Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

[JamesC]

I'm hoping he gets off with Jabba's bird - which is the real reason Jabba has a vendetta against him.

[TordelBack]

I'm hoping he gets off with Jabba's bird - which is the real reason Jabba has a vendetta against him.

Gardulla...?

[JamesC]

I'm hoping he gets off with Jabba's bird - which is the real reason Jabba has a vendetta against him.

Gardulla...?

Ha ha, I didn't actually realise there was such a character but I've Googled her and she's pretty hot. I think Han would be into it.

[Professor Bear]

It's a Ron Howard/Lawrence Kasdan joint.  I think I'll give it a chance.

[Goaty]

And they got Woody Harrelson!

[SIP]

I have never been less enthused about the prospect of a new SW film than I am about Solo, despite the fact that I have rarely been as excited about SW in general, and would pay a significant sum to watch Episode IX right now.  It's not that I've any strong opinions about the casting or production - beyond thinking Disney very seldom make a bad movie, and Ron Howard can be relied upon to deliver a solid flick - but the whole idea of a Han Solo prequel still just leaves me cold, and nothing the PR machine (sole employee: Ron Howard) has put out to date has done anything to warm me up. 

But I am both easily pleased, and always open to being pleasantly surprised, so here's hoping.

Must admit I wasn't as enthused for it previously as I normally would be with a Star wars movie as I struggle to consider anyone other than Harrison as Han Solo....but I need a serious Star Wars pick me up after the last film, and as this is a prequel with the Empire Strikes Back writer......it might be just what I need right now.

[Tiplodocus]

 Back when I was sixteen and had finished reading Brian Daley's Han Solo books I'd have been all over a Solo movie. Now, less so. 

But the cast looks great, Ron does good solid stuff, Kasdan can be brilliant and there may be elements of Lord and Miller lurking in there. Add the impeccable Star Wars production values and you know what? I've nearly done a Peter Wolf and contradicted myself in the same post.

It's going to be great!

[radiator]

I'm worried that Solo will just be an exercise in box-ticking - Rescues Chewie (tick), Wins the Millenium Falcon (tick), Does the Kessel Run (tick)...

That is exactly what the film will be, no question, which is why I have zero interest in seeing it.

[GrudgeJohnDeed]

I agree that there are other characters we know little about that would be more intriguing to explore. I'll be seeing it of course, but I have no idea what to expect! Is there no Xmas Star Wars movie this year then? It had been becoming a bit of a tradition for me and my friends!

[sheridan]

I liked the casting of Lando Calrissian. I'd much prefer this was a Calrissian prequel movie TBH, as there's a lot less of his background we know about, so it could make for a more interesting story.

Damnit, you're right, that would have far better - you could have introduced Young Han Solo that way as a minor player in Lando's story, and seen was there actually an appetite for more.  I can really see myself getting excited about that, and even better if it had a framing device of Billy Dee Williams telling a story over a game of sabacc in the Sequel era. Discounting his various EU outings, there's actually more juicy hints about Lando's past in the movies than there is about Han's - battle of Tanaab, for example.  His role in Rebels, where he's just getting into mining, offers a nice platform too.

And just think of the SJW-accusations fired at that one!

Hopefully the Solo film will lead in to a Lando film in a few years.

[Colin YNWA]

I'm worried that Solo will just be an exercise in box-ticking - Rescues Chewie (tick), Wins the Millenium Falcon (tick), Does the Kessel Run (tick)...

That is exactly what the film will be, no question, which is why I have zero interest in seeing it.

Yep this is my concern a Han Solo movie could be so cool and explore so much about his smuggler past, but from what you hear this will be a box ticking piece of fan service.

I know he did the Kessel Run, we know he rescues Chewie, we know he wins the Falcon in a card game with Lando. Tell me something I don't know about him, open him up don't close him off.

Christ if it ends with him getting a contract with Jabba!

Mind fairs fair lets wait and see...

[TordelBack]

Mind fairs fair lets wait and see...

Yep. In some ways it's good that even re-shoots were finished before the TLJ backlash started - if we're fearing a conservative box-ticking exercise, how much worse it would be if Disney had been actively discouraged  from including any new characters, women, non-whites, things we hadn't known existed before, unexpected character developments or even different spaceships*.



*(My current favourite TLJ criticism is 'where were the Y-wings?' - apparently they would have been far superior anti-capital-ship bombers than the Star Fortresses, which in my mind just begs the question 'well where were they in TESB, in the exact same scenario?')

[Professor Bear]

I like this idea that the new Star Wars movies haven't been fan-pleasing exercises so far.

[Colin YNWA]

I like this idea that the new Star Wars movies haven't been fan-pleasing exercises so far.

Who said that?

[SIP]

I like this idea that the new Star Wars movies haven't been fan-pleasing exercises so far.

I would think that the lack of fan pleasing is entirely accidental.....Disney want to make money after all.

I suspect that the larger than usual "fan" backlash to TLJ will not likely be making the Disney execs rub their hands together with glee.

Disneys  only gameplan would surely be to keep as many people as happy as possible, sell as much merchandise as possible and get as many people as they can into the theme parks. As the majority of people that they have irritated are precisely the people who buy all that stuff, doubt they would want to deliberately upset them.

What actual proportion of the audience that is remains to be seen......blu ray and toy sales may give some indication, opening figures for episode 9 too.

Will be very interesting to see if any impact is felt at all.