In the history of science-fiction cinema, there is no movie (save perhaps 2001: A Space Odyssey) as universally lauded as Blade Runner. Ridley Scott's future noir where Harrison Ford hunts down bioengineered "replicants" in a dim dystopian future wasn't a box office hit in 1982, but its acclaim and influence has elevated it to near-sacred status over the years. So it wasn't a surprise that many SF fans groaned when it was announced that Blade Runner would be next in the endless series of Hollywood reboots and sequels.But today the Blade Runner 2049 trailer dropped and… it actually looks pretty great.The suitably moody trailer features Ryan Gosling as a trench-coated replicant hunter wandering through foggy futuristic streets and yellow post-apocalyptic wastelands, where he finds a giant statue head that seems to be part Lady Liberty, part sex doll. He enters a giant house where he comes across Harrison Ford, pointing a gun. (There's apparently a law that you can't reboot a SF film without paying Harrison Ford to reprise a role. But that's probably a good thing.)"Replicants are like any other machine," the voiceover says. "They are either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem."Blade Runner is one of the most gorgeously filmed movies ever, so it was a smart choice to hire Denis Villeneuve who directed the stunningly filmed Sicario and Arrival. While it's only a teaser, everything about the mysterious mood and hardboiled dystopian feel of the first film has been perfectly, uh, replicated here. Here's hoping the rest of the film—out in October 2017—follows suit.Follow Lincoln Michel on Twitter.
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