At the movies: New thriller picks up 30 years after Harrison Ford classic
When an unearthed secret threatens society, one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic roles is revisited in a science fiction thriller that opens in theaters this weekend.
The director behind daunting thrillers like “Prisoners” and “Sicario,” Denis Villeneuve brings an edgy perspective to “Blade Runner 2049.” The film plays off the characters and story of the 1982 Ridley Scott classic, “Blade Runner” that starred Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young.
Thirty years after former LAPD blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) terminated replicants who threatened Earth, a new LAPD blade runner known as K (Ryan Gosling, “Drive” and “La La Land”) discovers a secret that could lead to overwhelming chaos and destruction.
Officer K has to track down Deckard, who has since gone missing. During the film, K encounters Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista, “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Spectre”), Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright, “The Princess Bride” and “House of Cards”), Joi (Ana de Armas, “Hands of Stone” and “War Dogs”), Luv (Sylvia Hooks, “All the Devil’s Men” and “The Best Offer”), Niander Wallace (Jared Leto, “Requiem for a Dream” and “Dallas Buyers Club”), Mariette (Mackenzie Davis, “Halt and Catch Fire” and “The Martian”), Mister Cotton (Lennie James, “Snatch” and “The Walking Dead”) and Dr. Ana Stelline (Carla Juri, “Brimstone” and “Paula”).
According to the media review website, RottenTomatoes.com, 99 percent of users want to see “Blade Runner 2049.”
First reactions to the film are positive ones, according to a review by Matt Goldberg with Collider.
“Additionally, cinematographer Roger Deakins is being singled out for praise, and while he’s never won the Oscar despite being nominated 13 times, perhaps this will finally be his year,” Goldberg wrote.
In a movie review for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico called “Blade Runner 2049” a “beautiful thematic companion” to the original film.
“Unlike a lot of reboots or long-delayed sequels that merely remix the themes and characters of the beloved original to give viewers the hollow comfort of familiarity, Denis Villeneuve and his team are remarkably ambitious, using the topics raised by “Blade Runner” to continue the conversation instead of just repeating it to make a buck,” Tallerico wrote.
The film is rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language.
Other movies that are arriving in theaters this weekend include:
n “My Little Pony: The Movie” featuring the voices of Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Leiv Shreiber and Michael Pena, directed by Jayson Thiessen, is about a dark force coming over Ponyville.
The film is rated PG.
n “The Florida Project” featuring Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto and Bria Vinaite, directed by Seak Baker, follows a 6-year-old in adventure, living near Disney World.
The film is listed as R.
n “Una” directed by Benedict Andrews, starring Ruby Stokes, Rooney Mara, David Shields and Ben Mendelsohn, is about a women confronting her attacker when she was 13.
The film is rated R.