Blade Runner 2049

I was a little tyke when the original “Blade Runner” came out in 1982. Even though I was young, I got into it because of supporting turns s played by Rutger Hauer and Daryl Hannah. To me, they were the real reason to see this adaptation of a story based on the writings of Philip K. Dick. Harrison Ford’s persona of Rick Deckard was just sheer window dressing to me.

In this new “Blade Runner 2049,” Ford returns as Deckard, albeit it in a smaller supporting role. This one is Ryan Gosling vehicle.
He is on the screen for a majority of the flick. Ford’s Deckard does not even show up until an hour in. Gosling’s K persona occupies the majority of the movie.

Quirky performances abound in this flick, especially Jared Leto as Niander Wallace a creator of sorts, who claims to be the maker of replicants, part of the reference point of the title. He nonchalantly guts and kills his creation like it was a spoiled fish.

Also important is Robin Wright’s turn as Lieutenant Joshi, who is for all intents and purposes, K’s boss. She fears for K, who is essentially flying blind in their search for Deckard, who has been absent from today’s America for many a year.

Also returning for a cameo appearance is Edward James Olmos as Gaff, who fashions minute origami’s of various creatures and the like.

Directing “Blade Runner 2049” is Denis Villanueve, who scored major points with me for helming the amazing “Arrival” (2016) as well as “Sicarrio” in 2015. He knows where to point the camera in every single solitary frame. Ridley Scott returns to the “Blade Runner” universe, this time just as an executive producer.

I have a feeling this one will be a front-runner at this year’s Oscar race, kind of like what happened a couple of years back when the well-received “Mad Max: Fury Road” in 2015 received a deluge of the shiny gold statues.

What is really cool is the vibrant color palette in sections of the movie. Like the original “Blade Runner,” it makes references to now defunct companies such as Atari, which has not been a part of the American landscape since the mid-1980s.

What is also cool is the Roger Deakins cinematography that glistens on the screen. He even brings a presence to snow that is falling to the ground.

I saw this at a screening at the AMC Northpark, and this is important because I did not get the goosebumps I’m always looking for, but sheer smiles whenever I heard events unfolding on the screen.

The seats literally rumbled adding to the atmosphere as well by making it a full-on immersive experience.

I know a lot of people dread science-fiction tales, my mom is one of the naysayers who does not really like the genre, but this flick is just awesome.

I highly recommend “Blade Runner 2049” because it does everything t’s supposed to do, even with a conclusion that is thoroughly dynamic.

Grade: A-
(Review by Ricky Miller)