a review of 银翼杀手2049

Denis Villeneuve's immaculate visuals and the score from Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch lend themselves well to the Blade Runner experience, expertly recreating the tone and look of the original. This worthy follow up takes every element of it's predecessor and builds upon them. Even the idiosyncrasies of Ridley Scott's groundbreaking sci-fi film like the weird moments and awkward humor are used to much greater effect here. The latter feeling actually intentional this time around (because it is). Something that enables the laughs to feel natural and fluid, as opposed to at the movie's expense. The plot is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotion, suspense, and surprise depth. The nods to the first Blade Runner are more than just fan service. They cement 2049 as not just a follow up, but an actual continuation of the previous movie's story. Even right down to the themes and concepts. There are moments here so strange, imaginative, and crazy that they could only come from the science-fiction genre and be taken seriously. There are so many fascinating aspects built into the world itself that make it feel real and worth exploring deeper. It's these futuristic anomalies and the visual splendor that kept me engaged whenever the story started to dawdle. While it is never outright boring like the first often was during it's middle act, there's little denying that some scenes simply exist for no reason other than to show off how pretty things are. 2049 does a much better job at keeping viewers interested, but still wasn't quite able to avoid the original's pacing issues. This really didn't need to be almost three hours long. There are things that could have met the chopping block or have been edited down without sacrificing the material's potency. I had to give myself an extended intermission about half way through the film because of how dang long it is. I was never not enjoying the movie, but a break felt very necessary nonetheless. Blade Runner 2049 is a beautiful, grand, and even an exhausting experience that is backed by incredible performances (Jared Leto redeems himself after Suicide Squad) and continues the Blade Runner story in ways both spectacular and moving. While it's stands very well on it's own I do recommend watching a version of the 1982 film first just to get the whole picture of why this movie is so great. Not only is it a welcome return to a world you may or may not have come into contact with 35 years ago, but it's one that manages to be even better than the first outing. Denis Villeneuve blew me away once again and I hope to see more from the Blade Runner universe in the future.