Film Review : Blade Runner 2049

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Cert: R rated

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Screenwriter: (screenplay by) Hampton Fancher, Michael Green, (story by) Hampton Fancher, (based on characters from the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?") Philip K. Dick

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Dave Bautista, Robin Wright, Mark Arnold, Vilma Szécsi, Ana de Armas, Wood Harris, David Dastmalchian, Tómas Lemarquis, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Sallie Harmsen, Hiam Abbass, Mackenzie Davis, Krista Kosonen

Running time:  2h 43min

Parents advised reading before viewing a film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: (Severe)
Statues of a naked woman in sexual positions.

• 
  Scene of hologram woman fully naked showing breast and buttocks 

There are woman wearing short skirts


Violence & Gore: (Severe) Several knife fights result in blood scenes

Woman stomach slashed blood is seen



Profanity: (Severe)There is occasional strong language ('fuck') as well as milder bad language such as 'prick' and 'shit'.


Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Alcohol is seen being drunk by main characters

Frightening/Intense Scenes: (Severe)

Rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language.

Story: Thirty-one years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 29 years.

Likes: The original film came out 1982 and although it flopped in the cinema, it's one of the most underrated masterpiece films. As I’ve said, this is a sequel to the 1982 Blade Runner starring a young Harrison Ford playing Rick Deckard.

The sequel is set thirty years after the events of the original film where Rick and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) had a final showdown on the roof. It seems there was a war that took place between the humans and “replicants” as the old city that was seen in the first film has become a wasteland, along with other areas of the world.

The visual effect and cinematography recapture what made Blade Runner so unique in style. It is a futuristic utopia where cities are no longer spaced out. From a distance, it looks like the planet is covered by one big city.

Thankfully director Denis Villeneuve hasn't strayed from Ridley Scott’s underrated masterpiece and crafted a new screenplay that captures Blade Runner perfectly with Michael Green. The sequel not only builds on the themes of the original Blade Runner but ties the movies together with larger questions of human nature and its challenges.

Ryan Gosling has a brilliant performance in this film. His character tries to solve a puzzle that leads him into the realm of real and manufactured life, and he walks along the same paths that made the original film so compelling. Gosling imbues his character with compelling performance, for his character he plays his very nature starts to crumble as his humanity takes over as he discovers the shocking truth of his past.

Jared Leto, who plays a maker of the replicants, has a surprisingly thrilling yet cold performance. Together with Ana De Armas, Robin Wright, Carla Juri, and of course Harrison Ford, the cast forge a credible bond with the audience and enhance the visual grandeur which was created by cinematographer Roger Deakins and production designer Dennis Gassner. What I did spot as well as the homage to the original film with Harrison Ford.

Although Blade Runner 2049 might not achieve the same level as the original film, this is no simple cash-in movie to a cult classic or overly devoted sequel. This is a tremendously immersive, philosophical, touching, and compelling film experience—especially as a continuation of a thirty-year-old story.

Whatever the box office fate of Blade Runner 2049 will be, this is a worthwhile film to watch that deserves to be seen on the big screen, especially if you're a fan of the original film. The sequel adds a new layer to the story to a question of, "What makes us human?" and urges us on, to find the truth in the rain.

Dislikes: My only gripe with Blade Runner 2049, although it was done deliberately so the audience could take in the visual effects and compelling story, is its pacing. The film from start to finish is a slow burner with little action, which some viewers might not enjoy..

Overall: a Brilliant sequel, compelling story, great acting, good homage to the original; slow-paced film.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for Entertainment / 8.8 out of 10 for sequel concept.