Has your TLJ opinion changed dramatically over time?

yeah, i don't get the nitpicking. whether it's coming from older fans or newer ones.
i could pick any of the Star Wars films to tiny little pieces, but what for?
would much rather just enjoy them.

 

No, my opinion has not changed. I still loathe the movie.

 

No, my opinion has not changed either. I still love the thing to pieces!

 

my opinion changed for the better after the first viewing.
now it's pretty steady in the mostly love zone.

and i am open to being convinced to love the things i don't.

 

There was no attempt to explain anything and it was wonderful. The more the franchise try to explain unless the "answers" create more questions the poorer it is for it for my tastes.

I believe strongly and fiercely Star Wars is fantasy and the closer it gets taken towards science fiction the greater the risk of "breaking" it, not less.

There were stray elements you weaved together into an explanation. Probably after the fact and possibly well after the fact like maybe even more or less the present when a comparison was made to material you went with over 35 years ago.

I also think super weak sauce line of thought that allows one to blow off things because Lucas is the creator but similar things now are unacceptable is hypocritical and maybe small minded and petty too.

Furthermore, I'm left believing some just are more rigid than when they accepted elements years and decades ago and without the veil of nostalgia filtering out the present mentality and expectations the whole thing would be unacceptable not just the newer bits.

From my perspective as a first generation fan is the storytelling hasn't changed nearly as much as the perspective of some fans who would rather tut tut or even flat out rage than face how different they have become than the kid who took so much joy from those movies that they can only enjoy now because they still see them through those less jaded and rule checking ghost eyes of a person who either no longer exists or is buried so deeply they cannot operate anymore directly with the universe.

 

It is still a work of art and the second greatest Star Wars film of all time.

 

I left the theater after the first viewing and I was not angry but unsettled. I then convinced myself it is a good film, but doubts existed. I listened to come close friends, all of whom said they hated it (and they were various ages/sexes/races). Even my high school students, in May when we discussed Star Wars, 75% of them said it wasn't a good film. So I watched it again, this time critically and wow. Since then my thoughts about the film have collapsed. I am firmly in the camp that Rian Johnson needs to stay away from Star Wars, certainly never allow him to write a film again.

So yeah, I'd say my thoughts have changed. Big time.

 

Now that I've watched it 20+ times I can say that The Last Jedi is the greatest Star Wars movie ever. The opening bombing sequence, Leia using the force, Yoda and Luke, Rey and Luke, the R2 moment with Luke, the throne room, Holdo's sacrifice, the beautiful casino, and that amazing last moment between Luke/Leia and Luke and Kylo. The film is expertly written, wonderfully performed. and exquisitely shot. I've been waiting 35 years for a Star Wars film like this to be made.

 

Yep, this is true. People who say they hate TLJ on technical grounds or filmmaking faults can't have watched the same film that we have. TLJ is fantastic!

They are probably confusing disagreement over the film's creative vision with bad filmmaking, somehow.


(Jokingly: Now, where do I sign up for this Disney/LFL stipend for praising TLJ that I keep hearing about? I could sure use the money... Call me, KK, and we'll come to an agreement pretty quickly, I'm sure! ).


Go ahead, peoploids; bring on the hate.

 

I've watched 4 times at the cinemas, waiting the film to arrive at netflix, but I share your enthusiasm. And the time will make TLJ even better, in 10 or 15 years a lot of fans will place TLJ at the same patamar than TESB or ANH.

 

Maybe. Probably not. The difference between this and A New Hope, is the latter changed film making, the way films are marketed and the way they are released. The Last Jedi did nothing of the sort. At least not that I can see. Even when I was trying to convince myself that it was a good film I never thought or argued it was better and more important to film than A New Hope.

As for Empire Strikes Back, only time will tell. I don't have a crystal ball, so I'll shy away from predictions. I know what I BELIEVE, and based on the fact that i think the characters in TLJ are, at best, paper thin, I would be shocked if it is spoken of in the same way Empire is. Again, not a prediction, just a feeling. I guess we can visit this again in 10 years and see who was right. LOL

 

I am saying the impact as a movie itself, like a form of art. I am not talking about the impact of the movie in the way of the film making, how it was marketed or how much the movie made in the box office, to me thats not important. Cinema: first of all is a form of art.

 

People aren't a hyperbolic about the prequels anymore now that time has passed. The Last Jedi is by far a much better film that any of those and most reasonable people agree. There's an element of sensationalism with some of the people who don't like it.

 

It's the time to stop to yourself and to others and to admit that The Last Jedi is my number one Star Wars film. I love every piece of it. Actors give their 100%, making it one of the best ensembles in blockbuster cinema, John Williams' score is a delight, its sound design is rich and creative, it's the best shot film in the saga, it has some fantastic writing bits and it flows so wonderfully that you don't feel its hefty runtime and above all of this is a director who knows what he wants to do and how to achieve it. Episode VIII alongside Mad Max: Fury Road are wonderful examples of how huge, bombastic blockbusters can still be artful. The ongoing discussion on the topic of this film can be tiring at times but it shows how impactful this film was, still is and how important will it be in the future.

 

Despite all my wants and wishes for TLJ and this saga in general, my one consistent wish from the very beginning was for new movies that would keep us altogether and talking for decades to come. I'm not sure TFA gave us much of that.. but TLJ gave me exactly what i wanted in that regard. What happened in the movie and whether you and i liked it come a pale second to the fact that it has provided us years and years of conversation - in my opinion of course.

TLJ did do something very unique.. it divided opinion - to the point that some people here are struggling to get along, some people have been banned and a lot of long standing members are on sabbatical.

I remember a conversation i had as a kid with my cousin way back when (perhaps a year after ROTJ released).. he told me that ESB was his favorite. I lied and said it was my favorite too, and for some considerable time after that i went along with that lie. I didn't get it.. i didn't enjoy the un-happy ending that Han had been taken away, and that Luke lost his hand AND discovered and interesting factoid about his father (being careful of spoilers ) I hated the Mynock bit in the cave.. and that ridiculous worm space thing with teeth. I did not like the movie one bit.

we didn't have movies on tap like we do now.. and because i didn't really like it, i never put it into the VHS machine to watch. i just watched ROTJ over and over again.

ironic that as the years passed.. i loved ESB more and more and more, and.. apart from the throne room scenes at the end - i really don't like ROTJ much these days.

this is what i remember of ESB, and why i think TLJ has a chance (just a chance in my opinion) of becoming truly adored over time.

 

@Maximus : I love your reasoning there, but you're talking about disliking a film as a kid, and then growing to love it as you get older and understand it more. In your opinion, would it be the same for a person in their mid forties to dislike a film, and change their mind over time?

 

probably not bro, but i'm not attempting to say that those who dislike a movie may grow to because i did as a kid.

all i'm saying is that TLJ is as uniquely divisive as ESB was. In my opinion Star Wars wouldn't be what it is today if it hadn't been for those unique talking points 30 years ago and again during/after the PT.. some loving it and some.. not so much.

I want brave directors/writers to put their hand up and have a go at making Star Wars movies.. but their way - not mine, not ours, not George's.. their way.
are we the collateral damage? yes and i'm happy to sign up for that.

the ONLY way we'll ever get another movie like ESB that people are calling a masterpiece in 30 years time, is by brave and brazen movie makers getting the opportunity of making their movie their way.

will fans get hurt and upset if the movies go a direction they don't like? hell yes.. that's the backbone of this wonderful franchise and it's fan base - has been the whole time. it's bad for those that are struggling with things currently, and it genuinely breaks my heart... all we can do is buckle up and go on with the ride.

 

I left TLJ thinking it was an ok movie and that I would enjoy it more upon second viewing. Boy, was I wrong. I found it difficult to watch the second time (last week, on Netflix) and, frankly, didn't finish. My husband, who didn't see TLJ when it came out last December watched with me and found it laughingly bad (especially the Finn/Rose storyline on Canto Bight and Leia Poppins). I'm just indifferent about the whole sequel trilogy now. I actually came back here after a long time away to see if others felt the same way.

 

i still like the movie, my opinion has not changed at all, I was never someone to nitpick the movies too much, I think it lose a bit the "magic" of what it is, a movie, a medium of entertainment that want to tell a story (this of course under the perspective of star wars, which it never was a marvel of the seventh art) plus I think a person gets too distracted trying to outsmart a movie, which it doesnt make sense for me, at least

 

No, I dislike it as much if not more than the first time I saw it. Hated the way Luke was written and then destroyed due to a case of space exhaustion. It was a half hour too long. Rose Tico attempting to appeal to the Gilmore Girls crowd. Leia Poppins. It's pretty bad.