Solo: A Star Wars Story (5/25/2018)

[epilogue]

No gonna lie... I appreciated 3P0 & R2 in Rogue One. *shrugs*

And yes, dime, Solo would be better without things like "mining colonies are the worst" and "fair and square."

[blueviper]

Let's take Empire for example. It's the sequel to the big blockbuster from 1977 that everyone is excited about.

Did they do any winks or callbacks to ANH? Off the top of my head I can't think of any. Besides Han needing to pay off Jabba the Hutt. That almost feels like a continuation of his smuggler ways that concludes in ROTJ, not fan service.

[epilogue]

Let's take Empire for example. It's the sequel to the big blockbuster from 1977 that everyone is excited about.

Did they do any winks or callbacks to ANH? Off the top of my head I can't think of any. Besides Han needing to pay off Jabba the Hutt. That almost feels like a continuation of his smuggler ways that concludes in ROTJ, not fan service.

I mean... literally all of RotJ is fan service. But, that aside, I don't disagree with you. My point wasn't that all the Star Wars movies have inside baseball moments. Rather, that all the Star Wars movies are hokey and have moments that make us cringe or shake our heads.

We saw, most of us, the OT when we were younger. We're used to those movies and their humor and contrived moments and inconsistencies. Because as kids, we watch with open hearts and wide eyes.

More to your point, are there moments in TLJ that you think are on the nose, or fan service-y? I think TLJ lines up with Empire in what you're saying. Sequel to a huge blockbuster that everyone is excited about and doesn't do that kind of thing. It's still got hokey moments and weird plot holes and things that don't make sense, like all Star Wars movies. But it's not that same on-the-nose thing that Solo has.

[LoathedVermin72]

ROTJ is not “fan service.” What are you talking about

[blueviper]

Let's take Empire for example. It's the sequel to the big blockbuster from 1977 that everyone is excited about.

Did they do any winks or callbacks to ANH? Off the top of my head I can't think of any. Besides Han needing to pay off Jabba the Hutt. That almost feels like a continuation of his smuggler ways that concludes in ROTJ, not fan service.

I mean... literally all of RotJ is fan service. But, that aside, I don't disagree with you. My point wasn't that all the Star Wars movies have inside baseball moments. Rather, that all the Star Wars movies are hokey and have moments that make us cringe or shake our heads.

We saw, most of us, the OT when we were younger. We're used to those movies and their humor and contrived moments and inconsistencies. Because as kids, we watch with open hearts and wide eyes.

More to your point, are there moments in TLJ that you think are on the nose, or fan service-y? I think TLJ lines up with Empire in what you're saying. Sequel to a huge blockbuster that everyone is excited about and doesn't do that kind of thing. It's still got hokey moments and weird plot holes and things that don't make sense, like all Star Wars movies. But it's not that same on-the-nose thing that Solo has.

Yeah, I get what you are saying. When I think about TLJ I don't necessarily see anything in the terms of fan service like we're discussing with Solo. I think I may be thinking of TFA in that regard.

Fan-service is a weird thing. I don't think it necessarily propels a character or storyline forward. It may even keep it stagnant or fall back, just because the writers are falling back on familiar sayings or catchphrases that while they were cool the first time, they don't necessarily resonate in subsequent usages.

[LoathedVermin72]

Nothing in the OT makes me cringe or shake my head. This is a bad take

[blueviper]

If you look at ANH as the first movie, and ESB and ROTJ follow, can you name all the fan servicing?

ESB: can't think of any.
ROTJ: the "I love you, I know" switcheroo?

[epilogue]

ROTJ is not “fan service.” What are you talking about

It's literally a remake of ANH with teddy bears in it. There's another Death Star. Every beat comes from what came before. Bringing Han back is fan service. Harrison wanted out. They bribed him into coming back. Lando was supposed to be the new Han. There's nothing about that movie that isn't done to make fans happy and to make fans feel good.

I'm not saying "fan service" is a negative thing, by the way. There's not a negative connotation as far as I'm concerned. At least, not in this example.

[LoathedVermin72]

ROTJ is not “fan service.” What are you talking about

It's literally a remake of ANH with teddy bears in it. There's another Death Star. Every beat comes from what came before. Bringing Han back is fan service. Harrison wanted out. They bribed him into coming back. Lando was supposed to be the new Han. There's nothing about that movie that isn't done to make fans happy and to make fans feel good.

I'm not saying "fan service" is a negative thing, by the way. There's not a negative connotation as far as I'm concerned. At least, not in this example.

No. Sorry. This is completely off the mark.

[VinylGuy]

Yeah Joe.

Its a very different movie in tone and with lots of new elements.

[epilogue]

ROTJ is not “fan service.” What are you talking about

It's literally a remake of ANH with teddy bears in it. There's another Death Star. Every beat comes from what came before. Bringing Han back is fan service. Harrison wanted out. They bribed him into coming back. Lando was supposed to be the new Han. There's nothing about that movie that isn't done to make fans happy and to make fans feel good.

I'm not saying "fan service" is a negative thing, by the way. There's not a negative connotation as far as I'm concerned. At least, not in this example.

No. Sorry. This is completely off the mark.

No. Sorry. It isn't.

[epilogue]

Yeah Joe.

Its a very different movie in tone and with lots of new elements.

There's nothing new in the movie except creatures that aren't wookiees because they ran out of money. It's the final chapter of a complete trilogy. Again, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's Act III of a continuous story. It's a logical conclusion on the themes set up in Act I. I'm not denying that or complaining about it.

However, I'm not sure how anyone can view a new Death Star as anything but fan service in any aspect of the term.

[VinylGuy]

Basically every character´s arc is different. The movie tone is different.

[epilogue]

Basically every character´s arc is different. The movie tone is different.

I will grant you that the film as a different tone. Of course it does. And the arc's aren't different, they're just the end of what was begun elsewhere. Again, I'm not saying that RotJ is a bad movie or that the way it approached being the final chapter of a trilogy was off the mark. It was fan service in the best possible sense.

And looking at many fans who hated what Rian did with Luke in TLJ (#notmylukeskywalker) sure seems to support my point. Fans got the movie, the ending that they wanted. hat's fan service.

[VinylGuy]

Basically every character´s arc is different. The movie tone is different.

I will grant you that the film as a different tone. Of course it does. And the arc's aren't different, they're just the end of what was begun elsewhere. Again, I'm not saying that RotJ is a bad movie or that the way it approached being the final chapter of a trilogy was off the mark. It was fan service in the best possible sense.

but whats the fan service? The death star? I would say its lazy but not fan service.

[epilogue]

Basically every character´s arc is different. The movie tone is different.

I will grant you that the film as a different tone. Of course it does. And the arc's aren't different, they're just the end of what was begun elsewhere. Again, I'm not saying that RotJ is a bad movie or that the way it approached being the final chapter of a trilogy was off the mark. It was fan service in the best possible sense.

but whats the fan service? The death star? I would say its lazy but not fan service.

The whole thing is giving the fans what they want to see. Han and Leia. Luke as a Jedi Master with little to no explanation. Action set pieces that largely don't make sense. Teddy bears (I feel like you of all people, with your Lucasfilm only cares about marketing rhetoric would understand the fan service of Ewoks). The Death Star. The heroes victory. Lando in the Falcon just like Han in ANH. The reversal of the "I love you" "I know" dialogue. It was all in service of the fans and the fans expectations. Do I personally think a lot of it is lazy as hell? Sure, I do. But beyond my own personal feelings, the movie is clearly designed and packaged for maximum impact. There are no risks. Doesn't mean it isn't a beautiful or effective film.

[VinylGuy]

I would say the Ewoks are a very poor attempt to sell more toys. Pretty much everything this franchise does is with that in mind for sure.
The low points of Jedi are lazy writing, but i wouldnt call it fan service...for me, fan service is C3PO in Rogue One for example.

[LoathedVermin72]

The ewoks are maybe my favorite thing in all SW

[VinylGuy]

The ewoks are maybe my favorite thing in all SW

Ha.

Thats so weird man. So weird. Its like that dude that says Batman & Robins is the best mo...oh its you.

Makes sense then.

[epilogue]

The ewoks are maybe my favorite thing in all SW

I have absolutely zero beef with Ewoks. Just so we're clear.