Official Finn Episode VIII thread

Explain to me why Luke, Rey, and Kylo should get the most screen time. Rey's story isn't new or interesting. If you were honest with yourself you know you would rather hear more about how this whole thing works instead of giving us regurgitated characters from 40 years ago. The questions that came out of TFA are not the kinds of questions that keeps a franchise going. It was all about one person. In an action film. With a woman. Where most people don't buy the idea of female action heroes..... Including women.

Finn's story was pointless, and we said it two years ago if they tried it. If you were honest with yourself you should be saying we never needed a storyline of a stormtrooper defecting if we weren't going to explore it.

I see Rey and Finn helping the Resistance as child soldiers helping in a cause that has nothing to do with them. They are tools in someone else's army, and since TLJ failed to give both leads any real reason to be with the Resistance, it's safe to say the F.O and the Resistance use children that don't have families as shields for their wars.

 

There's also this little film that's coming out this summer that will certainly be a smash hit and has a female lead.

 

This has gone in such a circle. When we campaigned for Finn to be FS after TFA for fear that he would be relegated to a side kick role with no ability to remain on the front stage, the constant refrain back was he didn't need to be "special" in order to matter. Then TLJ comes out. When we complain that Rian's vision for Finn's next step lacked any imagination or originality and that his sub plot was a meaningless exercise except to transform him to a minor character and segregate him from the main plot - well the Force is the central narrative of the saga.

It reads a lot like Finn went from a lead character in the main plot in TFA, to an annoying detail Rian had to figure out how to deal with while telling the actual story he wanted to tell in TLJ.

 

And this is the real crux of this issue. It's obvious Rian was only interested in making certain characters stand out while minimizing the importance of others. The one question I have with this kind of story telling is has anyone ever made a blockbuster movie telling a story that is half complete or interesting? Any story that's going to last has to have strong interesting characters which the TLJ didn't have. Using the force as an excuse to say Rey and Kylo and whomever comes along that has the force deserves top billing over every other character sounds like we are being forced to deal with stories we may not find that interesting. Captain America isn't the most powerful Avenger, but he is their team leader, and he is an interesting character.

Are we trying to tell a story that only certain people matter? If that is the case then Star Wars may not last as long as Lucas films would hope.

 

I think that's part of what made BP work and what made IW work, the leads are the leads, but the support characters are self-actualized. They don't appear on the screen like a writer has taken possession over their body to make them say and do things that don't fit their established character profile in order to serve the plot. They ALL contribute to the main plot (whether it is ultimately successful or not). They are all shown exhibiting competency EVEN as they develop, grow, learn, and change.

Having some refined skills that you put on display does not preclude or hinder a deeper human and/or psychological development. And much to the contradiction of the oft heard refrain "if everybody's special then it makes being special meaningless" in BP and especially in IW we have a cast littered with people with special skills and abilities and it has taken absolutely NOTHING away from the story. Nothing.

They don't have Natasha Romanov on the periphery in the movies away from the action "finding her moral compass" while the other super heroes fight the antagonists. She doesn't go on a wild unrelated B-plot "discovering how the galaxy works" before she actually engages, demonstrates skill, and impacts the main plot. She evolves during the movies, while SIMULTANEOUSLY contributing directly to the team effort. She doesn't play some passive support role or comic relief role when conflict arrives. Nor does she fight lesser enemies, she fights shoulder to shoulder with the most powerful.

Now bear in mind, Natasha, has never been the lead of a stand alone, is arguably the LEAST super powered of ALL the Marvel heroes shown on screen and YET she has been involved, has been shown to be a skilled agent, has intentionally contributed to the main plot, all while evolving as a character.

When they tell you this couldn't be done for Finn... call bs. It could have been done, they decided not to and you ABSOLUTELY can critique their myopic view of how Finn should be and it's lack of creativity.

 

He didn't get to sleep with Rey lol, he did not even get one line with Rey lol

 

Finn is like that first woman Eddie Murphy was going to marry in Coming to America. What he wants doesn't matter. He likes what the Resistance likes. The thing is even when the Resistance wins... What does Finn get out of this? The audience is suppose to cheer for a guy who is only wants to help others but not himself? I don't see that working at all.

 

They should rename this trilogy 'Mary Sue: A Star Wars story' .

Finn couldn't even beat Phasma straight. Even in that Rose had to distract her lol. Wonder why they are hell bent on keeping him down. Very strange...never seen a character this pathetic in recent movie history.

--- Double Post Merged, May 12, 2018, Original Post Date: May 12, 2018 ---

Yeah because there's no middle-ground. He's either useless or he must behead Snoke. Weak argument pal. How about Finn be a string character like Han Solo and gets plenty of cool moments despite not having the Force. You know like when Han saved Luke the Chosen One from dying on Hoth. Or how he charmed the Princess.

But nahh...getting tazed and being the butt of janitor jokes is what makes characters great. His arc here was ...decided not to run from the Resistance? Hmm isn't that what he did in TFA? Couldn't even beat Phasma straight. What the heck is the point of this character? A token, that's what. Hell even BB8 was more badass than him.

 

Because he's British. f*ing racists!

 

At the end of TFA Finn wants to run away with Rey. At the end of TLJ he wants to fight the First Order. What does Finn get? Finn gets to fight for a noble cause and gets a real family for the first time in his life.

 

Be more original next time, mate.

 

That might sound nice to hear, but what you described is a gang. All gangs say the same thing. You are with family now. Do you know what else the Resistance has in common with gangs? They fight other gangs, and they carry weapons. I wouldn't want anyone to have that for a family. Doesn't sound like much of a future.

 

Maybe stories of good versus evil aren't for you if you're struggling with this concept. In the OT, Han Solo is only looking out for himself before he joins the Rebellion... or a "gang."

 

Oooohh edgy. Sadly Rey is indeed a Mary Sue.

--- Double Post Merged, May 12, 2018, Original Post Date: May 12, 2018 ---

Actually he wanted to fight the First Order at the end of TFA. Remember when he picked up the saber and fought Ren? So why does he repeat the same arc in this movie? Hmmm could it be because he's a token character whom they don't care about?

 

Haters gonna hate I suppose. All of his actions in TFA was more to defend Rey instead of being a hero. But I suppose your comeback is gonna be is that she's a Mary Sue.

 

Good vs. Evil? That depends on who is telling the story.

 

I lightly regard what is being offered as analysis if it includes an assertion that the underwhelming lightly choreographed skirmish with Phasma was important. Whether he had fought Phasma or not, the plot proceeds EXACTLY the same following the hyperspace attack. I'm not sure how this is even up for debate. Rey doesn't come back to try to turn Ben, Snoke doesn't die. Finn doesn't fight Phasma... no difference in the story at all.

It's funny people come in this thread saying they want to discuss Finn and describe him as the most interesting character and then justify a movie that explored NOTHING about what made him interesting and used NONE of it to drive his decisions. Finn chooses the Resistance based on Rose's reasons, not his own - which begs the question did he actually choose it or is he just the driftwood floating along the plot line that Rian made him look like. Rhetorical question though, we already know the answer.

@Corn Cream have you noticed that when people who say Finn was great and the most interesting they never seem to articulate why? They only seem to show up to post about the character they "find most interesting" to silence critique of his awful handling, offer apologism, and engage in a desperate bid to reassign relevance and importance to his actions that the actual movie did not.

How long did the actual Finn fans leave this thread waiting to see if any of these other self-avowed fans would post? Did we not let this thread go dormant for weeks at one point, and yet none of the "fans" had anything to say about him? The most interesting LOL. I think what's clear is that no matter what shows up on the screen for Finn they'll call it great, even when it's not... hell especially when it's not.