Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson)

[Skitch]

Please tell me this wasn't...

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Eugene. [

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But if it is, the ensuing Movie Freaks episode should be a good one.

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It was not. He had a couple hesitations but nothing I found unreasonable or ridiculous. His complaints were very mild in comparison.

[Skitch]

Meanwhile I'm still going back and forth as to whether to place it above The Phantom Menace or not.

I just can't figure this reaction out. But whatev, this seems to happen every couple years or so. I get baffled by the hangups people suddenly have on a massive tentpole. With TLJ I've seen a lot physics complaints. Like, there's always been physics questions with this entire universe, but 8/9 films in it suddenly becomes a deal breaker? What?

I've also seen lists of complaints of plot holes that were directly answered within the film. How to even respond? Okay if it wasn't your bag and you fell asleep, that's not a fault of the movie that you didnt see it all? (Not pointing this at you, TGM)

[Morris Schæffer]

With you Skitch. My initial reactions to TLJ were nearly all negative, because it's that kind of a movie. So immensely scrutinized, eliciting an incredibly powerful and emotional response.

And yet, I still can say that it's a better movie than The Phantom Menace and that TLJ is one of the better blockbusting things of the year.

I can also say that I sorta, kinda understand TGM. The Phantom Menace felt like a legit continuation insofar as a prequel can be seen as such, whereas this one, like TFA, is bordering on retread territory.

There's not actual inspiration, it merely feels that way because compared to the TFA, it far more cleverly reconfigures things from the earlier movies and presents them as 'new'.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Between those petitions to de-canonize this and all the YouTube comments I'm seeing bemoaning Rian Johnson as a "lower tier cuck" and the franchise as being too female-dominated now...

I feel like Cartman licking tears off Scott Tenorman's face.

[Milky Joe]

This just gets better and better in my mind the more I think about it. I cannot wait to go see it again.

[Skitch]

Same here. This fixed so much of Force Awakens annoyances with me.

[Peng]

Can't believe even one of its best moments apparently still have people complaining, albeit of a technical nature...

[Skitch]

Thats exactly the kind of shit I mentioned. People baffled by common things and suddenly its the end of the world.

[Lazlo]

Who the fuck is complaining about that? It's so clearly supposed to happen that way. Like, who gets up immediately to complain rather than be taken in the the moment? The sound comes back relatively quickly. And the idea of sound dropping out to emphasize something is not novel, just well applied here. People don't deserve nice things.

[TGM]

I don't even recall what sequence that's in reference to.

[Milky Joe]

Are filmgoers really that dumb, or is it just the theater management assuming people are that dumb? Likely a mix of both.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Same here. This fixed so much of Force Awakens annoyances with me.

This. It almost makes TFA better retroactively by paying things off in ways I can't imagine Abrams would've ever considered, and to the betterment of the characters' wants and needs. Now, I'm less likely to be annoyed by the aggressive obfuscation around Rey's parentage, for example.

I'm excited to see it again.

[Ezee E]

Are filmgoers really that dumb, or is it just the theater management assuming people are that dumb? Likely a mix of both.

Most be both. But my theater loved it.

[MadMan]

My theater clapped and cheered when [

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Luke survived Ren having the First Order shoot at him. The dust off Luke did was hilarious.

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[MadMan]

I have family and friends who were not able to go with me last Sunday. I will gladly see TLJ again. Btw I really dislike AOTC. TPM is decent, at least.

[DavidSeven]

Solid opening set piece, decent finale... the rest was bad.

Holy expository dialogue, Batman! The writing on this calls back to Lucas in the worst way imaginable. I expected Rian Johnson to bring the goods, but I think he really fails here as a director. Your #1 job as a director is to control the tone of the piece. This is the most tonally inconsistent film in the entire franchise. It's a super serious war film that wants to convey real stakes that's also living uncomfortably with a bunch of hackneyed attempts at comedy and plush toy marketing. This wants to be a Marvel movie that's set half heartedly in the more grounded universe established in The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The result is a movie without an identity that doesn't do anything quite well enough. That sequence with the giant horse-llama things? That was Phantom Menace bad.

I spent a lot of time defending The Force Awakens. I thought Abrams did a great job of bringing "big cinema" back to the franchise. Rogue One, despite its huge flaws in characterization and plotting, at least got the "this is cinema" aspect right. The Last Jedi's biggest offense was that it felt so generic and dull -- never captivating from a cinema or drama standpoint. Maybe I'm out on a limb here, but this might be the most forgettable film in the entire series, even if it is technically better than a few others.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I love the range of reactions on this movie.

[Dukefrukem]

Solid opening set piece, decent finale... the rest was bad.

Holy expository dialogue, Batman! The writing on this calls back to Lucas in the worst way imaginable. I expected Rian Johnson to bring the goods, but I think he really fails here as a director. Your #1 job as a director is to control the tone of the piece. This is the most tonally inconsistent film in the entire franchise. It's a super serious war film that wants to convey real stakes that's also living uncomfortably with a bunch of hackneyed attempts at comedy and plush toy marketing. This wants to be a Marvel movie that's set half heartedly in the more grounded universe established in The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The result is a movie without an identity that doesn't do anything quite well enough. That sequence with the giant horse-llama things? That was Phantom Menace bad.

I spent a lot of time defending The Force Awakens. I thought Abrams did a great job of bringing "big cinema" back to the franchise. Rogue One, despite its huge flaws in characterization and plotting, at least got the "this is cinema" aspect right. The Last Jedi's biggest offense was that it felt so generic and dull -- never captivating from a cinema or drama standpoint. Maybe I'm out on a limb here, but this might be the most forgettable film in the entire series, even if it is technically better than a few others.

You complain about the dialog in TLJ, but did you forget about hot potato exposition in the Force Awakens???? You thought that was a "great job"???

[DavidSeven]

You complain about the dialog in TLJ, but did you forget about hot potato exposition in the Force Awakens???? You thought that was a "great job"???

I may have forgot. My recollection of The Force Awakens is that it handled exposition pretty well, maybe even on the short side. I thought that was in direct response to the exposition overload of Lucas's prequels. In TLJ, I didn't feel the characters sounded like real people anymore. Line after line of pure plot details. I think there was a part where, literally back-to-back, two separate characters repeated a line about the allies not responding to Leia's distress signal. I lol'ed.

[Pop Trash]

I spent a lot of time defending The Force Awakens. I thought Abrams did a great job of bringing "big cinema" back to the franchise. Rogue One, despite its huge flaws in characterization and plotting, at least got the "this is cinema" aspect right. The Last Jedi's biggest offense was that it felt so generic and dull -- never captivating from a cinema or drama standpoint. Maybe I'm out on a limb here, but this might be the most forgettable film in the entire series, even if it is technically better than a few others.

Weird. I thought it was by far the most "cinematic" in terms of style (the audio drop for example) or framing and just sheer schematic visual design (the red room with Snoke) since at least the OT, but parts of it might even surpass the OT in that dept.

For some reason the goofy humor didn't bother me as much as in the prequels. If feels more wry and knowing, almost approaching what Wes Anderson might do with this material.

[Watashi]

David, if you are anti-Porg, you need to get off this website.

[Skitch]

It's a super serious war film that wants to convey real stakes that's also living uncomfortably with a bunch of hackneyed attempts at comedy and plush toy marketing.

I'm trying to think of another Star Wars movie that doesn't fit that description...

[Mal]

David, if you are anti-Porg, you need to get off this website.

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Porgs are dumb

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[Watashi]

No.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'm looking at a youtube clip of the Graham Norton show with Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Gwendoline Christie. I have nothing against the last three, they're fine actors, but all I can think of is "That's Luke fucking Skywalker." He hasn't done a lot of stuff, has made some shit even, but that's Luke fucking Skywalker.