The first reactions to Blade Runner 2049 are extremely positive. For fans of science-fiction, Philip K. Dick is known as one of the most prolific American writers in the genre. For over three decades, his novels and stories helped redefine sci-fi and inspired a number of popular films, even long after his death. Minority Report, Total Recall, and The Adjustment Bureau are just a few of the movies based on his short stories and books. However, perhaps the most famous film based on his work is Blade Runner.

Blade Runner is based on Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? While there are a number of differences between the book and the film, Dick's dystopian futuristic world remains. Set in the year 2019 - the film was released in 1982 - the movie's protagonist is Rick Deckard. Deckard is a Blade Runner, meaning his job is to hunt down and retire (kill) replicants - bio-engineered androids. When he is forced to go on a mission against several replicates, things get complicated as he starts to develop feelings for one of his targets - Rachael - who believes herself to be human.

Related: Ryan Gosling Praises Blade Runner 2049 Screenplay

Now after 35 years, the question of what happened to Deckard and Rachael may be answered. The long awaited sequel to Blade Runner is only a week and a half from opening. While the full reviews are not out yet, the first reactions for Blade Runner 2049 have hit Twitter (see the posts below), and it sounds like the sequel is a masterpiece - much like the original film was.

Several of these early reactions praise most of the same things that made the first film so iconic, such as the combination of sci-fi with noir and the stunning visual effects. While this second Blade Runner movie is based on an original screen story, it is clearly still set in the world that Dick created in his source material and that the first film first adapted, so many years ago.

One thing fans might be hoping for is the answer to the first film's biggest mystery - whether Deckard a replicant himself. Fans are divided on the issue; even Blade Runner director Ridley Scott and Deckard actor Harrison Ford disagree. The side of the argument that fans tend to fall usually depends on their preference between the director's cut and the theatrical cut of Blade Runner. Since director Denis Villeneuve enjoyed both versions of Blade Runner, he tried to make the sequel work for either one, and there still might not be a full answer. At the very least, there probably won't be a similar debate in the future, since according to Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049's theatrical cut is the director's cut.

Whatever answers Blade Runner 2049 brings us, it will also almost certainly also bring up more questions, as any good sci-fi/noir film would - and based on these early reactions, this is a very good film indeed.

NEXT: What Happened Between Blade Runner & Blade Runner 2049?

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