What else could I possibly still have to say about The Last Jedi?
Baby, I'm just getting started!
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Worst Star Wars movie ever! Well... On the other hand, it could be brilliant. So there's that. Why everyone is wrong to hate The Last Jedi and why it's still just, "Meh." (...but I could be wrong.)
It's finally here! The first trailer for Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. I'm surprised it took so long, considering The Force Awakens trailer dropped more than a year prior to release. Rogue One was similarly quick to simultaneously take advantage of the new fans after TFA as well as offer hope to any critics. But in the case of Episode VIII, there's only about 7-8 months left before the film comes out and this is the first teaser of any kind we've been given besides its name. Disney must not want to burn out the hype too soon, considering this is the third film in three years and there are three more to go in the next three years too! But is it any good? Do we learn any secrets? Does it rekindle the hype machine that fuels so many ticket sales? Let's take a look... I saw Rogue One again, this time on a bigger, better screen, and with a few nights to simmer on my first experiene, what did I learn? I may have been a little harsh on the film, the first go around. It really is actually a pretty complex and compelling narrative achievement. Let's give it a second glance... I saw the new Rogue One (A Star Wars Story) tonight and it was good. How good? I wouldn't be the first reviewer to compare it to Empire Strikes Back, but regardless of your thoughts on that comparison, the fact that everyone is even debating it at all is basically a good thing. And the movie is pretty darn good, mixing seamlessly some memorable nostalgic imagery from the originals with new and expanded development and backstory (you know, the kind of thing Empire Strikes Back is renowned for). Any attempt to rank the Star Wars films is an inherently subjective one. However, if you use basic technical measurements such as plot, pacing, structure, dialogue, acting, production value, etc. you can actually make a pretty good case for an objective ranking, with Empire Strikes Back at the top of the spectrum and Phantom Menace at the bottom. But where the other films fall exactly between them is a little trickier: is Attack of the Clones better or worse than Revenge of the Sith? Is The Force Awakens better or worse than Return of the Jedi? The answers start to say more about you than the film (I for one, am a sucker for both Attack of the Clones and Force Awakens, despite any legitimate flaws. I can't help it!). So... Is Rogue One the best Star Wars film yet? Welcome Back, future fans, for Part III of my Force Awakens coverage! I sort of have a secret hobby inside my brain when I watch movies or read certain books where I like to daydream what I might have done different. Just for fun. You know, because I'm a writer and stuff and sometimes I have to rework my own stories in this same fashion. It's like practice. It starts out with a phone call from someone really important like JJ Abrams. He calls me in to view the finished script of The Force Awakens and he asks my advice as a well-respected and acclaimed script-doctor to help him make it even better... So in that scenario, these are the things I might suggest to promising young upstart filmmaker JJ Abrams for Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens (The Perkins Edition)... Welcome Back Future Fans for Part II of my positive reflections on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While the first part focused on the memorable lines of the movie, here I will focus on the memorable moments. Original and Memorable Moments: Despite claims of riffing on old ideas and reveling in nostalgia, there are enough unique ideas to cement The Force Awakens as a key episode in the series. Though there are carryovers of course and recurring elements, every installment of the series has always prided itself on providing at least something new and unique that you'll never see anywhere else, sometimes not even in another Star Wars film. Remember the garbage compactor in the first film, or the first time we saw AT-AT walkers slowly creep up on the Rebel base in the snow? Return of the Jedi is the only place you can see the Sarlac Pit or those cute Ewoks. Even from the prequels you had the Pod Race sequence in Phantom Menace and the gladiator's arena in Attack of the Clones. My nephew won't shut up about General Grievous, as if he's the heart and soul of Star Wars, but he can only be found in Episode III (thank god). Like all those films, I think we will one day look back on The Force Awakens with a little more appreciation for what it did in fact add to our favorite galaxy, far, far away. Some of these may turn out to be the beginning of recurring concepts, like Jabba the Hutt, or Yoda, who were both original and unique but later appeared repeatedly, while others may be one-offs, never to be seen again no matter how popular, like Cloud City, Darth Maul's double lightsaber, or Jengo Fett. Wow, that's one helluva movie! After seeing the new Star Wars movie three times, I feel ready to see it three more. I'm pretty sure this post took me so long that just about everyone has finally gotten tired of complaining about the new Star Wars. The underlying plot structure is derivative and unoriginal; the new characters are too adept at whatever skill gets them out of trouble; the turning points are all conveniently timed. There. It's been said. Moving on. With the complaints out of the way (and having already been given way too much time in the limelight as it is) I thought I'd take some time to remind everyone just how much of the film was brilliant and why in spite of the valid concerns above, the experience was incredible. On a movie rating scale of 1 thru 10, The Force Awakens ranks as Star Wars. That says it all. Years from now I am confident pop culture will look back on this film with fond memories and fans will overlook quibbles like those mentioned above the same way they overlook the Ewoks, or Luke's whiny power converters at Tashi Station. The following is my list of reason why I think The Force Awakens will stand the test of time: |
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