Blade Runner 2049 Review

Blade Runner 2049
Director: Denis Villenueve
Cast Headliners:  Ryan Gosling, Ana De Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Harrison Ford,   others
Original Release Date: October 6th, 2017

  Blade Runner is one of THE sci-fi legends of all time. Atmospheric beyond most before or since, its dark cyberpunk world showcased monumental technical achievements by Ridley Scott, perhaps Harrison Ford's most iconic role after Han Solo and Indiana Jones as Rick Deckard, and a nor-influenced, slow burning and deep story on what it means to be truly human. It stood alone in its story aside being a archetype of its genre, but its world provoked questions of what more stories could be told. Blade Runner 2049 answers that question with a film that faithfully matches the tone and nearly almost the quality of the original. 
The year, not surprisingly, is 2049... a far future from our own that is perhaps even more exotic (As the original took place in 2019). The primary setting of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas is either dystopian layers upon layers of cityscapes or the wastelands and junkyards outside of it. As is the original, there's humans, and then there's the bio-android “replicants” who are created for work.  The hero of the tale is K (Ryan Gosling), one of the Blade Runners... as with Deckard in the original a member of the LAPD tracking down replicants who need to be taken out. His mission to take down Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) begins to unravel an intricate spider-web of lost people, miracles, action, and intrigue. 
As with the first the movie's primary joy is via visuals and audio. Director Denis Villeneuve once again delivers incredibly on this front. Modern budget and special effects showcase a breathtaking, dark, and beautiful future world. Landscapes astonish and seem so real despite likely being not so. The neon and blackness of Los Angeles, the sterile coldness of the LAPD, the alien-like wastelands and junk piles, the surreal and monolithic interiors of the Wallace Corporation, and later a trip to the Mars-like  red dusty abandoned city of Las Vegas are intensely memorable and artistic. This cinematography applies in closer scenes as well. Vehicles, robots, holograms are all so lifelike in their mix of futurism yet with an often appearance of retro looks right from the 80s that match that tone. 
Nearly even better is the audio. The score by Hans Zimmer brings to mind the best of Van Gelis' magnum opus of an original via synths, electronics, and strings. Moment to moment sounds pop and rumble no matter what's occuring. A fantastic example of this is during K and Sapper's first brawl, where a simmering pot of food can be heard quietly cooking throughout it all. 
This is an extremely long movie that can be slow moving and at times lost in its slightly philosophical side (as was the classic film). Revelations and twists take tons of minutes and scenes to unfold, slow scenes at that. But it is all for good reason because of the skill at play. Action is infrequent but memorable and exciting. The plot serves as a fitting legacy of the old film while being perfectly fine for newcomers, with some surprising turns. Sometimes the placement of certain scenes or choices is questionable, but these are minor mistakes on an epic great journey. 
They end up as just side dishes to the scrumptious cyberpunk immersion of the main course but the cast of characters and performances are solid as well. Gosling's K brings to mind his role in Drive....silent yet fierce while also being emotional when the time comes. He's likable and intimidating when he needs to be, and as he is a replicant himself that feeling comes through well. His chemistry with hologram girlfriend Joi (Ana De Armas) is great.  Armas is sweet, funny, loving and the two of them's ups and downs bring a bright cheerful core into a dark film.  
There's many bit players who bring it greatly with what they are. K's superior Lt.Joshi(Robin Wright) is commandingly fierce with the occasional stereotypical cop laughs when she appears. Bautista's Sapper is different than most roles...quiet and committed while also tough. Sylvia Hoek's plays a fearsome replicant foe called Luv who has an edgy likable sense to her. Various other, smaller and bit less memorable but still alright roles appear: Barkhad Abdi as black market dealer Doc Badger, Carla Juri as memory maker Dr.Stelline, Lennie James as junkyard owner Mr.Cotton, and even familiar faces like Edward James Olmos as Gaff and Sean Young as Rachel(also via old audio clips).
Two other characters who make the most impact are fittingly enough some of the most important. Jared Leto's Niander Wallace is quickly the villain of the film. He's blind, an CEO and inventor mastermind of an intergalactic company, and sees through hovering creepy drones that float around him. To add to this, he has a god-complex.,..talking wonderfully of “restorming Eden to re-take her”. He is chilling yet in just a few scenes.   Then, there's Deckard himself.
Audiences expecting a lot of Harrison Ford must be patient, as it takes perhaps too much time for him to actually join the epic events of the film . Once he appears every scene Deckard is in is great. Harrison Ford brings that same level of enthusiasm to his return as he did as Han Solo in Star Wars : The Force Awakens. He is tough, inquisitive, and funny.  He and K make a great team, once it finally happens. It's in a way a close and follow-up to the original Blade Runner with important and emotional consequences, yet also hinting at a possible future. It's good that he's in this to tie it all together.

Overall, this serves as a well deserved follow-up to the classic that Ridley Scott would be proud of... smartly done with someone with perhaps even more talent at general filmcraft in Villeneuve. It transports the viewer into a dark, sweeping epic tale of replicants and future cities whether they're a fan of the old or a first timer. It's been done before, but done again with new paintbrushes... it's a new kind of masterpiece. 9.05 out of 10