Hey, guys. Yes, it's been quiet around here, I know. I have kind of intentionally avoided discussing this, but I think it's unavoidable at this point. First, as stated above, spoilers are allowed here. I have read some things already but won't really comment on specific things, because we don't know entirely yet. But if anyone wishes to include spoilers in comments, I just want to be up front that this is not going to be a "safe space" for anyone trying to avoid spoilers. Ok, so we got that out of the way...
I think by now everyone probably knows my opinion of how things have gone. I have had zero hope that anything good would come out of a follow-up to what happened in the last movie, and I continue to hold that belief. What are the rest of you doing about it? Are you excited about it? Cautiously optimistic? Just kind of curious? Like me are you going to see it anyway out of a feeling of obligation but not expecting to enjoy it? Or have you felt so burned by the whole thing that you aren't going to see it at all? I'm very interested in the different directions people are going with it.
As I mentioned, I will be going to see it. Opening night, in fact. It's become kind of a family tradition that would be difficult to break at this point. And let's be honest, no matter what, I was going to see it anyway, eventually. Might as well get it over with the first night.
TFA gutted me. We all know that. Not that I'm proud of my reaction to a fictional universe, but I was up all night after I saw it and cried myself to sleep when I finally managed to fall asleep at like 5am, and I think I cried myself to sleep at least the next night, if not also the night after that. For a long time I had felt as though they couldn't really make things worse for someone like me, a Han and Leia (and OT in general) fan, but the closer it gets, the more I am starting to feel like yes, there is still room for them to make things worse, and for me to have to deal with a similar emotional reaction.
And of course we all know this is Carrie's last movie. That will be painful as well. It's still just so incredibly sad that she is gone, but maybe easier to forget about it when she isn't right in the forefront of our minds. But even just seeing her notable absence in all the publicity stuff has been hitting pretty hard.
Lastly, yes I've read some spoilers. Not sure which ones are true although honestly, pretty much any spoiler and rumor last time turned out to be true, and I don't expect this to be different. None of it is all that surprising. Although it still sort of hurts to have it confirmed and know what we may be in for. It still sounds fairly hopeless and bleak. The only good thing is that what I've heard so far does not seem to make anything any worse for Han and Leia. Not that it would've been easy to do, or that it would've made sense given Han is no longer with us. But still, I am reaching for some bright spots here.
I'm cautiously optimistic about my hero based on some of the photos and a little of bit of other information. I'm pessimistic about Leia. I watched the premiere last night and none of the celebrities interviewed mentioned Carrie Fisher. I've got a ticket for Friday afternoon. I'm working on my homework - just finished the new Leia novel and started the Canto Bight novel. Remember when you didn't have to do homework before going to the movie?
ReplyDeleteArtoo I am fairly confident, as always, will be the reason that our heroes get anything right.
DeleteAnd yes, they seem to forget that while the supplemental material is a nice addition, and fun, it shouldn't be required reading to understand the movies!
R2 rules the galaxy!
DeleteR2 rules the galaxy!
Deleteyeah I hate movies that require homework to follow
DeleteCommenting early, before the spoilers hit... I'm just resolved. Resolved to enjoy my OT in relative bliss for the next few days, before any further intrusion on their story comes from this new canon. Resolved to sit back and enjoy TLJ as a fun flick, with the same sentiment of interested-but-emotionally-uninvinvolved that I bring to some other fun special effects block busters. Resolved to take the story as fanfic, to respect the creative endeavor, to appreciate the creator's take even if I wouldn't have taken the same approach--while not letting it dent my own headcanon... and resolved to be kind to myself. TFA hit at a bad time in Real Life, when I sure could have used the inspiration of seeing our heroes being our heroes. Getting meta, I felt like Luke or Rey, watching the elder they looked to for guidance being brutally taken away. Then actually losing one of the elders--oh, Carrie. So for the first time in a long time, I am NOT seeing this on one opening night, or the night before; I'm waiting until the Saturday morning showtime, to allow the rest of the day for the processing, especially since I'm seeing it on my own... That, and I'm not wearing any mascara that day. :D
ReplyDeleteBuy yourself some extra chocolate or popcorn, wear your super cozy favorite sweater, whatever you need, y'all: just be kind to your selves, too.
Hugs all around. See you next Saturday... and May the Force Be With You.
I didn't avoid spoilers for TFA because I needed to know if certain details which we all know happened really happened. So I've checked out the rumors for this latest one...frak the whole Sequel Trilogy. That is all.
ReplyDeleteI was (wrongly) optimistic about TFA and thought that there would be GOOD surprises. But as we all know, there weren't. So, I will not be making that mistake again.
DeleteI realized that I needed to read the spoilers so I could get through the anger and disappointment. Then I decided I had to give up on anything new in the SW universe...except for Rebels, which is pretty good for an animated kids' show. But now that's ending, so there's nothing new to look forward to other than fanfic. Always willing to read any of that Canon defiant stuff. ;)
DeleteOMG, I LOVE "canon defiant"! That is PERFECT!
DeleteI'll have to get that long post I did for Tumblr with all the TFA fix its and post a link.
See, while I totally appreciate the efforts of the people who have written "fix it" fics, I just would rather pretend none of it happened. Just go back to the end of ROTJ and pick up from there. That's it. It's a much easier fix, haha. And it doesn't involve having Han and Leia separate, or their kid going dark. Or Rey being nobody.
DeleteOr Luke leave...
DeleteThat's where I am, frankly. I was going to write a tag for my fix it where Luke, Han and Leia finally reunite but I just can't work up the enthusiasm....
Yes, exactly. Sorry, all 3 of these people basically just found their new family. So the first thing any one of them is going to do is definitely NOT going to be to leave! The EU did an excellent job with this. Those 3 are bonded for life, and they're never going to be far enough away from each other to not be able to help.
DeleteOr, worse, not to bother to come racing to each other to help.
DeleteSomeone on Twitter had a great point - Star Wars OT isn't about being a badass, it's about love and friendship. Which the ST just completely does not get, especially throwing away Finn & Rey as the spoilers say it does.
Deletepersonally I've been binge reading madame alexandra's fics for a steady dose of good old fashioned storytelling with a dash of smut.
Deletepersonally I've been binge reading madame alexandra's fics for a steady dose of good old fashioned storytelling with a dash of smut.
DeleteI am reading all the spoilers. At this point, I don't see myself seeing it in a movie theater. I think it'll be on TV, so I can speed through anything with KR - I know it's not fair to Driver, but I literally cannot watch him even in a TV interview.
ReplyDeleteThe stuff I've seen - whether that one leak is true or not, the stuff from the Visual Dictionary and the kids' books seems legit - makes me feel exactly like leiamoody. If they do to Luke what I've seen so far, it's as bad as what they did to Han. If not worse. I see why Mark has made the comments he has.
And seeing Carrie one last time is going to be so sad.
I'm relying on several people to see it and tell me what happens. I never thought I'd be dreading a new SW movie but here we are...
Driver is not fun to watch in interviews. People have been giving Harrison crap for years for his behavior in interviews, but I think Driver gives him a real run for his money with his level of "WTF am I doing here?" he gives off in his interviews.
DeleteSeeing Carrie one last time is going to be painful. I think maybe more than I'm even bracing myself for.
I so agree that it is just awful that we are left dreading a Star Wars movie. I don't expect to like anything about it.
Lastly, I'm sure we are reading the same spoilers. So we know one of the big ones is that Rey's parents are of no significance and just random people who abandoned her. This is just basically these people trolling us by keeping it a big secret, like it was important in some way, only later to tell us it doesn't actually matter at all. That is just, well, trolling, like I said.
I know Driver is just doing his job, but him whining about how Han and Leia "abandoned" him because they had jobs, or that the Rebellion are the bad guys because Luke killed innocent civilians on the Death Star and how the Resistance is a terrorist organization that deserves to be wiped out make him really hard to watch. I'm sure he's a nice guy and he's just trying to get into his character as an actor, but the problem is all the Kylo stans take his word as absolute canon and actually believe that it's now canon that Han and Leia were abusive/the Rebellion were really the bad guys in the OT.
DeleteI shouldn't be that surprised Rey is a Random because my friends who watched Lost told me that JJ's thing is to create a huge mystery box which fuels speculation for years and then have it turn out to be nothing, so this is totally consistent with him. Because like almost everyone I know walked out of TFA thinking Rey was Luke's daughter, there was a ton of deliberate implications and direction towards that. I started thinking Rey was no longer a Skywalker after JJ made that comment that "Rey's parents aren't in TFA" but I still thought she'd be related to someone important, like Obi-Wan or Palpatine or at least some kind of interesting backstory like her parents were Dark Force users that Luke defeated. If they were just random junkers who abandoned her, then why the hell did they not just say that in TFA?
DeleteI will also kill JJ if he tries to do a "Well Kylo TOLD her her parents were random junkers who sold her but how do we know he's telling the truth? Wait until Episode IX to find out!"
If we've got another two damn years to fight over Rey's parentage, I say all of fandom, no matter what side you're on, goes to Lucasfilm headquarters and ties JJ and Kennedy to chairs Clockwork Orange style for a weekend of the Parentage Discourse and they will BEG to tell us the truth.
DeleteI cannot go through another two years of that shit.
Poor Daisy can't either. She has to not answer that question all the freaking time and she shouldn't have to deal with that anymore.
Deleteugh, I hadn't thought about the whole parentage thing. That's pretty much a riff on the ESB reveal too, isn't it - main bad guy tells main good guy their heritage, it's not what anybody wants to hear (including the main good guy), and then everyone spends the next few years thinking "OMG! It was a lie...right?"
DeleteThey really are playing the same damn chord progression on a different instrument while trying to convince us it's a different song. And the instrument appears to be a ukelele, while Lucas was playing a concert grand.
ESB reveal would be more similar to do a related reveal like "I am your brother/cousin" but the "ooh is the bad guy telling the truth or not?" seems to be a repeat.
DeleteIn Kylo/Rey's case it's presented as a more romantic gesture than threatening like Luke/Vader - Kylo says "You have no place in this story, you're nobody. But you're important to me."
My point was more "oh yeah, we're doing the bad guy reveals to the good guy the bad news about his/her parents AGAIN, aren't we?" than implying that it's presented in exactly the same context.
DeleteI have heard over and over people like Rian saying "you know, second films it trilogies will have things in common" but things like this don't fall into the category of "things that all 2nd films will have in common", they're just recycled materials. As in, the bad guy doesn't have to do the parental reveal AGAIN. Rey could have a Force Vision. Rey could run into the junkers and realize through the Force "oh crap, these are my parents." Luke and Rey could figure it out together. Any number of things could happen, but instead of doing that, they're going back to the same plot point.
Yeah I get what you're saying. I don't understand why Kylo knows who Rey's parents are, but Rey doesn't, but apparently "the Force" is used as a convenient plot device.
DeleteStill don't understand how Rey and Kylo have such a strong Force bond if they're not related. Force bonds in canon and Legends have only been used for relatives or romantic partners AFTER they get together. Or why Rey would care so much about Kylo and turning him back to the Light if she's not related to him. It'd be like Anakin trying to redeem Dooku or Obi-Wan trying to redeem Maul. I can understand that Kylo is attracted to Rey, but why would Rey be attracted to Kylo? And her attacking Luke because she sees a flashback that he tried to kill Kylo when he went Dark also doesn't make any sense why she would care so much.
It's all because as you said, correctly, The Force is really just used as a convenient device when needed at this point. I mean, from what the spoilers are saying, Luke didn't know Han was dead until Rey tells him, and then later in the movie he projects himself across the galaxy because he's so strong in the Force? Gimme a break...
DeleteKylo’s backstory is apparently explained in the movie. Luke while training Kylo is watching him while he sleeps and feels the Darkness in him. He briefly compemplates killing him to end the potential destruction he could create and ignites his lightsaber but changes his mind. Ben wakes up and sees Luke above him trying to kill him and turns completely to the Dark Side due to the betrayal. Rey sees this with a Force vision Kylo sends her through their Force bond and tries to attack Luke for almost killing Ben. She screams at Luke and calls him a hypocrite for forgiving Vader but not trying to redeem Kylo.
DeleteSpoilers available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/7j6dhp/i_have_seen_the_last_jedi_and_i_loved_the_last/
ReplyDeleteShort version:
1) Rey Random, her parents were junkers who sold her
2) Luke dies after he projects himself to Crait to help the Resistance and fight Kylo but sounds like he comes back as a Force ghost
3) Romantic/sexual tension between Rey and Kylo. They share an intense Force bond that allows them to talk to each other through it and see into each other’s thoughts. Rey asks Kylo to join the good side, Kylo asks Rey to join the FO. They team up to take down Snoke but are on separate sides at the end of the film.
4) Kylo kills Snoke and takes over as Supreme Leader of the FO.
5) Leia is thrown into space by the FO and uses the Force to save herself. She wakes up at the end of the movie and sees Luke’s projection before he dies.
6) The Resistance is completely wiped out and all that remains is Leia, Rey, Finn, Rose and Poe on the Falcon at the end of the movie.
I follow this Hollywood Reporter columnist on Twitter and he's got his social media thoughts here - he's got no specifics but he's one of the few that's even said that it had problems:
Deletehttps://twitter.com/philhornshaw/status/940342580172042240
Oh, wow. That doesn't sound promising. I'm not buying people who are saying how great it is, because everyone said that when TFA came out too. Hux is a Spaceballs villain? Seriously? I had a feeling too that in spite of the long runtime there would be stuff that didn't matter. Like in the trailer a big battle between Finn and Phasma. Who cares? Phasma is a fun idea, but an incredibly boring and ultimately totally pointless character. I can't see a battle between those two having any significance whatsoever.
DeleteThe thing to remember when all the critics are raving over it like they were with TFA is that critics aren't die hard SW fans like we are. To them, if they're entertained for two hours and the cinemetography and writing are decent, they're happy. They don't care if the characters are totally destroyed or out of character. It's like when ST came out, it got really high ratings by the critics and the GA loved it, but the fans hated it because of what it did to the characters.
DeleteThe Variety critic was very circumspect too when he commented on it. I'm thinking he's not a huge fan.
DeleteThat said, some of the things that happen in this movie seem to be things that will make critics annoyed. You don't have to be a SW fan to find it a real WTF head-scratcher if Leia um...develops the talent that R2-D2 showed once in order to push a plot?
I'm not yet convinced all the critics are going to rave. There sound like more than a few real idiotic moments in this film -- humor that just flies in out of nowhere, one person referred to it as "Deadpool-level" and I have heard that there is 40 minutes of just spinning wheels mid-film. Will be interesting.
DeleteYeah, interesting that suddenly this is the longest film ever for Star Wars, and I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of unnecessary content. Even without knowing what is going to be going on, there are too many characters! There is too much going on. You can't focus on that many characters.
DeleteMy reaction to TLJ is to leave for a tropical island for a week. Seriously, that's what I'm doing, and yes, it's sadly related to not wanting to be in a place to be ticked off by this film all week. I had a few days of vacation left to burn off or lose by year end, so tomorrow morning I am getting on a plane for a place where I can look at this board, but otherwise I will be pretty much safe from all the hype and also anyone who pulls out that *(@&@ stupid "but this is how stories work" canard, because no, this is not how stories work. This is how LAZY stories work.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday, I read a bunch of spoilers that seem to be pretty much the same as in Ewokkey's post above (although I have read that Reylo is less a factor than the source Ewokkey quotes seems to think it is, so the amount of Reylo may be in the eye of the beholder, depending on how the beholder feels about that stinking pile of bantha poop), had a seriously good cry about it all as I realized the inmates are now running the asylum and my go-to escapist place was well and truly gone, and then felt just as bad for other long-time fans as I felt for most of us around here when TFA hit the fan.
Assuming all these spoilers, which many seem to agree upon, are true and not the best orchestrated distraction in marketing history (which, hey, the one thing I do know is that MARKETING is Disney's reall superpower), LFL has continued down the same path that I found horrifying and just plain insulting the first time around. I feel more strongly than ever that what we are seeing is exactly what happens to the old lion's cubs when a new lion (in this case, lionS) takes over the pride and wants to assert dominance. We're seeing the characters, arcs, mythology, and rules of the world that Lucas spent nearly 40 years building being ripped up in order to re-create Star Wars as just another superhero/supervillain series that can go on forever and hey, doesn't even need a Story Group, because there is no coherent story! (Really, LFL should save itself some coin and disband that motley crew now)
From everything people are saying, this film spends almost no time on the mythology (TFA also bailed on this), recharacterizes the Force, and shows us new superpowers (which I assume are going to pop out of the woodwork any time anything gets boring from now on). One person on another board, after reading these spoilers and reflecting on very lonely Luke in his safe space off the coast of Ireland when all the #*(@ was going down with Kylo and in TFA, said this, and I sign on to it 1000 percent: "Luke is completely able to help here, he just won't. To me that's worse than if he went to the Dark Side. He's just willing to allow others to go die when he could help."
Yeah, and the one thing I'm sure of is that Lucas' Luke Skywalker wouldn't do that. He wouldn't not use this super duper new superpower he's going to unleash once (because it drains Force batteries, y'all) when Han was being murdered by the son Luke failed to train. Oh, and Leia appears to have "forced up" in the 5 minutes between these movies as well. If she was that Forcey 10 minutes ago, again, why did she note go deal with her kid Who Don't Force Good instead of sending regressed chump Han do do it?
Oh, and I'm told Han's death gets maybe 3 lines of dialogue in the film. Glad to see 3 days later they can all just move on from that troublesome Corellian. It’s not like anyone, you know, loved him as a husband or as a brother at one point – further proof these are “glib facsimiles” (as one board member eloquently put it a few years back) of the characters Lucas created.
I would like to say I won't see this movie -- and as of now, I won't, as the only way Disney ever gets a message is if people keep their money in their pockets, but curiosity may kill this cat.
Anyway, oh, look, Star Wars is ticking me off again. I'd better go pack for that plane.
Kels
I've decided to give Twin Peaks: The Return a second chance this weekend as a coping mechanism. I was majorly irritated with it during the first airing, but God, at least David Lynch is still running his own show...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to bingewatch "The Crown" as soon as I can. I think 8 hours of watching Prince Phillip/Matt Smith whinge and complain about being emasculated by The Queen is definitely on tap for this weekend.
DeleteIs "The Crown" a good program? I used to be interested in the royal family until...well, when Diana died, so the only fictional thing I've watched was "The Queen".
ReplyDeleteI love it. But I love things like Downton Abbey and the like, and it feels similar to me.
DeleteI loooved Downton Abbey. My daughter tells me I'd like The Crown, too. I just haven't made time to watch it yet.
DeleteMatt Smith as Phillip the Playboy Prince? how can it be anything but awesome?
DeleteI say this despite my daughter's penchant for pointing out that I am techically old enough to be Matt's mother. don't care. fun to watch.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete*cries*
ReplyDeleteThat probably sums it up the most succinctly.
DeleteI have to wait 'til January the 6th to watch "The Last Jedi" so I try to avoid any spoilers.
ReplyDeleteThe trailer killed me: I think that I will cry a lot watching the film.
Can't wait!
And now there is leaked video being posted on Reddit...this is an epic disaster movie.
ReplyDeleteBut the fanboys seem to be eating it up. And I had to read some shit from Pablo Hidalgo about how Happy Endings are all relative and the war ends and then there's another war and it was all I could do to not tell him to go eat bees.
DeleteI'm so tired of the crap from LFL. But there are so many new fans who are FURIOUS at what's done to Finn and Poe, I think they're going to have some definite dropoff this time.
Nope, nope, nope. One of the reasons Star Wars resonates so much with people is the lack of ambiguity. We know exactly who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Lando was maybe the only one from the OT who you might be left sort of wondering if he is good or bad, but even that one turns unquestionably into a good guy VERY quickly. There is also no room for ambiguity in happy endings. That's not what this is about either.
DeleteI'm not surprised fanboys are eating it all up. Millions of people will love this and say it is the best thing ever, and that just makes me forever sad.
I’m on the JC and there are plenty of people very upset with it, mostly Luke fans, anti Reylo fans, Rey Sky fans and Finn fans. The only people who seem really happy are the Reyloers. I can see the GA liking it because apparently it’s a beautifully made film and Rian is a talented director and they don’t care about the characters like hard core fans do.
DeleteAs a Han/Leia fan, I’m annoyed that we get a scene of Kylo shirtless and Rey blushing and checking him out but never got a Han/Leia scene of Han shirtless and Leia checking him out in Harrison Ford’s prime lol.
Oh man, poor TFA Rey. She goes from being the first female SW lead and first female lead Jedi to a vessel to heal Kylo Ren’s angst with her magical vagina and spends the movie running after and panting over a patricidal mass murderer, apparently completely forgetting that he tortured her, murdered Han in cold blood in front of her, and tried to kill her best friend (Finn who?) TFA Rey weeps. And I understand that Rey didn’t have normal socialization growing up, but she spent the entire previous film being treated like gold by a kind and decent man so it makes her an idiot to fall for a mass murderer who treats her like crap in this one. Guess Disney didn’t think they could have an interracial romance but they were fine with a Twilight/50 Shades of Grey one.
And wow, I don’t know who got butchered character wise more, Luke or Han, now given the backstory that Luke is to blame for Kylo by considering murdering Ben as he slept.
I’m seeing it Thursday and I don’t know how I’m going to keep from retching at Rey and Kylo making googly eyes at each other for two hours.
luckily for me the 12 year old boy will join me in retching if there are "kissy parts".
Deleteluckily for me the 12 year old boy will join me in retching if there are "kissy parts".
DeleteI didn't think it was possible to assassinate a character more than TFA assassinated Han, but I think TLJ, from everything I've read (including script excerpts now) manages to do the impossible and assassinate Luke's character even more, because this Faux Luke that Rian has created is responsible for all of it - even Han's regression.
DeleteBy my count, Luke is responsible for:
1. Not only contemplating murder of Han/Leia's kid, but actually preparing to commit the act by lighting the saber, when Kylo had been nothing more than the douchey little edgelord at that point. Gotta say, I have family members who are douchey little edgelords and I have never even lifted a butter knife at them (I add this only as people on other sites are saying that Luke's frustration and tiredness with Kylo are reaaaaaalistic. No.)
2. Kylo's turn.
3. The destruction of the Jedi Academy caused by Kylo's turn and yet another Jedi massacre
4. The end of Han and Leia's marriage
5. Han's leaving
6. The rise of the FO and the destruction of the Republic and billions of deaths
7. Han's death
That's quite a character assassination. As much as I hate and despise TFA and what it did to Han, and I think the script for TFA is ridonkulous, I can at least make a colorable claim based on that ridiculous script that Han thought he was doing the right thing FOR OTHERS by staying away (she doesn't want to see me, I remind Leia of Kylo, etc.), and then when he was truly needed, he stepped up to the plate, even to the point of risking and losing his life while trying to win his family back. What happens to Han in TFA, as much as I hate it, is at least an arc - one we've seen before for the character, better done -- and it doesn't end with the character getting exactly what he wanted at the beginning of the movie. In fact, completely the opposite.
Can't say any of that about FauxLuke. He runs away like a coward after setting into motion all of the events above, sits his ass down on that Island, and waits to die because he thinks he's a failure...while he's becoming a bigger and bigger failure by the minute by letting things get worse and worse (by the way, why did he leave a map to find him if he wanted to disappear and die alone on that island?)
Then, when someone shows up asking for his help, he basically never gives it. And then he stays on the island. And then projects himself and dies, alone on the island -- getting exactly what he wanted at the beginning of the movie -- while not fixing anything, but just giving the 10 members of the Resistance who have survived a chance to get away.
It's just plain awful. And, as someone points out, these two films basically take place over the span of about 2 weeks. Which is weird.
Ok, back to the beach and several margaritas, as I have not been able to avoid reading too much about Star Wars today. All of it making me annoyed and unhappy.
And even in this film (or the script parts I read), Luke
Character assassination is right...the more I think about this, the more I'm getting genuinely angry. I tried to avoid it, because two years ago was bad enough for me in the destruction of Han and Leia's relationship and characterizations. But I can't help it. I've been a Luke girl from the age of four, and him dying isn't the problem. I'm middle aged, I can handle death and tragedy. But damn...WHAT IS THIS?!!!!!
DeleteI saw one very short clip, and that's enough for me. I feel sick.
ReplyDeletegoing with family tomorrow night because hubby is jj style fanboy and hyped it up. totally prepared for mass suckage. might smuggle in a pint of ice cream.
ReplyDeleteSaw it. Mixed feelings. It didn’t break my heart like tfa. But tfa was more cohesive. Tlj felt disjointed. Still processing.
ReplyDeleteYour comment showed up as spam at first, fixed it.
DeleteI saw it too. I'm sure I'll have lots of thoughts tomorrow. Same main point though, it didn't break my heart like TFA. It really couldn't have anyway. I think expecting the worst it had the opposite effect and wasn't as terrible as I expected. I didn't LIKE it either, but I am not angry or broken. Luke and Leia had a nice moment at the end and Carrie had a great performance. Those are the good things. There is plenty that was just dumb though.
so... here is my initial reaction (spoilers ahead if you're worried)
ReplyDeletepros - Leia more in character than TFA, some of the humor was fun, R2 telling Luke off, YODA (!!!!!) showing up and telling Luke off and also blowing up stuff without being alive or CGI, BB8 being awesome as ever, Darth Emo not being saved at the end, Finn being Finn, and Billie Lourd's space buns.
cons - too much creepy Reylo interaction (although the 12 year old boy and I hid under a blanket whenever there was a Reylo Forciness moment so I didn't actually watch most of it - and yes, we bring blankets to the theater, don't judge us) lots of unnecessary subplots, buildup of Rey's parents only to find out they don't matter, jokes that came out of nowhere, tried too hard, or broke the mood of a scene, and non-hologram Snoke turning out to be basically Palpatine in a sparkly dress.
things that should have been left on the cutting room floor - Luke milking a thing, Chewie roasting Porgs on an open fire, Adam Driver without a shirt, endless fuel status checking, Captain Phasma's entire part, the entire Casino sideline, all of the "look how many CGI stormtroopers I made" scenes, and the mini death star ray at the end.
I am not entirely sure I understand all the "fitting sendoff" comments about Leia since [spoiler alert] she is still alive at the end. this leaves me terrified of what JJ is going to do with her in the next movie. I have no confidence that he isn't lying through his teeth about CGI and/or body doubles.
overall I was not as gutted this time as last time, Basically I was fully prepared for a disaster of epic proportions so it was not as bad as I expected.
also the tribute to Carrie in the credits hit me right in the gut and I had to hide under the blanket so no one would see me sobbing like a little baby. Seeing her again in this movie was almost like I got to forget for a couple of hours that she's gone and then BAM it reminded me.
Your comment here: "
Deleteoverall I was not as gutted this time as last time, Basically I was fully prepared for a disaster of epic proportions so it was not as bad as I expected." basically is the best and simplest summary of it all for me.
I forgot there was going to be a Carrie tribute and we left, what was it??!
Oh, Luke milking a thing, yes. Also, the way he was fishing, by dangerously hanging off a giant cliff with a REALLY long pole. Uh, dude, why don't you make a fishing pole and get like, RIGHT down next to the water? That was stupid.
Phasma is the most pointless character ever. Which is kind of disappointing because of course everyone likes that actress, but they just didn't give her any purpose whatsoever and the entire thing between her and Finn was so forced it was crazy. The casino sideline was a HUGE waste because of course that whole plan failed anyway.
Personally, I did not sense any sort of romantic feelings between Rey and Kylo with any of those moments. I'm also absolutely positive that all the Reylos will see this as confirmation that they are meant to be together. I don't get why she spent the whole middle of the movie thinking he'd turn and then at the end he is just as bad as ever.
Also annoyed that Snoke called Kylo a child at one point. He's in his thirties!
Mini death star ray also made no sense to me. It had to move super duper slow. Let's assume they brought it down from space. Why did they not just land WAY closer to their target?
I don't get the "fitting sendoff" either. I guess it was nice to see her finally act a little more human and admit that she couldn't take more loss, then her friend is like, "Sure you can!" OMG, shut up, leave the woman alone! She has lost WAY too much! And then at the end she is all ready to rebuild it all again. I really don't know what they are going to do about her in the last one. Especially knowing she was going to have a big part.
It is quiet around here. I guess we're pretty much done as far as Han and Leia fans are concerned, which was my fear, but makes sense.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else just pointed out that in that beginning scene where they drop the bombs to destroy the dereadnaught, that makes no sense because there is no gravity in space. You open that door and all those bombs are just going to like, float around.
it just said in memory of our Princess, Carrie Fisher
Deletethe entire concept of bombs in space as opposed to lasers is completely illogical. and none of these people understand a vacuum at all.
Deletewhats funny is all the fanboys who drank the JJ koolaid are so quick to argue how the old EU sucked because it was so inconsistent.
hello, pot. have you met kettle?
the entire concept of bombs in space as opposed to lasers is completely illogical. and none of these people understand a vacuum at all.
Deletewhats funny is all the fanboys who drank the JJ koolaid are so quick to argue how the old EU sucked because it was so inconsistent.
hello, pot. have you met kettle?
it just said in memory of our Princess, Carrie Fisher
DeleteLuke can project across the galaxy when it suits him, I guess. Leave Han to die, leave Leia alone for years, but hey, I guess Rey Random accusing me of trying to kill Kylo and Artoo playing Leia's old message will bring me back.
DeleteI thought Johnson said Han's ghost would hang over the film - three mentions isn't "hanging."
My only happiness is seeing the ferocious roar on Tumblr and the comments on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. The people who still care are furious.
Speaking of bomb in space;) I'm thrilled that fans are "furious", finally!
ReplyDelete