Director Denis Villeneuve is a philosopher, exploring personal, social and metaphysical issues with grace and power. His most recent effort, Arrival, transcended genre. It was an alien invasion film that addressed technological anxiety, while also being emotionally powerful and visually striking.

With Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve hasn’t just outdone himself. He has outdone most directors working today. Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic starred Harrison Ford as a “blade runner”; a cop whose job was to hunt down and kill humanesque androids known as replicants. Set 35 years later, the sequel grapples anew with themes of technology, power and soul.

Ryan Gosling plays K, a replicant police officer whose job is to hunt down and “retire” the earlier generation of replicants now outlawed. K is ostracised as a “skinjob” by everyone but Joi (Ana De Armas), his holographic live-in girlfriend. Joi appears to love and believe in K – but are her emotions that of a “real girl”, or is she merely fulfilling her programming? And does it matter either way?

When evidence emerges that a child may have been conceived between a human and replicant, K is dispatched to investigate. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is jaw-droppingly, awe-inspiringly, breathtakingly beautiful, capturing the monolithic scale of Villeneuve’s dystopia. From the steely silver and neon light-flickered cityscapes, to the radioactive orange haze of an abandoned Las Vegas, to the gold-wood fortress of self-appointed corporate creator Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), each shot is composed with masterful artistry. Villeneuve’s Kubrick-esque love of symmetry and scale is elevated even further by the consistently striking production design.

Villeneuve pays homage to Planet Of The Apes, The Terminator, and even Spike Jonze’s Her, in the interactions between virtual beings, replicants and humans. The sumptuous CGI is goosebump-inducing. It is deployed meaningfully, as holographic beings “sync” with real bodies by superimposing their flickering image over them, creating a complex intimacy as bodies and artificial “minds” unite.

Matching the incredible visuals is the moody, atmospheric soundscape, which perfectly fits the cautious pace. The film isn’t flawless – the Niander Wallace sequences are self-regarding, and the characters’ ability to survive fatal injury becomes comical. But when Harrison Ford makes his highly-publicised return to the franchise, he puts in the performance of a lifetime. He provides a link to the original that deepens the new film’s labyrinthine beauty.

5/5