Blade Runner 2049 · reception & legacy

How Blade Runner 2049 has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

A box-office disappointment in 2017 despite rapturous reviews — 'too long, too slow' was the refrain — it's since been fully canonised as one of the great modern sci-fi films and the rare sequel argued to rival its original.

What's debated

The forever-war among fans: is it actually better than the 1982 original, or a gorgeous 163-minute mood piece that mistakes slowness for depth?

Its footprint

The orange irradiated Las Vegas and the giant pink Joi hologram are among the most screenshotted images of the decade, and the baseline test — 'cells interlinked within cells interlinked' — became a full-blown meme.

Where it stands

A Letterboxd darling and instant modern-canon entry — the go-to answer to 'name a sequel that justified its existence.'

Named by the director

Influences Denis Villeneuve has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

• Blade Runner (1982) — Villeneuve has repeatedly said the original was one of the formative films of his youth and that he made the sequel in dialogue with its imagery and mood.