Dark, moody and cinematically stunning Blade Runner 2049 takes on many traits of Ridley Scott’s original futuristic suspense-filled thriller. Unfortunately, the sequel to the 1982 masterpiece lacks the suspense and the thrill that made Blade Runner a cult classic.
Set 30 years later, Blade Runner 2049 starts promisingly introducing Ryan Gosling as a Blade Runner “K” seeking out and “retiring” older model replicants (bio-engineered android slaves) and in doing so uncovers a mystery of a missing child. This sets him on a journey to find and eliminate what threatens to start off a replicant uprising but also has him questioning his own humanity being a replicant himself.
The plot has merit but the film is let down by the length of time it takes to wade through the story. Rather than being captivated by the slow burn of the mystery I found myself wondering when would it actually get to the point. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, beautiful cinematography aside, the movie asks a lot of the audience with perhaps too many unnecessary and confusing subplots within the story.
For fans of the original, it is still a must see with enough links to the past to keep you fascinated and for fans of cinema as an artform it is incredibly shot, each frame could be a work of art hanging in a gallery, seeing it on the big screen is essential to take in all of its beauty. However for your average film goer seeking the action portrayed in the trailer be aware that those scenes are few and very far between.
Words by Kirsty Burns
7
Overall Score
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