Poor imitation

Rating: 6/10 (8 October 2017)

In the original, Roy Batty asks Deckard, "Aren't you supposed to be the good man?" - which Deckard isn't, or at most ambiguously so. In 2049, agent "K" is a good man in a typical Hollywood way, which spoils the concept of the original. 2049 contains several run-of- the-mill fight scenes which the viewer has seen in a thousand other films and add nothing. The much-awaited confrontation between K and Deckard doesn't make much sense, and their meeting is unfulfilling to the viewer. The look of the film is probably intended to contrast with the original, but is unsatisfying. A lot of annoying bright light and white surfaces, and uniform colors. The eclectic look of the original is gone. There is little sign of the thoughtfulness and effort which went into the look of the original. The sound effects are probably the worst feature, loud, grating and unnecessary. Multiple scenes of gratuitous violence and gore add nothing to the plot. There are a lot of assaults on the senses which don't help the movie much, but made this viewer think of drug dealers with bad heroin, who add a little rat poison to provide a kick. There are plot holes: problems with K's motivation, illogical events and an unexplained major phenomenon which is just too convenient for the plot. The film makes a logical extension of the replicant conundrum which does not however reach such dimensions as to capture the viewer's interest. This film is probably best enjoyed by those who have never seen the original.