Quest for Humanity

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2018)

I honestly never thought that my favorate film of all time would ever or even should get a sequel, but surprisingly sometimes their the best kind of sequels to spring up and I'm proud to say this is another one of my favorate films of all time that I put along with the first.
There is just so much about this film that is great from the production value to cinematography which is just top notch where it's just a feast for the eyes. I love how the futuristic world isn't too different from the one were familiar with but it also expands upon it making this world broader than ever before.
From some of the customs like we see there is this big vending wall where everyone like crazy just simply touches the screen to pick out what they want to eat and they get it, much like a food replecator in "Star Trek". This is kinda interesting because I noticed there are no restarurants or cafes anywhere in the city, which shows how those buisnesses have gone extinct like the drive in and video rental stores but also how overly dependant humanity has became on technology which makes this fact a bit sad. Even like that there is a update on the verbal command tech from the first film.
Down to certain lands that K ventures to, one scene which is just beautiful where K is walking in the post apocalitic ruins of Las Vegas. It just has such an other worldly quality almost like he's traversing a Martian Landscape as we see the sand and even the sky is redish and some of the statues he's passing by are kinda strange; this scene alone proves that a revival film to "Dune" (and possibly the whole book franchise) can be made. Seeing things like this made me wonder how much more was in this world and what happened to bring this world to where it is now.
The music is just fantastic, the score is just memorable and really fits the film as it's a sort of futuristic noir. The film goes at a steady pace, it may seem a bit slow for some but you get use to it and it actually really helps making the film kinda on the meditative side. There is a bit of action which is well chorigraphed, it's not exactly wall to wall but that's because it's a bit more realistic which helps ground the film in reality.
However were not in this for the action were in this for the mystery and the metadative extencial phylosophy. This truely is a thinking persons sci-fi which I always like as long as it holds my interest. The mystery is intreging which is this search for the identity of a replicant or hybrid child which is unusal because replicant's can't produce children until now. Though by it's nature that's just a motive device, the real mystery is K himself. This is probably my favorate role for Ryan Goslying, I really loved his character arc thoughout the film which corilates with one of themes of the film.
His character's extensial dilemma parallels with Richard's in the past film. Just like Richard, K (which ironically is the initial for Killer as well as Philip's middle initial) is a Blade Runner a hit man/dectective whose job is to retire the old models for a hidden agenda by the corrupt company that has now monopolized the police force much like Omni Consumer Products from "Robocop". The guy really isn't his own person hense the fact he hardly has a name let alone a life as we see his apartment which is slightly sterile and bare, all he really has is his job which is really sad because it's a two dimentional existence.
However what's interesting about him is he's a replicant or so he's lead to believe when he begans to uncover thoughout the film there might me more to him. Much like with Richard whom isn't sure if he's totally human. I really like how thoughout this film we're practically in the same boat as K as he is uncovering not just the facts to the mystery but constantly wondering about his own identity or even more of what it can be with his time with Joi.
This soul search is part of what makes K become more human thoughout the film, because in a way that's what we all do everyday as time moves on we constantly wonder what more is their in our existence, is there more to ourselves, and can we be more?
But to me the highlight is his interactions with his holographic partner/significant other Joi. Ana de Alma's is just excellent in the role, she the classic femine noir character as she radiates both physically and emotionally a lovely mysterious beauty. She also has the same extential dilemma; despite a hologram she is truly human because of what she feels and what more she wants to feel and discover for herself which to me is part of what being human is about.
I really love the chemistry both of them have which I think is touching and lovely as we see her struggling to find way to become more human and get past her limitations which in a way goes with transcendence phylosphy which is about accending above our past limitations. There is a very interesting moment when she syncs with another woman in order to be able to make love to K, it's just a beautiful sequence but shows how far and close Joi has came to humanity.
Harison Ford despite coming in around the third and final half is great as usual as Richard Deckard. Wherether Richard is a Replicant or not is still up in the air, though he's probably human due to living out as long as he has, unless he's a more advanced model that's programed with a longer life span. It doesn't mater, his character is still the same though a little on the grouchy side but due to what he's been though I don't blame him. But I like how we discover how far he's come especially which his relationship with Rachel which just shows how much he's transcended and has made both of them officially human.
Humanity can never be retired.
Rating: 4 stars