Blade Runner 2049 (****1/2)

I think the reason I never could appreciate the original BLADE RUNNER (1982) was the simple fact that, despite its slow pace, there were few characters I actually rooted for. A movie can be long and "boring," but without sympathetic characters driving an actual plot, it's all for nothing. I knew BLADE RUNNER 2049 was going to be different right away, and I am beyond thrilled by the result, a movie that might eventually become regarded as better than the original. That rare sequel that improves on its predecessor.

We have many people to thank here, mainly our director, Denis Villeneuve. He has helmed great films (including last year's Arrival and my perennial favorite Sicario) and continues to make great leaps with consistently strong films and one of the sharpest eyes in all of Hollywood. Gathered around him is a solid team of writers, actors, composers, and the like. We feel the passion in this film and we can plainly see that everyone is giving it their best. 2049 may not be his best film, but Villeneuve has a track record that is intimidating to say the least.

Our story picks up several years after the original Blade Runner (which edit or version, I'm still not sure). Replicants are still being hunted, although the future economy has suffered a "blackout" in which large numbers of replicants died and data was lost. There is a brewing revolution that seems to be happening: the want for replicants to be identified as a unique species. They've made great leaps, afterall. Take Agent "K"(Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner who also happens to be a robot, himself. What a twist! Where the new prototypes have failsafe programming that allows them to be more human, they are still essential in hunting down the older generations who managed to slip away.

The movie is many things, but it is at its core a movie about identity. It's a modern-day Pinocchio in which we dabble with ideas of humanity, creation, and the definition of a soul. Times have changed in Los Angeles since the first film, but the mood is just as dreary and grim. K lives a solitary life in a tiny apartment, reporting to the police station with duty and yet is harassed by neighbors and other cops who have yet to accept a replicant as a fellow member of society. K pays little attention. His time is occupied with a hologram named Joi (Ana de Armas), a long-term girlfriend who lacks the ability to take solid form.

Like the original, we have a mystery. While hunting down a replicant at the start of the film, K finds a buried box in which a woman's remains are found. She died in childbirth, but that's not all. Without spoilers, the plot sees K working to find out this woman's identity and the whereabouts of her child. This child could very well change their society (for better or worse). Amidst the blackout, it is hard to find old birth records and the like, but K hears whispers of an ex-blade runner named Deckard, a cop whose whereabouts are now unknown...

The film is a marvel strictly on a technical level. I will be the first to admit that as gripping as this film is (during the entire 3-hour run time I sat in total attention) I found a large section of exposition to be utterly baffling. We meet Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), the founder of the company that creates replicants. He is simultaneously a villain and an enigma. We never understand his motives (and is he a robot, himself?). He speaks in long passages that sound good on paper but ultimately contribute little to the plot. He is balanced perfectly by a sidekick (Sylvia Hoeks), a terrifyingly-lethal replicant who is tasked with carrying out various hits and murders. The movie succeeds despite its cryptic feel, and I suspect multiple viewings might help with story clarity.

So much of the film's success is its nostalgia regarding the original. We have a Hans Zimmer score that echoes the synth-vibe or that classic work by Vangelis. The epic and dirty cityscape is just as we remember, and the flying cars have logically advanced a bit in the 30-years since we last saw them. Even the cinematography by the great Roger Deakins works at capturing that dreary, harsh feel we recall from the original. There are several moments of such inventiveness with the camerawork that you can't help but be amazed. The film is at times filmed in pitch dark, with only the slightest silhouette of a face to offer clarity. The soundtrack is brooding and epic. The costumes are iconic. And even yet there are two scenes that will knock your socks off: one in which K and his girlfriend make love (you will know when you see it. Never have I seen such a hypnotic or technically-brilliant section of filmmaking), and another in which Jared Leto and Harrison Ford have a quiet conversation underneath a shifting yellow light. Wow.

I would recommend 2049 to all lovers of film, and that includes those that had a dislike for the original. After all, I am in that company. What works in this latest installment is all the same fantastic elements from Ridley Scott's version I would argue that they are only improved upon. This is a movie you can watch on mute and marvel at the sheer beauty. You can also turn the volume up to high to hear an extremely sophisticated sound mix that captures the illusion of the future. Or listen to Harrison Ford's lines, delivered with as much heart and passion as the actor has ever given on screen. My point here is this: no matter what aspect you look at, this movie has it all.