Hee, I got accidentally spoiled reading what I thought was a non-spoilerly article about fandom reactions, but alas no. So I knew about the parents bit and what Luke did with Ben Solo, and the controversy surrounding it. As result I was sort of thrilled by the former, and not bothered so much by the latter. Also knew that Snoke got killed off.
It does sort of make a difference, I think.
Also, I think this is a film in desperate need of a really good editor. Granted it's a Disney film, but Thor: Ragnarok is an action film and that had great action sequences, was hilarious, and well-edited. So I know they can do it.
1. The plot? Well, to be fair, it made more sense than TFA. Also, Star Wars plots never made a lot of sense...it's more of a mythos/metaphor piece than a plot/sci-fi piece. With emphasis on character arcs and space "opera". That said, I found the plot difficult to follow. Couldn't follow the first bit much at all (granted distracted by nudging my mother awake - the previews put her to sleep), and I apparently missed a lot of the sight gags and jokes. Also there were far too many repetitious action sequences. (I only liked four of them: Kylo and Rey's fight sequence (although I think it went on too long), Hoder's sacrifice, and the fighters going after the walkers (which was cool from a visual standpoint).)
2. Kylo Ren
Actually, I read before seeing the film, a really good analysis of Kylo Ren. One reviewer, I forget who, stated that Ben Solo was an example of the neglected child of the family of legends or people so devoted to the cause, everything else came second. Which sort of was hinted at in TFA. Leia and Han both hint at it in that movie, and Luke states it in Last Jedi. ("I built a 'temple' for the Jedi, to train all the Jedi, lots of students. And then began to see darkness in Ben, and basically freaked out over it.) It's in character -- Luke bought the Jedi kool-aid and put way too much significance on it. After it happens, and his entire temple gets burned down, along with all his students killed...he blames himself and pulls an Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, and takes off. (After all that's what Yoda and Old Ben did. (Ben Solo's namesake). Luke just follows in their footsteps.) And becomes disillusioned.
I always saw Luke as rather flawed. The true heroes of the films, one critic points out, were really Han and Leia. Han saves the day in the first film, by coming back and blowing Darth out of the sky. And Leia and Han do it by taking out the protective shield for the Death Star in the third film.
Anyhow back to Ben Solo -- Leia, Han and Luke were rather focused on the cause. And I can see how Ben got a bit lost in the shuffle. When they figured it, it was too late. And all three ran away from it. I short of appreciated that depiction, taking the original characters off the pedestals. Showing the flesh and blood behind the legends. They were human, and flawed.
However, Ben Solo makes me think Leia and Han should not have had kids. Bad DNA. He's just a whiny brat. And hard to read or make sense of. Rey tries and gets nowhere.
It is a bit disappointing though that the director/screenwriters choose not to provide the back-story on what happened there. We get bits and pieces but not all of it. I'm wondering if we would have -- if Carrie Fisher had survived. But most likely not. (However, I knew that was the case going in, so wasn't expecting it. I'd more or less resigned myself to it by the time I saw the film.)
3. Did you pick up on the sight gags? There's one with an iron...which I apparently missed because I'd run to the bathroom during it.
4. Still interested in seeing Shape of Water? (assuming it's still out?) Or have you seen it already?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2017-12-29 03:30 am (UTC)It does sort of make a difference, I think.
Also, I think this is a film in desperate need of a really good editor. Granted it's a Disney film, but Thor: Ragnarok is an action film and that had great action sequences, was hilarious, and well-edited. So I know they can do it.
1. The plot? Well, to be fair, it made more sense than TFA. Also, Star Wars plots never made a lot of sense...it's more of a mythos/metaphor piece than a plot/sci-fi piece. With emphasis on character arcs and space "opera". That said, I found the plot difficult to follow. Couldn't follow the first bit much at all (granted distracted by nudging my mother awake - the previews put her to sleep), and I apparently missed a lot of the sight gags and jokes. Also there were far too many repetitious action sequences. (I only liked four of them: Kylo and Rey's fight sequence (although I think it went on too long), Hoder's sacrifice, and the fighters going after the walkers (which was cool from a visual standpoint).)
2. Kylo Ren
Actually, I read before seeing the film, a really good analysis of Kylo Ren. One reviewer, I forget who, stated that Ben Solo was an example of the neglected child of the family of legends or people so devoted to the cause, everything else came second. Which sort of was hinted at in TFA. Leia and Han both hint at it in that movie, and Luke states it in Last Jedi. ("I built a 'temple' for the Jedi, to train all the Jedi, lots of students. And then began to see darkness in Ben, and basically freaked out over it.) It's in character -- Luke bought the Jedi kool-aid and put way too much significance on it. After it happens, and his entire temple gets burned down, along with all his students killed...he blames himself and pulls an Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, and takes off. (After all that's what Yoda and Old Ben did. (Ben Solo's namesake). Luke just follows in their footsteps.) And becomes disillusioned.
I always saw Luke as rather flawed. The true heroes of the films, one critic points out, were really Han and Leia. Han saves the day in the first film, by coming back and blowing Darth out of the sky. And Leia and Han do it by taking out the protective shield for the Death Star in the third film.
Anyhow back to Ben Solo -- Leia, Han and Luke were rather focused on the cause. And I can see how Ben got a bit lost in the shuffle. When they figured it, it was too late. And all three ran away from it. I short of appreciated that depiction, taking the original characters off the pedestals. Showing the flesh and blood behind the legends. They were human, and flawed.
However, Ben Solo makes me think Leia and Han should not have had kids. Bad DNA. He's just a whiny brat. And hard to read or make sense of. Rey tries and gets nowhere.
It is a bit disappointing though that the director/screenwriters choose not to provide the back-story on what happened there. We get bits and pieces but not all of it. I'm wondering if we would have -- if Carrie Fisher had survived. But most likely not. (However, I knew that was the case going in, so wasn't expecting it. I'd more or less resigned myself to it by the time I saw the film.)
3. Did you pick up on the sight gags? There's one with an iron...which I apparently missed because I'd run to the bathroom during it.
4. Still interested in seeing Shape of Water? (assuming it's still out?) Or have you seen it already?