Review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Robby B — 22 Feb 2018

I watched the original Blade Runner, which version I can't recall, some years ago, and I wasn't impressed all things considered. The effects were great, as was the atmosphere, cinematography and the sheer aesthetic brilliance of the dystopia being presented.

When I watched Blade Runner 2049, longer than its predecessor, I found all these pros to still be intact, but what made the original such a tough sit were also true for the belated sequel. Denis Villeneuve is an excellent director who has proven himself capable of handling thinking-persons Sci-fi with Arrival.

But here, in his attempts to establish a dark, brooding atmosphere, he allows shots to go on for an obscene length of time. Add to that the long pauses in conversations, the scenes of people doing nothing but staring and the interminable shots of people walking or flying ships, and you have a film which is roughly an hour longer than it needs to be.

Jared Leto, a brilliant actor given prominent billing and a good chunk of the poster, is given almost nothing to do besides wander around spouting vague, Godly diatribes that contribute nothing to the story.

His entire role could have been cut out and nothing would be sacrificed. Likewise, Harrison Ford is supposed to be a heavy supporting player, but gets little screen time and is rarely, if ever, the focus.

I admire what the film tries to do and how it's put together, but everything takes too long to be said, if it even needs to be said at all, and scenes prattle on and on, at best without haste and at worst without purpose.

Unless some heavy trimming was done, I won't be watching it again anytime soon.