When the sequel bests the original

Rating: 10/10 (24 April 2019)

As incredible as this may be, this is one of the few cases in which a sequel proves to be more engaging and effective than its predecessor. Being Blade Runner such a wonderfully brilliant visual spectacle as it is, it never, regrettably, reached those same heights for me in the story department. Ridley Scott, as I said in my review of that film, concerned himself more with the visuals than with achieving an engaging human story. This is not the case here with Villeneuve's picture. This time around we actually get to know more about the replicants, what they feel and their ultimate purpose in this world. The sequence in which K visits the Memories creator is especially revealing in that respect.
But let's get into the meat of it. The events take place 30 years after those in Blade Runner and, after the bankruptcy of Tyrrell Corporation and the banning of the remaining Replicants on Earth, the world is on the verge of economic and ecological collapse. That's when Niander Wallace enters the picture, taking over Tyrells' empire and avoiding famine thanks to his advances in synthetic farming. He also revamps Tyrell's Replicant programm, introducing models that are completely complacent and obedient to their creators. And here is when Ryan Gosling's character K comes in. He's a Replicant Blade Runner, who hunts down the remains of Tyrrell's old and scattered progeny, and, in the course of one of his investigations, he stumbles upon a secret that could shake the very foundations of the society he is a part of.
And that's when things get really interesting. There's so much more meat to this story than to that of the original Blade Runner, thanks in part to a very nuanced and engaging performance by Gosling. He really shines here and his, at first glance, cold and unattached approach to the character, turns out to be a protective shell that the character has built around him to protect him from a human environment that, as seen in several scenes of the movie, is clearly hostile towards him. His relationship with is Virtual Reality girlfriend Joi is especially endearing, and gives the character a much needed human touch, made all the more heartbreaking after she is destroyed. As per usual with the Hollywood mainstream, the production values of this movie are off the charts; production and costume design, beautiful photography by Award Winning Roger Deakins, a resounding marvel of a soundtrack by Zimmer and Wallfisch, closely matching the work of Vangelis for the first movie and, all in all, a very engaging story with the visuals to match. The story does have the advantage of a few twist and turns in which the character of Deckard, (a more confident performance by Harrison Ford than in the first movie), has a mayor role to play and the introduction of another main character, Wallace's right hand Replicant, Luv, that ends up being a tragic addition to the story. Well acted throughout and an astounding cinematic achievement in all regards.