The original Blade Runner wasn’t a huge success when it was released in 1982, but over the years has become a science fiction classic. Will the sequel see the early success that eluded its predecessor? Based on the reviews that have gone up ahead of the film’s release this Friday, it appears that Blade Runner 2049 may not need to wait years to be considered a hit. Overall the reviews are glowing, though there are some outliers. Cinemablend’s Eric Eisenberg gave the movie a perfect five-star score. Even he was surprised at just how good the movie was, saying…
To be perfectly blunt, Blade Runner 2049 is far better than anyone could have expected it to be. Decades-late sequels are almost never actually satisfying, let alone stand out in the shadow of its predecessor. Yet what Denis Villeneuve has created here is nothing short of phenomenal, crafting a movie that is just as epic, fascinating and beautiful as the original.
Blade Runner 2049 does what very few sequels can accomplish: it deepens our appreciation of its predecessor, while carving out its own niche in the spaces of our own imaginations. And the visuals it paints are in a word: breathtaking.
The special effects are impeccable, and include sequences that blur the line, evocatively, between what’s real and unreal.
It looks great and boasts solid performances from an underused cast, but (like the original) it’s a triumph of style over substance.