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chocolatepotTechnically these are recycled thoughts, because I posted them first elsewhere.
I really do like the conceit of sticking to the basic structures of the OT. To me, it's not about copying/laziness/pandering so much as homage, and attempt to make this trilogy feel like it fits with the original one.
That being said, two things stop TFA and TLJ from feeling quite close enough to the OT - for my taste - the amount of screentime given to the actual fighting of a battle, and the quippiness/slang. The OT has some excellent one-liners from Han and certainly several good pew-pew fights with models, but they're not pushed to this degree. But I'm not sure expected box-office-smashes are allowed to go out anymore without these things.
So, following on from using the structure of ESB, this had to be a "losing" movie. Everything had to go wrong, even the victories had to be Pyrrhic. And they were. But maybe it was a bit extra? Like, first the Resistance loses their bombers. Then they lose the ability to get away. Then they lose their support ships. Then they lose the main ship. Then they lose more than half the transports. Then they lose people fighting at the base, and then the base. Goes along with the above, I think, in terms of producers not allowing anything to be low-key.
I'm very disappointed that even with this being the ESB parallel, they showed us the X-wing underwater but nobody raised it. #expectations
Also expected Kylo/Ben to lose a hand!
I want to know ALL about the Jedi/Jedha religion. Rose's sister obviously has some level of belief (holding her medallion to get the button to fall),and when Finn went to Rose's drawer for a blanket, we could see books that looked exactly like the ones destroyed on the island. (Later: I'm not sure why I remember that as "Rose's drawer", because it's Rey's stuff, right? She stole the books from the island?) So I'm hoping the next movie goes somewhat in-depth about how it's not just about Jedi knights/masters, there's a whole belief system.
Not into the cute/beautiful animals. Star Wars animals should be ugly puppets.
At first I wondered, why is there a casino, when did a casino come into it in ESB? Then I realized, after it was revealed that people there were weapons manufacturers/retailers, that it's the analogue for Bespin - probably the nicest/most comfortable place in the OT, and (although I think this is EU) a planet where a material used in spaceships and weapons is produced. DJ is therefore a backstabber because the analogy requires someone to be working against the protagonists there.
One thing notably different from ESB is the fact that, Rose's peck on the lips aside, there's no romantic plotline happening at all. I'm pretty firmly in the camp that says Finn/Rey is endgame, but even if I'm wrong about that, there didn't seem to be any romance advanced in the same way that Han/Leia was advanced in ESB. (I don't think Rose/Finn is going anywhere: he would have kissed back if they were going with that.) Interesting. Maybe a total noromo endgame? Fandom will implode.
Loved Laura Dern. Nothing about her was related to ESB, but a) her hair, with the weird metal halo? Gorgeous, and b) her plotline felt like a good deconstruction in general of the trope where someone takes over when we think Our Hero should have their position, and they turn out to be incompetent or a saboteur. That she was actually just doing what she was supposed to and Poe needed to sit down and listen for a bit, and that she and Leia caused the movie to pass the Bechdel Test (a first in Star Wars big-screen history, maybe? Not sure) - awesome.
I should probably have felt sadder about Luke's death, but I'm pretty sure he's coming back as a Force ghost as needed. More concerned about what they'll do with Leia in Ep 9??
Snoke being taken out by Kylo/Ben was very unexpected, for sure. I'm still pretty sure he's going to have a redemption arc of some kind, but it's harder and harder to envision. I did think we'd get an answer as to who Snoke is and where exactly he came from, and at least some more clues about Rey's background ... although I guess the fact that Luke didn't say "Jakku? I had my one surviving padawan get dropped off there years ago," crosses out a few possibilities. (No, I don't think it's true that she's a nobody. A lot of people are taking it as fact, which is bizarre to me - it seems like an obvious fakeout. It's like when people were going "so Snape's obviously just evil" after HBP.)
I had the feeling that the little boy working in the stables was supposed to be a bit of a callback/wink to Jake Lloyd's Anakin. Apparently a slave, something of a physical resemblance, involved with racing, does something heroic ... and Force-talented!
Edit: Oh, and. My Big Prediction is that Kylo flips at some point in the next movie and Hux becomes the Big Bad, because Hux just seems like a pointless character to have around in his position just to be the butt of a million jokes.
I really do like the conceit of sticking to the basic structures of the OT. To me, it's not about copying/laziness/pandering so much as homage, and attempt to make this trilogy feel like it fits with the original one.
That being said, two things stop TFA and TLJ from feeling quite close enough to the OT - for my taste - the amount of screentime given to the actual fighting of a battle, and the quippiness/slang. The OT has some excellent one-liners from Han and certainly several good pew-pew fights with models, but they're not pushed to this degree. But I'm not sure expected box-office-smashes are allowed to go out anymore without these things.
So, following on from using the structure of ESB, this had to be a "losing" movie. Everything had to go wrong, even the victories had to be Pyrrhic. And they were. But maybe it was a bit extra? Like, first the Resistance loses their bombers. Then they lose the ability to get away. Then they lose their support ships. Then they lose the main ship. Then they lose more than half the transports. Then they lose people fighting at the base, and then the base. Goes along with the above, I think, in terms of producers not allowing anything to be low-key.
I'm very disappointed that even with this being the ESB parallel, they showed us the X-wing underwater but nobody raised it. #expectations
Also expected Kylo/Ben to lose a hand!
I want to know ALL about the Jedi/Jedha religion. Rose's sister obviously has some level of belief (holding her medallion to get the button to fall),
Not into the cute/beautiful animals. Star Wars animals should be ugly puppets.
At first I wondered, why is there a casino, when did a casino come into it in ESB? Then I realized, after it was revealed that people there were weapons manufacturers/retailers, that it's the analogue for Bespin - probably the nicest/most comfortable place in the OT, and (although I think this is EU) a planet where a material used in spaceships and weapons is produced. DJ is therefore a backstabber because the analogy requires someone to be working against the protagonists there.
One thing notably different from ESB is the fact that, Rose's peck on the lips aside, there's no romantic plotline happening at all. I'm pretty firmly in the camp that says Finn/Rey is endgame, but even if I'm wrong about that, there didn't seem to be any romance advanced in the same way that Han/Leia was advanced in ESB. (I don't think Rose/Finn is going anywhere: he would have kissed back if they were going with that.) Interesting. Maybe a total noromo endgame? Fandom will implode.
Loved Laura Dern. Nothing about her was related to ESB, but a) her hair, with the weird metal halo? Gorgeous, and b) her plotline felt like a good deconstruction in general of the trope where someone takes over when we think Our Hero should have their position, and they turn out to be incompetent or a saboteur. That she was actually just doing what she was supposed to and Poe needed to sit down and listen for a bit, and that she and Leia caused the movie to pass the Bechdel Test (a first in Star Wars big-screen history, maybe? Not sure) - awesome.
I should probably have felt sadder about Luke's death, but I'm pretty sure he's coming back as a Force ghost as needed. More concerned about what they'll do with Leia in Ep 9??
Snoke being taken out by Kylo/Ben was very unexpected, for sure. I'm still pretty sure he's going to have a redemption arc of some kind, but it's harder and harder to envision. I did think we'd get an answer as to who Snoke is and where exactly he came from, and at least some more clues about Rey's background ... although I guess the fact that Luke didn't say "Jakku? I had my one surviving padawan get dropped off there years ago," crosses out a few possibilities. (No, I don't think it's true that she's a nobody. A lot of people are taking it as fact, which is bizarre to me - it seems like an obvious fakeout. It's like when people were going "so Snape's obviously just evil" after HBP.)
I had the feeling that the little boy working in the stables was supposed to be a bit of a callback/wink to Jake Lloyd's Anakin. Apparently a slave, something of a physical resemblance, involved with racing, does something heroic ... and Force-talented!
Edit: Oh, and. My Big Prediction is that Kylo flips at some point in the next movie and Hux becomes the Big Bad, because Hux just seems like a pointless character to have around in his position just to be the butt of a million jokes.
no subject
Date: 2017-12-19 08:51 pm (UTC)Served chilled. But raw.
:/
s'posing the little boy's Rey's baby brother?
no subject
Date: 2017-12-19 09:07 pm (UTC):D
no subject
Date: 2017-12-20 05:03 am (UTC)Like I said on my DW, I like that all of the characters paid a price for assuming they knew what was going on in someone else's mind.