From now on, all plot twists are to be communicated to the audience via direct breach of the fourth wall.
The Last Jedi - Actually Widely Hated?
- Thread starter crookeddy
- Start date
From now on, all plot twists are to be communicated to the audience via direct breach of the fourth wall.
Holdo was entirely within her rights not to tell Poe there even was a plan, but that wasn't much fun for us in the audience. As a veteran who never served in any kind of combat situation, I can't speak to the military realism at play, but it does occur to me that since we're told several people have tried to desert in escape pods before Finn and Rose meet, it seems as though there's a dangerous amount of discontent amongst the Resistance rank and file, so the compassionate course for Holdo would be to inform the whole crew that there's a viable plan actively being worked on. Instead, she says tells them this:
"There are four hundred of us...on three ships. We're the very last of the Resistance, but we're not alone. In every corner of the galaxy... the downtrodden and oppressed know our symbol...and they put their hope in it. We are the spark that will ignite the fire that will restore the Republic. That spark...this Resistance, must survive. That is our mission."
Hardly a rousing call to arms; hell, it's more like an elegy for an imminent act of martyrdom. (Sparks that light fires tend to, y'know, burn out themselves.) So, while Holdo is in the right from a rigid, hierarchical perspective, she also comes across as a singularly uninspiring leader, given that desertion on the good guys' part had never been a thing in this franchise before. What if, after this dismal speech, someone had tried to desert during the ship evacuations, and in so doing inadvertently given the game away?
It's as if Rian Johnson, who somehow thought that this Part 8 of 9 should be half an hour longer than frickin' Casablanca, forgot that Star Wars should first and foremost be fun.
That's why I don't watch ESB and ROTS.
Because as we all know, the right time for a rousing call to arms is when you're desperately on the run from a vastly superior force.
Like I said, if you've already had desertions, you have major morale and disciplinary issues, and if further desertions risk blowing your secret plan, you should probably tell your forces that there is a plan, which must remain secret for the time being. This is common sense.
Holdo was within her rights not to announce she had a plan at all, but that doesn't mean it wasn't poor leadership on her part - which, given the movie's theme of failure and mistakes made all around, fits with the larger narrative. Still doesn't make for a fun story, though.
This type of denialism really needs to stop. For a lot of people who loved TFA, myself included, the movie just sucked. I didn't like where they took the characters and the humor fell flat. I have no desire to see it again and hope J.J can end the saga on a high note.
The only people I meet who like TLJ are on message boards. No one I know likes that movie and we're all huge Star Wars fans. I highly doubt that opinion will change as the years go on so yes, it will most likely be remembered with the same negativity that all bad movies do.
Just like the prequels...oh wait.
People like the prequels now?
https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-movies-of-2010s-decade/the-last-jedi-2/
The Last Jedi is #74 in the top 100 movies of the 2010s.
The Last Jedi is #74 in the top 100 movies of the 2010s.
That's what I keep getting told...on several different websites. So, apparently yes.
Solo had the same problem. These films depict gambling in the Star Wars setting as pretty much identical to gambling on 20th-century Earth, without even any noticable technological upgrades. It comes off like a failure of imagination. Sabacc is just space poker! ( Now with negative values and slightly differently shaped cards. ) I want to say it's the fashion of the times in the GFFA, that everyone's deliberately being all old school with the gambling, but that feels like bending over backwards making excuses for the filmmakers.
I honestly don't see the same redeeming qualities in the prequels that I do in TLJ. TLJ was beautifully shot, nailed (some) of it's emotional moments, and started numerous endless discussion threads, which at the end of the day is just about the best thing a movie can do. Rian Johnson made the perfect controversial movie.
I completely agree. I also struggle with seeing the PT in a redeeming light, though I know that have some wonderful moments, and beautiful visuals. Despite my disappointment with the PT I would not be rid of it from the Saga. But, what I am seeing is people revisiting the PT with a bit of a different perspective. I think the ST will get the same...eventually, when people get over their expectations.
I agree that TLJ nailed a lot of emotional moments. I think those moments will carry far more weight after Episode IX comes out.
Most of the threads I visited were a circle jerk bashing them...
Ok, the good parts of the pt for me were palpatines complex plan, the brilliant line about the death of freedom being greeted with applause, and then numerous things on the technical side. Was both a leap forward for digital effects and the beginning of a rebellion against their use.
1. Yes, it was poor leadership. That's kind of the point.
2. It's Star Wars. Common sense has no business here. Try and unravel whatever the hell the plan to rescue Han was in ROTJ and you'll see what I mean.
3. Disagree, it was a fun story.
The difference is, when TLJ does it, the resulting discussions actually have some substance to them.
I like the prequels. I don't like them AS MUCH, not nearly as much as the original trilogy films, but I've watched the PT countless time, and I've had a really good time doing that.