163 minutes is a pretty intimidating runtime for casual viewers, which partially accounts for the underwhelming box office returns on Blade Runner 2049. If you hesitated to commit to a visually ambitious sci-fi epic that’s almost three hours long, then a four-hour sci-fi epic might be out of the question (at least until it arrived on Blu-ray). But that was almost the case with Blade Runner 2049; according to the editor of Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic, the first cut of the film was much longer, and may have required repeat visits to the theater.
If you haven’t seen Blade Runner 2049 yet (dude, what is your deal), you’ll want to avoid reading any further. The below post contains a MAJOR SPOILER for Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic, which recaptured the spirit of its predecessor in more ways than one — particularly as it’s already become an under seen (and under-appreciated) piece of cinematic art. Beyond that, not only does Blade Runner 2049 recreate — and elevate — the gorgeously dreary atmosphere of Scott’s original, but it also recreated one of its most fantastic elements.
It should go without saying, but just in case: SPOILERS AHEAD for Blade Runner 2049 — specifically the ending of Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic, which has proven itself exceptionally faithful to its predecessor in that it’s already woefully underappreciated in its time. But if you’re one of the (very smart) few who paid to see Blade Runner 2049 over the weekend, you may be interested to learn a little more about the film’s ending, which wasn’t originally written that way.