Blade Runner 2049 Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Downs...

2. It's Definitely Too Long

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.