Blade Runner 2049 Review

Certificate: 15

Running time: 163 minutes 

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve.

What’s it about: The highly anticipated sequel to 1982’s Blade Runner. Blade Runner 2049 takes place thirty years after the events of the first film. It follows LAPD Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling), who is set on a quest to find missing former blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) after he unearths a long-kept secret that has the potential to change everything society knows to be true.

The verdict: Firstly a small confession - although I am appreciative of the original Blade Runner and its cult status, I wouldn’t actually say I’m a massive fan of the film. I’ve been looking forward to seeing Blade Runner 2049 as more of a film fan, rather than a Blade Runner fan. That may not seem relevant, but I think that may make a difference to how you receive Blade Runner 2049.

Blade Runner 2049 is technically amazing. The sound design, the production design, the visual effects etc are all top notch. The cinematography is absolutely fantastic, Roger Deakins has done an incredible job. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Blade Runner 2049 is nominated for multiple awards in all the technical categories, come awards season. This could definitely be Deakin’s first Academy Award, after losing out thirteen times previously.

Amongst the stunning visuals and technical genius, you can definitely see nods and homages to the original film. It certainly felt to me like there were enough familiarities to merit calling Blade Runner 2049, a faithful sequel. Ryan Gosling is a good choice as main character Officer K, he’s quietly straight-faced but his character is intriguing and goes through a journey that the audience becomes invested in as well. In fact the entire cast is very strong. It was great to see Harrison Ford revive his role as Rick Deckard. But I thought that Ana de Armas as Joi and Robin Wright as Lt. Joshi particularly stood out. In terms of the characters overall, I felt that they were interesting, but some were less three dimensional than others. In particular Jared Leto’s character Niander Wallace, seemed underdeveloped.

The story is strong and engaging, but I felt that perhaps the long running time wasn’t always used as effectively as it could have been. I was never bored, so it wasn’t that the running time should have been reduced, rather that the climax felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the film. When Blade Runner 2049 is finished, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. I’m not sure if this is due to the nature and tone of the film, or more about hinting at a sequel.

Overall, I really enjoyed Blade Runner 2049, but the majority of my enjoyment did come from being completely awed by the technical prowess and amazing visuals. I would definitely watch it again, and I think it’s one of those films that merits a second watch where you inevitably discover aspects that you missed the first time. However, there was something small that I can’t quite put my finger on that stops me from saying I absolutely loved it. A brilliant film that just misses being a masterpiece, but make no mistake, it’s still a must watch.

Should you watch this film? Yes, absolutely! It’s a film made for the big screen, and one of the must see films of the year.