Blade Runner 2049

[Tonker]

Full disclosure: I'm a massive Blade Runner fanboy, and can quote you pretty much the entire script of the original movie.  Precisely because of that, though, I was extremely nervous about seeing the sequel and it was only the universally fantastic reviews that persuaded me that it would be all right.  They weren't wrong.

Honestly, there's so much to unpack that it's going to take me several more viewings before I've figured out exactly what I think about it.  Nonetheless, my initial impressions are:

- Pretty much everybody is perfectly cast, with the possible exception of Jared Leto, who was a little one-dimensional.  Harrison Ford plays thirty-years-on Deckard absolutely beautifully and I never once for a second had any doubts that he was absolutely the same guy.  There's are two fantastic cameos, too - one real and one digital: SPOILER ALERT: seeing Rachel again absolutely blew me away.

- The movie is, as you might imagine, spectacular, although very different from the original.  Urban life is a lot cleaner, more sterile and more organised in 2049 but I really like what they've done with the place, creatively speaking.  For Christ's sake, though, see it in IMAX if you possibly, possibly can.

- There's, at first viewing, precisely the right amount of homage to the original.  The sequel knows where it's come from and acknowledges and respects its roots, without ever getting bogged down or overly-referential.  There are plenty of little easter eggs in there if you know what you're looking (and listening) for, but the film nevertheless absolutely stands on its own two feet.

- Talking of listening, fair play to Hans Zimmer.  I've been less than complimentary of him around these parts but he's got this dead right, if not, inevitably, just quite up to the standards of Vangelis.  The original soundtrack was never going to be bettered and in some ways, Zimmer doesn't even try, and is even happy to let small parts of the original stand on their own.  It was fantastic to hear "Tears in Rain" again, and I'm not going to lie, I might have blubbed a little.

- Good Lord Almighty, but Ana de Armas is achingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

So, there you go.  I'll have plenty more to say once I've seen it again, but in the meantime GO AND SEE THIS FILM, especially if you hold any kind of affection for the original.  Oh, and if you haven't seen the original for a while, you might want to watch it again before you go.  You'll get a lot more out of the experience if you do.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Saw it a few weeks ago. Found it visually stunning and about 30-45 minutes too long.

Good, not great. But I can vouch for the IMAX would make it a better experience.