As the site's clear
Blade Runner fanboy, you all may have guessed I had the 2017 sequel as my
#1. As I previously mentioned, I think it really just belongs in the Top 5, or maybe even Top 10 on my list, but I wanted to push it as high as possible with the full 25 points I was able to assign.
Like many, I was incredibly leery when I first heard this was being made. At first, I though of it as sacrilege, and that the original was something that should just be left alone on its pedestal. After seeing Arrival, and finding out Villeneuve was taking the reins on the
Blade Runner sequel, I begin to nurture a tiny flame of hope that it perhaps wouldn't be terrible. I recall going to the theater with trepidation on my birthday in 2017. Of course, i was blown away, as it was better than I had ever hoped. No, it will never surpass the original, but aside from some slight pacing issues in the second act, I don't think it could be much better.
It can never top the original, as Villeneuve's sort of brutalist take on the material is missing the gritty, noirish tone of Scott's original masterpiece, but I love the way he expands on the universe, while clearly having a tremendous reverence for the material. The players are all great, it's shot beautifully, and Zimmer's score is excellent. I also want to mention one of the transitions in the film, with the sparks from the campfire morphing into the city lights, which is one of my favorites in any film ever.
I am thrilled it made Top 10 on the countdown! I was hoping for a Top 25, and seeing it up this high puts a big smile on my face. Well done MoFo!