|
Post by BackinBlack on Dec 21, 2019 22:24:07 GMT -5
I'm a little torn. As a stand-alone film, it left more to be desired and you can tell they were trying to course correct following Last Jedi. As the finale to the overall saga, I was pretty satisfied in that regard. I think I might like it a little more on a second viewing.
|
|
|
Post by mr. excellent on Dec 22, 2019 1:48:27 GMT -5
Been thinking about it, and there's 2 things that really stick out to me.
There were several things Abrams tried to appease the fans for but somehow Snoke's handling, which is among the biggest complaints in the trilogy, wasn't one of them? I don't wanna say a creator should be beholden to the whims of the fandom, but it's obvious they were trying to appease the fans with this film, and since they went that route it's odd that JJ ended up validating Johnson the way handled the character. Especially because he was the one who came back and basically criticized him (Johnson) for saying certain things that were set up in The Force Awakens didn't matter.
Then we get into representation. This time around I was really bugged that Kelly Marie Trans's character Rose Tico was sidelined. There was no excuse for it, as she could have easily fit into the mission with Poe, Rey, and Finn. It honestly would have made sense for her to be a part of their mission. Yet, after everything she went through from the first movie, they put her on the bench. It just felt like JJ caved in to the trolls for one of the more toxic controversies surrounding The Last Jedi. JJ didn't even give them a moment to reunite at the end of the film. An extra 20-30 seconds for that would not have hurt. There are other obvious things I won't even go into that I'm sure you all have encountered online already, but those are my 2 biggest complaints.
|
|
|
Post by Webber3000 on Dec 22, 2019 17:19:17 GMT -5
Yeah, I share the sentiment, I feel pretty bad for Kelly Marie Tran.
Bleh, times have changed... I remember when The Force Awakens came out, there was some debate around whether it was a return to form or a cheap knock off of the original Star Wars, but talking about it with friends and strangers was generally a lot of fun. It was an easy ice-breaker since everyone and their mother saw it, and it was the first topic I talked about with several friends I made back then.
Ever since The Last Jedi (which I rather liked), and The Rise of Skywalker (which I rather disliked), I feel the discourse has become so toxic. It saddens me to see such passionate tensions permeate through pop culture. I care about and love movies, but when entertainment triggers such visceral and negative emotions, it just makes me tired. America's just divided on every issue now.
I wasn't involved with nerd culture when the prequels came out, so I can't say whether this is a recurring problem, but this definitely sucks.
|
|
|
Post by mr. excellent on Dec 23, 2019 3:25:28 GMT -5
Funny enough, I actually got into nerd culture right around that time. It was the time of Attack of the Clones, which came out the same year as Raimi's Spider-Man. At the time, I remember being amazed at how Spider-Man was the bigger hit that year (even though Harry Potter and LOTR also beat Episode 2 and Spider-Man). I don't recall as many people being worked up about the prequels, but the fans definitely weren't happy with them. At that point, inclusivity wasn't being embraced on the level it is today, so it wasn't even a conversation. In a way, the fact that we're having these conversations now, toxic as they can become, is a sign of progress being made. There's always a fight, but over time we're making some headway as a culture I suppose. Sucks it has to be so slow though, for sure.
|
|