Movies: Star Wars: Episode VIII THE LAST JEDI (NO SPOILERS - Use the other thread for spoilers)

[johnjm22]

One of the less talked about unlikable aspects of TFA is how small it felt. It also looked too glossy and some of the sets looked surprisingly bad.

Abrams has a way of making what's supposed to be a vast galaxy feel like it exists in a closet.

 

[Central PA Hawk Fan]

One of the less talked about unlikable aspects of TFA is how small it felt. It also looked too glossy and some of the sets looked surprisingly bad.

Abrams has a way of making what's supposed to be a vast galaxy feel like it exists in a closet.

I rarely agree with you on your Star Wars takes, but I agree with this one. When they fire off the star killer weapon and it explodes a couple planets, that made the universe seem so small, like hey I can see this planet that should be light years away explode in the sky like they blew up a moon. I thought that aspect was a huge misstep, but I don't think it kills the film.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

My new pet theory is that Disney has no interest in allowing any creativity in these movies, as they see it as being to risky.

I imagine Disney has crafted a very neat and polished guide to how these movies will be made, this is why we keep seeing so many directors getting axed.

See: Marvel.

Star Wars will continue to be fun and forgettable, just like Marvel.

 

[Takeo]

Abrams is a Disney pawn. The corporate yes man. Disney is pulverizing this brand to the point that I have to be reminded Episode 8 comes out in a few months. The merchandise stand I saw at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day didn't exactly get my juices flowin.

 

[John Price]

yeah it totally had a different plot theme character arc resolution musical score

And then when something like Rogue One comes out which is a new theme people hate that too. TFA and Rogue One were both good movies. TFA to carry on what happened after Six, and Rogue One to tell what happened before Four. I have no doubt the next one is going to be good too. Then again my standards are incredibly low.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

And then when something like Rogue One comes out which is a new theme people hate that too. TFA and Rogue One were both good movies. TFA to carry on what happened after Six, and Rogue One to tell what happened before Four. I have no doubt the next one is going to be good too. Then again my standards are incredibly low.

Rogue One wasn't criticized because it was different. It was criticized because of its flaws as a film.

 

[HanSolo]

Abrams is a Disney pawn. The corporate yes man. Disney is pulverizing this brand to the point that I have to be reminded Episode 8 comes out in a few months. The merchandise stand I saw at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day didn't exactly get my juices flowin.

So how many times do you have to get to your wit's end with the new Star Wars endeavor until you just ignore it altogether? Just curious.

 

[MadDevil]

My new pet theory is that Disney has no interest in allowing any creativity in these movies, as they see it as being to risky.

I imagine Disney has crafted a very neat and polished guide to how these movies will be made, this is why we keep seeing so many directors getting axed.

I think when Disney initially bought the franchise they wanted to try different things, but then after TFA was such a massive success they decided they didn't want to risk deviating too much from that formula. That's why they lightened up Rogue One after Edwards gave them the war film they asked for. The difference there is Edwards was a team player, so he didn't get axed like Lord and Miller or Treverrow (although to be honest I was always rather doubtful of his hiring).

 

[Takeo]

So how many times do you have to get to your wit's end with the new Star Wars endeavor until you just ignore it altogether? Just curious.

Why simply ignore something that earns and deserves criticism? That would be too easy.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Disney spend a billions dollars on this, they want their money back. They are not going to take a chance or venture into unknown areas with this franchise.

You'll get a lot of eye candy and rehashed story lines. That being said Rogue One was not bad. TFA just played safe and lost me....

 

[HanSolo]

Why simply ignore something that earns and deserves criticism? That would be too easy.

Because it's the same criticism every time with slightly altered language. You've never given the impression that you have any hope that this franchise will someday go where you want it to. So why do you care?

 

[Takeo]

Because it's the same criticism every time with slightly altered language. You've never given the impression that you have any hope that this franchise will someday go where you want it to. So why do you care?

Because the franchise deserves better.

 

[Tawnos]

Because the franchise deserves better.

The franchise only deserves what the creative teams bring it.

I have no problem with Abrams doing the last film. But then again, I like quite a lot of what he's done in the past. Including TFA. Also the best science fiction TV show in 20 years.

 

[Tawnos]

It was derivative in a lot of ways, but to me I loved that it was closely tied to the original and played off that original dynamic. That's what Star Wars is, its an old fashioned simple story set in a great universe. I do hope they take the story in a new direction over the next two films while remaining patently Star Wars. But I was perfectly fine establishing that this is an ode to the original trilogy after the dreck we had to endure with the prequels.

No one who has a problem with the movie wants to forgive it for its primary purpose, which was to hit the reset button on the franchise.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

TFA was fun, I don't mind JJ getting to do IX even if talk about the schedule mattering more than the film and how JJ doesn't get narratives are all on-point and hard to argue against.

Episode VIII was always going to be the big one AFAIC. The middle act is almost always the strongest one in these stories: I mean ESB is by very far the best of the OT and AotC had the best plot of the PT (since the PT did have a great plot).

Everything about The Last Jedi is looking great so far and we know the director is good. I am pumped.

 

[Tawnos]

The thing about Abrams that people forget is that he usually isn't looking to tackle new themes or explore uncharted territory. That might not work for a lot of science fiction, but it works when rebooting a franchise (Star Trek, Star Wars). It also works well when it's executed well, like it did in the first season of Lost and for all of Fringe.

Frankly, Star Wars should generally be touching on tried and true themes. That's precisely what the OT did so well (there are even books written on that very topic). There's plenty of other stories and media out there that are going to be more risky and exploratory. I just think there are themes that resonate with humanity no matter how many times they're explored. That's what Star Wars should be for. Abrams can be very good at that and I expect that he will be for Episode IX as well.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

I kind of think Abrams and Johnson are the perfect tandem. 7 & 9 have to be a little more "according to plan," which fits Abrams much better, and 8 can have more wiggle room and ability for surprises, so that fits Johnson well.

 

[99GoHabsGo99]

I know they are doing a trilogy but what is the plan after the next 2 you guys think?

Like will the story complete with all these main characters or will they keep making more in the future with them? or start a new trilogy with new main + villain

Thoughts?

 

[HanSolo]

I know they are doing a trilogy but what is the plan after the next 2 you guys think?

Like will the story complete with all these main characters or will they keep making more in the future with them? or start a new trilogy with new main + villain

Thoughts?

I think I've read that they have every intention to add to the saga on top of the new trilogy with returns from surviving members of the new cast.

The thing about Abrams that people forget is that he usually isn't looking to tackle new themes or explore uncharted territory. That might not work for a lot of science fiction, but it works when rebooting a franchise (Star Trek, Star Wars). It also works well when it's executed well, like it did in the first season of Lost and for all of Fringe.

Frankly, Star Wars should generally be touching on tried and true themes. That's precisely what the OT did so well (there are even books written on that very topic). There's plenty of other stories and media out there that are going to be more risky and exploratory. I just think there are themes that resonate with humanity no matter how many times they're explored. That's what Star Wars should be for. Abrams can be very good at that and I expect that he will be for Episode IX as well.

Mmm...I don't know if I entirely agree with this. I didn't mind an overly familiar title in the form of TFA. To the contrary, after the mess that was the prequels I embraced the familiar. But I think within that the series should go to new places with a familiar aesthetic.

We saw a morsel of what a look at the underworld/crime side of Star Wars could look at with some parts of Rogue One. There's plenty to explore there and I THINK the Han Solo and Boba Fett films will attempt to do this. Star Wars can run parallels to nearly every aspect and dynamic of society as we know it, if it's done properly. Granted there are some that shouldn't be explored at least in the realm of cinema (like if they felt the need to do a political thriller...that might be better handled in a mini-series or something)

 

[MadDevil]

I know they are doing a trilogy but what is the plan after the next 2 you guys think?

Like will the story complete with all these main characters or will they keep making more in the future with them? or start a new trilogy with new main + villain

Thoughts?

I could see them taking a break from saga films to do some more standalones. I just hope they move into new territory with them. I'm fine with the Obi-Wan movie because Ewan McGregor is around to play him. But after that I'd rather see them move away from the PT/OT era/characters and explore something else, whether it be the Old Republic or just more of a genre film, like Rogue One was originally supposed to be.

Although if TLJ and Episode IX are received well and make a ton of money (which they probably will regardless of how good they actually are) I could see them continuing with those characters into further films.

 

[Tawnos]

Mmm...I don't know if I entirely agree with this. I didn't mind an overly familiar title in the form of TFA. To the contrary, after the mess that was the prequels I embraced the familiar. But I think within that the series should go to new places with a familiar aesthetic.

We saw a morsel of what a look at the underworld/crime side of Star Wars could look at with some parts of Rogue One. There's plenty to explore there and I THINK the Han Solo and Boba Fett films will attempt to do this. Star Wars can run parallels to nearly every aspect and dynamic of society as we know it, if it's done properly. Granted there are some that shouldn't be explored at least in the realm of cinema (like if they felt the need to do a political thriller...that might be better handled in a mini-series or something)

I wasn't really referring to the anthology movies. The Episodic entries should be focused on big themes, but the thing about big themes is that there aren't any that haven't been explored a million times before going back millennia. No problems expanding some horizons in the standalones. Generally, it's just not what I'm looking for in the Episodes.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

The Clone Wars (both series) did an amazing job of allowing the franchise to reach out and tackle interesting subject matter, portray unique and well written characters and give us plenty of drama and action.

I hold these two series above every other SW show/movie, except for ESB.

 

[MadDevil]

The Clone Wars had it's fair share of duds, but did get consistently better as it went along. TCW Anakin is way better than AOTC or ROTS Anakin.

 

[HanSolo]

Because the franchise deserves better.

The franchise has suffered a lot worse than TFA and Rogue One.

I'd honestly argue there are only two truly great Star Wars movies. Within the much revered Original Trilogy there is a (in my opinion) stark outlier in Return of the Jedi. It's HF so I'll engage in my own opinion of tiering all the canon Star Wars entries

Excellent

Empire Strikes Back

Great

A New Hope
The Clone Wars (show)

Pretty Good

Return of the Jedi/The Force Awakens (I have them even)

Decent to mediocre

Star Wars Rebels
Rogue One

Crap

Revenge of the Sith
The Clone Wars (CG film that had a cinematic run)

Garbage

Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace
(for all the godawful dialogue, AotC still has a better core story than TPM and better action. The score of TPM is marginally better and the larger use of practical sets is more aesthetically pleasing but it doesn't reconcile the fact that it's a useless narrative, a boring narrative, and it makes the viewer suffer Jar Jar and toddler Anakin)


So...if you're holding Star Wars to this standard that it ought to be handled by the few remaining auteurs of the industry or not at all, well...I would've given up a long time ago. Luckily I grew up as the prequels were being released so I can only look up from there and view episodes 4 and 5 as pinnacles and not the running standard that is all of a sudden being besmirched. It's entertaining and sometimes dumb sci fi fantasy built within a fictional universe that draws people in. Even Peter Jackson couldn't recapture the magic of The Lord of the Rings with his pitiable Hobbit films. You can choose to have fun with it or bemoan the fact that Disney wants to play it safe with their investment. I personally don't find it hard to derive enjoyment from the better Star Wars films and show.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

Abrams is a Disney pawn. The corporate yes man. Disney is pulverizing this brand to the point that I have to be reminded Episode 8 comes out in a few months. The merchandise stand I saw at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day didn't exactly get my juices flowin.

How did you feel about this set?
I think it fits you. It's got that tough on the outside but soft on the inside feeling.