Blade Runner 2049 Review - Worth the Hype

The original Blade Runner was released in 1982 to a rather tepid reception. Despite being directed by Ridley Scott off the back of his 1979 sci-fi/horror classic Alien and starring Harrison Ford of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame, the chilling tech-noir based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was a critical and commercial disappointment.

However, since its theatrical release, Blade Runner has had a multitude of recuts that eventually fulfilled Scott’s original vision and raised its status from middling flop to cult masterpiece. Of course, Hollywood smelt Blade Runner's popularity and naturally responded with a sequel. Bizarrely, unlike many sequels to beloved classics, Blade Runner 2049 isn’t just a cynical cash grab - it’s actually good.

In fact, it’s absolutely spellbinding. Denis Villeneuve, director of 2015’s slick thriller Sicario and 2016’s fascinating sci-fi mind-bender Arrival helms Blade Runner 2049. Reducing Ridley Scott‘s role to executive producer was an astute decision, preventing the film from suffering the same fate as the now struggling Alien franchise and allowing Villeneuve to carve a fresh identity for the sequel. However, he wisely maintains many of the original’s best qualities. Thanks to Joe Walker’s purposeful editing, the original's gradual pace is still present, allowing the audience to really immerse themselves in the film’s atmosphere.

And what an atmosphere that is. Cinematography mastermind Roger Deakins shoots mesmerizing dystopian landscapes - ranging from cluttered, neon cities to crumbling, barren wastelands - with surreal flair. Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch’s brutally industrial and aggressively distorted score is intensely overwhelming. This haunting future is then brought to life through the cast's pitch-perfect performances. Ryan Gosling brings an engaging complexity to the lead role, Sylvia Hoeks is a ruthless antagonist and Jared Leto puts his infamously weird style to good use (more than making up for Suicide Squad).

Original writer Hampton Fancher returns to pen the screenplay. Fancher and co-writer Michael Green craft a gripping neo-noir plot that shrewdly plays with the audience’s expectations, subverts worn-out tropes and poses vast existential questions. There’s also a constant emotional potency channelled authentically by the cast and satisfied deftly by the narrative. In particular, Harrison Ford reprises his role of Rick Deckard in an older, wearier guise that respectfully continues and deeply enriches his character arc.

In other words, Blade Runner 2049 is an unexpected triumph that lives up to the original whilst standing on its own as a breath-taking cinematic achievement.

9.7/10

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