Does anyone here think that either one of these two things will happen in the next 10-30 years. Will the sequel trilogy receive more love in the next 10-30 years by the fans, or be more divisive, kind of like the prequels?
If we wanna break it down even more, Gen X’ers seem to forgive TFA’s derivative-ness more so than Millennials (from what I can tell). TLJ couldn’t “play it safe” again and couldn’t really integrate more of that PT feel for the Millennials since it had to work off of TFA, which established a very OT-like feel. So the only thing really left for the movie to do was burn it all down both literally (Resistance reduced to just a dozen people on the Falcon, “big bad” killed off one movie ahead of schedule, etc.) as well as figuratively (the tree burning, “let the past die,” etc.). So, unless you’re into deconstructionism, you’re probably not gonna be into TLJ, especially if you’re a Gen X’er who’s super-sensitive about “their Star Wars.”
The Last Jedi didn’t throw away everything The Force Awakens set up, it was continuing the story threads that were set up in VII. Many think that there isn’t a plan for the sequel trilogy, which I do not believe is true. I believe there is a plan for the trilogy. All Rian Johnson did was continue the story threads that J.J. Abrams set up, the only thing that J.J. would’ve done differently would probably be the plot, such as possibly omitting Canto Bight if he directed The Last Jedi. Adam Driver came out recently and said that he knew where Kylo Ren’s fate would end up in IX when he signed on to the trilogy. Even Daisy Ridley said that the revelation of Rey’s parents in The Last Jedi is what she was told when she signed on to the trilogy. The Last Jedi is very much what The Empire Strikes Back similarly. It was a roller coaster of twists and turns on a hair pulling adventure. It was bold and took risks like never before. I remember my jaw dropping when Kylo Ten killed Snoke. Inside, I almost wanted to stand up and cheer when the familiar John Williams music played as Rey and Ben looked at one another after Snoke’s death. Even the audience I saw the film with applauded when it was revealed Luke was projecting himself through the Force. It may have polarized some audiences with its direction, but I’d recommend leaving your expectations at the door when going to see the next installment of the saga. That way, you will not be disappointed. Just something I think fans should do when Episode IX comes out. Trust me, it’s for the best.
I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. TFA was designed to be a safe bet, so it’s sequel, regardless of who directed it or wrote, would, by nature, have to be the one to turn everything upside down/ spin everything on it’s head, no matter what. Yes, I am aware that threads like Kylo killing Snoke one movie ahead of schedule and Rey being a nobody were already in place as TFA was being developed. Yes, I’m aware JJ or whoever would have followed through with those “twists” in the second movie regardless. All I was saying is that the second movie in the ST would have to be the one to “burn everything down” no matter what, so that was always going to piss a certain group of both Gen X’ers as well as Millennials off, for different reasons.
I did leave my expectations at the door for TLJ, and ended up really enjoying it (for the most part). I was also in awe at the throne room sequence, as well as Luke’s projection reveal. I thought those were both the right screenwriting choices for those moments, and yes, my audience applauded during both scenes as well. When discussing the divisive reaction of the film, I’m not referring to my own personal feelings about TLJ, I’m just speaking on behalf of the very loud and vocal group of people who DID dislike it, so that all sides of the argument are considered in my thesis.
For what it’s worth, I do think TLJ’s “shake up” nature was the plan all along, and I think IX will bring everything full circle and restore us all to a sense of familiarity once again. I agree that, the more people learn to leave personal expectations at the door, the better these movies will feel. Regardless of that, I think IX will be really good. It’ll probably be received slightly better than TLJ, at least, and win back at least a little bit of the jaded part of the fandom, to make them feel like the ST was worth it all along. That’s all just a gut assumption on my part, though. We’ll see what really happens.