"It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?"

This classic ending line from the original Blade Runner still sends chills down my spine. And to my delight, it became an integral part of its stunning sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

I have chosen to not summarize the plot in great detail, because its "noir" type is difficult to summarize in that way without spoiling major plot points.

The story follows "K" (Ryan Gosling), a replicant Blade Runner who hunts down older models of replicants deemed dangerous. He finds a damning piece of evidence after retiring an older replicant that leads him down the rabbit hole and sparks the plot of the following two and a half hours, which includes leading him to Deckard, the protagonist of the first film. Again, merely saying what the evidence is would spoil this gripping mystery of this film.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about Blade Runner 2049 was the commitment to the environment. I never felt like I was being rushed through any scene, but rather, following the slow, intense pace of K's twisting and turning journey to the truth. I felt immersed in every scene, between the music and the bleak but carefully detailed visuals. (I've since become addicted to the soundtrack.)

Gosling's performance was about as lifelike as you might expect, but it blended him in with every environment. There was a constant sense of being surrounded by pleasure and material products and stunning technology but remaining hollow and dissatisfied. K always seemed like he was a shell of a man, aside from the fact that he is a replicant, which is revealed in the first minutes of the movie.

An issue I had with the movie was the duration of fight scenes. They felt too drawn out and repetitious, lacking drive. I had the same issue with its predecessor as well, since I was looking at my watch several times throughout Roy and Deckard's final fight.

The other main issue I had with this sequel was the lack of plot clarity. Granted, it is a noir, so the plot is supposed to twist and wind like a snake, but there were several areas that could have been made clearer for the viewer.

A common complaint I heard about this movie was its objectification of women, which I can understand, if one looks at the movie purely superficially. However, with any ounce of analysis, one can see that the frequent display of women as objects in the replicant brothels or on holographic billboards is an indication of the setting's abhorrent view of the female body.

In fact, this is even more contrasted by the fact that the four main women in the movie are: a complex female AI who is grappling with her own existence as a virtual program, an assassin who has a higher kill count than anyone else in the movie, K's boss whom he respects greatly, and a one-of-a-kind scientist who programs memories. Hardly misogynistic material.

Blade Runner 2049 deals with heavy emotional concepts like the value of a life, the validity of artificial intelligence, and the possibility of androids succeeding humans. What I loved about each of these concepts is the fact that they were fleshed out to the best degree possible.

This is a common problem with ambitious science fiction films: their lack of commitment to a theme. Blade Runner 2049 knocked this out of the park, though.

Overall I would give Blade Runner 2049 an 8 out of 10. If the fight scenes had been condensed and the plot explained more clearly, it could have pushed its way to a 9, but overall it was an excellent film.