It's a closer call then you may think.

BLADE RUNNER is now regarded as a Science Fiction CLASSIC but upon it's original release it was considered a huge failure.
Thankfully time has been kind to it & most SF fans now realise it is such a film...even if upon first viewing they didn't.
I was fan straight from the off...
The visuals (Ridley Scott is a master of this) & the performances (Ford especially as Deckard is captivating) but who didn't LOVE Rutger Hauer's excellent turn as ROY BATTY? not quiet the all out villain we at first thought...and his end is truly glorious after just having saved Deckard, but everyone in this film is truly excellent, as for the music? well there's a story behind this, what was, should have been & is, I've heard ALL the versions & I like 'em all, the one they went with the original release works well I think, the story is a slight one but important I think (or will be in the future?) but it's nicely done, the gadgets & effects are COOL...the flying cars??? come on!!! we should have these already right? LOVE Deckard's firearm with Amber like grip (so nearly got a replica of this years ago & have regretted it ever since!)

In SHORT I LOVED IT.

So to my surprise I learned a sequel was in the works...I figured I would get to see it in the cinema but didn't (it's difficult these days but it looks like NETFLIX & such like are starting to show these NEW films direct to the public in their own homes, sometimes, amazingly, before they even hit cinema screens, so that will solve that problem for me & others in the future, although it may sadly begin the decline of trips to the cinema but I hope not) and so I caught up with it yesterday on Blu Ray & it's different to how I imagined it but glad to report it's a terrific sequel.

IF they had to make a sequel to Blade Runner then I have to say it's difficult to image how they could have made it much better without perhaps ruining the overall feel of the original film that came before it...it's perfectly in keeping with the original film & makes some wonderful tips of the hat to that film (I won't spoil it for ya all)
The VISUALS as you might imagine are again AWESOME...it's not an ideal EARTH in 2049 nor was it when Deckard was in his prime in the original back in 2020 (geezzz that date is coming up fast now) but despite this the film & locals are like CANDY (not surprising when the director has a touch of Ridley Scott about him in the form of Denis Villeneuve the guy who directed the thinking sci-fi alien invasion movie "ARRIVAL")
Some great effects here & some imaginative gadgets that may well be common place before 2049.

Ryan Gosling as K is just perfect casting & his AI girlfriend drop dead gorgeous & intriguing (you'll see? she's like Deckard's version of Rachel, kinda) some nice surprises, Mr Bautista appears in a cameo (the hilarious one in Guardians of the Galaxy) Robin Wright (she played Wonder Woman's trainer recently) is again excellent here as Lieutenant & in charge of the Blade Runner section, the actress that plays LOVE or is it LUV? is terrific too she's shall we say in the employment of Jared Leto's company who took over the Tyrell replicant company (he's OK but I am not as much a fan of this actor as most others are) I him in saw Suicide Squad it was an OK film but his JOKER was nothing compared to Ledger's & Nicolson's & sadly here it's basically a cameo appearance, he's not bad but no match for the awesomeness that is ROY BATTY) Leto's character basically turns up twice...the first scene for me is the most UNPLEASENT part of the film, I really didn't like it, yes it was showing us the kind of MAN? he is but seriously I could have done without this scene, the seconds appearance is far more interesting (won't spoil that for you)

Some very interesting ideas here & the storyline I think is logical & perhaps one of only a couple of ways they could have gone in making such a sequel & it's brill....really brilliant to see Harrison Ford back as Deckard 1 MORE TIME...sadly, as this did not do well at the box office so it's doubtful any version of Deckard will again be seen of film ,this is it, so enjoy him for the last time, there's little action for a running time of 163 minutes but when it does happen you'll feel it's worth it, most of this action as you might except comes in the last third act & it is especially thrilling with Harrison Ford's Deckard in tow alongside the new version K....K's car attack over a dumping ground is cool & LOVE's attack whilst having her nails done, K then finding Deckard & facing off against him is a fun one (a few nice quips here) & then an attack on his home & then the final showdown over water is superb, there are other action set pieces too but perhaps NOT ENOUGH for the all out action fans? I got the best of both worlds, action set pieces that advanced the story & set pieces of the thoughtful kind, there is a delightful one with a young lady within a sealed room that is interesting.

They'll be many that don't like it...too slow perhaps & not enough action for them? & that's ok but it did not drag for me & is always interesting, there are some nice surprises (I almost figured it out & even mentioned something that I regret not following through upon watching it here for the first time...Argghh you may get it? but like me you'll be ok if you don't) but overall I found it to be an excellent sequel to a loved original.

So which is BEST?

I really would need to see this film again at least another two times to say for sure, it's that close!

But if you pinned me down I would have to go with the original look & feel of the first 'BLADE RUNNER' with Harrison Ford in his pomp as Deckard & ROY BATTER as the villain that nearly stole the film from Mr Ford...'ALL THESE MOMENTS WILL BE LOST, LIKE TEARS in RAIN' how can you NOT LOVE this speech? but blimey does this one get you thinking what might be in the FUTURE.

ONE LAST THING...

Remember the Question we all asked at the end of BLADE RUNNER?

Is he? or isn't he?

Well, VERY SURPRISINGLY you will get your ANSWER within the first few minutes of this film.

So, DECKARD is a......

DECKARD is an ALIEN??? WHAT!!! only joking!

It seems to be consensus that the BEST version of BLADE RUNNER film is the SPECIAL EDITION but I have to say I have a real soft spot for the original cinema release version as that's the version I saw first.

It's the one in which DECKARD provides an old fashioned Private Eye type VOICE OVER & I don't know why so many HATE on it? there's a charm to it I feel but it very RARELY gets aired on Tv these days & it features that extended final sequence after Deckard knocks over the UNICORN () & gets into the elevator with Rachel (and that's where the new version now ends) but in that original first version we get them driving away in a nice sequence.

It will be interesting if we EVER give the GO AHEAD for fully independent A.I. where this will lead for we humans?
It's probably only a matter of time before we meld into a new strange type of species that adds A.I. to each of us along with better robotic parts, a shame in some respects, the current version of HUMAN I rather like (if ONLY we could rid ourselves of the WAR, AGGRESSIVE, POWER & GREED thoughts?) but I guess you can't stop progress...in which case we should probably embrace it for this is how we may well combat death itself & enable us to if not live forever then live for many hundreds of years paired with quicker (warping) space travel it will make exploring the stars & planets out there easier.

I often WONDER how our era of HUMANS will be looked upon in the FUTURE? probably & rightly with distain.
I still find it interesting that each of us have different looking faces & that there are different forms of humans that gets you scratching your head, I've heard explanations for this but I still find it STRANGE...in the future, perhaps 5,000 to 10,000 years from now we shall be a different type of species, i'd expect us to basically still look human but we'll have robotic & more than likely AI upgrades, cures will have halted most ailments & so we so we should live far longer & of course unless we are still complete DumbAsses we'll have FINALLY figured out WARS, VIOLENCE, GREED & POWER will be WASTED THOUGHTS, I don't want a HIVE MIND, I like our individuality but I think the quicker we live in HAMRNONY the better life on EARTH will be...it's been a long time coming.

I often think strange thoughts concerning...
Those ALIEN SPECIES out there be it those that may be at a similar development as us, or one's that are 100,000 years ahead of us or even 100 or more Million Years advanced than us & one of those thoughts is...

DO THEY HAVE FUN?
DO THEY COMPETE? we have football match competitions, the OLYMPICS (LOVING the WINTER OLYMPICS currently)

Or are they just BASICALLY roaming the GALAXY or UNIVERSE with a mind set of what? finding other civilizations? for what purpose? hopefully it's good & helpful, as I have said previously not all of these alien species will be organic, it's a good bet they'll be like we shall probably be in thousands of years time? part organic, robotic with probably AI implants & they'll probably live for a long, long time.

It would be a GREAT SHAME if we are still around if we still didn't have FUN, ART, COMPETITION would it not?

I hope some of those ALIEN SPECIES out there will have these as it would make it easier to connect with them but I would hate for us to lose this & our individuality.

Both BLADE RUNNER films do get you thinking & that's a GOOD THING.