Yoda Is Your Father said:
I do wonder though - if they hadn’t acknowledged the history and heroed those moments in the way they did, would we feel unsatisfied in a different way? They had a choice to either do it or not do it, and they chose to do it. Arguably they made the wrong decision, but equally the opposite decision could have backfired.
I see what you’re saying about feeling unsatisfied without such moments but there certainly could have been some middle ground to find. Speaking personally, these events took me out of the story and made me less invested because I can tell that they were written with a large audience in mind rather than for a real dramatic purpose.
Having said that, the biggest issue I have with The Force Awakens is that it is too reliant on exhibitionism and audience interaction. It is content to rest on the laurels of the franchise and let the already iconic imagery do the work without offering anything new to the table.
I’m going to disagree here. There is so much new, and so much risk taking, that I can’t agree nothing new is brought to the table.
Female lead to carry the movie, who is allowed to stay covered up (in one outfit, no less) and get sweaty and dirty? Huge risk.
Black second lead, as a defecting stormtrooper? Risk.
Han gets killed? Giant risk.
Luke doesn’t show up until the last scene and doesn’t say anything? Risk!
We get a complex imperfect villain completely unlike Vader who idolizes him at the same time. Not to mention a villain who doesn’t look like one when he takes the mask off. We see the force used in new and interesting ways.
I don’t disagree with much of your points, and the movie does play it safe in some ways, but it’s not a safe movie.
Well said. Though my quote was referring more to the mise en scene and world building rather than the characters and specific plot details. However, everything you said is true. (Edited a word).
a_moldey_waffle said:
Rey has no time to realistically develop as a character because she is too busy saying stuff like “You’re Han Solo! You made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs”Part of that scene was there to establish that the whole history of the OT is not set in stone. The Galaxy can’t come to a consensus as to Han Solo is. So imagine what else from there are merely regarded as legend or just hyperbole. For me it added depth to the universe in a far more effective way the PT did.
While this has some merit, I can’t help but feel that this was not the intent of the screenwriters. The intent with the line was to rile a reaction from the fans in the audience who are “in” on the joke. So, while I feel that what you’re saying is a valid explanation, I just can’t help feeling that the filmmakers had a much more simple, narrow minded intent with that line and others like it. I can’t prove it; just a feeling.
There are too many moments like when Han runs into the frame for the first time and stands there, waiting for the audience to finish cheering before saying his first line. It’s also off putting the way these moments were structured in that they were paced out in small doses as the film progressed.
It’s like the filmmakers are going: Ok everybody it’s now time to clap for the falcon - 20 min later - Ok folks here comes Han, time for another applause - 20 more min - Now here’s Lei and C-3P0, more applause please.
This 4th walled exhibitionism of OT imagery and characters distracts from the core narrative, which is something a film should never do. You enjoyed those moments in the theater but I can bet you’ll be cringing when you watch the BD by yourself.Exactly how I felt. I called it flatness in my review, but you put words to this a thousand times better than how I did. It’s a movie that has all the elements there, but it presents them in a way that you think to yourself: “Wow, they did Han appear through that door” instead of “Han appear throught that door”. The implicit but unquestionable presence of “they” is what makes me unable to enjoy the movie.
Yes, to me, it’s exactly how you said. It’s putting the fourth wall in constant jeopardy.
I like what you’re saying about the presence of “they”. That eloquently sums up what I was saying. These were moments where you could ‘feel’ the script almost. This certainly broke immersion for me personally.
Like I said, TFA is a great movie. Heroes are heroes, villains are villains, and we clearly and concisely know what is happening throughout the picture. This can’t be said of the prequel films. I just think TFA tries too hard to please and in doing so loses your immersion and the emotional connection (at least for me).