The Rian Johnson Thread

This is what I am waiting for. Hopefully after the new year after most folks have had a good chance to see it, he will get into some interviews and answer some questions. But, back onto what you were saying, I bet that the commentary for this BluRay is going to be epic.

 

Personally Disagree. I took it all easily and understand it all. I thought it was wonderful. Again, just personally.

 

I wear those dislikes like badges of honor!

Spoiler

Certain people r dead & u want me 2 love this movie?

 

How about some spoiler tags there....

 

Spoiler

sorry

I am sorry i keep going all over.

 

Oh no worries. I haven't seen it yet (tomorrow) but I've heard things. Some might would get upset over though.

 

While I don't like TLJ due to the shallow plot, dialogues and handling of many characters (especially Luke of course) which didn't build on the previous episodes properly, I think that with a completely new and independent trilogy he may do better. There he can create and handle (and potentially ruin ) his own characters himself. TLJ really gives better impression when looked at independently of the other episodes so he may "only" have issues handling characters & situations setup by others (he clearly wasn't able to handle the character as big as Luke properly). In his own trilogy it will be mostly his responsibility to come up with everything and that may suit him better (to have everything under control from the very beginning).

I just hope he crafts at least some basic outline for the whole trilogy first and then delves into more detail for each episode. Because the current "on-the-go" approach doesn't have very good results story-wise, especially as script writers and directors change for each part (and sometimes even during the ongoing work).

I also hope he'll only draft a script and then hand it to someone else (with better storytelling capabilities) to finish it (with more depth given to the story and characters). Then he may direct it, but please don't let him write the final script.

 

He's already said that he is writing the outline for all 3 and is writing and directing the first but is still unsure if he is directing all 3.

 

I wouldn't trust him to write a sentence.

 

Let's see what happens after more people see TLJ. But I really wouldn't like to have him write final script for anything. He takes too easy path too often in order to make the movie more unpredictable for viewers and to make the story work somewhat.

 

Dude has the worst story telling instincts I've ever seen. Tell me why you create a character like holdo so she can blow herself up? Do we care that she's dead? Meanwhile, you kill ackbar off screen?!?! LOL how epic would it have been if ackbar took control and sacrificed himself in that moment. A huge moment and a character we know and love. Plus, you believe thats what he'd do. It has even more weight if you've read the aftermath trilogy where they take you through what happened during the battle of jakku.

 

I don't agree he has no storytelling instincts, but it SHOULD have been Ackbar.

 

Ackbar was not a strong and independent woman.

 

There's something a little glib and even a little reckless about Rian Johnson's take on Star Wars. Like a dog that has to pee on everything just a little to let everyone know he's there.

I think at times, this is a really good thing, because Star Wars is 40-years old and bashing the dust off the rugs is probably a good idea.

That said, there are story elements in TLJ that don't work and clutter the film. Also while it wasn't entirely a CTRL-ALT-DELETE film, it's at least a "soft reboot", in that so many legacy characters are now gone and a lot of what JJ set up in TFA was wiped aside. It sometimes feel more like a declaration of ownership than actual craft.

I did like TLJ, but the story is painfully weak at times and the slowest chase scene in Star Wars history made no sense, had no real drama or tension to it and sparked a completely unnecessary rift between Holdo and Poe that wastes time and ultimately goes nowhere.

TLJ is redeemed by its performances and some clever humor. In fact take the jokes out and diminish some of the fine performance in TLJ and its really a big mess of a film, jumbled, messy and not particularly suspenseful.

Perhaps Rian should be given credit for capturing the performances he did, because Daisy, Adam and Mark truly shine in this film, Mark in particular is incredible to watch and delivers what I believe the finest performance in any of the 8 films and whatever Rogue One was.

However, I don't think Star Wars can sustain itself if it pumps out films like TLJ continually. You have to do more than present unseen plot twists. The exposition has to have meaning, rather than just surprises.

Also I think JJ must be thinking, "Well now what do I do?".

JJ has inherited an unsure, unstable central villain, a defeated and largely useless organization he commands (how utterly INEPT the First Order is in TLJ is really one of the key narrative weaknesses in the film) and a film that was supposed to spotlight a character, that sadly is no longer with us.

And I fear JJ's reaction to this might be to unravel and reorganize what he inherited, just like Rian unraveled and reorganized what he inherited. And now you have directors reshaping the brand into their own image with each installment. Like dogs who pee on the same hydrant as they pass by, always wanting to be the last one to leave their mark.

I am not entirely worried, I think Kathleen Kennedy is the real hero of the franchise right now. She's managed this beautifully.

I can see why Rian is beloved, but where is the Kathleen Kennedy love thread? If you really want to sing the praises of the person that saved Star Wars from oblivion, it's Kathleen we need to praise.

 

I'm not done with Star Wars yet but I'm done with this dude.

 

I really really really really really wish you would stop the trolling.

 

I am not trolling. The fact that Ackbar wasnt a strong and independent woman ruled him out of that scene, i am convinced about that.

 

I haven't see it yet, but has Rian really made that much of controversial movie?

 

No. Just go in open minded and with a clear heart.
Don't bring your silly head canon or what you think it should be.
Let it wash over you.

 

Thanks.
That's exactly what I did for TFA and RO, and I was very happy with them.