Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, December 15, 2017) Movie • Page 304

dammit I guess I need to go back a fourth time

 

I am on my 9th showing, and I still lose my shit everytime Kylo and Rey start fighting the guards.

 

Even though I know theres a bad habit of wanting 3 hour extended versions of every movie nowadays, I really think this particular movie could've used it. I get why they didnt, nor do I think it shouldve had a longer theatrical release since it was already 2.5 hrs, but I think if any Star Wars needed an Extended Edition, its this one because of the three different storylines that need so much screen time. I was skimming through the other movies and really you stay with one or 2 set of characters the majority of the time. This movie has 3 and even 4 at times. Its just so much to take in.

I get we'll have 20 minutes of deleted scenes (which Im thankful for, but an extended edition actually putting them in the sequence would've been nice to be able to see Rians vision in its fullest sense.

 

This is a solid little write up.

Ultimately, I think this movie captured my imagination in the same way that the original movies did when I was a kid more so than TFA and RO. I love TFA, it's a little more streamlined and narratively focused than this one, but I don't get quite the same child like wonder from that one as this movie. That's why it's my favorite (for the moment at least) of the new films. JJ and Gareth both did excellent jobs at capturing what a Star Wars movie should feel like, but Rian seems to really understand what it is that truly made those originals groundbreaking and great.

 

There will be a fan edit with the scenes included so I'm not really worried.

 

I didn’t think I’d see this again in theaters but I had some free time so I gave it another go. Still a bit too long but it holds up. Probably in my top 25 of the year, though as I catch up on 2017 releases I dunno that it’ll hold there. Very happy with good Star Wars, though.

 

I like Star Wars a lot (I wouldn't say I'm as big of a fan as some of you guys), but from a "casual" standpoint, this is just the direction I wanted from a new trilogy, honestly.

It feel modern yet still feels like the original Star Wars universe. I actually care about and like the new characters. It expands the lore into new territory and takes risks to stand on its own without ruining it (IMO). The dialogue is as goofy as ever but not cringe-worthy and nonsensical at every fucking turn.

I can't say any of those things about the prequels.

 

The amount of credit that Rian & Steve (DP) deserve for capturing the elusive “feeling of Star Wars” is immeasurable.

 

This whole discussion is pretty solid. I've been of the thought that the timelines don't lineup until that first force connection between Rey and Kylo. Before that, Rey is on the island for at least a day or two ahead of what's happening with the Resistance evacuation.

Love the detail about Snoke's death that they pointed out. Kylo doesn't get the idea of how to take down Snoke until his own lightsaber is spinning around in front of him. Such a great little detail.

 

I had missed that too.

 

A Field Guide to the Musical Leitmotifs of “Star Wars”

This attention has come about not only because of the mythic weight that George Lucas’s space operas have acquired in the contemporary imagination; the music is also superbly crafted and rewards close analysis. Williams’s latest score is one the most compelling in his forty-year “Star Wars” career: Rian Johnson’s film complicates and enriches the familiar template, and Williams responds with intricate, ambiguous variations on his canon of themes.

 

I have a feeling this was meant for the politics thread.

 

Cool!!

 

hot damn

 

Yup. First Order is alt-right.

 

Okay. I just thought about this and I’ll be honest. I wish we would’ve gotten into some insight on how kylo found out Vader was his granddaddy and his reaction to it. Is that why he hates his parents. Is that what drew him to snoke who was more honest with him?

I think it would’ve made sense in him talking to Rey through the force. He got into why he betrayed luke. They could’ve had Rey ask why he went dark or how did he get under snoke in the first place. Was hoping he found out not by luke or his parents and felt betrayed. Then snoke slithered in somehow telling him lies about Vader and him destined to finish what he started. In the force awakens and bloodline the seeds were planted for that exact thing with the galaxy just finding out 20 years after ROTJ that Leia was Vader’s daughter and she never told ben because she was waiting for the right time and such
Would’ve added to the arc of him smashing the mask and now letting the past die. No longer wanting to be like Vader. We could’ve got the inception of that basically.

Once again though. There’s so much more of a lot of things I wanted but the plot took place in such a short period of time with so many different storylines. Impossible task really.

I think my disappointment overall is not with TLJ but more the lack of consistent vision overarching the entire trilogy. Having different directors with different visions has it’s positives but negatives. Just doesn’t feel very cohesive to me when putting it next to TFA.

Agree? Disagree?

 

IF I had one gripe about the movie this would probably be it. It felt kinda like it just decided on another, unnatural trajectory...but I kinda liked that. I don't know, I enjoyed this more than TFA so I can't say too much.

 

Knowing 2/3s of a story is a weird place to decide on cohesiveness.

 

Agreed. TLJ is my fav SW movie. I love TFA too, and I love the deviation. Its more of a tone thing. I think the amount of humor, as much as it hit for me, was just The more I think about the movie I really think Rian went in thinking about where he wanted the characters to go first. Definitely true with Kylo since hes said such in interviews, but looking at Rey, Luke, Finn, and Poe it was almost like he thought of where they are and where he wants them to end up first and foremost and then constructed the story and how they were going to get there first.

Holdo was a character solely brought it in to teach him how to be leader. You couldnt have that same foil and dynamic if it was Leia or Ackbar because he already respects them. His hubris and entitlement to be the leader wouldnt have worked if it was Leia.

DJ, Rose, and the whole planet of Canto Bight were characters brought in only to aid Finn on his arc of selfishness and survival to fighting for something bigger than himself and having a cause to fight for.

It reminds me of how some songwriters like to write songs with music first. A Riff. A melody. Then some like to write lyrics first and base everything off of that.

Feel like Rian was focused on the characters first going in and then wrote the story off of that.

 

Never thought about all this but yes! I would have loved this.

 

Maybe. Wasnt referring to only plot/story. Also just feeling/mood. I get that naturally happens in a trilogy/series as it needs to rise/fall/change, but not in the same way.

I think it mostly goes back to what I mentioned before in that I think just the constricted timeline and focusing on 3/4 different sets of characters and jumping in and out. Also this one went for more laughs. TLJ was the funniest SW for me, but it also just felt like it aimed for it more than TFA. and at the same time is much darker than TFA?

Its just a weird movie in general lol

Cant wait for his own trilogy with his own singular vision. Hope Kathleen doesn't become reactionary and pull the plug on him. Ill legit probably cry.

 

I think the people that matter liked the movie. And it’s making that money. RJ is fine.

 

Disagree

 

Written & directed by different people, I wouldn’t expect total cohesion. Same goes for the OT.