Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner is a cautious topic of discussion.

Throughout the years, we've received nothing but cloudy subjects to converse about when it comes to this series. The director of the original, Ridley Scott, seems to be feeding off of our collective confusion and insanity because of all of it. Alas, at least we can thank Denis Villeneuve for wanting to give us something that answers some of these questions, something that expands upon the universe that's about as cloudy as the weather in LA. 

When Villeneuve was announced to take on the helm of Blade Runner's long-awaited sequel, I was ecstatic. Last year, I was stunned by the visual beauty that was Arrival, Villeneuve's last film, a gorgeous picture about aliens coming to Earth which turned into a metaphor about humanity itself. Villeneuve knows how to move an audience through everything from an action flick, to a thriller, to something like this, and he knows how to make it beautiful at the same time. So fuck yeah, you couldn't think of a better choice for Blade Runner. 

To break it down, Blade Runner 2049 is exactly the type of film you expect it to be. You expect it to expand upon the original, to open up new possibilities and to check up on the characters we love so much without suffering from heavy sequel-itis. It's gorgeous, filled with epic cityscapes and gorgeous coloring and fills your ears with heavy cyberpunk techno noise that you'd expect from such a world.

New characters are much loved and grow upon you. The new hero, K (Ryan Gosling) fills your heart with the same aura of mystery and semi-badassery that Deckard had in the original. Speaking of old Deckard, Harrison Ford is still, and will always be, amazing, even when he doesn't give a shit (thankfully in this film, he does). Even some of the side characters manage to make the audience feel for them, whether they're a main character or in for a few minutes.

Long story short, Blade Runner 2049 is a gorgeous film. The best film of the year by far, and I doubt it could be overthrown. It's a visual feat for the eyes and the ears and something that can even make your brain pulse with all sorts of theories and possibilities, and a large sense of wonder and a semi-want for this type of world to be a reality. It's the perfect sequel for the original, and it's gonna get a bold 9.7/10. 

P.S. Thank you all so much for reading my shit like you do and thank you for bearing with me as I keep trying to kickstart this thing and keep it going. It's about to get spicy as we enter the Oscar-bait season, so stay tuned.