I didn't really connect with it.

the Joaquin Phoenix "Her" subplot bored me. seemed like half her purpose was to be a sounding board for Gosling's plot exposition.

narrative relied on too many twists; it seemed like they were going for a revelation like the original's ending, but it all came off as desperate.

Leto was unsurprisingly distracting, and not in a complimentary way.

I guess the use of flashbacks is the 2049 version of bad voice-over.

all this coming from someone who loves Blade Runner and thinks Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival were among the best movies of their calendar year. but even the original took a few post-release edits to truly become the masterpiece it is, so maybe my opinion will change.