A very worthy, thought provoking sequel - still talking about it

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2017)

To get the negatives out of the way: the film was a little slow in places - everyone knew what was coming but some denouements were dragged out a little; and there was a lot of gratuitous female objectification, which did not sit comfortably with me. However, overall this was a brilliant sequel and I think better than the original, although it complemented it perfectly. This is a gripping, very moving 'human' condition film about aspiration and hope and the desire to fit in/belong to the 'normal' group. It could be seen as an allegory for any situation where a group feels marginalised through the controlling power which wants to consolidate its position by sidelining/enslaving the 'others'. Ryan Gosling is superb and brilliantly portrays his character's journey which cannot be further described without introducing spoilers. My husband and I have spent the last three hours talking about this amazing film!