The movie loses its plot way too often.

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2019)

The first Blade Runner was a master piece.
I've watched 2049 now for a second time and apart from the visual aspect of the film, it doesn't have the impact of the original by a landslide.
The only reason I see for this is because the movie fails to hold on to its plotline, whichever one that is. Even at the end of the movie I'm not so sure what the story was.
The original Blade Runner had a simple story. It's a movie about a blade runner, hunting down skinjobs (with their own dramatic need), falling in love with one of them. That's it. The fact that there is a major philosophical undertone in this movie is what elevates it from an ordinary action flick to one of the ultimate cinema classics, BUT at no point during the movie does the movie deflect from what its plot is, a blade runner hunting skinjobs, falling in love with one of them.
Every single scene in the movie is in service of this plotline. Either Deckard is following a clue to get to his mark, or the marks are following their dramatic needs, or the love interest is established.
It does not go off on tangents to explain how this world works. It does so through scenes that at their core are serving the plot.
Priss charms Sebastian and we get to know about his disease and off-world and whatnot, BUT these scenes are in service of the plot. They want to get to their creator. Charming Sebastian is a way forward in their dramatic need.
This is exactly what I missed in 2049.
Too many scenes do not drive the plot. Sure enough, it's because the plot itself is all over the place.
The movie is a visual wonder, but the story is severly lacking.
The scene with K and his "girlfriend" at home, serves 0 plot function. It was just there to fill in an aspect about the world.
Story mechanics, the way to write a screenplay, all the rules and do's and don't to construct a story are important. They are as fundamental to screenplay writing as are the rules for writing music.
Sure, you can string along any number of notes from amazing instruments in any way you like, but the resulting cacophony will not attract a lot of people.
For music this seems obvious to everyone, because we are all used to hearing songs (and subconsciously all the rules that come with music), so we naturally feel when something is off.
With movies, it seems a bit more difficult somehow.