Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

The critic calls the film a triumph and a stunning enlargement of the original, praising its visually staggering scale and hallucinatory quality that leaves viewers hyperventilating.

An exquisitely crafted sequel that stands shoulder to shoulder with the original masterpiece. Villeneuve proves a worthy successor to Ridley Scott through masterful direction, stunning visuals, and a thematically deep neo-noir story focused on identity and humanity.

A ravishing visual colossus that more than lives up to its predecessor’s legacy as a groundbreaking mixture of sound, images and mood. Villeneuve has crafted an enrapturing sci-fi dystopia with themes vividly realised through arresting images and a superbly muted Gosling performance, though the screenplay sometimes struggles to keep pace.

A jaw-dropping, respectful and artistic as well as philosophical triumph with stunning production design, precise direction and glorious visuals across ravaged California and Nevada. It is a thoughtful, slow and quiet epic of scale and intellect that is better than anybody could have expected.

The film is far above average with striking visual ambitions recreating and expanding the original's world, including ruined Las Vegas and a swollen Pacific. It explores perennial questions of memory, identity and slavery through ambiguous, image-driven storytelling that interrogates rather than prescribes.

Villeneuve pulls off the dare of the decade with a colossal retro-futuristic triumph that is the thinking-person’s sci-fi event of the year. It impresses with neon street life, existential depth, a complex hologram relationship and soulful direction that cherishes the hybrid nature of the new Blade Runner.

Villeneuve delivers a stylish, immersive sequel that captures the original's narcotic mood and visual splendor, with standout performances from Ryan Gosling and especially Harrison Ford; however, it suffers from excessive length and directorial indulgence.

Villeneuve delivers a visually stunning, thematically rich sequel that matches the original in ambition and execution. The film excels in its world-building, cinematography, and performances from Gosling and Ford, though it has minor issues with pacing and one cameo.

The film is remarkably good, with Villeneuve and his team putting viewers in another world of its own devising. The critic singles out the knockout visuals, especially the work of production designer Dennis Gassner and cinematographer Roger Deakins, for praise while noting some hiccups with length and emotional engagement.

Villeneuve mostly succeeds in honoring the original while slipping free of its shadow. The critic praises the director as a masterly visual tactician and shrewd storyteller from the opening shots onward.

The critic calls the film a masterpiece that complements the original while standing as a spectacular story on its own. They single out its completely immersive world and Villeneuve's deliberate, atmospheric direction for praise.

The critic calls the film a rare successful sequel that enriches the original's themes of reality versus artificiality without letting plot overwhelm ideas, highlighting masterful cinematography by Roger Deakins while noting it could lose some moody stretches for tighter pacing.

The critic praises the film's visual achievements, particularly the cinematography by Roger Deakins and production design, and strong performances from Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, but criticizes its overly long runtime which makes it feel indulgent and plodding at times.

The critic praises Harrison Ford's return as Deckard and the film's technical achievements in visuals and design but finds the 2-hour-44-minute runtime overly long and the pacing too slow and occasionally confusing.