Movies: Blade Runner 2049

(Drivebycuriosity) - "Blade Runner" belongs to the milestones of cinema. It needs a lot of guts to make a sequel to this masterpiece. Denis Villeneuve got it. The French-Canadian director, who already impressed with "Arrival", "Sicario & "Prisoners", created another gem: "Blade Runner 2049"( imdb).

The sequel is set 30 years later than the original (2019). The new film follows again a Los Angeles Cop who is hunting & killing humanoid robots (this is a spoiler free blog. You can read a synopsis here wikipedia). Again we can see an alternate world with a broken down economy & environment combined with an advanced technology (cyber punk).

I loved the movie and indulged into its visual power. "Blade Runner 2049" enthralls by its outstanding esthetics. Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins and their crews created a work of fine art. Their visions are filled with tableaux & images which reminded me of the works by Richard Serra, Anselm Kiefer, Anish Kapoor, Gerhard Richter & other contemporary artists. I think art museums will soon show this film - or segments of it - in their contemporary departments.

The plot touches again philosophical questions and keeps the audience puzzling about who is good and who is bad, about identity, the reliability of memories and touches issues like robots, genetic engineering, AIs, virtual reality, advanced software programs, future of advertising & more. Being a big Hollywood production, which has to please the masses, it is more fiction than science, a futuristic fairy tale -  but that`s ok. The soundtrack - ambient with streaks of heavy metal - made the film even stronger.

Blade Runner 2049 is a cinematic treasure and fun to watch.