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Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi *spoilers from Post 2857*
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Saw it at the BFI iMax on Saturday mornings Mexican Wave screening
I really enjoyed it. It's not often that I watch a film and find myself not wanting it to end, even with the long running time it never really dragged for me. My initial reaction was that the first 90 mins was fairly hit and miss for Star Wars but the final 45 minutes or so was breathtaking. It's the most emotional i've been in the third act of any Star Wars film.
That said, all of the negatives seem all the worse after having had a day or two for the film to settle down. After paying all that money and seeing it at the iMax, it can be quite hard to fully admit to yourself just how bad some of the missteps are. The two worst elements for me are;
1) "I'll hold for Hux" - Miss-Fire!
One of the things that was a slight cause for concern from the initial critics reaction on twitter, was that so many of them were commenting on how funny it was. Funny? Almost everything about the marketing pointed towards a darker installment, from the use of Rey/Luke/Kylo on the posters to the red 'The Last Jedi' font. We were all set for a more serious tone, perhaps even shadowing Empires 'bleak second installment' template.
Unfortunately, the "I'll hold for Hux" segment reminded me a lot of the opening of Thor Ragnarok, where Hemsworth undermines the authority of the villain by asking him to 'hold' while he spins around.
Ragnarok was doing a brilliant job of setting the tone in a film where any acts of heroism or villainy are undercut with humour. That's what Waititi does best and that's why the entire film kept in with that tone throughout.
Star Wars has built its reputation on delivering dramatic revelations and character based humour whilst maintaining a heightened level of genuine threat. Here we see the snarling, red headed Hitler Hux of TFA reduced to little more than a punchline. I feel for Domnhall Gleeson as it seems like the character he was trying to build up has been disposed of to make way for a few cheap laughs.
2) Leia's force floating through space
I think my thought process went a little something like... Wow! This is the moment they kill her off! >>> Well that was a bit unceremonious >>> Oh no, they're cutting back to her dead body floating through space to give her a proper climactic shot >>>They're lingering on this shot for too long >>> Well this is a bit gratuitous/heavy handed >>> Oh god she's not gonna wake up is she? >>> Well that was awful.
The more I think about it, the worse it becomes. Beggars belief that this made it into the final edit let alone that it got past test screenings.
A lot of the other complaints that are being banded around seem to be hysterical and OTT.
The Casino planet detour didn't bother me much. People want to see the universe expand and this was an attempt to do so. I like Finn and am invested in his character and it seems Rose has really struck a chord with certain audiences as well
The Sea Cow milking scene was a fine. It was making the point that Luke was willing to endure that tripe just to stay off the grid. I like seeing weird creatures in Star Wars films so the more the merrier.
The Porgs were fine. It felt to me like a lot of their scenes were heavily edited to prevent the "They're just there to sell toys" backlash. The Chewie BBQ scene worked well for me.
Rey's parent reveal being an anticlimax? Not for me. I don't think we've heard the last of this. They're setting it up for the next one imo. Why is everyone taking Kylo's line about Rey's parents being nobodies as gospel? He was trying to break her/get into her head.
I bet the people who are complaining about Snoke's lack of back story are the same people that vehemently oppose the Solo spin off. Stating that "Things shouldn't always have to be explained. Some characters need some mystique." etc....
Luke force projecting himself at the end does seem very Iron Man 3 to me now I've had time to stew on it. It was, all in all, a fitting send off for Luke but I think they should've kept him alive.
I was convinced that Laura Dern's character was going to be a mole who was allowing the First Order to track them through light speed. Glad she wasn't in the end though. It would've been very cliché.
I thought Mark Hamill was brilliant, if slightly underwritten. Adam Driver is absolutely incredible and completely elevates the whole thing. He is a magnetic screen presence and by far the best new character. I think Kylo and Rey's are both fascinating characters and I can't wait to see more of them. Daisy Ridley's performance isn't quite as good as it was in TFA.
The disparity between the critics and the general audience is the thing that is making this film really interesting. Struggling to think of another film of this scale that has been received like this?
Overall I thought it was superb. It did feel a little bit like they were trying too hard to subvert expectations and throwing a few too many twists and turns in there to keep us off guard. The end result is that things are a little messy at times but there's plenty of spectacle to make up for it. Luke and Leia's "moment" was beautifully done and it made for a very intense finale.
7.75 / 100 -
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Someone’s pissed off they’ve been written out
‘it’s not my luke skywalker’
So even though he didn’t agree with it he still brought it. Fair play
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Have you listened to “rebel force radio” podcast ?
I think you would enjoy the banter. They are very balanced in their feelings on the movie (the humour, Leia moments aren’t loved, they highlight “iffy” moments)but qualify their goal is to celebrate and focus on the aspects the movie instead of tearing it down.
They also share my sentiments that it can take effort and time to digest and accept the new aspects of the universe.
listened to it today yeah..theyre good but theres definitely better star wars pods out there by far..with no ads every ten effing minutes like these RFR guys have 0 -
listened to it today yeah..theyre good but theres definitely better star wars pods out there by far..with no ads every ten effing minutes like these RFR guys have
Your mans Lando impression was great. I actually thought the actor was in the studio at the start !
Can you recommend some good ones? I just found it after TFA and didn’t bother looking for any others!0 -
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Someone’s pissed off they’ve been written out ‘it’s not my luke skywalker’
So even though he didn’t agree with it he still brought it. Fair play
Can't wait to see what Mark Hamill will say once he is out of contract with Lucasfilm (and of course when all his embargos have passed)
2 of the 3 main characters (Rey & Luke) have said they were not happy with the film... Would be interesting to also hear Adam Drivers opinions!0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIY-PsHrj9A
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