Is this real?

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2017)

While I have not re-watched the original cult icon, I did take the trouble of reading the late Roger Ebert's review. I am particularly struck by his insightful observation: "this is now the future we once foretold". "Blade Runner" released in 1982 was staged in L.A. 2020, just a little over two years from our present day "now". "Blade Runner 2049" is even more explicit, incorporating the time frame of "future" into its title.
The plot is simple, story driven, fitting into one of those one-thing-leads-to-another template (running almost like a detective story). While the previous blade runner (a professional who hunts down and "retires" renegade androids) Deckard portrayed by Harrison Ford is a human being, Ryan Gosling's "K" is an android himself, albeit a most advanced kind. The trigger-point of the plot line is K's discovery of skeletal remains of an android "woman" that is scientifically detected to have given birth to a child, impossible as it may sound. The ensuing trajectory, obviously, follows the search of the missing child, under the manoeuvre ("manipulation" is a better way of putting it) of various parties with various self-interests. K's boss Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) believes that it is essential to maintain a clear border line between human and android (particularly when it has become more and more blurred). But she betrays a little sentimentality when she tells K to "come home" after a mission. Visionary scientist-cum-tycoon (talented Jared Leto, a little underused) has his own agenda but as a villain figure is overshadowed by his henchwoman Luv (Sylvia Hoeks, cool, lethally intimidating).
I am happy that as an IMDb user, I am not constraint by the movie makers' earnest request to avoid spoilers. Still, even protected by the customary IMDb spoiler warning, I'll be discreet, insofar as it is possible. There are two "plot twists", one in the mid-point and the other at the end of this 160+ minutes movie. However, the movie makers have taken such pain in rendering the predictability of the first twist obvious that you know that this is not "it". Even the second twist is not too difficult to guess. Its beauty is in having things we see earlier make much more sense, such as certain swelling of tears. I'll stop here.
The global theme you would have surmised even without seeing the movie: what it means to be human, the concept of identity, life the soul. On the micro side, you wonder throughout the movie who K really is. There is also the backdrop story of Rachel and Deckard (who appears only after almost two hours have gone by), how that fits into the overall scheme of things.
Taking into consideration the length of the movie, there is really not a lot of set piece action. The story is propelled by dialogue (which includes nuanced silences). Pace is languid, with plenty of penning shots. Quite a few scenes are shrouded in a dreamy hue.
A few words on the cast.
Gosling departs from the swoon-inducing "Lal La Land" persona and recalls to my mind a role the drew me to his attention for the first time, "The believer" (in 2001, i.e. 3 years before "The notebook"). There is a consensus that "Blade Runner 2049" is Gosling's best performance to-date.
Robin Wright may call herself Antiope ("Wonder Woman") or Lieutenant Joshi, but I, for one, find it difficult to see her as anybody else other than Clare Underwood.
I have also already mentioned Jared Leto and Sylvia Hoeks.
Seasoned Israelite actress Hiam Abbass who has appeared in too many Hollywood movies to list has a small but significant role to play here. Similar in having a small but good role but in other end of the spectrum in terms of acting experience is Barkhad Abdi, who made his impressive screen debut in Tom Hanks's "Captain Phillips" (2013).
Harrison Ford, appearing after almost two hours into the movie, seems to have gotten into the Indiana Jones's habit of finding a son a few decades later, or no?
An important character I have not mentioned hitherto is Ana de Armas's Joi, a vision of loveliness as K's girlfriend. "Vision" is literal as Joi is non-substantial creation. Yes, a hologram, but one that looks so real that you cannot tell the difference until her hairstyle (and colouring too) changes in split-seconds. What is real, however, is the heart-breaking love and devotion between her and K which is remarkable.