Review by John Delia, Sr.
Opening this weekend, the long awaited sequel of one of the most creative classics of all time, Blade Runner 2049. The film follows the original some 30 years later where the people left on Earth are still trying to survive the social decay and authoritarian abuse. The movie has excellent direction by Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve, amazing cinematography and a nicely connected storyline. The nearly 2 hour film may feel long, but true fans of Blade Runner will think it’s not enough.
Back in 2019 Los Angeles had a problem with four rogue replicants that had started trouble on a satellite colony. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) an LAPD blade runner was assigned to run down the androids and eliminate them. But, because his belief that one of them was wrongfully charged with the crime the assignment did not end well.
Flash forward to 2049 and we find Los Angeles blade runner LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling) who who as unearthed a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard who has been missing for 30 years.
Generally speaking if I told you more than this brief statement about the movie I would be spoiling the film. I can however tell you about the production that is very good. The cinematography, CGI, make-up, costumes and special effects work well. I have attached an approved Warner Bros. trailer to this article to give you the feel of the movie so you can choose.
The acting of the central characters blends nicely to the first film and with only slightly modified details needed to bring you up to date. As the our new blade runner K, Ryan Gosling does a very good job of getting beat-up, creating havoc, getting in and out of tight situations and flying around Los Angeles in his hot new vehicle. All kidding aside, Gosling does make the character work for the sequel almost mirroring Ford with both a serious side and a compassionate one when necessary.
Harrison Ford shows up in the film with about 40 minutes left in the story and he still has the spunk to create onscreen excitement. You wouldn’t think he was in his 70’s the way he fights off adversaries in some dicey situations. Ford by no means is finished in the business and is filming another sequel to his all-time best series Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Blade Runner 2049 has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language. While the film certainly is action packed and full of surprises, it’s not for those who can only sit through an average length of action fantasy before getting antsy. If you can get hold of a DVD of the original, I highly recommend you watch it so you will get the complete experience.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Fans will eat it up like a good bowl of ice cream, others not so much. (4.5 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Elarica Johnson, Dave Bautista, Hiam Abbass, Sean Young.
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy
MPAA Rating: R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language
Running Time: 2 hrs. 43 min.
Release Date: October 6, 2017
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Released in: Standard 2D, 3D, IMAX
The comments within this review are the critic’s expressed opinions.