‘Blade Runner 2049’ Review: A Breathtaking Piece of Beautiful Art

If I had to describe ‘Blade Runner 2049’ in two words, I would say “Breathtaking Masterpiece!”

After 35 years, a sequel to one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time has finally been made and I still can’t believe that I might actually prefer this over Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece.

‘Blade Runner 2049’ starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks and Jared Leto, is the long-anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic ‘Blade Runner.’ It is set 30 years after the events of the original and follows Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a blade runner who uncovers a long-buried secret that could plunge the world into chaos. This leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

To begin, hats off to Denis Villeneuve who has managed to do the impossible by making a brilliant ‘Blade Runner’ sequel, which shows us why he is one of the best movie directors working today. His direction in ‘Blade Runner 2049’ could easily get him the Acadamy award for ‘Best Director’ as this is easily the best-directed movie of the year. It’s that good!

The acting from the entire cast is amazing. Everyone is acting at their peak and it really shows. Ryan Gosling is brilliant as our protagonist. His character’s arc is also one of the most interesting arcs I’ve seen in years and is definitely one of the best parts in ‘Blade Runner 2049.’ Harrison Ford is wonderful in his return as Deckard. Although he doesn’t come into the movie for quite a while, he steals the show in what is easily my favourite performance from him.

The biggest surprise for me was easily Ana de Armas as Joi, a different kind of replicant and she is more human than human. Her chemistry with Ryan Gosling is great and their romance is beautiful to watch blossom throughout.  Now, many love to criticize Jared Leto a lot by saying that he can’t even act and takes everything too seriously. Well, in ‘Blade Runner 2049’ he is amazingly creepy as Niander Wallace, the creator of the new replicants. He is only in a couple of scenes, but his presence is felt throughout and you can’t look away from the screen when he appears. Easily one his best performances in a long time.

Robin Wright and Sylvia Hoeks, are also amazing as well as everyone else in the movie. Dave Bautista also makes an appearance and he is just as amazing as everyone else, so the acting is a major positive.

If someone were to tell you that ‘Blade Runner 2049’ was an ugly and cheap looking movie, they would be lying or just stupid as this is one of the most beautiful movies ever made. The cinematography from the master of the art, Roger Deakins, is so grand that it may be a lot for someone to take in on first viewing. The colour palette, lighting and the setting are all just so beautiful that it makes ‘Blade Runner 2049’ a masterpiece in the visual category alone.

‘Blade Runner 2049’ has also improved upon the original with an even better story (one I can’t go into as it would ruin the twists and turns throughout), an expansion of the ‘Blade Runner’ world, even more interesting characters and goes even further into the question of “what really makes us human?”

I could go on forever talking about the technical aspects of ‘Blade Runner 2049’ but I feel like that may bore some readers so I’ll just simplify it by saying you MUST see this on the biggest screen near you with the best sound system as it will transport you into this haunting yet beautiful world.

The soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch is orgasmic. The score does include a very familiar piece from the original, which gave me chills when it played, but the original music is so good that it brought a tear to my eye several times throughout.

I should also state that this is an almost three-hour-long movie but it feels shorter than that. I know a lot of you find a movie with a run-time this long quite daunting but trust me, it’s worth it!

I’m trying to find a single fault with ‘Blade Runner 2049’ but I can’t seem to find one. To put it plainly as a fan of cinema in general, this is a perfect movie.

Overall, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ managed to exceed my high expectations. With brilliant acting, even better characters, beautiful cinematography, amazing direction, great special effects and a soundtrack that gave me chills throughout, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is easily one of the best movies to come out in recent memory and one of the greatest sequels of all time!

Rating: 5/5