As deeply disappointed fans slunk out of the theaters, Baby Yoda stress-relief dolls were handed out.
Just kidding.
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The first review I posted back there was from acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay, whose opinion on things I’ve generally found to be very smart and non cynical.
I used to listen to and trust Roger Ebert’s opinions (keeping in mind that he’d often give high ratings to mediocre movies with cool CG or maximum boobage) but these days I don’t have a go-to reviewer. The reviews at a lot of sites I like – the AV Club and Vox – tend to be extremely cynical and nasty across the board. And they hated the new movie.
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Glad someone is paying attention to all the players.
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Indeed, I think that the movies really are of secondary importance to Disney, compared to action figures and lunch boxes.
It hasn’t faded one bit. But Patrick Stewart is going to be on… yet another streaming service…
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I’d argue with you, but you’re right.
Gawd, that describes my interest in Robert Heinlein perfectly!
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I love Sarah Scribbles. So much of her stuff is either relatable to me, to my wife, or to both of us.
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I dunno, JMS did pretty good with Babylon 5. The reason why seasons 4 and 5 came out like they did was because of studio meddling and dangling the ‘are we going to renew for another season’ carrot, which forced him to compress two season’s worth of plot arc into one, and then have to come up with new material for the 5th season.
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There is always fan fiction.
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More like ‘how much more money can be made off this before we turn away everyone in disgust?’
I know how disney operates; how many Direct to Video sequels of their animated franchises did they make? and how good were they, compared to the first one? ( I give you The Lion King as an example of just how much Disney will milk the cow.
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I think it’s fairly obvious why this is, though? For one, a lot of fans tweeted their feelings coming out of the movie, riding the high - people tend to get a bit more objective after some time passes. But also many people already pointed out that this movie is basically a huge checklist of fanservice, which may make for an enjoyable view but doesn’t make a good movie, not even a good Star Wars movie. One reviewer said something along the lines of “if nostalgia and ‘I recognize the thing’ is what you’re after then you’ll love this movie.”
Personally, as someone who loved the original trilogy but was never a hardcore fan, this is something I’d been afraid of ever since hearing that JJ Abrams took over directing the movie. The Last Jedi wasn’t perfect but it was the first thing that made me excited about anything Star Wars since forever. I guess Disney caved in to the entitled segment of the fandom…
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Absolutely; if you look at the reviews, it’s interesting that tons of big-name big-audience critics are lambasting it while fans and small-press geek-centric publications are praising it, for the most part. I think different people are looking for different things out of this film and critics LOVE to pan genre films, especially the third part of a trilogy, where they can really let loose.
I’m not sure why ‘fanservice’ is being sneered at. I’m a fan; if this film serves up a bunch of things to make me smile and enjoy myself, great. If it gives me a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy, and the previous 8 films, that’s ideal.
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I’ve seen many fans and even geek-centric publications hating it, though, while the critic from the CNN of all things loved it, so…
It’s because a movie shouldn’t exist to give fans what they want. It should be about a creator sharing their ideas and their vision, and fans engaging with it but not steering the boat themselves.
- “Fandom” is not a monolith and even fans can’t agree on what they like and what they want most of the time. Sure, the most hardcore fans tend to be the loudest but that doesn’t mean they represent every fans’ hopes or fears. Just look at The Last Jedi - sure, a very loud segment of fans hated it, with an especially loud segment being ridiculously over-the-top and disgustingly toxic about it. But there were just as many, if not more, fans who enjoyed it or even loved it (myself included), they just weren’t the ones who made the most noise and had the worst behavior.
- Some fanservice is good, but there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing, I think this should be obvious. When the story is built around a list of “fans will love this!” that’s a problem because that is where creativity dies and the slow rot of trying to serve “more of the same because we really want to stay on the good side of fans, I want to be able to afford lots of cocaine” sets in.
And on a side note - “OK boomer” me if you want (even though I’m apparently a Millennial) but I really hate seeing creativity giving way to entitlement. The raving reviews I’ve seen about this movie seem to come from people who think that creators of the object of their fannishness owe them simply for being emotionally way too invested in their work. Generally I’m scratching my head at this whole trend of “If a show/book/whatever doesn’t do what I, a fan, think it should be doing then I hate it, it’s the worst thing ever, it killed my childhood and everyone involved in it should be ruined for life”, and it’s disheartening to see companies taking it seriously. - There’s a level of fanservice that’s basically wink-and-nudge “we’re all fans here”; there’s a level that’s kind of too much but still OK; there’s pandering; and there’s a level of pandering that’s basically the show going down on its knees and performing oral sex on the audience. It’s increasingly cringey. And by all accounts this movie is a case of the last option.
- Different strokes for different folks, but frankly I find fanservice boring. Some easter eggs and shout-outs are fine, but I’m not interested in playing “IT’S THAT THING!” If I want that thing I’ll watch the movie it’s from.
I’m a fan; what I want is to engage with a story and the characters, for the material to give me something to think about, to discuss, to ruminate for the coming days, weeks, years. That is how I do fandom, this is what makes me enjoy myself in the long run, not the instant gratification of “hey it’s the thing from that time” or “hey this is just like that other thing, how nostalgic.” Some of the things I’m fan of managed to deliver immensely satisfying conclusions that nevertheless managed to be progressive and challenging, instead of consisting of callbacks to the past. But I suppose this is subjective.
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People can be bought. People have bad takes. People are humans (well - most people - Steven Miller excluded).
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Don’t speak ill of the undead.
Nevermind. Go ahead.
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I’m probably going to enjoy it. My 10 year old is definitely going to enjoy it, and I’ll enjoy his enjoyment of it.
The problem most Star Wars fans have is that no new movie will ever match the sheer fun of Episode IV, which for many of us happened when we were kids - either in the theatre or at home. Being kids when watching it was a big part of the impact - I still like it but the storyline is a bit weak from an adult point of view.
Disney can and will produce a new movie and a new series every year for the next 100 years. When they finally beat the current setting to death they’ll go back to the Old Republic, or some other period in the lore. Eventually there will be StarWars sitcoms with canned laughter.
The same will happen with LOTR eventually. No cash cow will ever go unslaughtered.
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I stopped reading Ebert after his review of “Kill Bill”
" To see O-Ren’s God-slicer and Go-Go’s mace clashing in a field of dead and dying men is to understand how women have taken over for men in action movies. Strange, since women are not nearly as good at killing as men are. Maybe they’re cast because the liberal media wants to see them succeed. The movie’s women warriors reminds me of Ruby Rich’s defense of Russ Meyer as a feminist filmmaker (his women initiate all the sex and do all the killing)."
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