Booligan 🛸’s review published on Letterboxd:
Rick Deckard: “Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger.”
The first letter of the names of each of the wooden animals that Deckard carved in this movie (Rhino, Antelope, Cat, Horse, Elephant, Lion) spells "RACHEL." Blade Runner 2049 is a visually stunning sequel that reaches the atmospheric heights of its predecessor, offering a thought-provoking story and strong performances. The film's visuals are almost as impressive as the first, with beautiful cinematography that is complemented by neon-lit streets and distinct locations. I like that that film has more variety in its visuals, with each location looking different, but I still think the original Blade Runner mastered the art of lighting and perfected it’s visuals. Never had a movie's atmosphere been so palpable and felt so visceral and lived in, and to this day, that’s still the standard for me. This does a great job of recapturing that style and look, though, even if it lacks the same grittiness. Like the original Blade Runner, this also has an excellent soundtrack and sound design. The cast, including Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Ana De Armas, deliver strong performances, with Gosling and Ford standing out in particular.
However, the screenplay, while interesting, has a few flaws. It’s hard to blame the film for this, as they clearly expected it to do better in theaters and probably wanted to make another sequel, but this feels like the middle part of a trilogy, setting up intriguing elements that unfortunately don't get fully explored. These include the replicant resistance army going to war with humans, Deckard reuniting with his daughter, and Wallace’s intentions for the human race. Speaking of Wallace, the antagonists are somewhat bland. Tyrell is more nuanced and better explored than the underdeveloped Wallace, and Luv is pretty generic. There are also a few unnecessary exposition dumps that slow the pacing. Despite these minor issues, Denis Villeneuve safely expands the Blade Runner universe, and his directorial prowess makes this modern masterpiece almost as good as the definitive “Final Cut” of Blade Runner for me. Maybe in another 35 years, someone will complete the Blade Runner trilogy. 😂
Which Blade Runner movie do you prefer❓
🏆 Awards: 100 wins (2 Oscars) & 163 nominations
⏳ Runtime: 158 minutes (without credits)
💲 Budget: $150 million
💰 Earnings: $267 million
💯 Ratings: Letterboxd- 4.1/5, IMDb- 8.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes- 88% critics & 88% audience, Metacritic- 81 Metascore & 8.3 user score, Cinemascore- A-
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