2 hour 43 minute running time. Let me repeat that: 2 hours and 43 minutes. Yeah, it's long, really long.

I wanted to see this one in the theater when it first came out but didn't get around to it at the time. The first Blade Runner was such an important movie for me (and most other boys of my generation, I'd guess). I saw it in the upstairs theater of Oneonta 1&2 on Chestnut Street back in 1982. My buddy Jimmy D's mom took us to see it (I wonder what she thought of it ... no chance to ask since she died of breast cancer a few years ago). I was afraid they'd ruin the franchise, but they didn't.

Anyway, despite its length, I guess this is a worthy sequel. The sets are amazing ... the cinematography, the effects, the costumes, all great. The new spinners with their retro head and taillights. The Vangelis-ish soundtrack. A lot of nice touches. Paying respect to the original in multiple ways (the Atari product placement, the smashing through the wall, etc.), well done, tastefully done. I wonder what the budget was. No expense spared because some guy my age is in charge of approving the budget, and it meant as much to him as it did to me.

I didn't buy that the Wallace Corp. couldn't track down Harrison Ford on their own. But... these are quibbles. Gosling goes off baseline ... but he's not going to kill any non-replicants in the first place. If you've been holding back on seeing this, I recommend you give in and see it. And not just for the hologram love scene.

I like Bilge Ebiri's take on it: "It’s everything, and more, and too much, and somehow not enough ... Careful, dutiful, and beautiful, Blade Runner 2049 cannot achieve the sublime slipperiness of Scott’s masterpiece. Whether it even needs to is up to you."