Captures the spirit of the original

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2017)

To make a continuation of a film 35 years after the release of the original, and be able to capture the atmosphere and feeling it imparted is a monumental task. However, Blade Runner 2049 achieves and excels at this.
The audience becomes acquainted with K, a replicant officer who, in his routine job of eliminating old model replicants, stumbles upon a discovery of an evolution of sorts that these older replicants have achieved without the guidance of a human hand. This touches off a series of events that have K deeply questioning both the ethical issues in his line of work and the nature of his own existence.
Ryan Gosling delivers perhaps his best performance to date, drawing the viewer into the emotions experienced by K without great exaggeration on his part. He reaches the audience with what is being said in his eyes; a description of what he's feeling is not needed, and neither is a wide assortment of facial expressions. His subtlety is poignantly imparted.
The only area where I feel this film falls a bit short, is we don't seem to feel the same desperation the replicants have in the original Blade Runner. In 2049, replicants are the next best thing to human; in some ways, better. While still subject to discrimination in society, they aren't seen as the same kind of freaks as they are in Blade Runner. Not so much in hiding and more out among biological humans, they hold jobs from government to blue collar positions, and proliferate the underbelly as well as prostitutes. Their emotions are clear and natural. This is a contrast to Blade Runner, where we are shown that replicants can feel emotion, but are lacking in the ability to express and name what they are feeling. This quality is what gave us a deeper connection to the replicants and a desire to want to connect to their hearts. This is missing from 2049. We do feel some measure of pity still for them, but there is a depth that is missing.
In the realm of audio and visuals, 2049 nails Blade Runner's feel with a pinpoint accuracy. Even though modern equipment gives clarity to visuals that wasn't possible in 1982, the production team realized this and managed to achieve the gritty, dirty feeling left with us in Blade Runner. Even behind the clinical walls of the laboratories and elite businesses, we can't escape the tinge of decay and filth from violence of times gone by. There are more than a few nods to specific visuals and sounds from Blade Runner that will not go unnoticed. The atmospheres succeed in the feelings they are meant to leave us with, especially the final fight scene. We don't get the tense but exciting chase scene that Blade Runner gave us, the one that still affords is a measure of comfort in our seats; 2049's final fight is highly uncomfortable and claustrophobic, made more intense if seen in 3D. As an aside, I feel this was the only scene the 3D really enhanced - the amount it helps with immersion in the rest of the film is minimal.
Overall, a fan of Blade Runner will not feel let down by 2049. It is clear the cast and crew had a love for it that drove their dedication to creating not just a sequel, but a homage.