Random spoilery Star Wars thoughts
Dec. 21st, 2015 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
litlover12I said spoilery, folks. You've been warned!
NO FAIR KILLING HAN! I knew they were gonna do it, I knew the minute he stepped on that bridge that he was toast, but MAN. SO not fair. I guess he was the Obi-Wan this go-round. (About that -- J. J. Abrams, you don't have to be that derivative all the time. Try a little originality sometime, son, it'll do you good.)
If they had to kill him, though, at least they gave him a good scene to go out on. Harrison Ford played it magnificently, from the moment he caught sight of Ren, to that last look and caress, which just about broke me. I didn't actually cry, partly, I think, because it all seemed to happen rather fast and partly because I was pretty much watching through my fingers by then. But it still broke me.
So now I suppose we get Ren's redemption story. Frankly, after that, I'm not in the mood, even though I loved Vader's redemption story. It's not at all Christian of me, I'm afraid, but when (1) you murder your own father (2) who loves you and (3) has just sworn to do anything to help you and (4) who is Han Solo, you can roast for all I care. It was different with Vader and the actual Obi-Wan -- we hadn't gotten to know Obi-Wan as well as we know Han.
(Although since I've become such an Alec Guinness fangirl in recent years, it might not be that different anymore next time I watch the original!)
(Also, I miss Alec Guinness.)
Plus, when you're a member of that family and Darth Vader is the one you choose as your role model -- and not even pre-Dark Side Vader or post-repentance Vader -- something was seriously wrong with you to begin with.
Speaking of Ren, there were moments when he was truly as terrifying as Vader, or maybe even more so. When he came up close to people and spoke quietly, it really freaked me out. But they never should have had him take off his mask -- then he just looked like Josh Groban in a cape. Also, they never should have had him throw tantrums. You can't throw tantrums and stay creepy, especially when we now know that you look like Josh Groban. Quiet and menacing always works better. Good actor, though. I haven't a fault to find with him, or with any of the new cast. I liked the characters and look forward to seeing more of them. (The fact that they didn't have to struggle with Lucas's deadly dialogue definitely helped!)
If I were a member of the Skywalker-Solo family, I would leave the Force the heck alone. Okay, it comes in handy sometimes, but looks like you have about a 50-50 chance of going bad once you go down that road. Too much risk.
I will never cease to be amazed at what lures people to the Dark Side. For a critter that looks like an overgrown Gollum (and turns out he was voiced by Andy Serkis! Ha!), you turn your back on all that's good and decent? Idiot.
Poor Mark Hamill. All that buildup and he didn't even get to speak one word. Well, I suppose he'll get to be the Voice of the Older Generation next time out, now that Han (sob) is gone.
John Wiliams has been scoring Star Wars movies for 38 years now -- nearly as long as I've been alive. I wonder if he's tired of it. He did a nice job, but there's nothing as striking as the Imperial March. I miss that big dramatic dark theme. It's one of my very favorite things about the whole series.
. . . And I think that's all for now. In short, the movie was way too similar to the first SW movie (quit killing off mentors, people! Geez! They've earned an honorable retirement!), but it was still well done and moving and a lot of fun.
ETA: Aww, they DID use a teeny tiny bit of Sir Alec's voice! Bless them!
NO FAIR KILLING HAN! I knew they were gonna do it, I knew the minute he stepped on that bridge that he was toast, but MAN. SO not fair. I guess he was the Obi-Wan this go-round. (About that -- J. J. Abrams, you don't have to be that derivative all the time. Try a little originality sometime, son, it'll do you good.)
If they had to kill him, though, at least they gave him a good scene to go out on. Harrison Ford played it magnificently, from the moment he caught sight of Ren, to that last look and caress, which just about broke me. I didn't actually cry, partly, I think, because it all seemed to happen rather fast and partly because I was pretty much watching through my fingers by then. But it still broke me.
So now I suppose we get Ren's redemption story. Frankly, after that, I'm not in the mood, even though I loved Vader's redemption story. It's not at all Christian of me, I'm afraid, but when (1) you murder your own father (2) who loves you and (3) has just sworn to do anything to help you and (4) who is Han Solo, you can roast for all I care. It was different with Vader and the actual Obi-Wan -- we hadn't gotten to know Obi-Wan as well as we know Han.
(Although since I've become such an Alec Guinness fangirl in recent years, it might not be that different anymore next time I watch the original!)
(Also, I miss Alec Guinness.)
Plus, when you're a member of that family and Darth Vader is the one you choose as your role model -- and not even pre-Dark Side Vader or post-repentance Vader -- something was seriously wrong with you to begin with.
Speaking of Ren, there were moments when he was truly as terrifying as Vader, or maybe even more so. When he came up close to people and spoke quietly, it really freaked me out. But they never should have had him take off his mask -- then he just looked like Josh Groban in a cape. Also, they never should have had him throw tantrums. You can't throw tantrums and stay creepy, especially when we now know that you look like Josh Groban. Quiet and menacing always works better. Good actor, though. I haven't a fault to find with him, or with any of the new cast. I liked the characters and look forward to seeing more of them. (The fact that they didn't have to struggle with Lucas's deadly dialogue definitely helped!)
If I were a member of the Skywalker-Solo family, I would leave the Force the heck alone. Okay, it comes in handy sometimes, but looks like you have about a 50-50 chance of going bad once you go down that road. Too much risk.
I will never cease to be amazed at what lures people to the Dark Side. For a critter that looks like an overgrown Gollum (and turns out he was voiced by Andy Serkis! Ha!), you turn your back on all that's good and decent? Idiot.
Poor Mark Hamill. All that buildup and he didn't even get to speak one word. Well, I suppose he'll get to be the Voice of the Older Generation next time out, now that Han (sob) is gone.
John Wiliams has been scoring Star Wars movies for 38 years now -- nearly as long as I've been alive. I wonder if he's tired of it. He did a nice job, but there's nothing as striking as the Imperial March. I miss that big dramatic dark theme. It's one of my very favorite things about the whole series.
. . . And I think that's all for now. In short, the movie was way too similar to the first SW movie (quit killing off mentors, people! Geez! They've earned an honorable retirement!), but it was still well done and moving and a lot of fun.
ETA: Aww, they DID use a teeny tiny bit of Sir Alec's voice! Bless them!
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no subject
Date: 2015-12-23 05:19 am (UTC)Glad you told me, because at least that makes sense as to why everything was left undone/unanswered. I got to the end and almost screamed out loud just like your icon! I was so confused!
That said... honestly, I don't know if I'll continue. There was zero reason to do this. Or if they had to be "dramatic", at least they could have done it later on, after letting us get to know this son of his and the whole backstory!
no subject
Date: 2015-12-23 05:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-12-23 03:58 pm (UTC)It was such a Whedon-esque thing to do. (Are we sure he wasn't involved somehow?) Let's get all the old fans all excited and wibbly and nostalgic and then... BAM! And don't even give them emotional closure by having any sort of reaction from Leia. Except for hugging some girl she doesn't even know. And no, I don't care who she will be revealed to be later!
no subject
Date: 2015-12-23 06:06 am (UTC)Yeah, I'm with you on this. Han Solo shouldn't have been killed off like that, even if Harrison Ford didn't want to make any more movies.
But they never should have had him take off his mask -- then he just looked like Josh Groban in a cape. Also, they never should have had him throw tantrums. You can't throw tantrums and stay creepy, especially when we now know that you look like Josh Groban.
I just died laughing. Bless you, he does look like Josh Groban! And I didn't really find him all that intimidating, either. Not like any previous Star Wars villains.
I had no idea they used Alec Guiness's voice or Ewan McGregor's voice until other fans alerted me. That's just awesome. :)
no subject
Date: 2015-12-28 08:46 am (UTC)Josh Groban in a cape is literally the most accurate description of Kylo I have ever seen! LOL! I am super mad at Ben though and I feel like the only way I can handle him being redeemed is if he pulls up a Vader and sacrifices himself for Rey... FIRST THOUGH SOMEBODY NEEDS TO SLAP THAT LITTLE PUNK. JJ Abrams seriously dropped the ball on Kylo's backstory. I've seen a couple of fan theories on how Kylo is trying to get bring balance to the Force by being a double agent or something, but imo that is way too convoluted. I would appreciate some more legitimate motivation though and hope we get it in canon at some point.
I'm seriously curious how much Mark Hamill was paid to stand there and look dramatic for 30 seconds, haha.