So, I saw Star Wars... [Spoiler free, but opinionated]

[blamebrampton]

I did not expect to see Star Wars. But when I got home from work just before 8pm because I NEED A NEW JOB, poor old Mr B who has been sick as a dog since Boxing Day, leapt up and said MOVIE NIGHT! And given his state of illness (throaty, chesty, achey horror), I felt I had to go along with this plan

Comments

[anna_wing]

There's a tie-in novel (or rather, three novellas) by Greg Rucka, called "Before The Awakening", about Poe, Finn and Rey, giving a fair amount of the background that they left out of the film.

Since Poe was a bit part, really, perhaps they will expand a bit on him in the next ones. I don't like having useful information conveyed only in ancillary material but the needs of marketing override all else.

I was still not convinced at Finn's sudden change of heart. Allegiance yes, the boy is obviously desperate to attach himself to something, having left the First Order. The absolute antithesis of a loner. But surely their training and indoctrination would have dealt with basic things like "How Not To Be Upset About Shooting Civilians, Whether Innocent Or Not".

At least the film showed a fair bit of how tough and clever Rey has had to be to survive her life, which made sense of her competence in the film (the book explains her piloting skills too - a scavenged New Republic flight simulator training programme).

[blamebrampton]

The Finn characterisation was the most problematic for me, because there were LOADS of reason why he didn't want to be upset in that scene, from bad conditioning to a sense of justice at the massive disparity in force, but we're not given any idea of what's going on. The most rational reading is that he's upset about shooting civilians, except that also makes no sense, because the civilians start shooting as soon as the New Order forces land.

Mr B read it as he's meant to be a coward, but then he's brave as can be the minute he meets Rey. In fact, before that, the escape is pretty damned ballsy, too. Sigh.

Fully agree that at least with Rey there is some way of seeing why she is who she is. I;ll have to hunt down the book and see if it helps :-)

[anna_wing]

I really don't think that a coward would have made it past stormtrooper training. That would have to be one of the basic things that the system would be set up to spot and eliminate, one way or the other.

I forgot that the civilians were the ones that initiated hostilities. Perhaps Finn was upset that his buddy got killed. And then everything blew up with the captured pilot, and he acted on impulse while still in a destabilised condition (not having had time to report for reconditioning)and things just escalated from there. It would be fun if later films showing him changing his mind and deciding that he can't stand how badly run the New Republic is and going back to the First Order.

[ravurian]

I agree with you: the writing was utterly lazy. What this means in practical terms is that there is a lot of room for fandom to come in and fix it, which I suppose is ace in terms of those interacting with the fandom. For myself, though, I just want the writers to do their job and do the work. I don't want the heavy lifting to be outsourced to the fans. The thing that I most missed from this film was the politics, I think; the why of it all. Politics was a huge part in the previous films, even those dodgy ones we don't like to talk to. This one had a whole load of hand-waving, and no one cared that the seat of power for the republic was destroyed. No one reacted to those billions of souls who presumably cried out and were silenced. And, you know, 30 years after their victory, the rebel fleet is still around (what are they rebelling against now?) and the republic is not synonymous with the rebels, and the First Order stands for... what, apart from a rather sleek aesthetic? Ugh. I should back away because this film was not talking to me

[blamebrampton]

YES! How can the Senate be such an incredible threat if they can be wiped out with five planets? Were those planets vital economic resources, or the outsourced capitals of twelve star systems? WE JUST DON'T KNOW

[ravurian]

No, but. You must write it. An 40-something Sarah, an adult Toby, an oddly aged Jareth. YES. I am here for this. I bet she wouldn't say no to being a Goblin Queen now. In place of a Dark Lord, etc etc etc. OMG. Wait, that's probably not where you were going with this, but. Um.

And yes to everything you and Mr B said, obviously, esp. re: Gleeson. I have a soft spot for redheads (I am a carrier of the gene on both sides, but it skipped over my parents and my siblings and me, alas).

Also, speaking of fandom stuff (of the HP variety), have you read the Boy With a Scar series by Dirgewithoutmusic? Or her marvellous We Must Unite Within Her Walls Or We'll Crumble From Within series?

[blamebrampton]

I have not! And this year I am absolutely determined to read some more fandom stuff, so thank you for the rec.

Yeah … I confess, there was definitely a thread of Goblin Queendom in there. Aunty Sarah to Toby's kids ('But why none of your own, Sarah.' 'You need to ask? You? You were THERE when I showed why I would be a bad choice as anyone's maternal unit.'), Jareth feeling the weight of time's movement as his Kingdom dealt with … NO! I have to finish writing a novel that will earn me money so I can make all my money from writing my own good novels rather than editing other people's shit journalism and then I can just write all day and THEN I can do things like that!

Gleeson was a gift to all of us over 15 who had to watch that, I think. Though the suggestion to check out all the Emo Kylo Ren tweets above is genius and brought me joy.

[snegurochka_lee]

most of the time, you get good at things by doing things

a;lskdjfsl;dj. I haven't seen the movie yet (I know, I know), but I was JUST having a convo with the S.O. yesterday about this! What is with pop culture books/TV/movies where people are just magically good at things without putting any work or practice in?? Is this why my students all want As for no reason??! I don't know where it comes from, other than fantasy wish-fulfillment, I guess, but damn, is it ever maddening. And I agree with you, character development would be all the richer if we could see how people who are good at stuff got that way. Graaah!

And oh hey, hi! :)

[blamebrampton]

YES! EXACTLY! This is why some young people HAVE NO IDEA THEY HAVE TO WORK!!!! (And also because we don't let them go down mines and walk to school and suffer in all the ways we did when we were young, though of course, since we missed the world wars, we are by definition soft.)

And HELLO! I had assumed you've been up to your nose in life, as have I, but I have missed you!

[anonymous]

YES! so much better if the work to aquire skills is at least nodded to, better if properly acknowledged.

All the best for this new year to you BTW

[blamebrampton]

Exactly! Nods are all we need, if the writers feel they're going to slow down the story with too much exposition.

The same to you, I hope it is brimming with splendid things for all of us!

Perfect description

[kestrelsparhawk]

which means it fits my reaction entirely. Except I love how you took it one step further and showed how they could have improved. I'm so disgusted with popular screenwriters these days. I suspect they all had one workshop at Clarion and think they know everything about writing -- and the others who hire them believe that because they haven't any idea about how to write character either. We have several channels here with very old movies, and I'm always struck how comparatively good the writing is even on series like "Perry Mason" compared to the "top level" stuff these days.