Harry Situation Reviews: Blade Runner 2049

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... time to die.

While no one wanted a sequel to Ridley Scott’s iconic neo-noir scifi film, we got one regardless, and it is one of the most fascinating films of this year. Blade Runner 2049 is the official sequel to the original Blade Runner, and it stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford reprising as former blade runner Rick Deckard. The film is also directed by one of my new favorite director to date Denis Villeneuve (director of Arrival and Prisoners).

In the world of Blade Runner, there are androids called replicants that are deemed illegal to roam around on earth. So to deal with these renegade androids there are bounty hunters called blade runners that hunt them down. The film takes place thirty years after the events of the first film, with a new blade runner named K (Ryan Gosling), and he unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. This leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years, and we have our Blade Runner sequel.

My god, this film does two things a sequel should do:

1) Continue on with the events of the first film while expanding on its lore.

2) Standing on its own as a film in general.

First off this is one helluva gorgeous looking film. I’m not just talking about the visual effects — while those are nice too — but I’m talking about the cinematography and the lighting. This was all done by a great cinematographer named Roger Deakins, who has been nominated for 13 Oscars yet has not received a single win. Oscars be bullshit! But yeah, the film looks damn beautiful.

It also helps when you have a trio of greats: writing, acting, and directing. There’s a reason why director Denis Villeneuve is getting so much attention these days. He did everything right by the original film and by Ridley Scott (director of the original Blade Runner). Also Ryan Gosling was amazing throughout this film. I enjoyed his character, he delivered such raw performance in this movie. And I have to talk about Harrison Ford. That guy is the comeback king. He came back to be Indiana Jones, he came back to be Han Solo, and now he came back to be Rick Deckard. And he still delivers an amazing performance.

What really works in this films favor is the fact that it not only looks like the original but it also feels like the original. It is a very neo-noir movie. It could have easily turned into a standard action movie or just become franchise bait, but no. This movie stood on its own two feet.

The only negative against the film is that often times the pacing can feel really slow. I feel that it does that so it can lead up to one certain moment in the film (which I will not spoil) just so the audience can understand why that is key. I mean come on, movie. The audience should be a little smart enough to understand why all these moments were key.

Blade Runner 2049 is the well deserved sequel that was needed, especially since sequels in general usually suck. There’s a reason why this movie is getting so much praise. If you loved the original Blade Runner, this one’s definitely for you! Take my word for it and go see this movie!

Positives:

-Superb sequel

-Gorgeous cinematography

-Great directing

-Great writing

-Great acting

-Great visual effects

-Respects original film

Negatives:

-Slow pacing at times

Final Grade: A+

So that’s my review of the Blade Runner sequel. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? What were your thoughts of the original? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more Harry Situation Reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Rick Deckard: “Sometimes if you love someone, you have to be a stranger.”

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