Review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Robert K — 25 Jul 2018

Sequel fatigue is real, and it came for all of us in 2017. Did we need a second installment of Daddy's Home? Another Saw edition? A millionth Fast and the Furious? Do Hollywood hotshots have any fresh ideas? The answer would seem to be an emphatic "No!" when considering that the following exchange happened in the not-too-distant past:

"Yo, I have this idea for a movie.".

"Let's hear it.".

"Liam Neeson is this badass vigilante who saves passengers on a train from a bad person.".

"Cool! Let's do it.".

I groaned when word first leaked of another Blade Runner. How dare they mess with Ridley Scott's 1982, science fiction classic! Then, I learned it was a continuation of the original narrative helmed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners) with Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto and Harrison Ford returning as Rick Deckard. I was sold.

Less than a minute into this modern masterpiece, I knew I was watching movie of the year. The futuristic cityscapes are a visionary wonderland to behold. Gosling turns in a commanding performance as a Blade Runner named K, a young detective tasked with retiring older model replicants, artificially-engineered humans created by a mega corporation. When K unearths a mystery that could send his world into chaos, he must find the legendary Blade Runner who can provide the answers.

Villeneuve is a dexterous, provocative filmmaker who seems incapable of producing work without wow factor. This sequel of sorts deserved the box office haul The Last Jedi and Beauty and the Beast achieved but faltered as a projected cash cow. Too many made the mistake of disregarding this flick in theaters. Blade Runner: 2049 stands with Scott's original as timeless, quintessential science fiction, the kind you can't afford to miss.