A superior sequel that stands on its own.

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2017)

The original Blade Runner I have more respect then fondness for. Similar to Ridley Scott's latter philosophical sci-fi film Prometheus, I admire the movie's ideas, themes and world-building but as a story I don't really care for. Where as the original asked lots of questions about human identity, Denis Villeneuve's sequel explores the answers posed by those questions in very emotional and psychological ways. The answers may not be ones you would expect but show how the famous question, "what does it mean to be human" is one not defined by our own creation or sense of destiny. He takes the many common sci fi plot tropes in many blockbusters and constantly turns them on their head. Similar to his previous film Arrival, Villenneuve uses the themes of memories to act as the driving force of the narrative. Unlike the original, 2049 feels fleshed out with compelling characters and multiple unique locations. It goes beyond just futuristic LA, which has gotten even bigger and more hi-tech to reflect how technology today has evolved since the release of Ridley Scott's film 30 years ago. The events and actions of the story are defined more by the impact of character's choices rather then the characters going along with the events. Despite having a longer run time then the first, 2049 feels like it moves at a better pace because more is happening then just a simple detective story. But Villenueve doesn't get lost in the plot of the mystery. He makes this story feel personal by following the blade runner K's journey as a character.
There have been a lot of sci fi masterpieces with stunning visuals but I would say Roger Deakins kept stealing the show with the best cinematography I have ever seen. Nothing against the directing, writing and performances but the shot compositions kept me constantly in awe and distraction in an almost hypnotic ways. Not only are the shots and lighting atmospheric but they also feel almost like a character itself as they change to reflect the mood and tension of the scene. And they fit perfectly with the Vangellis-inspired score by Han Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch that makes you feel you are transported to that world.
Gosling shows that he is perfectly suited to Villeneuve's style. Similar to Drive, Gosling's performance is very much quite and subtle. His character K does not say much as he does not feel the need to speak his own voice to question or challenge his way of life. But once he is put onto a mission that questions how his world actually worked, his quest becomes one of self-discovery. This leads to his journey intersecting with Deckard's. One of the issues I have with Blade Runner is the fact that Deckard is not really a character that you can connect with or feel sympathy for. One of the biggest improvements 2049 does is giving Deckard a tragic backstory. After a lot of build up to meeting Deckard again, it doesn't disappoint. Ford shows a more broken and human side of Deckard that the original did not. We see his isolation is one not of choice but forced to protect the only really human connection he has in this bleak world. Other great performance are Ana De Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright and especially Dave Bautista who has the least screen-time but probably gives the best performance of his acting career. The one performance I thought lacked subtly was Jared Leto's philosophical antagonist Niander Wallace. His character had some compelling traits but I felt the least connected to.
While there have been a lot of genre classics revitalized to capitalize on nostalgia, Blade Runner 2049 does not feel like one that is forced to make you remember the past. Instead Villeneuve uses the original's story as way to tell his own story about choice vs destiny. By the end of this movie, you feel like it has been a satisfying conclusion to what the original Blade Runner started as opposed to being a setup for another franchise or cinematic universe. While many die-hard fans will argue about this, 2049 surpasses the first Blade Runner by giving a resolution instead of leaving it open with another question.