I’ve Seen Things You People Wouldn’t Believe

I am of the generation who saw the original Blade Runner film at the cinema. I went with my brother, and we were both a little obsessed with the world and the characters. To this day, we still quote to each other Roy’s (Rutger Hauer) “Tears in the Rain” speech. Sequels can suck. Like really, really suck (except for Terminator 2, amirite?). This sequel doesn’t suck. It’s an homage, glacially slow, iterative, leaving so much unsaid, but immersing the viewer, just as the first movie did, in strange, epic, cruelly beautiful settings that are compelling because they are just familiar enough to remind us of the here and now.

I am nowhere near a Ryan Gosling fan (he’s such a green banana), but he was perfect in this; and Robin Wright is incredible in everything she does. Few female actresses have her mixture of gravitas and humility on screen (and also, Antiope 4 eva!!!!). Return of Deckard was not the cringe I thought it would be: quite the opposite. This might be the role I’ve liked Hfo the most in. Instant classic.