Blade Runner 2049 "might be a masterpiece" - the early reactions are in and they are neon-glowing

The first reactions for Blade Runner 2049 are pouring in across the internet, and - like a foggy, neon-choked night in future Los Angeles - they're almost universally glowing. The unlikely sequel to the 1982 sci-fi-noir classic is being praised as a fitting follow-up, and even as a superior film by more than a few critics. Blade Runner 2049 won't hit theaters until October 6, so it'll still be a little while until audiences can draw their own conclusions.

Until then, you can at least sample some of the excitement from those lucky so-and-so's who got to watch an early screening.

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Seriously, this is the most negative reaction I found after scrolling through Twitter for a good 15 or 20 minutes.

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And back to the unqualified joy. 

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Wow. I'll admit, I was very dubious about the concept of a Blade Runner sequel. The original does such an economical job of establishing its flawed world while leaving plenty of room for interpretation and imagination; returning to the same world with any kind of nostalgia or desire to further define its mysteries could kill it. But it sounds like that's not at all what's happened here.

Then again… the original Blade Runner actually had a fairly negative early reception before its place in cinematic history was secured. Does Blade Runner 2049 getting early praise mean we'll all actually hate it once we get some more time with it?! Man, that would be a bummer. Hopefully all that difference means is that critics are more prepared to appreciate a movie about wistful robots and the humans(?) who try to kill them now than they were 35 years ago.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.