Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Written Review

Thirty-five years after Ridley Scott's original, Denis Villeneuve (of Arrival and Sicario fame) brings us the thrilling second chapter in the story in Blade Runner 2049. Is it as good as the original? What does this mean for the original film's ending - or multiple endings? And is this just a shallow sequel-baiting film trying to turn Blade Runner into a franchise?
The story follows LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), who upon a routine retirement - the euphemism for a Replicant execution by Blade Runner - discovers something mysterious, which begins to turn his world upside down. His commanding officer (Robin Wright) instructs him to destroy all evidence, while the Wallace corporation begins to take an interest in K, sending out Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) to find out what K now knows - knowing the potential ramifications. As K digs deeper into this mystery, he soon finds that maybe he already knows more than he thought...
If you're wondering how Deckard (Harrison Ford) fits into this synopsis, I've excised him from this summary simply because to include him would be delving into spoilers. His role in the film is a glorified cameo, and I'm pretty sure he's only in the final third of the story. Part of me wonders why Ford even needed to be in the film - it comes across almost as though he wasn't intended to be, and simply was included because they could get him. It's not a detriment to the film itself, but considering how big the push seemed to be for a Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling team-up movie, we don't actually get that.
The film's story is actually quite complicated to explain, and given how many revelations occur throughout the running time, one begins to wonder if Blade Runner 2049 has been completely miss-marketed to the general public. For example, the extended TV spot trailer I last saw at the cinema sold the film as "Jared Leto creates evil army of Replicants, Ryan Gosling asks Harrison Ford for help to stop them". This...isn't the plot. In fact, what's most surprising about the marketing is how many key scenes within the narrative are revealed, but sans context. With context, these scenes are completely different - the only problem is that from a narrative point of view, you're simply waiting for these scenes to happen on-screen.
So what is Blade Runner 2049 actually like? I feel like I'm being way too vague here, but it's simply because I don't want to ruin the experience for those who haven't seen it yet. Put simply, Blade Runner 2049 is a thought-provoking visual experience from Denis Villeneuve. It features more interesting and developed characters than the original - with even Deckard suddenly becoming a three-dimensional character - and slows down at many points to dwell on its themes and key story points. Huge sections of the film feature little-to-no dialogue and no musical score, allowing the audience to just sit, watch and think about what they're seeing unfold on-screen. For some, this will be incredibly tedious, but for others it will be a much more enriching experience.
I can imagine many fans going to see Blade Runner 2049 multiple times just to try and work everything out. It's a very busy film, although it's not exactly cluttered, or fast-paced. It's 144 minute running time has been criticised by some people, but I personally felt that this was Denis Villeneuve's own decision, his "director's cut" if you will. Arrival and Sicario may not be long films, but they're simple stories, and take their time to tell that story over their respective running times. Blade Runner 2049 follows Villeneuve's trademark pacing style, but over a longer running time.
That being said, if you want to see this film, see it on the big screen. I watched it on a normal 2D showing, but I can imagine IMAX is pretty intense, and a must-see for massive film fans. Either way, see it on a big screen, because that way you'll get to witness Roger Deakins' incredible cinematography. Seriously, this is the best-looking film of the year so far. The use of colour, the way the lights are set up, the use of fog, rain and snow...this is a visual wonder to behold, and if Deakins doesn't win Best Cinematography at the next Oscars I don't know who will.
The score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch is an interesting experiment, and while it certainly isn't Vangelis' own soundtrack, it makes for a strong accompaniment to the movie itself - even though the speakers in my cinema couldn't always cope with some of the stronger, bassier sounds utilised by the composers.
The cast are generally very good, although I don't think there's any make-or-break stars in this film. Dave Bautista proves himself a better and much engaging actor in each film he does, and his small role in the film brings to life a very key plot-point without even drawing attention to it. Jared Leto is actually good in the film, despite my initial reservations (Suicide Squad anyone?), while Harrison Ford actually goes for it in this film. Ryan Gosling makes for a good leading man and Sylvia Hoeks for a great villain, while the rest of the cast feel like supporting players, and don't offer much.
If there's a real problem with Blade Runner 2049, it's a personal one. The film leaves so many questions unanswered, and sets up ideas that never get fulfilled that I couldn't help but feel disappointed not to see these ideas followed-through. Maybe this was all part of some kind of third movie set-up, or maybe I'm looking for answers to questions the audience wasn't meant to ask. Either way, I didn't personally feel entirely satisfied by the film, and even begin to wonder if they could have re-worked the narrative slightly to include more resolution. That being said, if in another thirty years time we get a belated third movie that resolves all of this, I'm not too fussed.
Overall, Blade Runner 2049 is a thinking man's sci-fi movie that definitely isn't for everyone. It's slow and methodical, but it does have the best cinematography I've seen in a long time, a strong cast, good score and actually an engaging story - something that even the first film lacked. It could have done with a stronger resolution in my opinion, but maybe that was the intention. 8/10

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