Blade Runner 2049
2.8 out of 4stars
It was pretty good and definitely entertaining. Mystery Sci-fi or whatever you want to categorize it as. The story was good, the pacing was good(outside the first half hour being a bit too slow/draggy), the acting was good, and the visuals were shot very well but at times underwhelming to me. I did have some issues with it though....(spoilers):
The big twist was just a giant slap in the face as a major plot point. I mean, they gave little reason to believe that Gosling wasn't the "miracle child", but they pull the rug out after heavily driving home and overemphasizing every step Gosling takes that makes him feel and act more human than replicant. I can take a bit, but when they hammer something home so much only to flip the switch, I can't understate how much I hate it and feel it as a cheap parlor trick. And the twist wasn't even that great. "hidden in the database/locked away for no one to hurt her". I don't even recall he showing enough/acting correctly after the dream montage "reading" with Gosling. I just can't stand that.
Harrison Ford in the film was pointless and him living or dying or getting brought to Leto was meaningless. Yes, another "if Indiana Jones didn't exist, Raiders of the Lost Ark has the same outcome". Gosling learns verly little important info from Ford, he gains nothing from meeting Ford, and Ford living or dying or being captured means nothing because he was an extremely stubborn person that traded a lifetime alone to protect the people/person he loved and was never going to talk and tell Leto/Love about the secrets he knew no matter what. Thus the ending of him being saved by Gosling was a very hollow ending "to show Gosling gave his life or didn't for something almost meaningless(Ford meeting his grown daughter?)".
Last big annoyance, the use of Jared Leto. I mean, for being a/the major villain, he's very underutilized and underwritten. I don't care if his "right arm woman" takes his lead here, even she is a near mute ruthless robot who is rarely tested and than surprisingly "superman-esquely" killed by Gosling, ala action movies where somebody runs through all opposers until facing the boss/major enemy. Can't stand it.
Altogether even it felt like something that wanted, is begging for a sequel. Asking more questions than it answers, setting up this, setting up that, ending the way it did on numerous character and storytelling fronts. It just makes me want to yell at the screen "why are you telling such a broad story with extra side pieces and open ended situations in such a long sequel movie already?". It just bothers me that it was set-up like it was.
Feel free to debate any of the above spoilers or try to prove me wrong, I welcome it. Now I want to see the original and compare the 2.