Blade Runner actor Rutger Hauer gives scathing review of sequel 2049

'It's not a character-driven movie and there's no humour, there's no love, there's no soul'

Blade Runner 2049 has been heralded as a visual masterpiece by critics, Denis Villeneuve taking Ridley Scott’s vision and spinning out a worthy sequel.

Unfortunately, Rutger Hauer — best known for playing the replicant Roy Batty in the original Blade Runner — does not agree. Promoting an upcoming project at the Berline Film Festival, the 74-year-old gave a damning critique of 2049.

“I sniff and scratch at it,” Hauer told The Hollywood Reporter. “It looks great but I struggle to see why that film was necessary. I just think if something is so beautiful, you should just leave it alone and make another film. Don't lean with one elbow on the success that was earned over 30 years in the underground.

“In many ways, Blade Runner wasn't about the replicants, it was about what does it mean to be human? It's like E.T. But I'm not certain what the question was in the second Blade Runner. It's not a character-driven movie and there's no humour, there's no love, there's no soul.

“You can see the homage to the original. But that's not enough to me. I knew that wasn't going to work. But I think it's not important what I think.”

​Hauer famously wrote the “Tears in the Rain” speech he utters in Blade Runner, an iconic piece of cinema beloved by many. The actor will next appear in the biblical film Samson, starring alongside Billy Zane. Meanwhile, Blade Runner 2049 recently won the Bafta for Cinematography and Visual Effects. Read the full winners list here.