The original Blade Runner wasn't a huge success when it was released in 1982, but over the years has become a science fiction classic. Will the sequel see the early success that eluded its predecessor? Based on the reviews that have gone up ahead of the film's release this Friday, it appears that Blade Runner 2049 may not need to wait years to be considered a hit. Overall the reviews are glowing, though there are some outliers. Our own Eric Eisenberg gave the movie a perfect five-star score. Even he was surprised at just how good the movie was, saying...
To be perfectly blunt, Blade Runner 2049 is far better than anyone could have expected it to be. Decades-late sequels are almost never actually satisfying, let alone stand out in the shadow of its predecessor. Yet what Denis Villeneuve has created here is nothing short of phenomenal, crafting a movie that is just as epic, fascinating and beautiful as the original.
Eric's review is far from the only one that's absolutely glowing. The Toronto Sun also sings the praises of Blade Runner 2049, saying that not only is it a great movie on its own, but it also makes one appreciate just how good the original film was...
Blade Runner 2049 does what very few sequels can accomplish: it deepens our appreciation of its predecessor, while carving out its own niche in the spaces of our own imaginations. And the visuals it paints are in a word: breathtaking.
The visual style of Blade Runner 2049 is remarked upon in several reviews. In addition to being a great story, it seems that the new film is something beautiful simply to take in with the eyes. As The Washington Post puts it...
The special effects are impeccable, and include sequences that blur the line, evocatively, between what's real and unreal.
Of course, art is subjective, and as such, not everybody is going to love the same thing. Scott Mendelson with Forbes was complimentary of many aspects of the production, but ultimately felt that while Blade Runner 2049 may have looked stylish, there wasn't much underneath the gloss...
It looks great and boasts solid performances from an underused cast, but (like the original) it's a triumph of style over substance.
If we're playing the percentages, then the odds are that the people who are already planning to see the sequel will love Blade Runner 2049, as the overwhelming majority of reviews have been positive. Still, the franchise has never been the type of movie to appeal to literally everyone.
Blade Runner 2049 picks up decades after the events of the original, just as we are seeing it decades after Ridley Scott Blade Runner was released. The plot follows Ryan Gosling as a young Blade Runner who finds himself involved in a case that sends looking for Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard from the first film. It opens Friday.
