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Keelai's Replies
"You asked how a film critic could have a different perspective"
No, I didn't.
"so you could maintain some convoluted idea that reviewers from all platforms are part of some conspiracy to sell tickets."
You don't appear to understand marketing. I thought you at least understood algorithms since you brought it up with IMDB. The question was only what type of algorithms RT is using to formulate their ratings for moviegoers.
I really believe you're arguing to argue.
That was a funny episode. I enjoyed seeing all the cameos. Thankfully, Big Bang treated Hamill with respect unlike Disney.
The buzz for The Last Jedi was positive, too. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The honest reviews won't come until normal folks get to see it and start posting all over the web.
Your words:
"I'm not saying there aren't legitimate reasons to dislike the film, because I actually agree with most of those reasons."
We're actually in agreement.
I don't know how you define great art, but I have always loved the amazing creativity, originality and visual aesthetic in the first six movies. It's one of the main reasons why I watch the movies repeatedly. None of the new films can compare.
I consider Lucas a great art director. He is the reason why the norm for special effects evolved from cheesy to realistic. The artistry is throughout his movies. The beauty of Naboo, the detail in Amidala's royal clothing, stormtrooper uniforms are iconic, fearsome Vader's mask, the unique designs of each lightsaber, aliens and prop designs. Add in the wonderful music, lightsaber fights choreography, and of course writing and it's like watching a moving art masterpiece.
That era has ended.
I believe you may be confusing the enjoyment of a movie with a movie being good. Apparently, you enjoyed Last Jedi even though earlier you had acknowledged there were problems. Bad movies can be enjoyable and fun to watch like Plan 9 From Outer Space. But, I wouldn't say the movie was of high quality re: acting, writing, directing, etc.
You're assuming all movies are exactly the same in quality when that's not true. There is a difference in quality between Empire Strikes Back and The Phantom Menace. Empire is almost a perfect film whereas Phantom has obvious major issues. BTW, I can enjoy Phantom, anyway.
You obviously look down upon "mere science-fiction" which is a shame. Sci-fi can be very deep and enlightening.
I would recommend a movie like Gattaca and books 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. Like I wrote earlier, great science-fiction is about the human condition.
You're trying to excuse bad writing by saying it's only sci-fi. Lucas improved the genre by tossing that sorry excuse.
What Kylo says while assaulting a woman is irrelevant. The point is he has assaulted her. Offensive.
Rose and Finn had celebrated freeing animals but leaving children enslaved. Dumb writing. And why would a rich planet keep human slaves instead of robots for labor? It's cheaper and they'd get more work done.
I didn't see any romantic intentions from either one. If anything, Finn seems to like Rey.
If you met someone, a few hours later he/she kissed you and said he/she was in love with you, what would be your reaction? Most people would say creepy.
You're making stuff up. The movie doesn't say there was a long separation between Luke and Han. A woman crying her eyes out over a man she knew one day vs a best friend and brother-in-law he knew 30-40 years. Seriously? And why does Rey get to keep the Millennium Falcon over Chewie, his best friend of 40-50 years?
The Ewoks victory has a bases in history which Lucas was showing.
It's stupid for Holdo to self-sacrifice if she can abandon ship and use an auto-pilot. That's stupid writing.
It would've been better to show more Leia then waste time with an undeveloped Holdo character who did nothing. They're putting many female characters in the movie, but not taking the time to develop them or give them good stories. Why was Maz even in this movie? Or Phasma? Rose is being compared to Jarjar.
The reason why only Jedi (& Sith) use lightsabers instead of normal folks is because they are dangerous to the user without proper Jedi training. Rey had no training. That's part of SW lore. Unlike Johnson, I know it.
You didn't get to see Luke fighting because Kennedy doesn't want to show heroic men - only Rey can fight. Notice she rescued Kylo and the rebels too. Sexism in reverse.
So Rey with no training can beat Luke because he's old? Yoda was old and could fight. Obi-wan, Vader, Palps, too. Ageism much?
Their relationship slowly progresses throughout the movie, not all at once. You can follow the different scenes with them together and observe body language and flirtations. Only when Han could die at the end does Leia finally admit she loves him. "I know," perfect Han reply.
That is wonderful writing. Not the Rose saying she loves Finn out of the blue nonsense.
BTW, Abrams ruined Han by regressing him back to the selfish, money-loving criminal again. Worst. He abandons his troubled son, wife, rebel cause and is no longer a hero before killing him for no reason.
Also, I notice you didn't answer a single one of my questions. Not one. You didn't even try. Is it because you can't? What does that say about Last Jedi?
I understand that you're a Star Wars fan. I am too. But, Disney putting a Star Wars label on crap, doesn't raise its value. It's still crap. If the fans don't fight for better quality films from Disney, we won't get them.
It does matter. The reason is because great science-fiction isn't about spaceships and aliens. It's about the human condition.
Lucas studied politics and history and placed its themes within SW.
The Ewoks defeat the Empire for the same reason that the Viet Cong defeated the technologically superior U.S. Lucas was inspired by the Viet Cong for the Ewoks. A more primitive, weaker society defeating a stronger technologically advanced society has happened throughout history.
The Huns defeated the Roman Empire. The U.S. defeated England. In SW, the Rebels defeated the Evil Empire.
It's very inspirational to know that a smaller group can win against overwhelming odds because they believe their cause is just. I enjoyed those messages that Lucas delivered in his movies.
Obi-wan made himself appear to Luke using a technique that Force ghost Qui-gon had taught Yoda who taught Obi-wan. It wasn't really Luke who was actively doing anything.
The garbage compacter was their hiding place so no guards knew where they were which is why they were able to walk out undetected. Soon, the guards see them and begin firing.
When Han and Leia first meet, Leia is mean to him. Han is a selfish, money-loving criminal. He flirts (that's his cockiness and ego), but she's disgusted by him. Then something that's not seen in the Last Jedi happens. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!! Han has been through a lot with this group. He shows up at the end of the movie because he realizes he cares about them and perhaps their cause after all and he saves Luke's life. He's no longer selfish. He has risked his life to save another person!
Leia's opinion of this new Han has changed. Remember when he winks at her and she smiles?
At the beginning of the next movie, Leia and Luke are fighting the Empire. Han clearly cares about Luke and risks his life to find him. Leia asks why has he hung around. That's an implication he's sticking around for some reason. They're continue to grow closer since the last movie. -continued....
Kennedy and her cohorts are calling fans who don't like Last Jedi racists and misogynists. Whether they are or not, only a fool would insult their own customers.
The fans just want a quality film with good writing and visuals while maintaining the original canon. The irony is that they are probably the reason why Lucas sold the company since they were very hostile towards him after he made the prequels. Now the motivation will be money instead of art.
You're making excuses for a bad film.
First of all, Last Jedi is a sequel, not a standalone, therefore it needs to be judged as one. It fails because it ignores the continuity from the last seven movies.
Obviously, Johnson didn't bother to research the Star Wars universe since he repeatedly contradicts established story/rules by making things up. He reminds me of the Twilight writer who had her vampires sparkle when in the sun because she knew nothing about them.
It's also obvious that critics are judging this movie as a sequel since the reviews I've read do mention and compare it to prior movies.
Even as a standalone or non Star Wars film, it doesn't work.
character issues:
Rose knew Finn for a day but falls in love. Why?
Why is leaving forbidden for Finn? Aren't the rebels volunteers?
Kylo kidnapped and tortured Rey and killed Han. Why does she want to help him instead of kill or imprison him?
Why do they show Rey grieving Han's death when she knew him for a day, but not show Luke mourning him?
Why wasn't everyone sucked out into space when the hatch was opened to let Leia Poppins in?
Basic writing rule: show not tell repeatedly broken.
Rey beating Luke, Kylo and the guards is like my practicing Kung fu kicks for 1 hour and then beating Bruce Lee.
Why a major police chase and imprisonment over a no parking violation?
Why didn't Holdo use an auto-pilot?
Coincidences:
Someone who has the exact knowledge that Rose and Finn needed is just waiting for them in the same cell.
"Gimmick":
used for shock value adding nothing to the characters or story.
Whose Rey's parents? Nobody. That doesn't explain her abilities or anything about her.
Thought Leia was dead? Wrong. Thought Holdo bad? Wrong. Thought Luke there? Wrong.
Movie didn't need Holdo and why not have Luke show up in the fresh? But then Rian couldn't use his gimmick.
The OT ended.
These movies are a female/multi-ethnic reboot of the OT with no ending, therefore perpetual sequels.
Trump and Russia are allied at the hip.
The old school fans are mainly non-Hispanic white males. There is a demographic shift which will make nonwhites the majority in the U.S. in a few years. That has already started with most children under 9 years old being nonwhites. That's the reason why Disney is trying to grow the female and nonwhite fan base for Star Wars.
I have no problem with their goal. The problem is the poor writing in Last Jedi. Another issue is that Kennedy doesn't know it's possible to maintain the original fan base while expanding. Instead, she believes to attract females it's necessary to bash men and destroy the characters from the original trilogy. Not true.
Merchandise sales for these movies have been dismal and Last Jedi fell short of its box office by $300K. It doesn't seem that Kennedy understands the gender difference related to toy purchases and believes girls will fill in the void when boys stop buying. Did you run out and buy a Rose action figure?
Star Trek was able to expand its fan base to a younger generation a few times while respecting the original characters and fans while it introduced new ones. Lucas did the same for 40 years with his prequels, TV shows, novels, games, merchandise and support of fans.
Newsweek ran an article that addresses the female fans entitled "Star Wars owes its box office success to women"
[url]http://www.newsweek.com/star-wars-last-jedi-female-fans-747611[/url]
I'm skeptical in general about movie and TV reviews. There are professional reviewers who are influenced by bias, money, pressure or reputation. There was a reviewer who gave a very negative review to a Howard Stern TV show years ago and when she was asked what she specifically didn't like about the show, she admitted that she hadn't watched it. She did a very general review based on her personal dislike for him.
I notice when some newspapers in my area get an opportunity to interview a star, the movie never receives a negative review. That's one way to influence reviews.
Right now, I find it strange that Last Jedi is receiving overwhelmingly great reviews when there are basic problems with writing, dialogue, character development and motivation, continuity issues and numerous mistakes. Why are professional movie reviewers ignoring basic script structure?
As for RT, a professional reviewer named Matthew Lickona wrote a mainly negative review and gave the film only 2 stars out of 5, but the RT gave it a Fresh Tomato score. RT states a movie must get a 3/5 for a fresh score. Scroll down to find his review:
[url]https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi/[/url]
Some 2.5 out of 4 star reviews get a fresh tomato while others get a rotten one. Go figure.
If IMDB tosses out scores to make it more credible, then why not RT? There may be a way to verify by finding an unpopular show or movie with only a few reviewers and doing the math.
Why would North Korea trust the U. S. and sign a no nukes deal when Trump is destroying American credibility by rescinding past deals?
Rian only listens to Kathleen Kennedy since he already made it public that he didn't care about the fans.
I think the romance is an attempt to create more female fans by creating a Twilight Star Wars. Rey and Kylo. Finn and Rose. Or triangle Finn vs Kylo for Rey. Kennedy's other attempt was to have every male character knocked down or schooled by a female character. I really believe she's out of touch with what feminism is and what girls/women want in a film.
I blame Kennedy instead of the writer/director because she's the one who fires directors when they don't do what she wants. Johnson is only her hack lackey.
It was more important for Trump and his pals to give millionaires and billionaires their tax break and have the poor and middle class pay for it.
I hear that an attraction between them is hinted at in the novelization.
For all of Kathleen Kennedy's feminist girl power rhetoric, doesn't she know how offensive it is to have Rey fall in love with a man who captured and tortured her? A psycho who killed his own father along with billions on multiple planets and has major anger issues?
I find your debate with FilmBuff ironic because I had the same exact debate with the same arguments after The Force Awakens. I defended Rey as not being a Mary Sue, and Luke having some Gary Stu qualities which never bothered me since Lucas made an attempt to give him some explanation for his abilities.
I basically said to wait until the next movie for further explanation for her character.
Rey's abilities could've easily been supported if Rian Johnson hadn't done such a hatchet job. Instead of a nobody, make her a Skywalker or a Force birth like Anakin, show she was trained as a child with a memory wipe.
She became a lot worst in Last Jedi. Swinging a sword for an hour doesn't make a person an expert able to defeat people with decades of training. Where did she learn to swim on her desert planet? Why can she fly and shoot a turret so expertly? Lift boulders so easily? She schools Luke in how to be a Jedi. Really?
I'm eating my words. She's a Mary Sue! And Rian Johnson is a hack.
Update to your spoiler: Mark Hamill has been uppity with all his Jake Skywalker complaining. He's been replaced by Force ghost puppet Yoda.