Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

 

It might not have seemed like a good idea at first: creating a sequel to one of the most beloved and quintessential science fiction-films of all time. But this is one of those projects done out of love for the material and you can hardly say it was rushed, being literally done 30 years since the original, with a script honed to near perfection. 

Not only that, but getting Denis Villeneuve to direct, is just a win for anything involving heady sci-fi. Check his 'Arrival', for example. 

So, this is now set in 2049, as the title suggests. There are new models of Replicants and our main character is K, himself a Replicant who hunts older models in order to 'retire' them. Yes, that idea is a little obscene, but this entire society is pretty disturbed as well. K does his job without remorse, but when he returns to his apartment, he engages in conversation with his home system companion Joy, almost as if he wants a more normal life. She also grows more fond of him, which is strange considering she is literally an app, but whereas the first film already touched upon what it is that makes something human, this one goes a step further. Now it even raises the question if an AI can become more alive. Nice touch.

K discovers that there was a Replicant that gave birth roughly 30 years ago. So the plot thickens, as he is instructed to find this child and kill it at all costs, because if the world realized that Replicants can also have babies, this will shatter the slave labour humans have grown so accustomed to. The newer Replicants already live about as long as 'regular' humans, so you can understand why humans get a little twitchy about this. Of course, the remains of the woman they found, were those of Rachael from the first film. 

All this makes K question his actions and even more so: he starts to think that he might be the child everyone is after, including the new owner of the Tyrell Corporation, Niander Wallace. He is desperately trying to recreate Replicants that can procreate, but he keeps on failing. Eldon Tyrell apparently took that secret with him to his grave. Wallace sets his own Replicant Luv on K, because he thinks that K will find the secret.

Oh, K finds a lot of things, trust me. 

But everything else wil be for those that watch this film, because otherwise a lot will be spoiled and that would be a massive shame.

On first viewing, you might not think this is a worthy successor to the original, but it is. It might just take repeated viewings, as this film is fairly slow and a little hard to get into at first. But it grows on you and the more nuances and details you notice, the better it gets. Villeneuve has done his utmost best to keep the spirit of the original intact and you can feel this in everything: the sets, the music, the lighting, the colours... This is one gorgeous looking film. Not only that, but every single actor here is on the top of their game. Ryan Gosling is excellent as K, who becomes more emotional as the film progresses. This is starkly contrasted with Luv, who truly acts like an emotionless robot until almost the end where she loses her shit at one point. Of course, Harrison Ford comes back for a low key performance that fits his character of yore. 

No that is not a spoiler: the man is on the filmposter, for goodness' sake.

And yes, even though I can't always stand the man: Jared Leto is great as the eccentric Niander Wallace. Here, his creepfactor works and he plays it fairly understated, which fits a lot better than his completely over-the-top and annoying-as-fudge turn as the Joker in 'Suicide Squad'. 

Chances are this one will need to grow on you. It has a lot of interesting ideas and plays out more as a detective mystery than anything else, but everything connects, makes sense ànd leads up to revelations that - although not truly shocking - feel like a major turning point for everything and everyone. 

Did I mention this one looks and sounds gorgeous? 

I highly recommend it, doubly so if you have seen and like the original. There are quite a lot of references here, and it will make the experience easier to follow. But in the end, this is one damn fine film.