Absolutely stunning, this is cinema at its best!

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2017)

There will be no spoilers in this review. The film is very easy to spoil so I will not mention the plot in any way.
I came into 2049 obviously loving the original, like most people I wanted to see more of that amazing dystopian world created in the original. Story-wise I went in blind which I recommend everyone doing. I have now seen it three times in the cinema, so I feel like I can now give my thoughts on it.
The world building is on a much larger scale in 2049, the original having small glimpses in comparison. There is much more detail on the state of the world and technological advancements.
The plot is extremely engrossing from the start and it evolves in surprising ways throughout the film. If you like when a director treats the audience with respect and expects you to follow his narrative, you'll like the way Denis Villeneuve presents the story.
I have to mention the cinematography, Roger Deakins has done something very special here. It's one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen and there's no other cinematographer I would've rather had working on it. A true legend of cinematography!
The soundtrack is very well done and suits the film very well. It isn't exactly the same as the originals soundtrack, some similarities but still very much it's own thing. Hans Zimmer is involved so expect some very epic music that makes your heart pump, but there is also some very beautiful quiet tracks. Another thing I like is that the movie has quiet moments, without the need for any music. In other words it doesn't overuse its music for every moment, which can be said for a lot of other soundtracks lately.
I absolutely love the fact this movie was given a runtime of 2h 44m, oppose to a more "audience friendly" length. It shows that Denis doesn't care if the length puts off average moviegoers who are looking for a quick mindless action flick. The best directors of past and present (Nolan, Tarantino, Fincher, Coppola, Scorsese & Spielberg to name a few) all made their movies as long as they needed to be (usually well over the 2hr mark). This gives the movie time to show you the world, develop character and not have it feel rushed. Some average moviegoers might find this too long, a drag or slow paced though.
If my overall thoughts aren't already clear by my rating, I think this film is as close to a masterpiece as you can get. No film is perfect but the real question is what is it to you? This is now one of my favourite films of all time, if not my favourite. I'm glad it's getting the recognition it deserves in its reviews. It's one of those films that I feel will be looked back as a Sci Fi/Cyberpunk classic, just like the original is.
It is a amazing companion to the original (IMO a better overall film than the original), and it deserves a A+ or 10/10 from me.