'Blade Runner 2049' REVIEW: Beautiful, Intelligent and emotionally satisfying, Blade Runner

'Blade Runner 2049' is the long awaited sequel to the original Blade Runner (1982) and has Denis Villeneuve taking over the reigns as director instead of Ridley Scott. Denis Villeneuve has directed some of the most unique and original films that I've seen such as Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2014), Sicario (2015) and Arrival (2016) which is one of my favorite films of that year. After seeing Arrival I had high hopes that he could make a ingeniously crafted science-fiction film with his own artistic style effortlessly. My thoughts of the original Blade Runner film vary from 'meh' from the first time I saw it to thinking that it's an amazing film in most recent years. I had to watch it at least 3 times in order to truly appreciate it. I could never imagine what a sequel to this beloved cult classic film from 30+ years ago would be like until now.

I this sequel to Blade Runner it's set in the year 2049 which is 30 years after the events of the original. It' set in the same world where these human-like beings called Replicant's who initially were slave labor, but there are these new Replicant's that obey the real humans 100% unlike the originals that have rebelled and have been 'Retired' supposedly. Here we have K (played by Ryan Gosling) a young Replicant and Blade Runner who's solving a mystery regarding a skeleton found at another Replicant's home. This mystery eventually leads him to Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) who's been missing from the end of the first film to now.

Firstly, the performances from everyone is excellent. Ryan Gosling is always great at playing mostly emotionless and stoic while still being charismatic. Harrison Ford is also fantastic as usual as he still manages to fit into his character like a glove, but feels much older and has learned from previous events of the last film much like his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). The film also introduces another character of Joi (played by Ana de Armas), an artificial intelligent virtual reality girlfriend to K. She's charming and churns out a performance that's a revelation. There's a scene that sent chills down my spine regarding her character and her love of K. Just like the first film, the CGI lends greatly in creating a real and tangible world that is well realized. When I see this movie, I instantly know it's Blade Runner even if I never knew what the title was. There are also scene where the imperfections of the special effects makes a scene even more compelling. I'm regarding a scene where K makes love to his A.I girlfriend. The film looks great overall, no noticeable flaws in terms of its special effects. What I appreciate most about this film is that this isn't the kind of sequel that doesn't feel the need to have a bigger and bombastic story in order to be as good if not better than the original. Instead it's a linear and complex mystery plot much like the original. It's also not the kind of sequel like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Alien: Covenant where they are essentially remaking the originals in terms of their structure and plot. While I like those films, I truly do adore that this film adopts a different story while still maintaining the themes and philosophies of humanity from the original. It also has a great musical score which I'd say is as good and iconic as the original film, however I felt that some of them where there to keep the audiences awake as they are loud and booming.

While I do love the film there are still flaws. I believe that this is a film that does require a second viewing like how the original required repeated viewings. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the spectacle of the film that it's hard to pay attention to the plot. Like other Denis Villeneuve films, this is another film that's slow-paced, but leaves a surprise towards the end. It's a 163 minute film, but I feel that it could shave off at least 15-20 minutes. Also if you were expecting the majority of the film would be a team-up of Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford together, then think again. Harrison Ford only appears in the film only for the last third. I was disappointing at first, but on second viewing I found myself invested enough that I didn't mind less of Ford.

In the end, Blade Runner 2049 does its best to be a film that's equal to the original and mostly succeeds. It has great performances, special effects and a compelling mystery that keeps you on edge until the end credits. Its running time can be a bit daunting, but I seriously guarantee that it'll be worth it in the end.

'Blade Runner 2049' gets an A