A Miracle! (For A Hollywood Sequel)

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2017)

To quote Sapper Morton's character in the movie, a miracle has happened.
A blockbuster sequel that pays tribute to the original (but not in a slavish way like Star Wars VII in my opinion) and intelligent SF cinema.
I will keep this review short since there are so many great other reviews available already:
First, 2D or 3D? 3D doesn't add much to this movie and some details / sharpness gets lost in dark(er) scenes. One nice scene in 3D is Deckard's first appearance with his gun (as seen in the trailer, no spoiler) - but that's about it. I recommend watching it in 2D with a very good sound system.
The bad (minor details):

If there's one weaker performance, it's the god-like business magnate Wallace. Jared Leto is overacting, but maybe that's wanted and not his fault when you hear director Denis' job description / casting call and the long monologues for Wallace in the script.

(Side note: Originally, Denis V wanted to cast David Bowie for Wallace. He unfortunately died before BR 2049 started shooting in 2016).

Soundtrack is a little too bombastic/industrial. I personally liked the original Vangelis score better.

Now, for the good and great, the miracle:
I still give the movie a 10/10, if only for the sheer courage the studio and director took:
Blade Runner bombed back in 1982 as we all know.
Therefore: No spin-offs, almost no merchandise sales (compare that to Star Wars etc.). As a result, there was almost no visibility among younger audiences as of 2017, except for cult movie audiences and some movie buffs and SF lovers.
That's likely not enough to make a decent return on a $150-200M sequel (the projected budget of BR 2049) over three decades later.
It's just sad to see that Transformers 5 probably ends up making more money than BR 2049.
To quote Sapper, it's a miracle that Blade Runner 2049 exists the way it exists - slow pacing (on purpose), 163 minutes run time, very few action sequences, R rating.
That's why most lovers of the original BR seem to love it (judging from other user reviews).
No wonder I wasn't the only one thinking of Stalker (1979) and similar classics.
BR 2049 has Tarkovsky and Kubrick influences written all over it. It is a visually stunning art-house movie with a blockbuster budget.
Finally, the CGI very well integrated, the CGI doesn't feel tacky and there are still many miniatures and real sets used. A believable world.
In short, a masterpiece for SF cinema - and sequels in particular.
Make sure you watch the original (I recommend the 2007 "Final Cut") and the three short movies (2022, 2036 and 2048, available for free online) before you watch BR 2049.
This is also a movie that can be viewed a second or third time - again, much like the original.
PS: Movie lovers should support visual works of art with some intelligence, these are qualities even rarer today in most Hollywood's sequels - BladeRunner 2049 proved that a blockbuster miracle with art-house quality visuals is still possible. Otherwise, we will get what we deserve: Fast & Furious 27, Transformers 9...