Blade Runner 2049 (no spoilers)

The original Blade Runner is possibly my favourite film of all time. I'm sure the age I was when I first saw it has as much to do with that as the merits of the film itself, but even so it has a very special place in my heart.

So, when I first heard they were going to make a sequel, my first reaction was dismay. Ever since The Phantom Menace, the news that a film I like is going to be remade/prequelled/sequelled is usually greeted by "Oh, shit" rather than "Oh, great."

But, then I went to see Arrival by the same director which, if you haven't seen it, I heartily recommend, along with the Ted Chiang short story on which it's based. After watching that, a small seed of hope sprouted that maybe, just maybe, they weren't going to fuck it up, after all.

I've just got home after seeing Blade Runner 2049 on the biggest damned Imax screen I could find, and I'm delighted to say it's a very worthy successor. The atmosphere and the visuals are simply spectacular, and absolutely in harmony with the original. The plot is good and makes sense in context, and the performances are great - particularly Jared Leto, whose character was the least believable of the lot. Nonetheless, he managed to infuse the role with a great sense of presence and commitment. The film also explored a lot of the ideas that Philip K. Dick fans will recognise from his works; what is identity? Are artificial lifeforms really alive? And a bunch of others I won't mention because I don't want to risk even a hint of a spoiler.

If you're worried about seeing this film because you think it will somehow spoil your memories of the original, don't be.