Wow... just... just wow. I'll be honest, I love the first Blade Runner movie -- the Final Cut being my personal favorite cut. So when I heard that a sequel was being made almost 35 years later, I can honestly say I had my doubts. But man, oh man, were those doubts wrongfully placed. Blade Runner 2049 is probably one of the best sequels ever made. EVER. It's interesting. It builds upon the already established world, adding new locations, new bits of history, and new character types. And its own story that doesn't try to copy the story of the original. Plus, this movie is done... well... perfectly.
Everything about it from a technical standpoint is cinematic perfection. The directing from Denis Villeneuve is beyond exceptional. The cinematography from the God of DPs (ROGER DEAKINS) -- who proves why he needs an Oscar or deserves one -- is amongst some of the best in the business. Seriously, I am not joking when I say that the cinematography here can be used to teach future generations of filmmakers in ways only some movies dream of. The colors and the way the camera moves is just breathtaking. The VFX are some of the best of all time. There was never a moment when I thought, "That's fake, and that's fake." Everything looks real and everything looks beautiful. The editing is swift and clean. The sound hard hitting and perfect. The writing from Hampton Fancher and Michael Green is beyond perfect. The acting, from Ryan Gosling to Robin Wright to the Joker -- I mean, Jared Leto -- is amazing. Not one dull performance that I can think of.
I can praise this movie from the mountains, but there are things to nitpick. Only two. One for me. The movie has a tendency to repeat lines of dialogue from earlier in the movie to signify something important. The movie doesn't appear to trust the intelligence of the audience at some points and makes reminders to let us know that something important is happening or has just been said. It's not fully noticeable and can easily be forgiven, but it can be annoying at times. The other side effect, and this may make or break the movie for you, but the movie is slow and long: just like the original. There is action, but it's few and far between. It can be boring so I do recommend people who are not into this sort of thing to go into it with some caution. And if you were not a fan of the original Blade Runner, this movie might not be your bag. And like I said, this movie is LONG, so the almost 3 hour runtime won't do your bladder any good. But in all, this movie, TO ME, is something perfect.
It's a rare case where a sequel can be as good or even surpass the original, while being able to do something on its own. It does the best it can ever do and lives up to the legacy of its predecessor. It's a masterpiece and will surely be seen as such as the years go on. I will watch it, then watch it again.
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