Blade Runner 2049

This film sits differently in my memory. I recalled it being much longer, much more contemplative. I would use the word 'tone poem' to describe it. On reviewing, that doesn't hold up. Yes, it's a bit on the long side, but the story is very straightforward and structured. In certain areas, I honestly felt like it didn't linger enough. It didn't dive into the world enough.

Weirdly, two things negatively impacted my viewing experience. 1 - there's a really big incongruity in this film when viewed back-to-back with the original - Earth. The first film feels empty and poor because the rich have abandoned Earth. The Earth is the leftovers, the crusty. Sebastian lives in a giant apartment, in what might be an entire building, by himself not because of his income but because he's a leftover. The second addresses this - with Leto's Wallace drive being building the slave class to facilitate the last steps in leaving Earth. Yet the Earth that is left behind is crowded, a mix of synths and humans. On a deeper viewing, it didn't sit right with me.

Second - it's not Dune. Villeneuve is a masterful director and he really wrecked his own curve with the Dune films.

This is still an absolutely gorgeous cyberpunk film. Easily one of the best.