“Blade Runner 2049” is a superb additional chapter to the iconic original. While reboots are always a risky venture, 2049’s production and story is arguably constructed more competently than most original sci-fi films, and benefits from a film industry more adapted to creating the intricate visions of post apocalypse environments.
Despite the nearly 3 hour run-time, a steady pacing manages to capture the ambient, dark energy setting of the original without aggressively pandering to nostalgic sentiments, including well meshed scenes with Harrison Ford. Ryan Gosling’s investigative journey as officer K is slow, but methodical and deliberate in every move the audience is taken through the dreary world he inhabits.
It’s fair to say that 2049 does a better job as a sequel of expanding on the philosophical foundations of what it means to be human that made the first film so captivating. In cinema, this deep scripting can sometimes be rushed down the viewer’s throat. But 2049 effortlessly blends these key moments as an integral part of a twisting story during each act. Far better than can be expected of most canon, “Blade Runner 2049” is a solid standalone film that does not ask for, nor need the crutch of its predecessor.
9/10
As AJ Thinks 