Blade Runner 2049 (2017) — Riley Cross Reviews

Stay off your phone and don't burn the popcorn.

Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. This isn’t a movie you put on in the background while you do a burnout on the internet. If you do that, I will come to your house, take back your rental, and make you watch *Cats* just to punish you. This is a commitment.

I recommend doing this for a Night In when you need the world to stop spinning for a little bit. The air in here needs to be heavy. You need it late at night when the only sound outside is traffic that sounds like metal scraping against metal. It feels like watching the ocean in reverse.

Denis Villeneuve took over the franchise and decided not to make another action movie—thank God—because the premise is confusing enough without chasing a guy on a motorbike. You get Detective Officer K, played by a man who barely knows what his mouth is for, hunting rogue robot people. It’s melancholy, it’s gorgeous, and it’s incredibly dense. Don’t try to multitask, or you’re going to miss the parts where you realize the world is basically just a grey sadness with the occasional splash of color.

There is a specific moment in the middle—maybe the peak of the movie—that I can safely mention without ruining anything: the Las Vegas rooftop scene. It’s just pure wind. Not "a breeze," but actual, hurricane-force wind whipping through a abandoned gambling hall. It’s breathless and silent, with none of that clunky dialogue ruining the vibe. It’s a moment of pure awe that reminds you how insignificant we are next to dust and architecture.

It’s perfect for when you want to feel smart, feel melancholy, and feel like a human being who is capable of love. Just be prepared to feel a little existential dread afterward. That’s part of the service, right?

Bottom line: It is a slow, gorgeous, and deeply human sci-fi masterpiece that rewards quiet attention more than anything else.