By Brennan Atkins & Noah Barnes
The original “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott, is a cult classic in the sci-fi genre. It is the story of Deckard, a blade runner in Los Angeles in the year 2019. The blade runners are a special task force of the LAPD whose job it is to hunt and “retire” replicants, bioengineered androids that have the ability to disobey their creators.
The sequel to this fantasy noir film, “Blade Runner 2049,” is directed by Dennis Villeneuve. It is set 30 years in the future, and the replicants are still present in the society. Rather than having Harrison Ford take the lead role, we are met with Ryan Gosling as the replicant Blade Runner KD6-3.7, also known as K for short.
It is hard to give a detailed summary of the movie without getting into spoiler territory – from very early on, the audience is given important information that is vital to the film’s plot. While that may seem very simple, it is anything but. It is satisfyingly clever enough to keep you interested throughout. There’s never a dull moment.
K is a quiet and antisocial replicant who always does things by the book when it comes to his job. He keeps his composure most of the time, so when he displays emotion on screen, it comes off as surprising and this really amplifies the tension between him and the viewer.
Deckard, the lead role from the first film, returns as a supporting character who teams up with Gosling. Gosling’s and Ford’s characters work together extremely well in the film. From their first scene together it’s clear these two click well.
Undeniably, the best part of the film is its cinematography and visuals.
Roger Deakins has shown that he is an utter genius behind a camera. Every single frame in this movie is visually stunning. Whether it is the beautiful neon-filled streets of Los Angeles or the desolate desert ruins, every shot is remarkable.
We honestly feel as if this might be one of the most realistic, moving and beautiful futuristic worlds that has ever been captured on screen.
While the movie stands at a hefty two hours and 43 minutes, it doesn’t feel that long. It has great pacing.
If you feel like you would be interested in this movie but are not sure, there are three free Blade Runner shorts on YouTube which detail small aspects of the movie. This movie isn’t heavily reliant on the first film, so one can watch this movie with no context from the first and still enjoy it.
This movie has easily proven itself to be a fantastic sci-fi film. However, we would go as far as to say it is one of the best sequels ever produced.
It represents everything a sequel should be.