Definitely a Sequel

Rating: 6/10 (9 October 2017)

Short Strokes: 1) Loud sounds - the audio mix in the theater put far too much mid-range in what should have been very low frequency bass. The result was like the movie Dune. Fortunately, this was somewhat infrequent. 2) They make someone old look young again, and it reminds me of Carrie Fisher's character in Star Wars: Rouge. Clever, but not quite good enough and, therefore, distracting. 3) There were no small actors in original Blade Runner, even the smallest roles were great performances. Not so here, very good acting but little showmanship (Ford's and Hoek's roles were exceptional).
Summary: Any time you are following a cult classic with a sequel, you expect the lights to be a little dimmer and the edges to be a little duller. True here. Expectations were set in 1982 and recently elevated with a $50 million marketing blitz, and it is hard to live up to that. There was more playing it safe in this movie: no loose ends like crane cables on 'flying' police cars or brown-eyed Rachel's green Voight Kampff eye. No daring, too little stress in Gossling's character and not enough vixen in Robin Wright's. No one tried to pull off a scene stealing performance like Rutger Hauer's or Hy Pike's.
As for cinematography, the look was often muted, which made the scenes feel longer than they should. Otherwise, it was a spectacle unto itself. It might have been the theater's projector, but the dynamic range seemed too narrow.
As for the story line, it seemed very much like a logical progression from the original. The dialog was engaging, and it left questions unanswered for another sequel.
Bottom Line: a sure bet but not enough risk taking to be great.