Strong Conceptual Sci-Fi That's Almost Exclusively Aimed at a Die-Hard Audience

Rating: 7/10 (17 January 2018)

Essentially a love letter to the thirty-five year old original, this long-overdue sequel takes great pains to revisit, recapture and expand the world originally populated by Ridley Scott in that timeless sci-fi classic. It's very particular about its authenticity, from the perennially hazy atmosphere to the glaring, inescapable corporate advertising and the darkly moody synth-driven score. The dressings are right and the mood is perfect, though it often seems more interested in fleshing out the state of technology in a depressed future society than swiftly advancing the plot. Slow rumination and observation are keynotes of the franchise, vital cogs in its construction, but they don't always seem as purposeful here as they did in 1982. The new model has extraneous characters everywhere; complex, colorful and helpfully disposable but also curiously unnecessary in the greater picture. As a huge fan, I loved the opportunity to dwell in the world again, to see how other cities in America have fared alongside LA's dystopia (spoiler: not well) and to appreciate the little oddities that have become fixtures in that noir-ish future vision. Those with less regard for the first film, though, will most likely find themselves bored by the ponderous pacing and frequently cryptic, hidden meanings. And I can't blame them. It's made, almost to the point of exclusion, for a single dedicated audience, virtually impenetrable without a fair knowledge of preceding events and the patience for multiple viewings. Even then, it doesn't seem like there's quite as much material to extract. Most of its riddles are clearly answered before the closing credits. A wonderfully competent modernization of the franchise, constantly enveloping and sweeping and awe-inspiring, but not perfect. Admirable to set its sights so high and to come so close. I'd be game for another.