Review of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Jason E — 23 Dec 2017

I am a fan of Director Denis Villeneuve so even though a sequel to Blade Runner seemed like a horrible idea I was hopeful in his hands it could succeed. This film does an excellent job to build on the first film and take it places that feel logical. Visually cinematographer Roger Deakens creates a world that pays homage to the original film and breaks new ground. I didn't fully appreciate how much effect he had on this film until I saw Ghost In The Shell another 2017 film influenced by the cyberpunk visuals of the original Blade Runner. Where Ghost in the Shell felt like an imitation Deakens Blade Runner 2049 feels like an evolution. What stopped it from being a masterpiece was some of the plot directions in the latter half could have been trimmed down and others fleshed out more. It was thos eplot choices that left me feeling empty at the end and prevented the film from sticking the landing.

See it or Skip It.

For the visuals alone this film is worth seing on the big screen. It's an example of how to do a sequel the right way.