Star Wars: Episode VIII (The Last Jedi) - SPOILERS POSSIBLE*

It looked effing ridiculous and people laughed at it - and there's no way that scene was supposed to be funny. Unlike the walrus milk, which was both hilarious on its own and also because of how bluntly it demonstrated to Rey just how unlike her image of Luke Skywalker the real Luke Skywalker actually was.

 

The two times I saw the film NO ONE laughed, you not liking it doesn't make it less silly that you're complaining about it especially on the level you've done so. You'd think a damn unicorn flew up and saved Leia the way you are going on about it. You'd think she started singing chim chim cha-friggin-roo or whatever songs they sing in Marry Poppins.

 

I saw it three times, and nobody laughed.

 

That's strange...I saw the movie 4 times (I know it's crazy to watch a movie you hate so many times, but I honestly was trying to like it and to discover some hidden message that could possibly make some sense), and every time there was a loud and sincere laugh by the majority of the audience (I personally couldn't care less about this scene, it's not important and it's not among the main problems of this movie - it's just another scene that's completely unnecessary, and without any significance - the movie have plenty of those).

 

I saw it once and the there was definitely laughter in the theater. If Fisher hadn't died I think the response would have been even worse.

We already had this argument weeks ago so apparently you have amnesia. At the time there were already thousands if not tens of thousands of references on Google criticizing the ridiculousness of the scene, so clearly this goes way beyond "me" not liking it...

 

You really could not have picked a more meaningless argument than it has a lot of google search results. Searching my own name gets 333k results and I'm a nobody. Also considering that likely millions of people have seen the movie tens of thousands isn't a huge amount.
You're a loud minority but still a minority and fighting a silly battle.

 

It's far from unnecessary, Leia is a respected leader so it serves a number of purposes starting with raising the stakes. If you think a character like Leia can be taken out this early in the movie than anything could happen. It also places Po in the position he is for the rest of the movie, he's just been demoted by Leia and now this new person who he's only vaguely familiar with in charge who doesn't really seem all that impressed with him. It's also a new character for the audience, we don't know what to expect from this new character so when Po thinks she's doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons you generally go with him on it.

You may not have liked the movie but the scene most defiantly has a purpose, the people who make these films don't just slap something together and film it they think this stuff through pretty thoroughly and that doesn't mean everyone is going to like it.

 

This is exactly my problem with this movie - that "the people who make these films" are supposed to "think this stuff through pretty thoroughly", but in this case it really seems like "they just slap something together and film it". It's really unbelievable how there wasn't a firm plot outlined in advance for all 3 new episodes, and they just started something with TFA, then hired a new director to write whatever story he wants. Rian Jones himself admitted that he started writing TLJ story even before TFA was released, and later made decisions about key story lines and characters mainly based on the fan's theories and expectations he had read in the net, with the main goal to just do the opposite! How original. This is such a strange, irresponsible, amateurish and lazy approach, it's amazing how a major studio can throw billions in a production that's created in such messy way.

 

The problem is you are only seeing these films as a step to the next film, if they wanted to map out a plan for all 3 films they'd hire 1 director to make all 3 of them. There are no rules about this, the original trilogy wasn't nearly as planned or mapped out as they'd have you believe. Making the films this way leads to movies which can stand on their own outside of the trilogy. It also means they can be more bold about their choices and not be slaves to what came before or worry about what comes next. When Aaron Sorkin wrote The West Wing he never knew what was going to happen more then an episode or so ahead of the one he was writing. There's no need to slander the filmmakers just because you didn't like the end result, Rian Jones put a hell of a lot of work into this film and a level of work that you may not or ever understand but he can only make a film that he thinks he would like. As someone who actually works in this field the work these guys are doing is neither lazy or amateurish there's a difference between saying you don't like the film and just being rude.

 

I'm aware how the OT was created, but it was completely different back then. The first Star Wars was just one stand alone movie, and after it became so huge, they made another episode, but still uncertain if it would be successful enough to justify third installment. The situation now is completely different - Disney bought this already giant established franchise, investing billions, and the new trilogy was firmly planned, and not in a course of 7 years, but 5 years. It's not normal in such situation this trilogy to be made without concept. The directors can be different, and there's no rule that the director have to write the concept, story and the script, just the opposite - for such project it's normal each job to be done by professionals in the given area. Rian Johnson is great professional as film director, but he's an amateur writer, IMO. And how exactly TLJ could be seen as a standalone film? As such it even makes less sense. As a story, every other SW episode is better as a standalone film, even the Attack of the clones.

 

Nobody is debating the "purpose" - we're lampooning the ridiculous execution. The film has lots of good ideas - arguably too many - but when it fails it's because the execution of those ideas is ham-fisted.

 

I have to agree. I've seen the movie 4 times here in London and no one laughed at Leia floating in space in any of those screenings. Indeed at the Odeon Leceister Square where I saw it a few days after it's premiere there, people in my audience clapped and cheered as Leia made her way back to the air lock.

 

I had avoided spoilers so when it happened I assumed at the start this was her 'death' scene and was quite emotional and then happy she saved herself using a force pull. I don't see anything comical about the scene.

 

I really liked The Last Jedi, and I didn't expect to like it much. I thought it was the best of the Disney films so far.

The opening sequence was great right down to creating a "sympathetic" First Order (I prefer "Empire") commander who sniffs out the Resistance's (I prefer Rebels' ) strategy in clearing the way for their bombers. And the whole Luke as hologram sequence was wild.

 

Regarding what makes people laugh with this film, I've seen it quite a few times now (a story for another time), and I can honestly say every showing has had different levels of laughter at different points.

A few crowds laughed at the Hux "your mother" scene. Some didn't. Some laughed at Luke and the milk, some didn't.

Nearly every audience has laughed at Luke throwing the lightsaber. Yet with one audience, it was dead silence.

I'm trying to think of the things that *every* audience has laughed at (meaning enough chuckles at least to be audible). I think Luke's little "shoulder sweeping" moment is one. Luke playing the joke on Rey with the "feeling the force" is one.

But I think the takeaway is that you can't use anecdotal evidence, especially from one showing, to say what audiences might find funny.

 

The home video announcement is expected to be made this Tuesday, 2/20. Here's something to go along with it:

ABC News Features Documentary “The Force of Sound” Trailer Debuts

 

It's not a silly thing to complain about. It's almost as stupid as them opening the door into open space to let her in. Perhaps they all flew when the air got sucked out whilst the door was open. We just never saw that bit. Might be on the extras.
When I saw Gravity I was thinking, "did I pay for this rubbish?'. I've never seen Apollo 13.

 

I'm not understanding the comparisons to Gravity or Apollo 13, 2 movies I enjoyed WAY more than the Last Jedi. Any spacewalking being done in those movies is at least done with spacesuits on. A helluva lot more acceptable premise than a newly acquired, never hinted at, 'force' driven superpower! Tellyawhat, the defenders of this flick sound kinda 'fanboy-ish' to me. Which is fine I guess, to each his own. For me, this one's right up there with Justice League as a prime example of poor Hollywood executive decision-making.

 

Perhaps defenders of the film just enjoyed it for the fantasy film that it is, just as they did the original trilogy films they didn’t criticize for its scientific inaccuracies. Comparisons to Gravity and Apollo 13 are beyond absurd. Gravity and Apollo 13 are hard science fiction films, the latter based on actual events. Star Wars is not science fiction. Star Wars is pure fantasy, akin to Lord of the Rings.

If I were a fanboy, I’d be singing the praises of the prequel trilogy. I’m not.

Leaia’s Force sensitivity is established in Empire. It is referenced in Return of the Jedi. What she accomplishes in The Last Jedi is not a newly acquired, never hinted at Force-driven superpower. Well, I guess it is a superpower, being that the Force doesn’t actually exist. But within the context of this saga, it is a power that is well-established. She is not flying. Just as many Force users use the Force to hold and move objects, she is holding onto the ship to move herself, to pull herself in.

 

Even if this stuff were new force abilities of some sort, why is that a problem?

Luke shouldn't have improved in 30 years?

Leia shouldn't have learned anything?

 

Yep. I have no issues with what she does in the movie, and the why behind it. How it was presented in the movie is the problem. But the bitching about that and the other new Force powers in the movie because Rian Johnson just made things up...Well Lucas was always making things up as he went along. The Force in some ways has always been the ultimate dues ex machina, and Lucas was always introducing new Force powers with each movie . Johnson was doing nothing new in that regard. Anyone that pretends otherwise is not being intellectually consistent.

 

Agreed. As if bringing something new to the table, actually building on what has already been established, is an inconsistency. They’re damned if they do, and they’re damned if they don’t. If they fail to bring something new to the table, they’re criticized. If they bring something new to the table, they’re criticized.

 

It should also be noted that given the number of huge gaps in the side of ships and space stations for smaller ships to come and go. It is more than likely they have the technology in place to allow them to open that door without being sucked into space.

 

We've seen people use the Force to fly about since, what, Empire? Return of the Jedi? There was quite a lot of it in the prequels.

This wasn't a "new" Force power. It just looked stupid the way they did it here, that's all.

Again, lots of great ideas in this film, not always competently rendered.

 

I don't think it looked stupid.

John K.