Earlier quoted context omitted.
The film, especially the original theatrical release that has the voiceover, echoes Film Noir and 1940s cop movies that you may not have seen, but many people in the 1980s would have had in memory. The sequel follows the visual style of the original, but it doesn't have the film noir feel. It's tone is much harsher. In the original the characters are able to find some meaning in their lives, and even find love or red…
> In the original the characters are able to find some meaning in their lives The sequel does the same at the end, isn't it? Father and daughter are reunited, and K finds meaning in the struggle. > it doesn't have the film noir feel That would have been gimmicky. It was innovative when the original was released but it's now been done to death.
I should have said 'escape' rather than 'meaning'. In the original Deckard and Rachael escape the dystopia. In the sequel it feels like there's no escape from the confines of the film. Even the daughter is still in her cage at the end.