In my view, the terms “film” and “movie” are not synonymous. I believe a “film” is a work that prioritizes metaphor, analysis, symbolism, etc. above entertainment value, while a “movie” does the opposite, striving to put entertainment value above all else. 2001: A Space Odyssey is my all-time favorite film, but 2010: Odyssey Two is a better movie. In 1982, Ridley Scott set out to make a film, and the studio tried to turn it into a movie. I would say the original Blade Runner is a nearly perfect film, both in the Director’s Cut and the Final Cut, although it’s a deeply flawed movie. Now, 35 years later, Denis Villeneuve teamed up with Blade Runner co-writer Hampton Fancher and Michael Green (Heroes, Logan, American Gods) to produce this sequel. I use the term “sequel” loosely: watching the original will enrich this experience, but it isn’t strictly necessary, and characters from the original are on screen for less than an hour of the 163 minute runtime.

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