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Blade Runner 2049

Full reviews are embargoed until tomorrow, but the early social-media reaction to this incredibly shot sci-fi sequel is strong, and some critics are so gobsmacked by the film that they can barely dress themselves afterwards. Blade Runner 2049 could be the Max Max: Fury Road of this year’s race: Arriving so long after the original movie that it can stand on its own merits, it’s the sort of high-level blockbuster filmmaking that the expanded Best Picture field was meant to honor, and it’s being shepherded through this Oscar season by the same studio and awards publicist that guided Fury Road to Valhalla. For his visually dazzling frames, director of photography Roger Deakins may finally win the Oscar that has eluded him for so long, and that coronation could boost Blade Runner 2049’s fortunes further: The cinematography winner almost always comes from a film nominated for Best Picture.