Review: Bladerunner 2049

If you'd asked most fans (including myself) about this movie a year or two ago, the response would likely have been something like this is sequel no-one was expecting or really wanted - especially as the most recent cuts of Blade Runner have only added to the ambiguity about the nature and fate of the principal characters.

But Bladerunner 2049, turns out to be a good pastiche of the original. It even manages to carry the original's flaws and strengths for the most part.  Despite other glowing reviews in this regard, visually it's not as striking as its predecessor. The pace is now bordering on indulgent.  The soundtrack has nice callbacks to Vangelis' - and they remain the standout elements.  The plot is still fairly weak for the running time, although better than the original's.

All of this sounds like I didn't enjoy it very much, but I did.  The deftness of re-exploring and updating the old themes on the nature of what it means to be human, and unboxing/reboxing regarding the nature of individual characters while maintaining the mystery was very welcome.

Thematically, I felt it could have gone further on whether self-determination really exists as Homo Deus debates, or the moral implications of AI as per Superintelligence.

There is a CGI human which is another step forward (from Rogue One's Cushing & Fisher) in terms of climbing out of the uncanny valley - and my view, it is about 95% of the way there. The eye mapping feels slightly off, but this technology is rapidly advancing to the point where you can criticise the acting rather than the CGI.

Overall, it  does a similar job as The Force Awakens in that it revisits/renews/reimagines old themes as well as providing a decent sequel or even a jumping off point for further extending the franchise.

Verdict: Effective updating of classic.