A 21st Century Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2018)

I have a...history...with Blade Runner.
Coming upon the new generation of viewers that I've opened the 1982 classic to, I've found that its reception is far more mixed and ponderous than the undying cult following it has acquired in the 30+ years since the original's flop of a release.
Unlike the love many pour upon it from that era, many of my friends I have introduced it to have often exited it feeling indifferent about its story and characters, but strongly about the visual style and the world that Ridley Scott intended to create with it.
My personal opinion? The original is a visual masterpiece. Its look and feel are unlike any other film from the 1980's, and I will die with the opinion that it is the best-looking film of that era by my side.
Why do I bring this up? Because I believe Blade Runner 2049 is a revamp that successfully weds everything that I love about Blade Runner and everything that it was lacking that left my friends confused. This is the 'Blade Runner' for a new generation, and my goodness, is it a mean machine.
It goes without saying that this film looks SPECTACULAR. It is quite honestly one of the few films in this era that I can look at and buy EVERYTHING that is on-screen. The world is vivid as it was back in 1982, and I cannot knock the gorgeous, Oscar-winning cinematography by Roger Deakins. Every frame of this film, quite literally, is a painting I would want hung on my wall. If you need ONE REASON to see this film, see it to just LOOK at it.
The story, unlike the unsure one in the original cult classic, has a direction here that is clear and mostly straightforward. It remains just as mysterious in its tone as the original, and it still is most certainly a neo-noir tale, but I feel as if its necessary upgrades make it a more palatable film for modern audiences. If the story of the original felt 'empty', this is hardly that.
The performances, how little there are, are obviously all incredible. I can hardly see the Ryan Gosling who starred in La La Land just a short year ago in the role of Agent K, Jared Leto completely redeems himself from his awful turn as The Joker, and Ana de Armas is beautifully subtle in a rather integral role to the film. Harrison Ford is also in the film, for a period that isn't as long as you likely wish he was, but he's in it just enough to service the story and NOT just the fans. It works.
And that's the phrase I choose to describe this film with. It WORKS. Everything that could have been absolutely sloppy about a Blade Runner sequel is completely erased by the time you make it halfway through this film. It does not feel like some Hollywood producer drudged-up the name just to bank-off something recognizable.
This film has LOVE put into it. Director Denis Villeneuve clearly adores the previous work, the world it established, and everything he is building with this film. It feels like it has heart, it looks like it has heart, and in the end...it DOES have that heart necessary for a sequel to one of the most iconic films of all time.
In the end, I am very torn. I need many more viewings before I can absolutely be sure of myself on this judgement...
...but I think Blade Runner 2049 may end up being one of the best films of the early 21st century.
But that is for time and you to decide. Go out and see it so you may judge for yourself. Much as this film "bombed" at the box office, I think a proper audience will save this masterpiece from becoming more than just tears in rain...