Dazzling dystopian vision

Blade runners unite ... the old model and the new fight side-by-side in this dazzling dystopian vision. 173720_01

Blade Runner 2049
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling

“What makes us human?” The big question that’s plagued mankind for centuries and one that continues to be explored again and again. With the first Blade Runner, Ridley Scott made this one of many themes to play with in his morally complex masterpiece.
For the sequel, those same themes and more are passed down to Director Denis Villeneuve along with screenwriters Hampton Fancher (who wrote the original) and Micheal Green (Logan) and master cinematographer Roger Deakins.
What follows is a rich, thematic and philosophical exploration of the same themes and complex questions that dominated the original, and here they are handled with respect while also being expanded further.
Again, similar to this year’s ‘Mother!’, don’t let the trailer fool you.
This is not an action movie, this is a purposely drawn out, slow-paced investigative thriller where we follow Ryan Gosling’s Officer K uncovering the secrets of the past 30 years that have occurred between the original and now.
You would be forgiven for thinking that this film could’ve turned into a disaster, even with the dream team behind and in front of the camera. After all, making a sequel to an original classic is frowned upon – but at this point we can argue that Villeneuve is a filmmaker more than capable of tackling the biggest of challenges, and he’s tackled this film beautifully.
Along with his creative hand, he’s helped by the gorgeous imagery brought to life like a moving painting by Deakins (seriously, give the man an Oscar already) whose vistas, along with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score, sweep you away into a world that is dark and murky but undeniably gorgeous.
And that’s what this film is, a beautiful examination of the blurred line between human and sentient and the motto: “more human than human”.
However, at two hours and 43 minutes, it’s also a film that requires patience and concentration, much like the original but is ultimately a rewarding experience filled with engaging characters, stunning visuals and a powerful mystery of a plot.
All in all, director Denis Villeneuve, along with the incredible work of his co-filmmakers, has officially done what we thought was impossible: create a sequel to a seemingly untouchable film that, while it’s too soon to say if it surpasses it, definitely matches the original and is definitely one of the best films of 2017.
– Philip Roberts