Star Wars Cinematic Universe

[Rynnec]

Saw the movie today. I loved, but I can definitely see why fans of the OT characters, and especially the EU, would hate it. What we did get was pretty interesting and I honestly did like Luke's characterization here, especially a certain controversial moment also gave Kylo Ren a lot of much needed pathos other than being a whiny Vader fanboy, speaking of which, Kylo's quickly becoming one of my favorite SW characters because of this movie. There were things I didn't like, Rose was easily the weakest character in the film and the worst character introduced in the ST so far.

Spoiler

I also thought the twist of Benico Del Toro's character selling out the Resistance was lame and predictable, I like the idea of a neutral party in Star Wars so seeing one of the few neutral characters in the movies turn out to be a backstabbing douche was groan worthy, especially since aside from Kylo Ren and maybe Snoke (who I'm sure will return for episode IX somehow) most of the villains are underwhelming as characters as is. Hux is mostly a joke, and Phasma did fuck all except job to Finn and have an awesome entrance.

[close]

It's a flawed film to be sure, but no where near as bad as detractors are making it out to be.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

In regard to Benicio Del Toro's character:

Spoiler

They made it a point that he wasn't really taking The First Order's side, but just cutting a deal with them to sell out the resistance in order to save his own ass. He's basically taking Lando's role from The Empire Strikes Back, in that he doesn't really care about either side of the opposing forces, but ultimately has to serve the stronger side when he is confronted by them.

[close]

[Dr. Insomniac]

Speaking of Del Toro, I missed one of the biggest puns in the movie: That Rose and Finn were looking for an MC, but got a DJ instead.

[Lord Dalek]

Surprising noone. Disney threw out the EU because Vector Prime and the New Jedi Order was hot garbage.

[Daikun]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Szts88zY4o

EDIT: Longer teaser.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Didn't know Emilia Clarke was in this. Thought T5's filming would have made her wary of going into film franchises.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Oh dear God, no.

[Daikun]

Oh dear God, no.

The main movie trilogy, the Star Wars Stories, and now these.
Slow down, Disney.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Why not just make a TV show to funnel all these project ideas?

[Daikun]

Why not just make a TV show to funnel all these project ideas?

It looks like they are.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Someone made a redeeming analysis of The Last Jedi. It's refreshing to watch after seeing so much rage and fury that if you didn't think TLJ was worse than the prequels, people would brand you as a Disney shill.

[Foggle]

Good stuff. I loved The Last Jedi and am always happy to see others who felt the same way.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Now that the movie is half a year old, and the controversy is still magma hot, I'm at the conclusion that most of the The Last Jedi criticism is rather uncreative and boring. It's always whining about the Holdo subplot, getting mad at Luke being old and angry, or bigoted rants about the women and non-white people in the film. It all comes off as very anal nitpicking, exacerbate by Star Wars fans who are well known for being anal and nitpicky. And when they offer an alternative scenario for The Last Jedi, it's always a vague "why don't they just make new stories" complaint or a suggestion that they should make the film an adaptation of some comic or book from the old expanded universe. Even RedLetterMedia's suggestion that the movie should have been about Rey and Kylo joining forces and creating a new form of understanding for the rest of the galaxy was dumb. Because that's the Kira and Lacus plot of Gundam Seed. And that plot was awful.

It's bewildering that there's now a bunch of Star Wars fans who are willing to suspend their disbelief at many of the prequels' flaws, but then constantly ask "Why didn't Holdo tell Poe about her plan?" or "Why did Rose save Finn from sacrificing his life when that contradicts what Holdo said about sacrificing lives?" The seething nitpicking and hatred is at such a level that it's now the fan consensus that The Last Jedi is the worst Star Wars movie of all time, that Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy should hang themselves in shame for their "crimes" against true Star Wars fans. Now we're supposed to treat the vitriol of Star Wars fans like they're valid criticism? The same people who gave death threats to George Lucas only to want him back a decade later, or ruin Jake Lloyd's life so much he turned into a schizophrenic wreck? Star Wars fans are always in this cycle where they hate and despise the current thing coming out, but then view it like a treasure years afterward. Like when The Clone Wars was met with disdain when the first season aired, and even accusations of homophobia because of that one gay Hutt in the movie, but now it's treated like a masterpiece. Even that shitty Dark Empire comic where Luke turned to the Dark Side and the Emperor came back as a clone is now viewed with welcoming eyes. It's all such a joke, and seeing the same exact people who treated George Lucas like he was a monster for ruining their precious franchise now starting up online petitions to bring him back? Forgetting that the merchandising and oversaturation of Star Wars material has been flowing for decades? Forgetting the Pizza Hut Phantom Menace pogs, the Count Dooku lunchboxes, the Kinect game, and even the Holiday Special were all produced under his watch? That's the punchline.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Here's my two-cents on The Last Jedi:
It works as a movie in and of itself. What I mean is that Rian Johnson crafts an interesting story that, while not perfect, successfully manages to tell a full story that fully explores and breaks down the themes of the Star Wars mythos, but rather than rehashing the same message he re-interprets it, showing some of the flaws of the old characters and their beliefs, while still reinforcing what makes them such compelling heroes in the first place.

That said, I can't deny that there is some validity to the argument that from the viewpoint of this being the middle chapter of a new story arc, it feels rather out of place in how it throws many elements in The Force Awakens out the window in favor of a completely new vision. I personally don't mind this since I'm not the biggest fan of The Force Awakens to begin with, but I can see how people who got invested in that movie, as well as who had their own visions for how the old characters should be, would be displeased with this re-interpretation of the things that they held in such high regard.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Here's Lucas' idea of what his sequel trilogy would have been.