The idea of a distorted future that started with Ridley Scott’s 1982 Blade Runner carries forward in Blade Runner 2049. Ryan Gosling plays a Blade Runner, LAPD officer K whose order is to track and destroy rogue Replicants. K stumbles upon a secret that involves Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) a character from the 1982 Blade Runner. According to his LAPD superior Lt. Joshi (Robin Wright) this secret would break the world and hence should be buried deep. However K decides to pursue the mystery on his own and the story moves forward.
Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) plays a rich industrialist who in the past has saved the civilization from hunger. Wallace owns the Replicant manufacturing company Tyrell Corporation gets to know about this secret which could be a potential threat to him and his business.
Wallace sends his best assistant Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) to kill K and stop anybody associated with this secret. Thus begins a cat and mouse chase between Luv and K. K is helped in his pursuit by his beautiful hologram girlfriend Joi (Ana de Armas).
Ryan Gosling’s K, who is the central character of the movie is spot on with his acting and delivers one of his best performances by his quiet and very expressible face. Harrison Ford puts his dash of life to his role as the grieving Deckard.
However Blade Runner 2049 is a sure winner thanks to its reverberating music and excellent cinematography. Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer provide the very electronic machinery musical score. The chest thumping equalizer beats and the humming whispers in the background add to the movie’s mystique.
The production design by Dennis Gasner and cinematography by Roger Deakins make the movie a visual treat. The flying cars, congested streets, neon billboards and megalithic architecture all comprise of a spectacular experience.
Denis Villeneuve directs this visually stunning beauty and delivers more than 2 hours of awesome saga that enchants from start to finish. Guaranteed of not a single weak moment, the movie takes you through array of feelings while keeping you glued to your seat.
Our verdict: Blade Runner 2049 is a sound and cinematic roller coaster ride that is needed to be experienced. The cast do justice to their roles, and the direction paired with excellent production design and cinematography make it an amazing must-watch.
We vote: 5/5 for this visual and sound masterpiece.
By: Sophia Raman