Review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Ittiaces — 10 Oct 2017

As a sequel to the original 1982 film, this latest chapter from the blade runner universe holds its own. We find our protagonist, played by Ryan Gosling, working with the police to hunt down replicants, cyborgs indistinguishable from humans.

A special mission sets him on a particularly dangerous path of self-discovery. Gosling is superb here. I initially criticised him as a choice for this role, but I was hands down wrong. He portrays the character with an innocence and sense of vulnerability that is very touching and heartfelt.

Harrison Ford is excellent but doesn't have as much screen time as I'm sure fans were expecting. The story is well paced for the most part and manages to keep the audience engaged. I saw this in a huge theatre that was packed to the brim and you could've heard a pin drop throughout the entire screening.

The visuals are stunning and progressive without being separated too far from the first outing. It's creatively graded to emphasise certain atmospheres and moods which I found interesting. The attention to detail in the sets is impressive although most of it is CGI.

The cinematography is also very impressive, and overall it's a beautifully conceived film. On the downside, at nearly 3 hours it's incredibly long, and you do start to feel that towards the last 30 minutes or so.

Disappointingly, I also found some of the themes to be quite derogatory to women. Lots of brothels, hookers, nakedness, digital women created as companions. There was no gender balance in this somewhat sordid area.

Although we did have a female villain, and head of police so at least some attempt at strong female characters admittedly. Overall, it's one of the best films of the year and will probably make the list as one of the finest sequels ever made.

Highly recommended.