“Blade Runner 2049” is two hours and 43 minutes long. To all those who rolled their eyes when they heard that: rest assured, not a moment is wasted.
Every frame in the film is a painting. Between the silent orange of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, the eerie yellow of the replicant manufacturer’s headquarters and the electric rainbow that is 2049 Los Angeles, director Denis Villeneuve has created a truly beautiful world in “Blade Runner 2049.”
Many sci-fi films can feel somewhat generic, but the world created in the film looks very different from other films.
The soundtrack was an excellent addition to the film, as well. While similar to that of the original "Blade Runner," it had a unique sound and feel to it. Poignant and futuristic, it was the perfect backdrop to go with a pretty darn good backdrop.
In addition to a gorgeous aesthetic, “Blade Runner 2049” has an engrossing plot. It works well both as a sequel and as a stand-alone work of art.
Agent K (Ryan Gosling), the protagonist of the film, is a type of synthetic human known as a replicant. His job as a blade runner, ironically, is to seek out rebellious or disobedient replicants and kill them. He dates what is basically a designer girlfriend — she is a disturbingly real hologram living in his apartment with him.
Amidst all of this, the film is packed with enough puzzling over what it means to be human that seeing it should merit an honorary degree in philosophy.
All is relatively well in the life of Agent K, until at the site of one of his kills, the bones of a replicant who was evidently pregnant are found. Because this was previously thought to be impossible and the news would likely cause a war between humans and replicants, Agent K is tasked with finding and killing the child of the woman whose remains were found.
Over the course of the film, the lines between humans and replicants become ever more blurred, and sinister forces begin closing in all around Agent K. The movie will leave fans thrilled after the exhilarating ride.
