At the back end of the latest Star Wars movie, a character walks listlessly through the crowd of survivors. The camera focuses on the face, a mien of PTSD — until the eyes spot another character, who has also miraculously survived. The face breaks into surprise, relief, joyous tears.
And yes, I was suck-sobbing as loudly as anyone in the theatre.
I mentioned the scene to my wife, and said, “George would never have allowed that moment of unfettered humanity.”
My wife agreed, and added, “But George made those movies for 12-year-old boys.”
So many complications. As with the politicians we elect, we the fans get the Star Wars we deserve. And if we are truly that determined to drag a property geared to 12-year-old suburban males into the province of “Wait: how’d we get here?” late-life adulthood, this is the sort of Star Wars we will get.
But is it any good, Prajer? No, not by a long shot — unless viewed as a PGified version of a Jodorowski/Moebius fever dream.
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| "Blues are good, Jean, but we need more red." |
Your results may vary. Were I younger and capable of greater investment I would likely be on-board with everything Jim Vorel says in his Paste piece, “It was a total lack of planning that killed Star Wars.”
Or maybe I would rediscover optimism and side with the rebuttal: “Lucasfilm and Disney are now in a perfect spot: The Mandalorian is a success, Star Wars is ripe for more experimentation, and Disney+ is a new sandbox that will allow for similar experiments” — Julia Alexander at The Verge.
In any case I will get a second look at the movie, possibly tomorrow, and post a list of what I picked and panned from Abrams’ post-Lucas smorgasbord.
Read this review a couple days ago. thank you for doing it spoiler free. I was unable to see this movie until just the other night. (My own review coming soon).
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this post the past couple days while hanging out with my nieces and nephews. It strikes me that not only has adult entertainment gotten more childish, but also kids entertainment has gotten more adultish. I mean, they've seen all kinds of movies I never would have been able to watch at their age. It's difficult to imagine their generation being so enthralled by something as innocent as the 1977 Star Wars.
So I guess my question is: Is JJ Abrams and company making these movies more dramatic and serious to appeal to you and me, or to appeal to the current crop of 11 year olds? Or perhaps both?
You caught me just as I was about to pull together some further thoughts, Joel. I'll say a little more, then retreat to the word processor.
ReplyDeleteRe: kids these days -- yeah, Star Wars is SO pervasive that '77 has got to seem slow and clunky and quite possibly bereft of charm. Mind you, I've not seen any of The Mandalorian, which seems to be tracking well with younger viewers. I gather it takes most of its cues from '77 and basically plays as a lite Spaghetti Western with a dash of Baby Yoda. Forty-two years and countless hours of Star Wars later, it strikes me that "Han shoots first" was the most memorable bit in the three movie trilogies -- or possibly the entire ball of wax, even as it continues to accrue.
As for Abrams, it would be a gas to hear him disclose frankly -- assuming he's capable of such. From what I see I can't discern any narrative concern beyond stitching together improv collaborations that capture the eye, if not the deeper imagination. More to follow.