ReviewFilm review: Blade Runner 2049 – neo-noir sci-fi masterpiece from Denis Villeneuve
Starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, and with stunning visuals and a respect for the spirit of the original film, Villeneuve has pulled off an amazing feat with this sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic
4.5/5 stars
It’s been 35 years since Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner changed science fiction filmmaking forever. So all credit to Denis Villeneuve for having the sheer brazen courage to take on this belated sequel.
Before the media screening attended by this writer, a note from the French-Canadian director was read out asking if reviewers would keep the plot from being discussed in anything written. In the spirit of trying to preserve the experience of discovering the secrets of this bold, striking film, it’s a fair request.
What can be said is that Ryan Gosling plays Officer K, a “blade runner” who is employed to “retire” Nexus-8 replicants, the bioengineered humanoids that went rogue in the 1982 film.
A tight-lipped Gosling uncovers a 30-year old mystery that takes him on a journey of self-discovery that will lead him to Rick Deckard (an agreeably grizzled Harrison Ford), the first film’s blade runner, who has been missing for the past three decades.
The labyrinthine and spoiler-filled plot is liable to raise as many questions as it answers. Thankfully, Villeneuve and his writers have kept slavishly to the spirit of the original.