Absolutely extraordinary - but severe lack of POC representation

Rating: 9/10 (11 October 2017)

As other reviews have stated, this film is nearly flawless. As a fan of the original, it delivered everything I could have wanted and more.
My only nitpick is that, much like the original (and quite a lot of other Ridley Scott films excluding Idris Elba's doomed character in Prometheus), there are next to no black actors or actresses in the main cast. In fact the only black speaking role is that of a character called (and I really hope this name was not intended in the way I think it was intended) "Mr Cotton", a slave driver.
Are we to infer that by 2049 in Scott's universe black people have become personae non grata again in a sort of post-Trump social regression? There don't even appear to be many Synthetics of colour. I see no reason why the aesthetic or narrative assets of this movie would be negatively impacted by the presence of some afro-ethnic talent. There is no shortage of it. Unconscious oversight on the producers' part, I'm sure.
Moreover, did anyone else find the Female to Male nudity ratio a little gratuitous on the former's part (in that there is absolutely none of the latter)? Treatment of female characters in this franchise seems a little unfair - if grittily realistic I suppose. It is dystopian after all and the problematic universal acceptance of of the more unsavoury male appetites is a self-aware theme that runs through many of Scott's works. No doubt Blade Runner and its sequel are further remarking on this.
Though I find it strange that a story so thematically rich with symbolism and plot pertaining to female fertility and its inherent power lacks characters of the fairer sex who are more than just simple plot devices or foils for the development of the central male characters. Perhaps Scott's earth truly has slumped into widespread racism and misogyny. Of course, there were some bad-ass female supporting cast members in Robin Wright and Sylvia Hoeks.
It just seems a little odd that the obvious civil rights metaphors implied by the plight of the synthetics in this franchise are not executed alongside some (one would think appropriate) POC representation.
Other than that, absolutely marvelous film. Enjoyed Jared Leto's Jeffrey Combs-esque antagonist. A suitably creepy role for a man who is (if the rumours are to be believed) quite a creep himself.
I would highly recommend this 3-hour behemoth of delectable science-fiction to fans of both the original and the genre in general - though its running time doesn't register until one looks at one's watch, thanks to the film's masterful, unceasing use of tension.
It's a visual and narrative masterpiece, crafted with all the care and skill one would expect from a sequel 30 years in the making. Probably one of the greatest sequels ever created in general - in the same league as The Godfather pt.2 and The Empire Strikes Back.