Star Wars

[Dark Qiviut]

There's one big issue I had with Last Jedi, and it's my biggest problem with it altogether:

Spoiler

One of its themes was subverting expectations at every corner, both the good and the bad. Every plot twist is so frequently placed that they weren't surprising anymore, and the journey became rather predictable.

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

On 05/01/2018 at 4:21 PM, DarkRula said:

Whatever happens with a Boba Fett movie, I at least want the opening to be based on that unused The Clone Wars episode where he faces off against Cad Bane in a Wild West-style shoot-out. They can have it set however many years into the future they want, but that scene has to happen. With maybe a bit before showing what he was doing to get into that situation.

I feel they will end up referencing it in one way or another, especially since it reveals how Boba got that huge dent in his helmet. Scene in question for anyone wondering: 

 

[Patticus]

TCW, at the time its final season came out, didn't even get to the stage where Boba had acquired his iconic suit of armor, IIRC, and Slave I had been destroyed in an earlier season, so he was short that ship too. I don't know if such scenes as that above would make it into a Fett movie though, I mean they might just plump for playing those out in a prequel novelization or comic series instead, which would be a criminal waste of great characters.

I dunno, I think Fett might be better suited to his own show, or failing that, a duology/trilogy movie series of his own. After TCW, with only glimpses in ESB and ROTJ, we really haven't got any idea what he was up to. Plenty of untold stories, lots of room for growth.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

42 minutes ago, Patticus said:

TCW, at the time its final season came out, didn't even get to the stage where Boba had acquired his iconic suit of armor, IIRC, and Slave I had been destroyed in an earlier season, so he was short that ship too. I don't know if such scenes as that above would make it into a Fett movie though, I mean they might just plump for playing those out in a prequel novelization or comic series instead, which would be a criminal waste of great characters.

I dunno, I think Fett might be better suited to his own show, or failing that, a duology/trilogy movie series of his own. After TCW, with only glimpses in ESB and ROTJ, we really haven't got any idea what he was up to. Plenty of untold stories, lots of room for growth.

I believe (?) that the same episode in TCW (The one with the stand off with Boba and Cad) would've shown how Boba got Slave I back and how he got his armour. It wasn't just one episode, but a full arc of bounty hunter episodes which would've involved Cad Bane introducing and training Boba in the art of bounty hunting so he could have his long-awaited battle to determine if the Fetts or himself was the best bounty hunter. From what we know of the arc, it definitely sounds like it would've explained a lot about Boba's origins as a hunter.

[Patticus]

On 1/7/2018 at 1:50 PM, Ryannumber1gamer said:

I believe (?) that the same episode in TCW (The one with the stand off with Boba and Cad) would've shown how Boba got Slave I back and how he got his armour. It wasn't just one episode, but a full arc of bounty hunter episodes which would've involved Cad Bane introducing and training Boba in the art of bounty hunting so he could have his long-awaited battle to determine if the Fetts or himself was the best bounty hunter. From what we know of the arc, it definitely sounds like it would've explained a lot about Boba's origins as a hunter.

That sounds like a pretty cool arc, and since it was never aired, it's possible that it could yet be realized in a more cinematic form. If I recall correctly, everything that was written and finalized for the show, but never completed (or even animated), is still considered canon, even if the only way to see it is from when it was in the early stages of the animation process. However, well, it's from TCW, a show that isn't coming back because Warner Bros and Disney are deadly rivals or something, and that could limit its likelihood of being turned into a Fett movie from the get go. Unless Disney decides to de-canonize it and put out a new Fett origin-ish story, which seems possible.

I would love to see Cad Bane and Fett going head to head in a sci-fi wild west showdown though, perhaps as the opening entry in a Fett movie series, or as the finale of a multi-film series taking us from the Clone Wars, through the Galactic Civil War, and way out beyond Endor and Jakku. Or both! Maybe they could be the Star Wars equivalent of The Duellists (a really great movie, by the by). I just can't stand the idea of Fett's rise being Cad Bane's fall, because Bane is one of the best, most interesting characters to come out of TCW, and it'd be such a shame to see him blasted to death after just 160 minutes of one film.

 

This guy on Twitter has been doing some excellent analyses and breakdowns of Star Wars, lately. His Tweet threads are wonderful, eye opening, mind blowing stuff. Here's a good one from today:

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

SO yeah, last night at the Super Bowl, we finally got a look at that Han Solo picture.

[Failinhearts]

I'm really digging the look of Solo.

It gives me this Rogue One feel, and if you guys know... I looooove Rogue One. It was my movie of the year.

After The Last Jedi put such a sour taste in my mouth, I have high hopes for this one. Will it meet those hopes? Well, we'll see.

[Solister]

Really, no one have relived this topic for the movie opinion?

Spoiler

So, as I said on a Status Update, I've watched Solo yesterday, and here's my thoughts.

The movie is pretty interesting, mostly for having Han Solo as the main character, probably the most loved character from the original trilogy. Even knowing parts of the movie by citations in the original trilogy, such as how Solo got the Millenium Falcon, it also explained a few things, such as the Solo surname (Which personally, even being a huge fan of the series, I didn't knew it). The movie have some great moments such the street racing with Han and Qi'ra in Corellia, but also some pretty unnecessary scenes as Han dating Qi'ra.

Even being quite hated by the media, I personally liked it, and isn't a surprise looking how they loved The Last Jedi, which personally was one of the worst of the series for me. I think the movie also had a pretty mediocre characters. Alright, Han and Lando were some long date friend of us since the original trilogy, the movie also have shown us in how Chewie became Han's best friend. However, aside Qi'ra I didn't saw any other potential character for the series. I must say I had a different vision of her, thinking she might could give Han more troubles than help (Which, in sorta is true looking to the movie end), and during the whole movie I had the expectation she could die (Because, really... Did actually movie producers know how to make a movie without killing any important character?), and because we all knew that Solo, Lando and Chewie must had to survive for the next movies.

So yeah, it's basically this, the movie have some great scenes as also have some pretty useless parts. Qi'ra is a good character, I really would like to see her again (Even knowing she almost done what Leia would do later), mostly of the other characters are very useless. Mention to Darth Maul in the end of the movie, which certainly will made many people confused (How the heck he didn't died in Episode I?), said that, I also think the movie is pretty confused in where it takes place in the timeline. Just to mention, this is my actual list of favorite Star Wars Movies:

1. Rogue One
2. Return of the Jedi
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. A New Hope
5. The Force Awakens
6. Solo
7. Revenge of the Sith
8. Phantom Menace
9. The Last Jedi
10. Attack of the Clones
11. Holiday Special (?) (I've never watched it, but the reviews says by itself).

 

[DarkRula]

I don't think many people have seen it. It's certainly had lower opening numbers than Rogue One.
I've seen similar opinions to yours though.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 hours ago, DarkRula said:

I don't think many people have seen it. It's certainly had lower opening numbers than Rogue One.

Likely a combination of lackluster advertising and burnout from Last Jedi.

[Teoskaven]

Quick impressions of Solo. I'll start by saying that the trailers gave a terrible impression, as per tradition of most recent movies: i recommend seeing this movie if you can, i'd say it's worth the price of the ticket.
Non-spoiler version: i really enjoyed it, a bit better than Rogue One i might add. If all the spin-off movies will be like this or better, i'll welcome all of them, starting with the upcoming Boba Fett one.
Spoiler version:

Spoiler

Qi'ra was a very bland character to be honest, i was expecting her to die by the end of the movie, but i guess we'll need to have Han confront her in the next movie with rivalry, abandoning love and bla bla bla.
Lando, Chewie and Han himself were great, they genuinely feel like young versions of the characters instead of cosplayers playing characters.
Tobias was... ok, nothing special. Although him being used to finally shut up the debate of Han shooting first was a nice touch.
L3-37 was just plain annoying, she's not even good as satire towards the Tumbrlites movement; good riddance she gets killed early on, although i may fear that since now she lives as the AI of the Falcon we may see her again in the future.
...wich means that when C3-PO got connected in Empire Strikes Back, he was connected to her. ...uh. That explains why the rough attitude, i guess.

Also, this movie seems to be in love with the old expanded universe, a lot of elements from there are now in the new canon like the Cloud Riders, Han starting in the Imperial infantry units and then having a criminal mentor, and Lando having a co-pilot on his own. And i'm ok with that.
I've also interpreted the scene of Chewie saying he wants to search for his family as a subtle jab at the Holiday Special, lol.
Also, while i know it was a thing and i know it's not gonna end well, i'm VERY interested to see where the subplot with Darth Maul is gonna go. This is a sequel bait that i'm willing to take in fully.

An uncertain 7-7.5/10, but still a decently good movie. Go see it with friends if you can, like i said.

[Patticus]

I saw this in IMAX 3D on Saturday. I was extremely skeptical when it was announced, and felt zero hype until just a few days ago, but I bit the bullet and went anyway.

So damn glad I did. The film impressed me immensely - for my money, Ehrenreich and Glover pretty well are Solo & Lando now. The writing was decent, the acting and character interactions wonderful, the locations great, the action spectacular. The attention to detail throughout, from the little references here and there to the lighting and beyond, was first rate. The plot was a bit predictable, but I knew going in that it was going to be an ordinary heisty affair, and it didn't mar my enjoyment in the least. The droid was probably my least favorite one of any of the films, too - it seemed entirely too human for my liking, but the way its story planned out kind of explains some stuff later on. And then there was that part near the end. Holy shit.

Spoiler-filled thoughts/impressions below, don't click unless you don't care, or you have seen the movie:

Spoiler

Corellia was completely different to my expectations. I'd always pictured it as Coruscant Lite, with lush, verdant forests and mountain ranges interspersed between towering cities. Sort of midway between Naboo and Coruscant, I suppose. I did not expect it to more closely resemble what I imagine Fondor to be like. I blame Star Wars: Galaxies, which was my only taste of Corellia before this film.

Speaking of expectations thrown sideways, I really thought that we'd see more of Solo's time in the Imperial Academy. I had visions of him in an officer's uniform on a Star Destroyer bridge, perhaps getting a humiliating dressing down for reckless insubordination, or some such thing. This time spent there would lead to either some kind of confrontation with Qi'ra or the heist of something important that the Imperials were guarding or transporting. A few shots of TIE training modules, gunnery training, a mission or two even. I just didn't think it'd be glossed over so quickly. 

Qi'ra's story didn't irk me as it did some. She ended up on a wildly different path to Solo, ascending the Crimson Dawn's hierarchy to get away from Corellia. She said that Solo didn't know what she had had to do to get to where she was, and it's true - she'd had to become ruthless and cutthroat to survive that life, and without Han there to keep her grounded, she lost the part of herself that kept her good.

I don't think that side of her was back when Dryden died, either; I think she planned to kill him at some point and assume his place. She loves the idea of Han running around getting into adventures, and I think she really loves him, but she's too far down her own path now, done too much, changed too much, and there's just no turning back. So she does what needs to be done (what is it with this series and that phrase?) to rise up. I think that, eventually, be it in a sequel or just my imagination, Han will fail to deliver on a job and she'll have to turn on him, and I think Chewie will kill her for him. It'll probably be the end of Crimson Dawn, and the other syndicates will swoop in to grab what they can.

I liked L3-37 and her arc, but as far as all the droids in the series go, she's by far my least favorite, because she's the most human. I like my droids to at least feel somewhat... non-human, like K-2S0 did. I liked her being uploaded into the Falcon though; it adds an unexpected layer of poignancy to Han referring to the ship as "her." People refer to their cars, boats etc with the female terms all the time, and we thought that was no exception, but now we learn it has meaning. That's cool.

When Enfys Nest spoke of rebellion, I'm sure that everyone thought of the Rebel Alliance et al, I mean I sure did. But I'm not so sure - I think she was referring to igniting a rebellion against the crime syndicates, particularly Crimson Dawn, but maybe the others too. It's not something any of the other films, books or shows have alluded to, that I'm aware of, but it'd be a great theme for a film or two, just not a Solo film. Maybe. It could even feature Hondo, the bounty hunters etc.

Darth Maul. I loved his appearance - I recognized his voice instantly, and even before he was fully revealed my mind was cast back to TCW and his ascension to the top of the galactic underworld. It screams out for a sequel, I think, just to see more of him and the galaxy's seedy underbelly, not to mention more of Lando. But I have an issue with it, too: Solo, in ANH, doesn't believe in the Force, or in any mystical stuff. Luke has to convince him, which he does, in time. Or Vader does. Something like that. Anyway, that means that if there is to be a sequel, in whatever format, he cannot meet Maul. Moreover, we know that Maul isn't dying in any sequel, being that he has to appear (and maybe die - IDK, I'm still working my way through Tarkin, I'll get there eventually!) in Rebels, so there won't be a Solo/Maul face off that results in anyone's satisfying death. The Maul arc, if there is to be one, must then fall to Qi'ra, or Lando, or even somebody new. And Qi'ra will probably be the one to die. Or maybe she won't, who am I to say what'll happen?

Liked the references to Aurra Sing & Bossk, not to mention Chewie going apeshit and pulling that guy's arms off, and Han shooting first. The new Falcon was great, and the Maw making an appearance was brilliant - I didn't think they'd include it. They solved the parsec problem pretty conclusively too, with the Maelstrom, which was nice, and the giant space creature wasn't overplayed as I feared it might've been.

Top movie, all told, really good. If I had to score it, it'd probably be an 8/10, maybe an 8.5.

It's just a shame how ineptly timed its release was - mere weeks after multiple huge Marvel films (Deadpool 2 & Infinity War) had exhausted the public's film hype, and less than half a year after TLJ. If they wanted a summer release they should've gone for late June, maybe the Fourth of July week, I think it would've done better then. Or they could've waited until December, shot a few extra scenes and put out a slightly better version of the film at a time when it'd do well.

Fucking Disney. I hope they draw the right lessons from all this - that it was the release's timing, not the film itself, that's to blame for its poor box office performance.

[SupahBerry]

2 hours ago, Patticus said:

Fucking Disney. I hope they draw the right lessons from all this - that it was the release's timing, not the film itself, that's to blame for its poor box office performance.

Oh please, they suffered from this issue for quite awhile. In fact, I think it's bad timing's fault that Disney stopped making 2d films permanently. Having the nerve to believe that their 2d Winnie the Pooh film could hold it's ground against the grand finale of J.K. Rowling juggernaut franchise is high on my list of Most Suicidal Business Moves.

[Meta77]

I blame TLJ for bad sells numbers for solo which was good.

[Solister]

I know 9Gag might not be the best reliable source for this type of content, but I've received this on my Facebook page:

Darth Maul Actor Confident That Kenobi Movie Will Happen

It's not that doubtful looking this already was rumored, however, looking in how bad Solo is going with sells, and how I think people aren't going to be interested in things like character stories, I don't think that Disney will consider releasing a spin-off of every single character, specially when we only have just one more movie for the "big finale" of the series with the IX movie (Which is set to release late next year). Just as reminder, Fett's movie also has been strongly rumored.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

5 hours ago, Meta77 said:

I blame TLJ for bad sells numbers for solo which was good.

That I can actually agree with. It's obvious Disney won't listen to just audience's critiques over the critics, so it makes sense that they've been voting with their wallets to send a message on how badly TLJ fucked things up.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I blame the marketing more than anything. I'm someone who enjoyed Last Jedi and had a blast watching it in the cinema. Seeing the first trailer of Solo though, I found it relatively boring and bland from the marketing, which more or less killed my hype and made me worried about the quality of all these "spin offs" coming up. If it's actually good though, well that's a lot of crappy marketing on Disney's part.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 minute ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

I'm someone who enjoyed Last Jedi and had a blast watching it in the cinema.

And more power to you for that certainly, but to say TLJ fractured the fanbase something fierce would be the understatement of the century, especially given the reception of the film. There've been active bouts where people have rallied to boycott Solo because of the direction they've felt that Disney is taking Star Wars in because of Episode 8. And then those burnt out by TLJ who are now apprehensive about spending money to go see a Star Wars picture in theaters because of Last Jedi's consensus of transgressions.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Just now, Jovahexeon Sonic Heroes said:

And more power to you for that certainly, but to say TLJ fractured the fanbase something fierce would be the understatement of the century, especially given the reception of the film. There've been active bouts where people have rallied to boycott Solo because of the direction they've felt that Disney is taking Star Wars in because of Episode 8. And then those burnt out by TLJ who are now apprehensive about spending money to go see a Star Wars picture in theaters because of Last Jedi's consensus of transgressions.

Not really the point I was making. I'm someone who enjoyed TLJ and I'm still not hyped nor thrilled to see Solo all based on the trailers I saw, that's bad marketing when people who very clearly aren't burnt out from TLJ still aren't excited to see it.

[Harkofthewaa]

Yeah, I have to ask as to why everyone wants Disney dead over TLJ. I personally like a movie that (spoilers):

Spoiler

isn't afraid to kill off the main characters/villians. Really, aside from that moment where Leia Forced herself to safety, I had no real issue with it.

 

[Meta77]

I equate TLJ to basically Thunder Cats Roar.  The movie was just overall dumb. And if you like it more power to you. I like sonic 06 some nights every few days out of the year. But the movie was just bad. From poor character development to making some characters dumb, to one of the dumbest openings in a movie ever. Seriously Poes stupid banter at the start was just pitiful and finn and roses entire plot could have been written out. They saved horse dogs. Wooo

But as its been stated only someone blindly loyal to disney would refuse to see how much that movie hurt the fanbase and split people Yea the 90s films were one thing. They got a fair share of critique but noting near what TLJ did to the series.

[NegaMix]

I enjoyed Episode 8, but I find myself barely being able to talk about it. And I think it has to do with that massive split in opinions on the film.

The fact that The Last Jedi's reception was so divisive, that it caused such a huge split within the fanbase, honestly disappoints me. It just feels like this has become one of those films that is almost impossible to discuss, without turning it into a heated argument on who's "right" and who's "wrong". Until finally, no-one wants to talk about it.

Heck, it feels like bringing up anything about Star Wars nowadays, is damn-near guaranteed to spark a debate on The Last Jedi. It irritates me to no end, and honestly makes me less interested in talking about Star Wars at all.

What I'm basically saying, is that Episode 8 didn't make me tire of Star Wars. But the extremely divisive arguments surrounding it certainly do.

(...Oh, and I'm still not sure if I'll be seeing Solo while it's in cinemas, since I'd already promised to go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom with my family.)

[Marcello]

The Last Jedi is fantastic. One of the, if not the, best Star Wars movies. It has some flaws like Poe's prank call or Maz's scene, but it's still damn good.

Solo was also very good. Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover were great as Han and Lando. Currently my favorite movie of the year.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Other than the casino scenes, I think there was only one major thing that annoyed the fuck out of me in Last Jedi and

Spoiler

it would be the purple haired lady (Can't remember her name). Even as someone who likes the movie, it made me boil with anger how she was such a contrived and idiotic character to try fuck with the plans of others. Literally all she had to do to avoid the Casino plot and not get herself killed was turn around and say "I've got a plan, don't worry". But nah, instead keep it all secret so everyone thinks you're a completely ineffective leader who's going to get everyone killed.

 

[Marcello]

I disagree. Holdo didn't have to tell Poe anything. There's a chain of command. Who is Poe that he has to be told everything? Dude just got demoted for ignoring orders and getting a bunch of people killed. Then he decided to secretly start his own mission, that would lead to the deaths of even more. And when Poe did find out she had a plan, he decided to mutiny. Dude was acting like a brash idiot, though luckily the movie knew that.