Some questions will always be unanswered...

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2019)

"Blade Runner 2049" is a 2017 science fiction thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. It took more than thirty years for this sequel to hit the big screen, decades after the genre defining classic questioned the values of what makes us human. Now we got a continuation to the story that famously sparked several discussions that fans to this day approach. Many considered it unnecessary, some hoped to get their desired answers. I can tell that both sides were probably disappointed. Like its predecessor the scenery is overall uncomfortable, rainy and filthy, it has the same infamously depressing and dismal tone to it. Ryan Gosling's performance of the Blade Runner K is tacitum, robotic and distanced, but all the while subliminally cool. It most likely appealed to me, because it reminded me of his character in the ingenious "Drive". Also, I personally liked how the film used the key elements and themes of the original and advanced them even more and adapted them to our "modern comprehension" of a futuristic society, such as the usage of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Most of it comes alive by the magnificent cinematography of Roger Deakins, not unsubstantiatedly awarded with his well deserved academy award. The play of colours and visual effects perfectly support the visually stunning images and it was an even bigger treat for the eye on Blu-ray. Nevertheless, it still has some mild weaknesses: The film itself is extremely long and has a lot of quite scenes and the story progresses rather slowly and some characters lacked a specific depth (Jared Leto's Niander Wallace e.g.) and could've been more fleshed out. But that's just a small remark. The story itself is fantastic though. It offers a whole new level of cleverness and fits with the original story in a respectful way. With several clever and misleading twists it builds up a mystery that raises more questions than before and it barely answered the one you had already. It's also studded with plenty of references and connections to the 1982 film, such as cameos and small details - and of course the appearance of Harrison Ford in his iconic role of Rick Deckard. All in all, this thriller is a worthy successor to the classic, as it narrates a mysterious story that packs you. It might be slightly too long, but it's worth it all the while. Additionally, it might not be as deep and philosophical as the original, but it still delivers a great experience lead by a charismatic Ryan Gosling. Many fans might be upset that they will not get the answers they needed, but I think that has always been the concept of this franchise. Who is human and who is a replicant is a discussion that will never come to an end, and even more importantly: Is Deckard a replicant now? We will never know, except they decide to do another sequel, I personally hope not...