Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

[Anders]

Luke has always been a whiny bitch and I can fully understand him shutting himself off with some Ryan Adams albums for a good mope.

I’m also glad that Luke as a fifty year old wasn’t in an actual lightsaber battle with a twenty five year old, shown to be kicking ass after years of just guzzling sea donkey juice and eating fish pie. Now that would have been far sadder to watch and harder to believe.

Fifty
I know you guys get a lot of sun down there, but that's not what fifty looks like, is it?

This guy is 54:

[E.H. Ruddock]

The annihilation on Scarif is up there too as far as I’m concerned.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Saw it again last night. It didn't make me change my mind about anything, really, except that I like the Canto Bight stuff now. And the throne room battle wasn't as distracting because I made myself focus on the fighting instead of the background. But most of my issues are still there. Fun movie though

[dimejinky99]

There’s definitely more goin on with Snoke. From the visual dictionary, about the pool with the mosaic in it which seems to be a force amplifier of some kind.

‘It’s an image of the prime Jedi, first of the order, in a state of meditation’

[dimejinky99]

[stip]

that will be fun backstory to flesh out the lore. too distracting for a movie where snoke is an important character, though

[dimejinky99]

that will be fun backstory to flesh out the lore. too distracting for a movie where snoke is an important character, though

Well if Rian is going all the way back To the original force users before they have Jedi sith dogma it could be a way to have him involved and not yet evil or grasping for power

[epilogue]

Here is the one thing I can't get past if it's okay to not like the movie despite several RM heavyweights loving it (or convincing themselves they do after 5 or 6 viewings):

See, Anders, this is what arrogant and insulting looks like.

In RotJ, Luke was sacrificing his life for the small chance he could save his father. I don't believe the same person would then even for a second think about murdering his nephew in his sleep because he sees darkness in him. Even if I could be convinced the Dark Side is just that powerful, no way Luke just runs and hides, waiting to die in peace he doesn't deserve. He would spend his remaining days trying to right his wrong, trying to save his sister's son. And then the formerly Puritan-dry farm boy spent decades of isolation developing a really sarcastic sense of humor after ruining multiple lives. Who gives a shit if he's powerful or got to look at 2 goddam suns when he died? Subjectively, I think Rian got Luke waaaaay wrong, and that's why despite liking a lot about the movie, I hate it. When it's finally run its course at the b.o. or on dvd, I expect Mark will express similar displeasure. Again.

There's a lot to unpack here. I guess, if I'm allowed to respond as someone who liked the movie but only had to see it once to decide that, I would say that it's not unrealistic for things to go in different directions than we expect. You're painting a version of a Luke Skywalker you want to see, or the one you've created for yourself. It's based on what we saw 30 years ago, to be sure. Yours is not an unreasonable drawing. But a lot has happened to Luke in those 30 years. We only know a fraction of that stuff. If you can't believe that Luke would have a moment of weakness and then that that moment of weakness was so unbearable for him because of how out of character, unexpected, and counter to his nature that weakness/doubt was, then nothing anyone says is going to change that for you. But I think it's far more interesting to see someone struggle with the most difficult thing possible for them to struggle with than to just see our hero continue to be a hero. People change. Characters change. This isn't the Luke many of us expected -- including Hamill -- but I think it's a far more interesting Luke.

[dimejinky99]

Lotta People unable to accept Luke in TLJ and saying it’s a total break from character.

Had he been a wise old Obi wan MK II it would have been so predictable and lazy and thered Be outrage about it.

It’s far more interesting to put him as broken and lost and then a huge bittersweet payoff in his sacrifice and redemption.

Personal headcanon seems to be the main stumbling block for a lot of the people hating the film. Plus the inability of those people to understand that it’s impossible to make a film to fit everyone’s personal demands and it would be a boring bland mess if they tried that approach.

[Anders]

Here is the one thing I can't get past if it's okay to not like the movie despite several RM heavyweights loving it (or convincing themselves they do after 5 or 6 viewings):

See, Anders, this is what arrogant and insulting looks like.

I actually read it as a joke, based on some comments in this thread indicating that those that didn't like the movie just didn't get it or understand what the movie was trying to achieve, didn't have the necessary comprehension skills and were so simple that they wanted a one dimensional movie, or possibly they were just old fanboys that always need something to complain about.

[dimejinky99]

Here is the one thing I can't get past if it's okay to not like the movie despite several RM heavyweights loving it (or convincing themselves they do after 5 or 6 viewings):

See, Anders, this is what arrogant and insulting looks like.

I actually read it as a joke, based on some comments in this thread indicating that those that didn't like the movie just didn't get it or understand what the movie was trying to achieve, didn't have the necessary comprehension skills and were so simple that they wanted a one dimensional movie, or possibly they were just old fanboys that always need something to complain about.

Anders my comment definitely wasn’t directed at you just the thinking and ranting that’s going on out there

[dimejinky99]

I’m wondering if we’ll see Kylo take on an apprentice in 9. Pretty sure the knights of Ren will reappear. Perhaps he's training all of them, though they don’t seem to be force users in TFA. Well probably get Rey either early stages with a few padewans or if they do a significant time jump, an established acedemy.

There’ll probably be both given Rey and Kylo seem to be the two equal weights on both sides of the force scales.

[epilogue]

Here's a question. Was the light speed kamikaze attack the most striking visual effect in Star Wars history?

Yes.

[Strat]

It's up there. I can't immediately think of something more beautiful than that but that scene is fresh in my mind. I tell you what - Ill watch every single episode today and see if I can find a better one!

[LoathedVermin72]

There is nothing visually interesting about that scene. The only reason anyone is talking about it like this is because of how it’s emphasized by the audio drop-out.

[Strat]

There is nothing visually interesting about that scene. The only reason anyone is talking about it like this is because of how it’s emphasized by the audio drop-out.

Or maybe we like it? Maybe we do think its visually striking? i dont know. Possibility. *shrugs*

[Strat]

The glow of the lightspeed, the way it splits the ship and that continued glow blasts through it and bounces off all the other ships surrounidng.....

was beautiful.

I also loved the shot of Ren standing in front of Rey after the carnage they caused in the throne room. The flames of destruction falling behind him against the back drop of space. Awesome

[E.H. Ruddock]

There is nothing visually interesting about that scene. The only reason anyone is talking about it like this is because of how it’s emphasized by the audio drop-out.

Or maybe we like it? Maybe we do think its visually striking? i dont know. Possibility. *shrugs*

I think it is a little of both. It was a nice scene, visually, which would have been cool even with sound/music. But the audio drop out is unexpected and dramatic and definitely amplifies the impact of the action and scene.

[LoathedVermin72]

This movie is ugly

[epilogue]

Here's a question. Was the light speed kamikaze attack the most striking visual effect in Star Wars history?

Not even close.

go on...

I think it’s easy to lose sight of how revolutionary and influential the previous SW movies were. Lucas created a space opera that was more breathless and seamless than any movies previously seen. The visual effects of the OT were frontier filmmaking. How could anything in TLJ even hope to match the simple sight of seeing a lightsaber ignite for the first time?

Even as a kid I thought the lightsaber igniting for the first time looked really cheesy and kind of dumb. In the theatrical release, before Lucas tampered with the vfx, you can actually see the cut in the frame.

Which is not to undermine you point. Those original vfx were revolutionary and literally art-changing.

But I don't think I've ever been as awed and breathless watching an epic film in a big dark room as I was when that light speed attack happened.