If you haven't seen the previous movie then you might miss out on some small things, but overall, you don't have to watch the previous Blade Runner in order to enjoy this new one, it stands by itself and doesn't rely heavily on the previous movie, which is an incredible
The story is long, and the movie's pacing takes its time, literally. Everything from the quiet scenes to the action scenes are slow, it feels relaxed and laid back even in stressful situations. And that isn't bad, if you love these kinds of slow and calm movies then you'll definitely like this one and the one before it.
And although the story was long and slow; it wasn't anywhere near being bad, it was amazing, and it ties perfectly with the previous movie.
Another redeeming factor in this movie was how beautiful the movie looked, every scene looked as if it was meticulously painted, and the cinematography was fantastic.