Blade Runner 2049 exudes style as it burns slowly. Director Denis Villeneuve’s vision assembles a film that functions like a counter argument to genre movies of today. This defiance, while meaningful in areas, holds Blade Runner 2049 from being a perfect movie, instead pushing it to dabble in self importance.

The original Blade Runner created a cinematic language whose influence has persisted for three decades. 2049, in this regard, has a weight to carry as it needs to uphold an iconic style while presenting a narrative that’s worthwhile.

The story does stumble at times. Specifically, the first act’s slow setup and the final act’s drawn out conclusion. With each shot towards the end I wondered when the movie would end, not that I necessarily wanted it to. The first hour of the movie has the task of explaining the first film to make 2049 easily accessible, somehow scraping by without a voice over. Impressive to be honest.

Ryan Gosling’s character ‘K’ does do most of the story’s heavy lifting but nothing specific establishes him as the star of the show. Gosling performance takes time to set itself up and the construction is beautiful but there is no compelling moment to warrant “tour de force.”

The restraint and simultaneous ferocity that Sylvia Hoeks manages with her character, ‘Luv’ steals every scene. As Jared Leto’s Niander Wallace shoots for the stars with just about every word, Hoeks responds with silent, yet powerful performance that crushes Leto’s over-acting. Her look, her walk, her demeanor, her motivation fall into place in a way that makes everyone else on screen, save Gosling, look foolish.

Harrison Ford’s revival of his character Jake Deckard from the first Blade Runner falls overwhelmingly flat. Gosling and Ford’s chemistry is great in the moments that Ford must be the “retired tough guy” which is great because that’s the only note Ford hits.   

Not since Mad Max: Fury Road has a genre movie looked so beautiful. Director of photography Roger Deakins utilizes a dynamic technique beautifully. Whereas Fury Road was two hours of non-stop pedal to the metal cuts, 2049 raises suspense with a long shot, it gets close to trigger claustrophobia, it reveals figures slowly in the dark. A common problem with action sequences today, the dreaded shaky cam, doesn’t even appear. Not a single time. The colors illuminating these dreamlike set pieces remind me that this world isn’t real, but make me wish it could be.

Every piece of the production establishes the film’s own sophistication. Recent sci-fi such as Star Wars and The Hunger Games leans towards juvenile in their visuals, the costume design, set decoration and cinematography valuing spectacle over story. 2049 showcases a mature world, grounding the fantastical situations in purpose and history. K’s car suffers damage, his house is lived in, Luv’s perfect complexion and spotless clothing enhance her robotic nature.

Intent of a deeper meaning becomes convoluted in its delivery. As the film raises questions focusing on what constitutes a life, certain characters appear more like objects, making it hard to create an argument in their defense even though I want to believe they’re real. This pessimism is okay, not every film needs a good ending. It’s hard, however, to even find satisfaction in the pessimism as 2049 gets lost in its own depth when everything was going right.