Blade Runner 2049 Review

Blade Runner 2049 is a film directed by Denis Villeneuve. I had watched the 1982 film in January and remember loving the film. It was a different kind of sci-fi film that I had seen. Watching the teasers and the trailers also excited me a lot but I had a certain fear for this version. But all of that went away as the first shot came in.

Plot: In 2049, LAPD Blade Runner K discovers some truths regarding replicants that lead him to Rick Deckard.

Story and direction: The fear I had that this film would commercialize every thing that made the 1982 film so distinct was all removed as I saw the opening shot of this film. This film is dark and not pleasant in any way. The production design was so authentic. I could go on with that. The VFX for this film were so seamless. I felt so associated with the characters of this film. Normally for an R rated film which involves quite a lot of violence the blood is normally CG-ed which takes off your experience. But this film didn't do that considering it had quite a budget for it ($150 million).Camera Work is top notch. All the scenes are filmed with so much perfection that it was difficult to differentiate whether it was filmed on set or natural environment. The score - Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch - deserve a clap from my side. To integrate Vangelis' wonderful score of the film that was famous in 1982 along with an existing modern score is not an easy task. And finally, the story. Bringing Hampton Fancher (the original writer) along with Micheal Green (Logan) was a great job done. The themes that are dealt in this film are very rich and deep. Many people would be having the issue of connecting with the film being 163 minutes long. But the story was so much engrossing that I couldn't take off my eyes from the screen for a minute. Denis Villeneuve has assembled such a talented crew, so how it's possible that this film will not be top notch!!!! I happen to watch this film in 3D (my first R Rated film in this format). And it was an other worldly experience for me. The fault for this film is very minute for me, Harrison Ford. I hated the amount of screen time he got for this film. If you put a person on a poster, put him for the right amount in the film too!!!!!! Performances: Ryan Gosling stealed the show for me. His performance as K, was fabulous. I could get associated with his character in the film. Harrison Ford shined through his role considering the screen time he got. Jared Leto was quite the character. His eyes (the white contact lenses) got me chills. Ana De Armas was also good as Joi. Robin Wright was also great as the Lieutenant. Sylvia Hoeks was ruthless in her role and carried it effortlessly. It was good to see Edward James Olmos too. A special mention to Dave Bautista. I saw him for the first time in that kind of role and I was impressed.

Favorite Scene: I guess the scene where Deckard hits K in a dance bar that's fully vacant and stops suddenly saying that the Elvis Presley song that is playing is favorite. We too have a Elvis Presley hologram. This scene got many laughs from my side. And was a standout because it was the only of the few comic scenes in the entire film that was dark.

Verdict: If you loved Blade Runner and you love the sci-fi genre, this film is a must watch. This film goes out to prove that having right ingredients makes the film a masterpiece. It's very sad to see an audience not going to such a film (considering the box office results).

I am going to go with a 9.5/10.