Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Review

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Story Writer: Hampton Fancher

Screenwriters: Hampton Fancher and Michael Green

Producers: Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Bud Yorkin, and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto

Composer: Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch

Cinematographer: Roger Deakins

Editor: Joe Walker

Production Company: Columbia Pictures and Alcon Entertainment

Part I: Introduction

I was pretty interested to see how Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to a classic sci-fi neo-noir film. Denis Villeneuve is directing it. Roger Deakins is the DoP. Hans Zimmer is composing the score. Joe Walker is the editor. And you have big name actors working in this film too. Pretty much, the industry's best filmmakers have teamed up to make this movie and did the work of these great filmmakers make a great film?

Yes. Blade Runner 2049 is awesome. 

Part II: Plot Synopsis

Now, I know this movie has been out for a little while now and I'm sorry for being late. But, to those who haven't seen it yet, when it comes to plot, I want you guys to go into this film knowing as little as possible. There are a lot things that happen that if I tell you what happens, it will possibly ruin the movie for you. All you need to know is that this guy named K played by Ryan Gosling is trying to solve a case where a replicant, bioengeineered humans, was pregnant. 

Part III: Direction & Style

Direction
Denis Villenueve's visual and overall direction here is spectacular. He continues to prove himself to be one of the best directors working in the industry today and he does a good job to not only stay true to the original Blade Runner's presentation but also improve upon it and add a modern touch to it.

Style
Like the original, this is also a neo-noir film. And if you know me, I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to neo-noir or noir films in general. I love those types of movies because it gives opportunities to give characters a lot of depth, which we'll talk about later in character composition.

Part IV: Visual Presentation

Cinematography & Framing
This was a no-brainer. This is Roger Deakins we're talking about. The man is one of the best, if not the best cinematographer in the world. The man knows how to manipulate lighting and frame composition to make an interesting image and also use that imagery to enhance the visual storytelling. A thing I really like about his cinematography techniques here is that he doesn't just show a bunch of eyecandy. No, he uses the visuals as a medium for storytelling which is what cinematography should be used for and I love it. This film is be best looking in the year by far. The lighting is superb. Use of contrast in shadows and lights is amazing, vivid and colorful environments. The visuals alone make this movie great.

Camerawork
Camerawork is perfect as well. Action sequences were pretty good as well.

Acting
The acting is very well done. Ryan Gosling gives a stellar performance as K and Harrison Ford, returning as Deckard, gives probably one of his best performances in recent memory. Actors in supporting roles such as Jared Leto and Dave Bautista also give solid performances.

Editing
Joe Walker does a great job editing. I didn't think there was a single scene in the film that felt unnecessary, even though this is a nearly 3-hour long film. The film is long, but the film still maintains its focus and intensity throughout its entire runtime.

Visual Effects
The visual effects are probably some of the best I've seen this year and this is the same year where we also saw War of the Planet of the Apes. CGI just keeps getting better and better and I don't know how they do it. I'm not going to spoil it but there is some scenes of this holographic AI and the way they used her is pretty cool. Admittedly, it does kinda feel like they're just showing off their CGI technology, but it is nice and didn't detract from the movie at all.

Part V: Sound Design and Musical Composition

Sound Design 

Sound design is pretty well done. I recommend going to an IMAX theater with big speakers because the way the sound and parts of the score is designed is that it's really bass heavy and the theater I went to didn't have good enough speakers to fully support that bass. So, what happens is that the bass comes in and you can hear unnatural rumbling from the speakers. Other than that, the sound design is really good.

Score

I really like the score here and I think it really added to the film. Hans Zimmer, yet again, composed a wonderful score along with Benjamin Wallfisch.

Part VI: Screenwriting & Character Composition

Script & Screenwriting

The script was what I was most worried about going into the film. I was worried that the story or the screenplay wasn't going to be on par with its visual presentation. I'm glad to say that the story is pretty much just as good as how it looks. I can't spoil anything or give really any details, but what I can say is that I liked its story and the themes of dreams, the blurred lines of being a synthetic and being human, of course some God imagery, dystopia. It's some really good stuff. This is one of those movies where you can watch again and again and can still find something new to observe. 

Character Composition

The characters, in my opinion, were pretty decent. They're probably not going to be very memorable characters, but the character composition here is good enough. And you know this movie is good when the character composition is the weakest aspect of the movie and I still can hardly find any problem with the character composition. 

Pacing

Now, here is where some people may be turned off. The pacing is still really good here. The pacing is not bad here at all. I'm talking about the film's runtime. Yes, the film is long. But, in my opinion, the film is so good that I can tolerate its long runtime. Others may not be. I heard some people in my theater bored out of their mind. They were yawning. The pacing, in of itself, is good. And I'm surprised that the film was able to maintain focus for that long because usually long films like these drag at a certain point but this film didn't drag for me. 

Part VII: Verdict & Conclusion

This film is pretty much a technical masterpiece. This is the reason why I love movies. It tells stories and it conveys imagery to support storytelling. But, I think many may not be interested in it because, I'll be honest, this is not a Marvel movie. This isn't your typical AAA blockbuster film with tons of explosions every 5 seconds to keep your attention. Not much action happens in the film, or at least not as much as that type of viewer would think. If you're going into this movie looking for action and explosions, you're not going to get that here. But, if you're looking for a little bit more than that, this is the movie that is a must-see,

Score: A+