Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Spoilers. Seen it? Discuss it here.)
David_D
Posts: 3,884
Have at it!
David_D
Posts: 3,884
Comments
Looking forward to taking our eldest daughter to see it later this weekend.
When Luke showed up on Crayt looking different from how he looked on Ahch-To, I knew something was up. Trimmed hair and beard. Not as gray.
The Canto Bight scenes were not for nothing.
With that out the way. That was better than Force Awakens! Didn't think Snoke was get taken out but it makes sense. I enjoyed some of the deeper looks at war profiteering in this war. We got to see a near mutiny among the resistance. Never seen the elite in a Star Wars film so I guess the casino was necessary for that.
I loved Rose just stunning deserters but seeing how many transports were getting taken out can you blame them now?
Millenium Falcon always coming in at the right time.
Can't wait to see this again. And I saw it on this monster. They make a big deal about it being the only EMAX screen in the state but I think they own the name.
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2017/12/13/emagine-novi-is-home-to-michigans-only-super-emax-movie-screen/
My thoughts on the film (Spoilers).
I also liked the addition of Rose. She offset Finn really well. The porgs are only slightly better than Jar Jar (probably because they didn't have any real speaking parts or weren't integral to the film).
I knew something was up when I saw Luke all cleaned up and someone mentioned that there had to be another entrance into the cave because Luke was there. I loved the red visuals during his fight with Ren. Stunning. I wasn't quite sure if it was the end for him though, but when I saw the sun being covered by the clouds I understood.
Overall I really enjoyed it. Not sure where it ranks just yet since it is so fresh, but it was a lot of fun and worth multiple viewings. I heard it was really humorous, and while I did chuckle a bit more than TFA, I expected some GtG kind of humor. Kinda glad it wasn't. I do agree with @matchkitJOHN about the length. It was too long. However, if they cut it off after Snoke's throne room, that would have been a crummy ending. So in that regard, I can forgive the added length.
Rian Johnson did not impress me much.
The film certainly LOOKS great, it has the spectacle down pat, maybe even better than JJ Abrams did, but that’s about all it has going for it. Once you begin to notice or recall the underlying problems, you may realize that, despite it looking like Star Wars, it’s just not Star Wars.
The Last Jedi was about the heroes failing. Poe gets a lot of good people killed by his heroic plan. Finn, Rose and Poe get a lot of good people killed by their heroic plan. Luke gets a lot of good people by failing his failing pupil. So if you view the Last Jedi as a movie about failure and overcoming it and enjoy how it subverts 'Good Guy Hero' movies of our past, then you may think it was fantastic. But if you went into Last Jedi expecting to see Luke being a hero at some point, something like the Luke we left at the end of Return of the Jedi, you likely left the movie really disappointed.
Luke and Leia are truly side characters in this spectacle. It seemed like this movie held nothing but contempt for the Skywalker clan and long-time Star Wars fans. The green milk pumped from the breast of a sea monster dripping down Luke's beard was odious, but my real grievance is that the only coherent moral thesis advanced by any character is nihilism and relativism.
When Rey confronts a place strong in the dark side (as Luke did in the tree on Dagobah), the dark side appears as just an infinite mirror, reflecting Rey back at herself. Unlike the dark side tree on Dagobah the infinite mirror pit is neither ominous nor disturbing. The dark tree revealed to Luke the danger of him becoming his father, in a memorable and jarring vision; the 'Hall of Infinite Mirrors' reveals precisely nothing about Rey. She makes no meaningful choices, gains no insights, and the entire event is pointless. There is nothing at all to indicate why this part of the island is dark, nor does that imputed quality affect the movie in the slightest. There is no reveal, so the entire thing is pointless. BUT, it did allow Disney to introduce us to three new types of aliens to stock the toy shelves with.
And more problematic is that the movie fully embraces the notion that the Force itself is 'balance' (Luke says this over and over again when teaching Rey). It's not split between Light and Dark, but balance. This movie even ruined the phrase “May the Force be with you” as a positive blessing of sorts. Now we learn that it’s totally neutral and amoral. And the idea that Luke, who once was willing to risk everything because he knew he wanted to try to persuade the Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, back to the good side, would now give up in fear when faced with Kylo Ren? Not the Luke I remember. Every character is blatantly written to serve a greater corporate purpose which seems to be that Disney needs to hit ‘reset’ on the Star Wars universe and open it up to endless expansion. I get that Star Wars had to outgrow its origins eventually, but the characters and spirit of the original trilogy (and even the prequels) deserved a softer touch than this heavy-handed reset that tries way too hard to ‘modernize’ the themes and insert current political themes, while sacrificing all the magic of the saga.
The mutiny subplot was superfluous, the casino planet was pointless (other than creating a new video game), wealth disparity at the horse tracks was too on the nose, everything about Leia dying/not dying and her Supergirl impression was really silly. Almost everything that happened on the planet with Luke is unnecessary. He taught Rey three very useless lessons but she leaves him saying "If you’re not going to actually teach me anything I’ll go find another teacher." Then when Luke threatens to burn down the Jedi tree house he again fails, then Yoda shows up out of nowhere and burns it down because why? Cause he's crazy that's why! Yoda's look was altered JUST ENOUGHT that new toys will also be required. Phasma again went out like a punk, Emo Vader decided not to shoot his mommy, but then his wing men do it anyway...
So biggest issues? Super-Leia, alien tit milking, murderous, cowardly Luke, C3P0 & R2 and Chewie are reduced to afterthoughts just to please old fans. The entire mythos is altered in disrespectful ways. And then there were the jokes, again with the jokes.
Don't get me wrong, the film may be entertaining because of its spectacle, but I have a feeling that its spectacle hides a nihilism streak that won't be kind to this film after repeated viewings. I think that's why the audience score is about 40 points behind the critics on this installment - which is far more disparity than the 'prequels'
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi
They're not wrong.
I mentioned to Shane that I didn’t think these movies were really outlined (let alone initial drafts) before TFA was released. I’m not sure if it’s bullshit, but I recall Lucas mentioning he at least had the story written down for all 3 movies when he started A New Hope. Just shelving the other 2 in case he was ever able to make them.
I know Disney passed on his suggestions for 7-9, but I’m really curious what they are. I’m curious if Hamill knows and would’ve preferred that instead of what he got.
Guess we should also ignore Tauntaun guts and belching Sarlaacs while we're at it. There's always been a random moment of "eww gross" to these movies.
Also there's probably no milkmen on that planet. :smiley:
Let that sink in for a moment. :smiley:
IX belongs to Chewbacca. He's gonna take the Falcon out in a final blaze of glory. And THAT will be the episode that finally gets me to shed a tear.
Good dog.
Nice catch of that tweet. I'm sure learning that it was a different cow creature that farted in Jar Jar Binks' face will make that scene immensely less cringworthy and will surely also lessen any repulsion at seeing how Luke sustains himself on an island planet without learning to fish or eat vegetation. Good thing he had the fore-thought to carry along a baby bottle with him for regular milking time!
And speaking of necessary bodily functions, do you think we should learn how Rey dealt with her menstrual cycle on a desert planet or get a glimpse at Chewie taking a dump on the Falcon? Potentially both crucial details to help fill those gaping plot holes.
Better to spend time on that than giving the audience a single line of dialogue that delivered some backstory or origin details regarding Snoke.
Look at the scene and look at where he's looking. At Rey. While the gross stuff dribbles into his beard. While he kneels in front of this gross cow-thingy. Here's the guy you were looking for, Rey. Jedi Master. Hero of the Rebellion. Luke Skywalker. No wait.. **LUKE SKYWALKER**
Getting milk from a walrus-looking thing and not even allowing himself the dignity of wiping his mouth when it's in his beard.
That's what's become of your "hero". Now go home.
That's why we needed the scene.
If you did, then I'm glad you got the Star Wars film that you needed, one that essentially shit all over the saga.
But don't take my word for it.
https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/a-list-of-some-of-the-times-the-last-jedi-told-the-olde-1821396631
There are some gems in the comments:
Do I have that about right?
But this episode included far more subversiveness to clean the slate for annual Disney Star Wars movies for the foreseeable future and with an ending that, unlike ESB, doesn't really make you curious about what's going to happen next for our failed heroes.
Or something like that.