Let's be serious, the day they announced a Blade Runner sequel I thought it would never work. The original is a film that I wanted to stay on it's own. It's a film that inspired me to love movies and see details on how they're made artistically instead of being made just for entertainment value and money. Therefore knowing Denis Villenueve direction towards this movie I knew it was in good hands but I was still sceptical. He's one of my favourite directors working today just from his work on Prisoners,Sicario,Enemy, Incendies, and Arrival. Then here we are he has done it again making another Sci-Fi masterpiece since Arrival with Blade Runner 2049. I went into this movie thinking I would hate it since it is a sequel to a movie that I felt didn't need one. Nothing in my mind could ever top the original so I went in with low expectations. However This movie floored me and I couldn't believe how amazing it was. It's one of those sequels that's actually amazing in its own way and extends the story from the original. It doesn't feel like a remake or a soft reboot. The visuals are amazing and are faithful to the original while maintaining a different mood and tone, it felt like I was experiencing another expansion of the Blade Runner universe. I don't want to get too far saying this but this felt like a modern Space Odyssey only saying visually as a Sci-Fi film, it's a beautiful film that I do hope will influence future filmmakers. My only flaws for this movie is that there are some missing elements like the smokey L.A. streets and jazz music we all know in love from the original, but that's OK this movie was trying to have it's own identity and be different. Regardless of the amazing sequences at Las Vegas and San Diego, I wish I got to see more of Los Angeles don't get me wrong there is a good amount of time of seeing it and its beautiful I just wanted a bit more and that's not a bad thing just small nitpicking. Therefore that being said I also think it's one of the best sequels I have experienced in a long time. I wasn't born at the time of release of the original so it felt fresh to experience the Blade Runner world again in 2049. I haven't seen a film that impacted me or felt like an experience since The Dark Knight or Mad Max Fury Road.I definitely group 2049 along with sequels like The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back,Terminator 2, Godfather 2,and Aliens. Just from the jaw dropping imagery Cinematographer Roger Deakins has shot his best if not one of the most beautiful looking shot films of his career and for the modern Sci- Fi Era considering that this is his first Sci-Fi film. I also appreciate Ridley Scott and Hampton Fancher who directed and scripted the original returned to produce, pen, and re-imagine this movie 30 years after the original from 2019 to 2049. The Vangelis score from the original still melts my heart till this day nothing could ever top it. However Collaboration from both composers Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfish did an outstanding job maintaining the synthetic sounds while having a different mood and tone for the brutality of this movie, so yes the score is fantastic. Harrison Ford has surprisingly committed returning to the role of Rick Deckard and does an amazing job, unlike his cash grab do it for the fans performance as Han Solo from The Force Awakens. Ryan Gosling does wonderful playing Officer K and hasn't been this awesome and charismatic since his movie Drive. Outstanding performances from everyone including Jared Leto who I thought at first would ruin the tone of the movie but did a good performance than his joker from suicide squad. Although I love this movie it's not perfect, it's a film that might not be for everyone. Some people may find it boring, maybe even fans of the original might hate it or love it. That could be just because of the pacing since it is a slow paced film. Anyway it's OK not even the original had that kind of view but has stood the test of time and has had a cult following. The run time is also long clocking in at 2 hours and 43 minutes (163 minutes) and that might be a problem for the average moviegoer. So make sure you go to the restroom and be ready before watching the movie. Personally I was not bothered by it's slow pace I had relief that this movie had a long run time to tell it's story because I feel if it was shortened down it would have felt rushed. So as said if you want to see this movie make sure you go in knowing what you're expecting. Don't go in expecting an action movie, this is a Sci-Fi Thriller Mystery film. It doesn't have fight sequences or explosions every five minutes. Go in with low expectations and maybe you will love or hate this movie that's all I can say as a fan of the original. If you haven't seen the original I highly recommend you watch it first so that you can appreciate this film even more. We don't get movies that have this kind of pace or run time anymore so it felt fresh like watching a movie made from the 70's or 80's. I do hope this movie gets recognition in the nearby future like the original. I highly recommend you to watch this movie if you love eye dropping cinematography, slow paced tone, and want an amazing experience. Please go support and see this flawed masterpiece... 10/10