Saw Blade Runner 2049, in XD, 3D, all that jazz.
The best part of the film is the emotional & philosophical tension that builds in the first half of the film. The complexities of a society transitioning from human to ai, through various shades of replicant, robot, and cyborg makes for some thought-provoking moments. Conceptually, the most original and intriguing character is Joi, the surprisingly sophisticated and empathic virtual computer girlfriend of Gosling's lonely blade runner, K.
However, the actual plot, per se is a bit thin and over-explained, as well as hinging on an unlikely blind spot in replicant bio-technology.
Gosling carries the film. Ford is mostly just there for necessary historicity. Sean Young's cameo is quite nice.
CGI facelifts now mean actresses need never grow old,.... unless they want to make a live appearance.
Overall, the film's misc-en-scene and SFX are quite good, giving a suitable bleak view of our/their dystopian future, especially when the imagery is allowed to remain starkly minimalist.
The newness of most futurist sci-fi is now long gone and I entered the theater with only moderate expectations that allowing me to be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.
Though not groundbreaking in itself, this is is an intriguing and well-made sequel to a truly great film that blazed a trail for much of the better science-fiction cinema of the last 35 years.
