'Blade Runner 2049' Is 'Worth the 35-Year Wait,' Plus 6 More Raves

More than three decades after the original film, “Blade Runner 2049” is finally hitting theaters. And critics agree it was well worth the wait.

“Every minute of this mesmerizing mindbender is a visual feast to gorge on,” wrote Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers. Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt agreed, calling it a “ravishing visual feast.”

“Even when its emotions risk running as cool as its palette, ‘2049’ reaches for, and finds, something remarkable: the elevation of mainstream moviemaking to high art,” she added in her review.

Also Read: 'Blade Runner 2049' Review: Ryan Gosling Keeps the Dream of Electric Sheep Alive

While others called it 2017’s best, ScreenCrush’s Matt Singer added it “looks like someone dared director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins to make the most visually spectacular science-fiction film of the century — and then they actually did it.”

TheWrap’s Alonso Duralde said Villeneuve crafted “many moments of breathless tension… Here’s hoping modern audiences take to the new ‘Blade Runner’ with more enthusiasm than they did in 1982, because this sequel proves that this world merits repeat visits.”

“Blade Runner 2049” takes place thirty years after the events of the first film. A new Blade Runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

Denis Villeneuve directed the film that also stars Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Dave Bautista and Ana de Armas.

It has a glowing 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes so far. Sample seven of the most rapturous reviews here:

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:

“Every minute of this mesmerizing mindbender is a visual feast to gorge on … When K and Deckard finally meet – Gosling and Ford are double dynamite together – the film takes on a resonance that is both tragic and hopeful. It turns out that the theme of what it means to be human hasn’t lost its punch, certainly not in a Trumpian era when demands are made on dreamers to prove their human worth. ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ on its own march to screen legend, delivers answers – and just as many new questions meant to tantalize, provoke and keep us up nights. Would you have it any other way?”

Also Read: Which Version of 'Blade Runner' Should You See Before Watching the Sequel?

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune:

“The film’s an honorable, reasonably grown-up continuation of Scott’s futuristic noir vision of 2019 Los Angeles and the world of author Philip K. Dick’s source material, the short story ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ Director Denis Villeneuve’s brooding, methodical sequel challenges audiences to take their collective time, two hours and 44 minutes of it, and marinate in the images while Ryan Gosling‘s LAPD officer stares down his latest adversary, or stares into his latest existential riddle.”

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly:

“Villeneuve, one of the few filmmakers working today for whom the word auteur doesn’t sound like an unearned affectation, may have fallen a little too in love with his own creation; at two hours and 40 minutes, aesthetic shock and awe eventually outpace the narrative. But how could he not, when nearly every impeccably composed shot — a surreal six-handed love scene; a shimmering hologram of Elvis, hip-swiveling into eternity; a ‘newborn’ replicant, slick with amniotic goo — feels like such a ravishing visual feast? Even when its emotions risk running as cool as its palette, ‘2049’ reaches for, and finds, something remarkable: the elevation of mainstream moviemaking to high art.”

Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice:

“‘Blade Runner 2049’ is filled with mind-blowing images, with cinematographer Roger Deakins and production designer Dennis Gassner giving us frame after frame of impossible, forbidding beauty: Overhead shots of a gray, cluttered Los Angeles skyline, with brief, mysterious glimmers of those iconic neon screens below; desolate, dust-blasted orange wastelands; abandoned cities stacked with ornate, neoclassical ruins; even, yes, snow. The first ‘Blade Runner’ was shot by the late Jordan Cronenweth, who found moments of crystalline precision within the grime and the clutter; its world was visually striking, but also somewhat monotone. Deakins, Villeneuve, and team have to stay true to the feel of that classic – the original is too beloved for them to dare reinvent it – and yet still give us something new and exceptional. They have achieved all that, and more.”

Scott Collura, IGN Movies:

“It’s a huge relief to see that Villeneuve and his team are well aware of what the original film was about and show enormous respect for it. Instead, 2049 plays off of the themes, plot, and characters of the 1982 movie without cannibalizing it or negating or retroactively ruining any of those elements. Rather, it organically expands and grows what came before. It’s a deep, rich, smart film that’s visually awesome and full of great sci-fi concepts, and one that was well worth the 35-year wait.”

Also Read: 'Blade Runner 2049' Director Denis Villeneuve in Early Talks for 'Cleopatra'

Dan Jolin, Empire Magazine:

“As bold as the original Blade Runner and even more beautiful (especially if you see it in IMAX). Visually immaculate, swirling with themes as heart-rending as they are mind-twisting, 2049 is, without doubt, a good year. And one of 2017’s best.”

Matt Singer, Screen Crush:

“My God, what a beautiful movie this is. ‘Blade Runner 2049’ looks like someone dared director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins to make the most visually spectacular science-fiction film of the century — and then they actually did it. You could watch this movie with no sound (something I don’t advocate you do, because the dialogue, music, and sound design are all incredible too) and still enjoy each of the film’s 163 minutes. Every frame here tells a story.”

'Blade Runner 2049': Everything We Learned From the New Trailer (Photos)

Fox’s newly-released “Blade Runner 2049” trailer is out, and while it looks gorgeous, it doesn’t tell us much about the upcoming film. Here’s what we think can be gleaned from the clues and callbacks to the original 1982 film. Warning: Spoilers!
Warner Bros.
Tyrell Corp. is still at it
The trailer opens with a look at the pyramid that serves as headquarters for the Tyrell Corporation — also known as the company that makes Replicants. In the “Blade Runner” universe, Replicants are robots used to do tough jobs like create colonies on other planets or even fight battles. Replicants are outlawed on Earth, which is why special cops known as Blade Runners hunt them down to “retire” them.
Warner Bros.
Atari means alternate timeline
It's pretty obvious that "Blade Runner" doesn't take place in exactly our universe, but this giant Atari ad is a good reminder. Atari was a big gaming company in the late '70s to early '80s, but has since shrunken significantly.
Warner Bros.
Tyrell is going strong
Replicants are still good business, it seems. In a scene that appears to, ah, replicate the start of the investigation in "Blade Runner," Ryan Gosling's "Officer K" seems to be heading to Tyrell to gather information.
Warner Bros.
Jared Leto is some kind of bad guy
It seems the guy still making androids at Tyrell is Jared Leto, who gives some creepy monologue lines throughout the trailer. He appears to be pulling strings and creating conflict throughout the story.
Warner Bros.
How are Replicants are made?
We've never gotten much information about how Replicants work or how they're made. Dialogue in "Blade Runner" suggests they're sort of biologically engineered, somewhat-programmable creatures. They seem to bleed and eventually die, usually after only a few years.
Warner Bros.
Happy Inception Date
It's hard to say exactly who is being born here in the trailer, since there's never a good look at her non-goo-covered face. It could be Carla Juri, who's character hasn't been revealed yet.
Warner Bros.
The LAPD looks huge
Harking back to the Los Angeles Police Department building of "Blade Runner," this shot of a massive flat LAPD headquarters suggests the organization is enormous.
Warner Bros.
Robin Wright is Officer K's LAPD captain
Seems like an easy guess. She's seen presumably talking about the need to maintain order by retiring Replicants through a rainy window, with Officer K in the background.
Warner Bros.
A possible alternate take on the Cold War
The novel by Philip K. Dick on which “Blade Runner” is based imagines a post-nuclear war world, one in which nuclear fallout is a fact of weather and everyone wears lead-lined jackets to keep from mutating. It’s also a future imagined from the midst of the Cold War. Things like history and geopolitics don't get mentioned much in the original film, but this ad could be a hint that in this version of 2049, the Soviet Union still exists, at least as suggested by advertising in the trailer.
Warner Bros.
A relationship with a Replicant?
From concept art, we know this shot takes place on Officer K's apartment building's roof, where shares a seemingly romantic moment with Joi, played by de Armas. She shows up at several other points in the trailer, leaving her status as human or Replicant at least partially up in the air.
Warner Bros.
A ruined Las Vegas?
The prevailing theory (which seems backed up by the trailer) is that Officer K tracks "Blade Runner" protagonist Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) to a hideaway in a desert city that's probably Las Vegas. The city is notably destroyed, possibly by the aforementioned nuclear war the original seemed to hint at.
Warner Bros.
Deckard in hiding
What's very obvious from this shot as K enters the hotel is that its occupant is expecting trouble. Officer K stepping carefully over a tripwire suggests a lot about what has been going on with Deckard since he left Los Angeles with the Replicant Rachael (Sean Young) 30 years earlier.
Warner Bros.
Rick Deckard is back
Of course, Deckard leading his meeting with Officer K with a gun is also a good indicator that he's hiding out from the authorities, nefarious forces -- or both.
Warner Bros.
Everyone wants Deckard
It's tough to parse too much from the clips of action at the hotel, but it does suggest that K has been followed by bad guys -- maybe Leto's goons. And we see someone bust through a wall to take down Deckard. It's hard to tell in the fast-moving image, but it sure does look like the man plowing through a wall is, in fact, Officer K. It's not the only suggestion that Ryan Gosling is playing a Replicant, either.
Warner Bros.
Who is Mackenzie Davis?
It's not clear yet who Mackenzie Davis' character is, but given her outfit and determination, she comes off like another Replicant -- possibly one of a group K is tasked with retiring earlier in the film. Her outfit calls back clothes worn by Replicants Pris (Daryl Hannah) and Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) in "Blade Runner."
Warner Bros.
Finding Rachael's grave
This section, shot in snow with K and Deckard, looks to have some revelatory significance. The series of numbers -- 6-10-21 -- suggests a date of June 10, 2021. That'd be two years after "Blade Runner" takes place in 2019, which makes it a good bet this is where Deckard buried Rachael (Sean Young) after her Replicant lifespan ran out. The surrounding shots suggest this information might have some serious significance for K as well. Maybe because his memories are actually Deckard's, much the way Rachael's memories were those of Eldon Tyrell's niece? Just a guess.
Warner Bros.
Sylvia Hoeks is hunting Deckard
Seemingly dispatched by Leto, it seems clear that Hoeks is the antagonist who'll be giving Officer K the most grief in "Blade Runner 2049." She definitely comes off as a Replicant, as well.
Warner Bros.
Dave Bautista is definitely a Replicant
Immediately after the first shot of Bautista in the movie, he's tossing Officer K through a wall. Super strength is a well-known Replicant quality, leaving little doubt.
Warner Bros.
Joi as a hologram
Joi appears repeatedly in the trailer as both a human and, seemingly a holographic ad. That seems like pretty good evidence that she's actually a Replicant, or one of many copies, although it's possible posing for hologram ads is just her job.
Warner Bros.
A lot is going on at this nightclub
Several shots from the trailer appear to be set here. They include K and Deckard together, where it seems like Deckard throws a punch at K, as well as some suggestion that the performer on stage is one of K's Replicant targets -- at the very least, a shot of a knife suggest violence is about to ensue. Expect some kind of throw-down.
Warner Bros.
Deckard captured
At some point or another, it looks like Hoeks manages to snag Deckard -- he appears to be handcuffed in her car here. That suggests Leto is after Deckard for some reason. That Tyrell Corp. is hunting an old ex-Blade Runner might lend credence to ambiguous suggestion from the original film: Rick Deckard is a Replicant. Although, he'd have to be a special one with no limit on his lifespan, which might be why he's being hunted in the first place.
Warner Bros.
No idea what's going on here ...
... but this apparently holographic room sure does look cool. That appears to be Officer K in the background, but it's hard to glean any other info from this shot.
Warner Bros.
More Joi advertising
With Joi's name appearing in this ad, a theory starts to take shape: Maybe by 2049, Replicants aren't banned on Earth, and business is booming. Joi may well be a commercially available Replicant model that anyone can purchase -- with all the creepy connotations that go with that.
Warner Bros.
One page left
The final shots of the trailer land in rapid succession. We see Officer K visibly angry, more shots of gunfights and an additional look at the attack on Deckard's hotel. The trailer closes with dialogue from Joi, telling K he's special -- and that his story isn't over yet, with one page left to be written. The closing shot of the book with pages torn out seems to give some clues about Officer K. If he's a Replicant with replaced memories, then his history isn't his own -- perhaps indicated by the book missing pages. And "one page left" in his story could well mean he's approaching his Replicant death.
Warner Bros.

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Clues, callbacks, and a little speculation on ”Blade Runner 2049“

Fox’s newly-released “Blade Runner 2049” trailer is out, and while it looks gorgeous, it doesn’t tell us much about the upcoming film. Here’s what we think can be gleaned from the clues and callbacks to the original 1982 film. Warning: Spoilers!

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'Blade Runner 2049': Everything We Learned From the New Trailer (Photos)

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