Let me start this off by saying that this sequel did not feel outside of what we remember.
Blade Runner 2049 maintains the mood and feel of its predecessor. The visuals, the sound... the dystopian future, it's all there.

| FIRST THOUGHT |

I love writing reviews, it comes somewhat naturally to me after watching something that I learn to feel passionate about.
This movie taught me to be passionate.

But... it's really hard for me to express judgment. And I'm going to explain why:

Actually, it's very simple. This was a 3 hours movie. Of these 3 hours, 2 were simply... air. Now, don't get me wrong, that isn't always negative, like in this case. It was refreshing air, but still... it doesn't (at first glance) hold anything on the plot.

Because of this, the viewer (me at least), is left with a lot of questions, the picture doesn't explain itself. Also; as a side note - you most definitely need to watch the first one. The great majority of the runtime is inexplicably useless.

The longer it goes, the longer it begins to add new stuff, and then some, then it seems somehow related to what's actually going on, but right after it deviates the actual story on an ideal from the characters involved, that at a certain point, evaporates. I'm really conflicted about this because it looks to me like the screenwriters and director wanted to leave all of this to theory and the fans.

Why is this confusing? Because it's a very strange mixture of linear narrative and non-linear narrative. One is focussed on one objective, the other starts a bunch of other objectives and then it simply dies. No explanation was given, no closure was given.

And this is aggravated by the fact that it's a 3 hours movie, of which 1 hour of the actual story is spread and mixed amongst 2 hours of absolutely nothing. VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE NOTHING. A VERY INTERESTING BUNCH OF LITERAL VOID.

This is actually the only thing I did not like about the movie. Which, again, if you are like me and enjoy movies that aren't patently explaining themselves, it's not a bad thing. I just feel like it could've been much more interesting if they explained somehow what happened to all the side characters, or just cut them out.

|STORY & ACTORS |

Aside from what I've mentioned before, the more "linear" part of the story is actually not that bad. It's nothing impressive. A part of what I said earlier connects to the fact that this movie constantly keeps juggling between what is real and what is not. Be it by robots, or actual reality that the characters are living. So it came out pretty obvious that the movie would have a twist at some point, somewhere. I will admit that I did not get it until the very end, so, don't be discouraged.

Ryan Gosling was great, also because he as an actor was perfect for his role. Being so that he has this way of being and looking conflicted, and so it portrayed really well on the protagonist.

Harrison Ford had less value to this movie than he did in the last Star Wars.

Jared Leto's character is a mystery to me, but he did a phenomenal job talking random shit.

All of the other actors, Jared Leto included, were there to push the story forward (or to add random bullshit) and that's it. They did a fantastic job, but unfortunately, as mentioned above, at first glance it looks like they don't mean shit.

| CINEMATOGRAPHY |

The movie is visually pleasing, it's bliss for people with OCD. It's perfectly round and at the same time perfectly square. It keeps smooth lines combining great color combinations in the palette, and utilizing great solid colors at the same time.

As I said before it holds perfectly a spot near its predecessor, the mood and feel are almost identical. (Having watched the first one only an hour before going to the theater to watch this one)

I have to say, this one looks A LOT, like A FUCKING GIGAZILLION LOT more gruesome and splatter than the first one. The fighting scenes are brutal, they do not go into dramatic effects, they just are what they should be. A punch in the face, exploding heads and blood.

There is no doubt that this movie looks fucking amazing.

It sounds amazing as well. It has a collection of deep, pure sounds. There is not a lot of music, but when there is it's powerful and present and it makes you wake up and amaze. Same goes for the special audio effects: I have watched it in ATMOS and I have to admit, they did not utilize it at all, except for one scene later in the movie, but the way it goes from absolute silence to seat trembling sensations it's really amazing. The sounds were so powerful I could literally see the movie screen shake and the subwoofer hit made the whole room shake.

I would also like to add that in the Italian version, you can clearly see that they used "incorrect" words grammatically, they used a lot of anglicisms, I guess they've done that to express how language is evolving? It's actually current of our generation, I see a lot of people adapting English words in Italian, so I was very impressed by that.

| FINAL THOUGHT |
I feel like everyone needs to understand, before watching this movie, that you need a time, a mood and a place perfectly fit to sit for a 3 hours movie that it's going to feel like a 6-hour long journey into colors, shapes, and absolute "living" silence.

This is NOT a Marvel movie, there is action, well-done action, but it's not about action. You need to sit, relax and don't think about time, because, trust me, it's going to fuck you.


Please like my comment if you enjoyed my review, it makes me really happy.

Note that all of this is driven by my personal opinion. If you think I wasn't objective in some of the parts of what I've written, you're welcome to make me notice where.

On Twitter, I review the entire world -> @WiseMMO

Just got back from **Blade Runner 2049**... Holy Shit! That was awesome. Denis Villeneuve can do no wrong in my eyes after this and **Arrival**.

I don't want to get into the story too much as it's honestly a better thing to go into this "sequel" with minimal direct knowledge of the sequel's plot (via reviews and such). However, being familiar with the original movie and watching the 15-20 minute anime short **Blade Runner Black Out 2022** (made by the director of the anime "Cowboy Bebop") are definitely recommended imo especially as the anime short fills in some holes about the "Black Out" event that is touched upon in this new movie a few times.

As for the movie itself, it is defined by fantastic direction/editing, story and acting. The themes of discrimination between humans and Replicants, what defines humanity, and what is truly "real", standout in this film even in many of the tiny subtle moments. A fantastic performance by Ryan Gosling is without a doubt the standout in and drives this film, to the point where it almost essentially devolves into a single-man epic at times (of course, in a good way). I wish that there could have been a bit more Harrison Ford, but honestly that is just the homer in me talking. In terms of the actual story and flow of the film, his presence was handled beautifully as a perfect supplement to the movie and the more important story at hand (unlike a few of his more recent reboot/remake cameos).

The runtime is a bit long at 2 hours and 45 minutes, but don't let that deter you. I honestly never felt that bored or overwhelmed by it. A few beautiful action scenes and some atmospheric sprawling set pieces are interspersed among the emotional core and chilling dialogue that drive the film to give it a great pace. I could have watched this movie all day.

This is definitely an easy 9/10 for me at minimum. Once I get a little more time, I'm definitely go in for another rewatch (hopefully in XD/IMAX 3D). I also liked how the ending was handled very tactfully, leaving room for the possibility of a sequel, but not hammering it down our throats like it was rebooting a new cinematic universe. I pray that we don't have to wait 35 years for the next one though...

There are plenty of reviews of this film, so here are a few spoiler free heartfelt words of my own, which I hope will help those decide to watch this movie, without worry...

It has been 24 hours since watching the 'Blade Runner' sequel and I still have the same feeling of utter joy as I did walking out of the cinema yesterday. I was so happy that I actually cried, because after 35 years I had finally found my perfect score 10/10 movie. When you see a film that affects you so emotionally that you have tears rolling down your cheeks, then I believe you are witnessing something very special indeed.

True, I am probably biased. The original 1982 'Blade Runner' is my second favourite film of all time - a cult classic that made Ridley Scott in to one of the most respected film makers alive today. The sheer wealth of ideas, the photography, the visual special effects, the sets, the tension, the story, the music and the acting all come together with a passion that, for me, was film making at its' finest.

Hence, when I heard that a sequel was planned, my heart sank. Please, leave it alone, I thought. However, my reservations were slowly pushed away when I heard that most of the team that made the original were on-board to make the sequel. Then, after it was announced that Denis Villeneuve was directing, my confidence grew even more. Alright, let me keep my fingers crossed and believe... which was literally how I was in the cinema yesterday. The lights went down, the music started and...

...within 2 minutes I had goose bumps on my arms and I knew it was going to be fine.

I am here to tell you now that this movie delivers on every level. The pedestal was very high indeed and everyone involved with this sequel should be extremely proud with what they have achieved.

'Blade Runner 2049' is respectful, powerful and smart. The director knew he had a tall order and he manages to bring his style to the next level, creating a science fiction masterpiece.

There were moments when I did not blink for fear of missing something, moments when I was gripping my hand with tension, moments of utter wonder at the visuals, moments of shock and moments of surprise. I was pulled in to this movie like no other I have seen and the 3 hours it lasted was no hardship at all for me... in fact, I didn't want it to end.

Granted, I was sitting in the best seat in the one of the best cinema's in the UK with IMAX and it really helped to literally immerse you in the film. The quality of the picture was simply stunning and the sound was ground shaking without any distortion... and 'Blade Runner 2049' deserves the best possible screen and audio you can buy.

This movie has been crafted with love and skill.

This movie was worth the 35 years wait.

This movie is the sequel we all wanted and hoped for.

This movie is a perfect 10/10 for me and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did and will do, again and again.

"I always told you. You're special. Your history isn't over yet. There's still a page left."

Okay, so Villeneuve really did the impossible. He took the world of the original Blade Runner and expanded it spectacularly, not only in terms of actual world-building but also by providing viewers with new ideas and topics to discuss, which all resulted in a film I loved even more than the original. Going into the film, I never would have expected the main plot line, yet it made complete sense, and raised many questions that relate to the original's debate over replicant humanity that viewers can debate for years to come. Much like the original, 2049 is a very thought-provoking film, and is especially relevant when thinking of our world today. 2049 touches on current issues like climate change, AI, and living in an increasingly digital world, in very clever ways, all while never seeming out of place in the dystopian setting of 2049 LA. I want to say so much more (!!!), but much like the filmmakers wanted, you really should go into this film not knowing any spoilers.

Speaking of this futuristic world, it's stunning. I read one review that said you could watch this whole film on mute and still be engaged, which is true - I've seen the film now 3 times, and really couldn't point out a single scene that wasn't visually engaging. Roger Deakins really went above and beyond, and like everyone is saying, he absolutely deserves an Oscar for this film. The only place, I thought, where 2049 didn't live up to the original, was in terms of the score. If you love soundtracks/scores like I do, don't think that you'll be disappointed by this film's score, just know that it doesn't compete with Vangelis' work on the original. (The sound editing on this film was pretty stellar however).

So overall - Blade Runner 2049 is amazing, and definitely my favorite film of the year. Denis Villeneuve showed how well he can pull off the "human story in a sci-fi film" in Arrival, and he takes this concept even further in 2049. This film is a must watch of 2017, and preferably in IMAX/3D/the largest screen possible!

"To be born is to have a soul, I guess"

EDIT: Third time seeing it and still in awe of how beautiful this movie is and how perfect the score is.

This is sci-fi done right. Everything from the cinematography to score to the color palette to the acting were all fantastic. Denis Villeneuve has another winner. It seems like he did the impossible and gave a worthy sequel to a classic. Hans Zimmer's score really sets the mood. The visuals are where this movie really shines. The colors, the landscapes, the holograms and even the ads are all beautiful and it really expands on what Ridley Scott was able to do 35 years ago. This deserves to be seen on the big screen. Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances. Harrison Ford was good with his limited screen time but it was Sylvia Hoeks' Luv who really stood out.

I can't wait to see this again and see what new things I will catch. One of the best films of the year and one of the best sci-fi films so far this century.

EDIT: I saw it again, twice in three days, and it just got so much better the second time. Usually if I watch the same movie that close I get bored but I was so into it that the 2 hours and 43 minutes run time went by quick. I think it became my favorite movie this year so far. It still is a visual treat to watch and must be experienced on the big screen. What Roger Deakins was able to do is Oscar worthy and I hope he finally wins one.

Some things I picked up on the second were more of the symbolism of the two female leads, Joi and Luv. Joi isn't real and K has Joi that makes him happy and gives him joy. Even when K gives her the ability to move around freely and the go to the rooftop and have an intimate moment only to be ruined by a work call. That really is what joy is, an illusion of happiness, but it can be ruined by work or something else. Then there is Luv where she is determined to do what Wallace asked her. She ends up fighting with K and destroying Joi, whose last words were I love you. Love will destroy your joy and you will struggle with Love.

After K has been beaten and bruised and lost the only thing that made him happy he happens to run into another (large) Joi is just a slap in the face. Joi repeating phrases K's said earlier and saying he looks like a Joe. I think it is at this point he realized that Joi was never real. He realizes he can be more than human by fighting (and dying) for the right cause. He has to fight for what is real, Deckard and his daughter. This scene was beautiful but I think it has much more meaning and depth.

There really aren't any villians in this movie. Wallace is fighting to help human kind by making more replicants. Lieutenant Joshi is trying to keep the peace by not letting replicants reproduce. The old nexus replicants just want to live their lives in peace. K is caught in the middle of all of this.

P.S. When Ryan Gosling started to play the piano in Sapper's house I really wanted him to go full La La Land and play City of Stars.