The recent Blade Runner sequel will appeal to those who loved the 1981 original (I rate it as one of the very best movies ever) - indeed, the new Blade Runner is specifically for such people.
As such it is a worthy attempt, and has a lot of good stuff in it, and is worth watching - but the movie ultimately fails to satisfy.
Why? Well, to satisfy, either the screenplay would have needed to provide more, or else there would have to be one or more actors who was able to give the kind of inspired, uncanny, spontaneous and poetic performance that Rutger Haur provided in the original (and which - with a first rate film score and brilliant editing - made one of the great scenes in movie history).
The parts involving the evil genius just didn't 'work' - they needed something more, but instead they strove for meaning by sheer length of slow, close-up exposition and silent acting; and by repetitious elements (plus some gratuitous and unworthy use of reiterated 'pork-pie peril', presumably to try and compensate for this lack)...
The editing of Blade Runner 2049 was deficient throughout; and the flow and shape of key scenes was thus spoiled - and the narrative lost focus in the later part of the movie, moving towards the climax - consequently the film (running at about 2:45) is a good half-hour too long, and could probably be enhanced by re-cutting.
In sum, I was left unsatisfied - especially by the climactic scene, which was dramatically-botched.
Yet, Blade Runner 2049 is a high aspiring, and high quality movie - and I feel it will stay with me.
Note added November 2022: "I feel it will stay with me". It did not stay with me. Indeed, I remember almost nothing about it and have no desire to re-watch it. Therefore, in retrospect I would down-rate Blade Runner 2049 to 3 stars - worth watching, but not re-watching.
Note added November 2025. I rewatched the movie - and overall did not enjoy it; finding it often annoying, sometimes repellent (for no good reason), and overall frustrating. The first half was interesting, and kept my attention. (Except for the first of the incredibly sluggish and pretentious and gratuitously nasty scenes featuring the evil genius "Wallace".) Yet it was never engaging - I never empathized. I have no idea what motivated the replicant assassin Luv. The second half of the movie was just plain dull. The end did not work as a climax, and there was no important conclusion or insight; so retrospectively the whole thing seemed a pointless waste of time. I got utterly fed-up of scenes (recurring throughout) where everything seemed pervaded by a sickly yellow colour. The fault lies with script/story, editing; and also direction - especially of the central character Ryan Reynolds. He had clearly been instructed to keep his face blank and unresponsive nearly all the time (and he was on screen A Lot); consequently, I cared nothing about what happened to him.
