Why Blade Runner 2049 Was the Perfect Sequel

by Miles Davidson 

WARNING: This article will contain SPOILERS!

Having recently rewatched Blade Runner 2049 as well as read the book for the basis of the entire series, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Philipp K Dick, I wished to explore why the film is (in my opinion) one of the best sequels written. The screenplay, soundtrack and acting all combine to create a perfectly drab and dystopian landscape that mimics and even occasionally outperforms the original Blade Runner in this respect. The visual feel of the film aids not only in the telling of the story, but also the setting of the scene in this post-apocalyptic wasteland of a world. 

The story revolves around a Blade Runner called K, a replicant (robot) working to remove other dangerous replicants from Earth by retiring (killing) them. This follows on from the original Blade Runner, which followed Rick Deckard who held a similar role to K. Earth has recovered from a war of some sort that destroyed the ‘old civilisation’, leaving behind swathes of land as wasteland. New civilisation has occurred, however this new formation of humanity is threatened by the finding that replicants can reproduce, overthrowing the power balance within this new iteration of humanity. Without spoiling too much, the audience follows K as he navigates the harsh landscape as well as harsh characters in order to uncover and review this new information with his ‘superiors’. 

Onto the rating. In my opinion, this is one of the best sequels ever made. The film never moves from its dark and depressing tones (both from characters and the landscape in which the film is set), yet portrays a story of drama that leaves the audience reeling after watching (if not a bit confused). The film remains true to its topic from the outset, and yet not once did it become boring or repetitive. The links to the original film were seamless, sliding information surrounding the original plot throughout. More impressive yet is that Blade Runner 2049 was released 35 years after the original, equal roughly to that of Star Wars (a series of sequels more erratically pulled together). The inclusion of many pieces of music featured in the original soundtrack furthers the idea that these two films link so smoothly and seamlessly. The acting within the film, particularly from Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford have been described as ‘soulful’. Particular praise was given to Ford by many critics, describing his performance as a ‘career best’. Finally, the plot itself remains ambiguous in its ending as well as its beginning, but gives enough information to the audience to allow for tense and emotive watching. Even during the closing stages of the film, not one theory is confirmed in the audience’s head, and even after the film there remains many questions and thoughts, which I believe to be a sign that a film has truly had an impact on the audience members. Even the theory that Rick Deckard himself is a replicant is neither confirmed nor denied across both films, leaving much of the film’s characters up to interpretation. Above all, Blade Runner 2049 comments on a fictional situation that I believe is reflective of society today, and almost certainly will be in the future. For the above reasons, I believe that Blade Runner 2049 was the perfect sequel to the Blade Runner franchise, and aided the franchise in the continuation of the story whilst remaining a gorgeous film standalone.

Watch the film on Netflix, Sky Cinema and Amazon Music, and read the book for further information on the origins of the story!