Episode Eight Pre-Release Thread

[INACTIVESamusAranX]

Even though I wasn't as impressed with The Force Awakens as I wanted to be as a Star Wars fan, calling it a "rip-off of A New Hope" actually misses the point of what Abrams and Kasdan were trying to do, which was to make a film that was representative of what they believe Star Wars, on a conceptual level and as a franchise, to be about. The film does share a lot of structural similarities to ANH, but only because it was made in an attempt to recapture the form, function, and feeling of what both Abrams and Kasdan saw/felt/experienced in 1977.

That is of course their prerogative, but it doesn't make for a very engaging standalone film, nor does it feel all that much like a "true" Star Wars film, since they were essentially making it "in a vacuum" and attempting to recreate a very specific thing without realizing/caring that the thing they were trying to recreate didn't actually exist outside of their own minds.

Even with the little we've seen of The Last Jedi, though, I get the sense that Rian Johnson didn't fall into that same trap, and may actually be able to salvage TFA and make it better in retrospect, which makes me happy since I wanted to like TFA much more than I ultimately did.

QFT.

If Last Jedi can knock it out if the park and help ease the backlog for flaws and plot holes from TFA I'm all for it. TFA is literally the only Star Wars I don't enjoy to rewatch. Even my prior worst film AOTC elicits some joyful responses from me

 

[Tuskin38]

I was discussing TFA, in which he was a part of the writing process and therefore established the starting points for the sequels. Lucas didn't write or direct ESB, and yet he was part of the creative process. Do you think JJ will not have an active participation in what is now his franchise?

I know JJ Abrams has a producer credit, but I don't think he really had much to do with it from a creative and storytelling perspective. It was written and directed by Rian Johnson so pretty much all of the storytelling stuff comes from him.

JJ isn't a producer on TLJ, Bad Robot isn't even involved like they were with TLA.

Edit: Ah, wait, sorry JJ is an executive producer on TLJ.

But he isn't a main producer.

My point about Bad Robot stays. It is just LucasFilm and Disney this time around.

 

[JD]

I was discussing TFA, in which he was a part of the writing process and therefore established the starting points for the sequels. Lucas didn't write or direct ESB, and yet he was part of the creative process. Do you think JJ will not have an active participation in what is now his franchise?

Star Wars isn't JJ's franchise, he just happened to direct the first one, and got a producer credit on the second. I don't think I've actually seen his name mentioned in relation to TLJ since it was first announced. It's Kathleen Kennedy's franchise, although I'm not sure if she's actually made any creative contributions to it. Even is she isn't she's still the one calling the shots and making the final decisions.

 

[Reverend]

Yeah, people tend to miss that the main reason Bad Robot was so involved in TFA's production was because LF hadn't been an active moving making studio for going on a decade and BR was mostly there to make up the difference while LF got back up to full strength. 'Rogue One' was a purely Lucasfilm production as is 'The Last Jedi'.

 

[JD]

I didn't realize that. I had just assumed they had to stick the BR name on it because Abrams directed it.

 

[JD]

An add for Battlefront II's The Last Jedi pre-order bonuses has revealed Rey and Kylo Ren's new TLJ costume. With the way he's turn it's hard to get a clear look at Kylo, but I do like Rey's new look. I think the darker pants and vest or shirt add a nice bit of variety to her TFA costume.

 

[Tuskin38]

That shot of Rey appears to be the full version of the image used for the Toy Packaging.

The fine print does say "movie production stills"

 

[JD]

A story has popped up about a possible chase scene from the movie involving Finn, Rose, a "space horse" , and a "neon Starbucks".

 

[Tuskin38]

4 Vanity Fair covers for Star Wars EP8

https://i.redd.it/alktkdgfb9zy.jpg

I really wouldn't call them spoilers unless you consider what a character is wearing to be a spoiler.

 

[Ithekro]

Leia's cloak, or whatever you call that, reminds me of the vinyl capes and such they had on the old Kenner figures.

 

[JD]

So I wonder if the villains cover means we're going to see Phasma without her helmet this time? I was actually just wondering about that the other day, when I saw her book and comic in my Google Play wishlist.

 

[LJones41]

4 Vanity Fair covers for Star Wars EP8

https://i.redd.it/alktkdgfb9zy.jpg

I really wouldn't call them spoilers unless you consider what a character is wearing to be a spoiler.

Wow. There is one cover that only features POC major cast members, including John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Kelly Marie Tran. Good going, "Vanity Fair".

 

[fireproof78]

So I wonder if the villains cover means we're going to see Phasma without her helmet this time? I was actually just wondering about that the other day, when I saw her book and comic in my Google Play wishlist.

It looks like she is holding a spear too. Which, if we get a Rey vs. Phasma staff fight, I'll be pretty excited.

 

[Reverend]

Wow. There is one cover that only features POC major cast members, including John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Kelly Marie Tran. Good going, "Vanity Fair".

You say that like the magazine was responsible for casting the movie and deciding which characters are going to be grouped up together...

It looks like she is holding a spear too. Which, if we get a Rey vs. Phasma staff fight, I'll be pretty excited.

It would be odd to give her a staff (force-lance?) and NOT have her face off against notorious staff wielder Rey.
Mind you, one expects by that point she's probably upgraded to a lightsaber.

 

[fireproof78]

You say that like the magazine was responsible for casting the movie and deciding which characters are going to be grouped up together...



It would be odd to give her a staff (force-lance?) and NOT have her face off against notorious staff wielder Rey.
Mind you, one expects by that point she's probably upgraded to a lightsaber.

It would be interesting, at least to me, if Rey gets disarmed, or Kylo ends up with it, and she relies upon her trusty staff again.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Full Vanity Fair article, including many pictures:

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/05/star-wars-the-last-jedi-cover-portfolio

 

[JD]

There were some interesting tidbits there, like the fact that Laura Dern's character is a Resistance Admiral named Amilyn Holdo, and that Luke has been living with a bunch of small aliens on Ach-To. I have to wonder if Holdo will end up taking over some of the Resistance leadership role from Leia in EpIX.
Benecio Del Toro's character doesn't have a name in the movie, but they are calling him DJ.
Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose, has a sister who's also part of the Resistance.

 

[Skywalker]

"DJ" looks like some type of underworld scoundrel. Maybe he's sort of working both sides, living between the lines drawn up by the Resistance and the First Order, in order to profit off of them both. Kind of like Talon Karrde.

 

[JD]

Maybe he's the one who helps

Spoiler: minor spoiler about Finn and Rose's story.

Finn and Rose go undercover? Maybe he's not getting a name because they don't them to be able to identify him if they get caught?

 

[DigificWriter]

That Vanity Fair interview was great, and has me feeling supremely confident in and excited for the film. Rian Johnson clearly has no motive other than to make a stellar Star Wars movie (which is not something that can be said of Abrams and Kasdan), and, even without major details in terms of plot having been divulged, it sounds like The Last Jedi is going to be a stellar installment in the franchise.