Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Blade Runner 2049
2017
**
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto

K is a Nexus-9 model replicant and LAPD officer who is tasked with putting down the obsoleted older android models. He learns that almost 30 years ago one of them gave birth to a child, which was thought to be impossible. While K is haunted by memories which could be real or implanted, he is determined to find this child. Denis Villeneuve's belated sequel to Ridley Scott's influential Blade Runner is as stylish and reverent as one could hope. Every scene, shot, set, prop, sound, and piece of costume is designed to within an inch of its life. The 1982 film didn't exactly tuck at my heartstrings, but it was compelling and original. The sequel is derivative, self-important, and insanely slow-paced, with each individual scene dragging on twice as long as necessary. With a cast featuring cybernetically enhanced villains, replicants, AI holograms, and robotic humans, it is hard to connect with any of the characters. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard, but he adds nothing apart from continuity. The visual effects and Roger Deakins' atmospheric cinematography won Academy Awards.