Blade Runner 2049 is a 2017 sci-fi/thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve and is a sequel to the classic Blade Runner (1982). The film stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto. The film is set 30 years after the events of the original film, as a new blade runner unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into utter chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former L.A.P.D. blade runner who has since been missing for 30 years.
Yeah, I’m just going to say it. Blade Runner 2049 is the greatest Sci-Fi film to date. I know that’s a bold statement, but I stand by that wholeheartedly. Yes it is arguable, but to me I’ve never been more amazed by a science fiction film in my entire life. Blade Runner 2049 did to Blade Runner, what Rogue One did to A New Hope as this film gives the original movie so much more depth and meaning, and really makes the first film something special. 2049 was made for the sole purpose of continuing a beloved story rather than making a sequel just to make a sequel, all while pushing cinematography to a whole new level. So enough jibber jabber, lets get into the review.
So to start with some backstory, I’ve been following this film for.. gosh.. almost half a decade? Ever since news dropped about this film, I was super excited until.. I saw the original. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the original, it’s more along the lines that I wasn’t as impressed as I was expecting. I ended up watching and reviewing the original film back in July of 2016, and ever since then my excitement has quickly died down. Even with all that, the marketing did an alright job at reinvigorating me with excitement, and although it wasn’t my most anticipated film of 2017, I can say that it has turned out to be my favorite one so far.
What made the original Blade Runner such a classic was its gorgeous world that was built in the style of a distopian noir setting. 2049 seamlessly bridges the two films by giving us updates to old technology while also calling back to the days of analog. Villeneuve does a fantastic job at making this feel almost like a reunion with the 1982 film, instead of just trying to reinvent the wheel once more. This is partially due to Roger Deakins’ absolutely stunning cinematography, as well as the visual team’s beautiful work with CGI. There were even a couple of scenes that seemed like a call back to the original film’s use of props since there was no CGI back in 1982. Overall, 2049 immerses you in the beautiful world that we’ve all come to love and know, and adds new elements that never feel out of place or foreign to the already well defined world of Blade Runner.
But no film would be complete without its characters, and my god this film gives us some of the greatest actors and characters the business has ever seen. Ryan Gosling absolutely kills it. Honestly, give this man an Oscar because he can never do wrong by me. I won’t spoil any information about his character in case any of you are steering away from the trailers, but he nails his character in the best way possible. I’m not joking. His cold performance just translates through the screen to the audience so perfectly that it’s hard discerning between himself and his character. One of my favorite characters was Sylvia Hoeks, as she was haunting as one of the most brutal and fierce antagonists of all time. Another stand out star was Ana de Armas as she provided a great performance while also opening the door to a slew of questions as her character dives deep into the complex roots of A.I. and cybernetic emotions. But to be completely honest with you all, I was most surprised by Harrison Ford as Deckard. In many other films I have to question if Ford is playing himself or his character, yet that isn’t the case here. Unlike The Force Awakens where it felt like he played more Ford than Solo, Harrison really comes back to this role with a great deal of passion and confidence. I’m also glad they used his character the way they did, as it felt more true to Deckard’s real intentions rather than the production company’s wallets.
I have to say that the thing that made this film so great was the beautiful story that Hampton Fancher brought back to life in this stellar sequel. Although 2049 had its slow moments every once in awhile, it never felt like it was too slow for the audience to mentally or physically check out. Fancher does a fantastic job at giving us answers to questions we need to know, and vague assumptions towards things we don’t. The film leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and I really enjoyed that aspect specifically as it leaves the film open to discussion just like the original that came before it. Although I mentioned that the pacing does some times slows down, I never felt like it got to the point where we could have used a cut in the film. I personally thought the slower moments added great tension to the plot, and gave the audience time to gasp in the beautiful scenery. The film does a great job with providing adequate screen time for each character, although it can be noted that both Leto and Bautista’s characters did feel a tad bit underused. Although most might argue this point as a flaw, I found that it makes Leto’s character a lot more vague and cryptic. As for Bautista’s character? Eh.. There’s a featurette online that gives you a little more information on who he is. So in a way.. Yeah, I guess you could say that the story didn’t use him as much as I was hoping it would.
But what would a Blade Runner sequel be without a fantastic score, you say? Well here is one of the greatest soundtracks the world of film has ever heard. Much like Dunkirk, 2049 features a soundtrack that is more atmospheric than most. Sure you might not go out of your way to listen to a certain track outside of the film, but that’s not the point. This is a soundtrack before it is an album, and that is what makes it so special. Both Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch did a phenomenal job at capturing Vangelis’ iconic score, as they provided great moments that call back to the original film while still adding more depth to the current world. Again, I’m not going to spoil anything for you all, but both Zimmer and Wallfisch use a certain motif in the film which almost had me in tears since it was such a distinct call back to the original film. The emotion and beauty in the score was met by anger and tension, as the film did a great job at providing another layer of narrative just through the music alone. Might I also add that the opening track was beautifully haunting.
So what didn’t I like about 2049? Well, that’s a hard one. In my eyes the film was in most aspects.. perfect. Although I personally think of the film that way, I can see where some others might have some issues. For example, I mentioned some issues above that a lot of people had with the film right away, including that of the underuse of Leto and Bautista’s characters, as well as the slow pacing of some moments in the film. I personally think that those points could be argued, but they do bring up some good discussion. Although the CGI was great, there were still some issues with some less prominent scenes, as a certain scene inparticular uses Scott’s original technique of special effects as almost a callback to the original film. Although it took me out of the film, I found it to be amusing in the sense that major blockbuster films can still use Scott’s original techniques in modern films. But to be honest there wasn’t much more to complain about when it came to this film, if at all.
Blade Runner 2049 is not only one of the best Sci-Fi films to date, but has instantly become one of my favorite films of all time. It is first a piece of art before being a means of revenue, and was the best and only approach to the classic film that anyone could have asked for. It not only answers dying questions but presents news ones, and is a great addition to the beautiful landscape of the Sci-Fi genre as probably one of the best films that the genre has ever seen. The acting is superb, the visuals are to die for, and the story is unforgettable. Sure some might argue that the pacing of the film is slow at times and some characters are left underdeveloped, but Blade Runner 2049‘s negatives come with their trade offs. Both Zimmer and Wallfisch bring back Vangelis’ iconic score in a new and creative way, and Villeneuve has solidified himself as one of the greatest directors of our time. In the end I decided to give Blade Runner 2049 the highest rating I could possibly give it, “Golden V’s” on theVade Review Bar. And with all that being said, my closing thoughts on Blade Runner 2049 are ironically the same as to what the film is meant to represent. It is a replicant that is more human, more masterful, and more beautiful than its original will ever be.
