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Blade Runner 2049 -- a review


When I first heard about a sequel being made to Blade Runner, the classic science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott thirty five years ago, I was unsure whether or not this was a good idea. But I was heartened by the fact that Scott would be returning as a producer, as was Harrison Ford, the original film’s lead, reprising his role as Rick Deckard. But what really gave me hope was that the director of the sequel would be Denis Villeneuve, a French Canadian who directed the great Sicario and the fantastic Arrival. In his recent films, Villeneuve displays strong characterization, and is unwilling to let the story trappings (such as avoiding action film tropes in Sicario) interfere with his characters, who always remain the focus of his films.


That’s why Blade Runner 2049 is so absorbing from the very first frame. Taking place thirty years after the first film, the Tyrell Corporation has went bankrupt after a series of brutal rebellions by its Nexus Class Replicants. It’s been bought out by Niander Wallace (Jared Leto in another fine performance), a blind visionary with God-like aspirations who has continued making replicants that are more docile. One of these obedient replicants is K (Ryan Gosling), a Blade Runner who hunts down Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista), a Nexus combat replicant who had avoided capture until now.



It’s when K discovers a buried object on Sapper’s farm that the sequel really takes off, leading him into a vast conspiracy that requires K to seek out the long-missing Deckard. Blade Runner 2049 is the perfect sequel that winds up being so good that it easily stands on its own as a great film. You don’t even need to see the original in order to understand or enjoy this film. BD 2049 carefully unravels its story much like a film noir mystery, only one with science fiction trimmings. I was pleased to see that they kept the flying cars, and expanded on much of the other technology shown in the first film.


Gosling is very good as K, a loyal Blade Runner for the LAPD who is content at first to just keep his head down and do his job, only to experience an awakening deep within. Robin Wright is superb as K’s superior officer, a world weary cynical bureaucrat. Ana de Armas is affecting as Joi, who is the closest that K has to a girlfriend, and Sylvia Hoeks is outstanding as Luv, the cold-blooded assistant to Wallace who is far more than just a femme fatale. I liked Harrison Ford far better here than when he returned as Han Solo. While BD 2049 neither confirms or denies whether Deckard is a replicant (it’s ultimately left up to the viewer), Ford plays him here with a bare bones honesty and subtle humor that’s extremely welcome.



While it’s a shame that this was a bomb at the box office (there are story threads left that hint at a fascinating third film), I’m just grateful that this movie exists. Blade Runner 2049 is a dazzling visual delight that looks great on Blu-Ray (Roger Deakins, the cinematographer, deserves an Oscar nod for his work here), but it’s also such a compelling story in its own right. This past decade has already given us an SF masterpiece in the form of Mad Max Fury Road. Now Blade Runner 2049 joins that exceptional league of recent cinematic masterpieces. Don’t miss it. --SF



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