I’m so torn on “Blade Runner 2049.” As a pure movie-going experience, the sequel to the sci-fi cult classic from 1982 is not what it’s advertised. The action is only sprinkled in from time to time and the pace is, at times, plodding. But as a slow-burning, introspective look at what makes humans human with the occasional edge-of-your-seat gunfight, director Denis Villeneuve knocks it out of the park.
“Blade Runner 2049” is not “John Wick” and that’s a good thing. Villeneuve stays true to the universe, themes and feel that now producer Ridley Scott created decades ago with the first.
It’s nearly three hours long and it definitely feels that way. This is both a critique and a compliment. Scenes are long, teetering on being drawn-out, and they carry so many bits and pieces of information that they are sometimes hard to take in with all the eye-poppingly beautiful visuals about, distracting the audience and begging to be appreciated. This worked for me. It won’t for others.
The acting, dialogue and attention to detail is what made the slow-moving pace of each scene palatable, if not surprisingly satisfying. Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “The Big Short”) is as good as he’s ever been in a lead role and Harrison Ford (“Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones”) is solid, although he’s not on the screen all that much. Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Spectre”), Robin Wright (“The Princess Bride,” “House of Cards”), Ana de Armas (“Hands of Stone,” “War Dogs”) and Sylvia Hoeks (“The Best Offer”) also impress in their time on screen but this is very much Gosling’s movie and he carries it wonderfully.
At it’s core, “Blade Runner 2049” is a detective movie and a damn good one at that. As he did in last year’s “Arrival,” Villeneuve manages to never give too much info away as Gosling follows the breadcrumbs in an investigation of a case that could change the course of the eerie dystopian future. The final payoff and message is great. Although if you’re paying attention, it becomes very clear what it will be near the middle of the second act.
Since its release, “Blade Runner 2049” has been called everything from an Oscar-worthy film to a failure because of its muted box office results compared to its $150,000,000 budget. I don’t think that it falls in to either one of those drastically different spectrums — director of photography Roger Deakins, however, might garner award recognition down the road. It’s a solid foray into a deep world that takes its time and doesn’t try to be something else. That’s commendable and, for me, enjoyable.
8/10
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BOX OFFICE REVIEW
1. “Happy Death Day”: $26,039,025 (Week 1); Universal.
2. “Blade Runner 2049”: $15,429,244 (Week 2); Warner Bros. Total gross: $60,970,631.
3. “The Foreigner”: $13,113,024 (Week 1); STX Entertainment.
4. “It”: $6,055,633 (Week 6); Warner Bros. Total gross: $314,935,154.
5. “The Mountain Between Us”: $5,750,951 (Week 2); Fox. Total gross: $20,603,873.
COMING SOON
“Wonderstruck” — The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection.
Director: Todd Haynes
Cast: Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Millicent Simmonds
“The Snowman” — Detective Harry Hole investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Chloë Sevigny, Val Kilmer
“Same Kind of Different as Me” — International art dealer Ron Hall must befriend a dangerous homeless man in order to save his struggling marriage to his wife, a woman whose dreams will lead all three of them on the journey of their lives.
Director: Michael Carney
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jon Voight, Djimon Hounsou, Greg Kinnear
“Geostorm” — When the network of satellites designed to control the global climate start to attack Earth, it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone.
Director: Dean Devlin
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Gerard Butler, Mare Winningham, Jeremy Ray Taylor
“Tyler Perry’s Boos 2! A Madea Halloween” — Madea, Bam, and Hattie venture to a haunted campground and the group must run for their lives when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman are unleashed.
Director: Tyler Perry
Cast: Tyler Perry, Patrice Lovely, Brock O’Hurn, Lexy Panterra
“Only the Brave” — Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire.
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly
