Blade Runner 2049 Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Downs...

2. It's Definitely Too Long

Blade Runner 2049 Trailer Desert
Warner Bros.

When it was first announced that the movie clocked in at 163 minutes, fans were divided: did this mean that Denis Villeneuve had fully committed to wringing every gorgeous, deliberate drop out of the script, or could it end up being an over-indulgent bore?

Thankfully for the most part the movie is intensely gripping, though it's also worth saying that Villeneuve probably could've afforded to lose around 15 minutes here and there: some scenes drag on much longer than they need to and cause the pace to sag on occasion.

It's still a thoroughly riveting film even in its less-energetic moments, but 140-ish minutes probably would've felt a lot tighter. As far as 163-minute films go, though, it sees off its time pretty damn well.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.