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Blade Runner 2049 [2017] is a 2017 science fiction film and is the sequel to the 1982 Ridley Scott film Blade Runner(at least, one or more of its five official versions).  The colossal task of directing this follow-up falls to Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival, Prisoners), while Ridley Scott produces on a screenplay penned by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. The movies123 free stars Ryan Gosling as Agent K (the titular Blade Runner), Harrison Ford as the returning Rick Deckard, Jared Leto as the enigmatic Niander Wallace, and Ana de Armas as Joi. The cast is rounded out by Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, House of Cards), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Mackenzie Davis (The Martian, Black Mirror), Lennie James (The Walking Dead), Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), and Carla Juri (Wetlands).

Rising is single word for it. In this present reality where Star Trek has turned into an activity establishment and resilience for systematically paced sci-fi has apparently achieved an unsurpassed low, Blade Runner 2049 is nothing not as much as a present; gave to a crowd of people that could conceivably be thankful to acknowledge, similar to a youthful kid who unwraps another combine of socks on Christmas morning. "It's awesome, Mom." But that swarming felt that it could've been another computer game waits culpably on the inner voice. For some, be that as it may, Blade Runner 2049 might be precisely what you've been sitting tight for. It tries to achieve the impossible and, in almost every regard, rises effortlessly.

35 years later (30 in-universe), we extend an eager if uneasy second gaze into the sleazy declension of whatever Los Angeles has become.  True to the original film (or at least the aptly color-corrected Final Cut), legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins not only manages to frame the dark mise en scene and low-key contrasts that were so prominent in the film’s predecessor, but lends an entirely new perspective to fresh settings that feel no less true to the universe of Blade Runner.  Against the weathered neon cesspit that is Los Angeles, a cool grey, but no less grim, isolationism litters the junkyards of San Diego; and in Las Vegas, a hellish yet erotic romanticism extends across its orange wastelands.  In this dauntingly epic sequel, I walked away feeling profoundly blown away by some of the best cinematography ever put to film, and immensely satisfied with the expansion of the story.

It remains to be seen if 2049 is the self-contained sequel it presents itself to be or if Hollywood is banking on franchise potential.  If the film’s disappointing box office earnings thus far are any indicator, perhaps this epic is destined, for better or worse, to be the end.  Like Villeneuve’s previous film Arrival, this film reaches back to a different era of science fiction.  Unfortunately, this immensely beautiful piece of filmmaking may not be what general filmgoers are looking for.  Is that a shame?  In a word, yes. My only hope is that more films like Blade Runner 2049 can continue to be made in today’s world… and perhaps a more meditative form of sci-fi movies will reign supreme again someday.  For my part, and I’m sure it’s not an empty room I proclaim this to, this is one of the finest sequels ever made and one of the best sci-fi films of all time.