A modern classic.

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2019)

The original Blade Runner is great in many ways, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it a lot because of the horribly slow pace. Great world-building, characters and all can only get you so far, in my opinion. The movie dragged on a lot. However, I was intrigued by how one could design something like this, so I was excited for the sequel.
2049 was a sequel I never knew I needed, or one that I thought would be better than the original. It expands excellently on the original film's concepts, while also convincing the audience why the sequel was important in the grand scheme of things. Great plot, brilliant twist no doubt, and cinematography that deserved an Oscar, and if Deakins hadn't won that year, I would have rioted. The sound mixing was amazing, too, and the score fits the movie perfectly (my respects to Johann
Johansson, and kudos to Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallsfisch). Ryan Gosling was a great replicant, and provided a chilling, but ultimately heartwarming performance as police officer KD6 - 3.7. Great turns by Sylvia Hoeks as the psychopath replicant puppet of the Wallace corporation, Luv, and Ana de Armas as Joi. Let's just say Jared Leto was great, too, but he took it too far with the whole "almost blinding himself" thing.
Denis Villenueve has established himself as one of the best directors working right now with this movie. It's fair to trust him with any property, because most likely, he's going to make a classic out of it. He did it with Sicario, 2049, and Arrival as well. 2049 deserves every bit of praise that came its way.