Style over substance.

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2017)

This was the worst Villeneuve movie i've seen so far, which is quite a testament to his work. Compared to his previous outstanding movies Blade Runner 2049 is only ... good.
Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. The imagery is mesmerizing. Alas, the story just can't hold up. For once the main ideas of the script, even though executed quite well, didn't really thrill me. While that isn't killing the mood on its own, the characters were far from convincing. Several times it was far from plausible what motivated certain actions of the protagonists. At times it felt like scenes were in the movie for the sole purpose of feeling cool while not having any influence on the advancement of the story whatsoever. I'm okay with a little red herring here and there, but with this i was left puzzled far too often.
The worst offenders here are all scenes with Jared Leto. I like him, but stop casting him as a villain! All his scenes come across as pretentious and over-styled. While he is portraying the head of a business conglomerate which produces replicants, a kind of Elon Musk personality, he comes across more as a spaced off bond villain. A stark contrast to the through and through business man Tyrell from the first movie ("More human than human - that's our motto!"). He's an unpredictable evil, yet his unpredictability serves no purpose throughout the story.
My favorites were Dave Bautista and Robin Wright. Both of whom should have been given more screen time as they actually pushed the emotional curve properly. Ryan Gosling portrays a lifeless machine far too lifeless for my taste, i liked him a lot more in "the nice guys". Harrison Ford is Harrison Ford, he never really disappoints. The rest of the cast is rather forgettable.
This movie not the big disappointment it could have been, there is plenty of reason to be entertained and it sorta keeps up with its predecessor. But neither is it a masterpiece. It tries too hard on various ideas and fails. If you're a real Science Fiction buff, rather watch Arrival. It shows far better what Villeneuve is capable story-wise in this field.