Audiences have become so accustomed to so-so reboots and belated, underwhelming sequels that it's often a shock when one of them turns out to be good. That seems to be the general reaction to Blade Runner 2049, which held its first industry screenings last night, leading countless journalists to emerge from auditoriums in starry-eyed disbelief that the neon-soaked sequel might be, could possibly be, even better than the first.

"I think this Blade Runner is better than the original," tweeted Fandango.com founder Erik Davis, while USA Today critic Bryan Alexander revealed that it unexpectedly moved him even more than its predecessor.