Blade Runner 2049 (2017)


Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Harrison Ford
Runtime: 164 minutes

Synopsis: Young Blade Runner "K"'s (Ryan Gosling's) discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who's been missing for thirty years.

Performances: 10/10
Screenplay: 10/10
Editing: 9/10
Cinematography: 10/10
Score/Soundtrack: 10/10

Verdict: "Blade Runner 2049" is much more than just a science-fiction flick or sequel to a movie regarded as ahead of its time. It's a landmark in filmmaking, a masterpiece that will be talked about and analyzed for decades to come.
It's by far Villeneuve's most impressive work to date, a film no other director could've pulled off in the same way that he did. Not Scott, not Nolan, and not Spielberg would've been able to replicate (wink wink) the genius behind what was unfortunately considered a box office disappointment, a crime if there ever was one. Deakins' cinematography coupled with Zimmer's score is the stuff of which dreams are made of, essentially giving life to a world that has long been dead. The universe built by Villeneuve down to the last detail is nothing short of hypnotizing, and every single character perfectly fit within it. Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and even Harrison Ford, who it seems has long given up on large scale movies such as this one, all perfectly understood what the purpose of their characters was, and were able to show every layer that constitutes them without having to say much. But what truly makes "Blade Runner 2049" a phenomenon is its script, used to tackle deep philosophical dilemmas that will keep your brain running long after the credits start rolling. The last time a science-fiction movie felt so human was in 1982, with the release of its predecessor, which I obviously recommend watching if you still haven't, but isn't necessary to understand what's happening in the sequel.
"What makes us human?", "what defines a human soul?", are only some of the existential questions that serve as the foundation of Villeneuve's chef d'oeuvre. "Blade Runner 2049" is a mesmerizing work of art from start to finish, and easily and without a doubt not only one of the best sci-fis ever made, but plain and simple one of the best movies ever made.

FINAL GRADE: 10/10

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