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Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Started by TordelBack, 23 January, 2017, 04:29:12 PM

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radiator

I think the reason the film has been so divisive is pretty clear - a lot of people just didn't get on with the style and tone of it. The 4th wall breaking/self parodic humour, the self referential tone etc. Even stylistically/aesthetically, things like the camera work, the inclusion of slo mo and the lack of wipes* just had the overall effect of making it not really feel like a SW movie to me, personally. Understand totally that many people will like it for these very reasons, but I expect a certain particular style and tone from a  SW movie, and this film diverged a little too far from it for my tastes. Each to their own, but I don't really want Star Wars films to be 'about' Star War films, if that makes any sense?

I presumed that point of the 'Anthology' films was so they could be more experimental with style and genre within the SW universe, while keeping the mainline 'saga' films more traditional in feel. From the look of things they are back-pedalling in this a bit.

I dunno, I'm probably reading too much into it.

*They don't seem to use the traditional scene transition wipes much in this one - or am I totally misremembering this?

radiator

I must say also, I've been amused to see various online think-pieces trying to 'explain' the backlash to TLJ. Like, maybe some people just didn't the film all that much?

Steve Green

I don't recall many wipes - there was slow mo of a sort in TESB, in the cave.

radiator

That was more of a slow shutter speed type thing wasn't it?

Oh, also the inclusion of flashbacks - which IIRC is another break with the traditional SW style?

GrudgeJohnDeed

@Link_Prime They should tell the 145 other people it might push them over the line and get this thing cancelled! :D

Personally even with some tones and humour we're perhaps not used to seeing in Star Wars, it looked and felt like a Star Wars movie the vast majority of the time. It was the writing that scuppered it


Steve Green

Quote from: radiator on 19 December, 2017, 04:59:07 PM
That was more of a slow shutter speed type thing wasn't it?

Oh, also the inclusion of flashbacks - which IIRC is another break with the traditional SW style?

More slowing it down to 12fps or something rather than shooting high speed and played back at 24fps.

Yeah, pretty sure flashbacks are a new thing - think there was a timelapse in the Rey/Luke scene as well?

Professor Bear

People don't like TLJ because they're gatekeepers and thus whiny man-babies: such is my understanding of the narrative being promulgated by social media.
As I mentioned above, it's a tried and tested way of dissociating the product from objective criticism by making all criticism seemingly irrational in origin, and possibly even painting the studio as brave for standing up to those against a progressive social ideology.
On another level, it could also be argued to stigmatise sci-fi fans by presenting them as opposed to the hopes and dreams of little girls who look up to Leia or Ray - again, a tried and tested narrative from the PR campaign for the Ghostbusters remake - despite sci-fi fans (in their own faltering, clumsy ways) having pulled for diversity since the 1960s.  With the TLJ hubbub, it seems like there's a conscious effort to paint Star Wars/sci-fi fans as the enemy of progress, while unquestioning and compliant consumers are the only ones who really "get it."

Quote from: radiator on 19 December, 2017, 04:44:04 PMI presumed that point of the 'Anthology' films was so they could be more experimental with style and genre within the SW universe, while keeping the mainline 'saga' films more traditional in feel. From the look of things they are back-pedalling in this a bit.

Now this is just me, but I assumed the anthology films were to hoover up the "Star Wars knock off" cash.  Back when Star Wars first came out, there were tons of knock-offs, usually missing the tone or point of SW, but still making plenty of money and some still being remembered to this day - Battle Beyond the Stars, Star Crash, etc.  I think Disney just want to have their cake and eat it.

Link Prime

Quote from: Professor Bear on 19 December, 2017, 05:06:33 PM
while unquestioning and compliant consumers are the only ones who really "get it."

That's the thing- there's nothing to 'get'.
No particular cognizance is required to understand the narrative as presented- or why it just didn't work for some (perhaps many) viewers.

If Johnson assumed that the majority of Star Wars fans would be satisfied to see Luke Skywalker roll over and die like a Buckfast addled old tramp, he must have ingested too much space-walrus tit mucus on his last trip to Skellig Michael.


radiator

I remember there was a similarly hilarious 'petition' to force WB to release 'Zak Snyder's cut' of Justice League. All it did was show how utterly naive and clueless the people signing it are about film production - as if WB have an intact and complete Snyder cut sitting on the shelf somewhere.  :lol:

SIP

Just to be clear on my opinion, I'm not buying this whole strange "it was different from other star wars". It wasn't at all.

The problem was that it wasn't a good film, it's narrative was a mess, it pissed up the wall every potentially good storyline and it treated it's characters almost universally poorly.

Nothing to do with this weird "not star wars" thing.....christ it lifted scene after scene from star wars.

Still hate it 😁

GrudgeJohnDeed

Anybody watch RedLetterMedia? Their review is out now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9hwGZFPSmw

A Plinkett episode on it would be fun

Dr Feeley Good


Rusty

I think I might just keep any thoughts about TLJ and post them here if or when appropriate. Other forums I frequent are certainly far more divided and a bit more combative in defending what was essentially a bag of rusty old spanners of a film. It really isn't worth getting into a tiff over. To think I've actually had condescending and patronising responses to me thinking that Leia's space superwoman scene was a laughable old load of bollocks says it all, really.

Mattofthespurs

Quote from: Rusty on 19 December, 2017, 06:23:52 PM
It really isn't worth getting into a tiff over.

Spot on. I'm not a fan of it overall but there are parts I adore.

It's a film.

jacob g

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