What Could Have Improved Canto Bight?

Better CGI, I find a lot of the CGI in that whole series of scenes to be sub-rate, the horse creatures in particular seem to utterly disobey all semblance of physics as they trash the casino and jump/land as if they have wings.

The creatures too, without any real recognizable "old school" creatures, the whole scene feels disconnected to the universe as a whole.

And the whole "side quest" isn't even necessary, it doesn't really provide a lot of character development and in general distracts from the more interesting plot/development in the film.

That truly awful "opera singer bug" creature has to go.

As I rewatch, I find myself just "skipping past" the Canto Bight scenes and those who criticize Rian Johnson's style are right to point out, he seems incapable of tangents and wonky side-plots that never pay off.

 

I voted for no space horses. Unlikable and unnecessary. The only thing it leads to of any importance is the Broom boy vignette at the end. Finn and Rose could've escaped some other way.

Further, I would get rid of Rose's telling us about the war-profiteering, when DJ explains this perfectly well, and in a more believable fashion. Her line about there only being one business that gets you this rich could've been said by DJ when he explains to Finn about it all being a machine. The general idea would've been more powerful if concentrated at this moment. A blanket condemnation of everyone there is dumb, and it comes from Rose, whose opinion we're meant to trust. If coming from DJ, it's just his opinion maaan, and we take what he says with a pinch of salt, 'cos he's not trustworthy, but we could glean some general truthiness from it and it would serve the theme well.

I'm not down on Canto Bight, generally, though. But the main draw for me there is the introduction of Dj and his live free ideas, as it ties into the themes of the film as whole. I think it's brilliant as an side-plot idea, as it ties in with the themes of cyclical battles, a cynical view of the machinery of it, and one's relationship to it, as to what extent stepping outside of the machine actually constitutes being a traitor, or at least being seen as one. You get a vision of some sort of ideal with the master codebreaker and then you get the ropey DJ, much like with Luke the legendary jedi master and the reality of the man, both whom won't pick a side and fight (perhaps also with Leia the famous general/senator, comatose and much needed in the middle of the film, but has her counterpart in Holdo, who has the appearance of stasis - she has a plan, but cannot be the leader that is needed in reassuring and inspiring the troops). All in all, the Canto Bight scene ties in well with the rest of the film as an idea and I'm generally okay with it, but it was filled out with space horses, which clutters it up more than anything else.

 

In short the production design wasn't exotic enough.
You can have the entire subtext going on and it wouldn't hurt a bit if we were actually looking at a Star Wars metaphor that fit the themes.
Instead we have something that is far too terrestrial to register as a fairy-tale metaphor and therefor comes across as one lengthy visual pun.
In other words:
Are there filthy merchants of death in Star Wars? Sure!
Are there champagne bottles? No.
You can't use earthly images and expect them to work unironically in another framework.

You might object that that seems like a very shallow and nitpicky reason to pin all the dissatisfaction on but ask yourself what you'd think
of first order officers wearing literal SS runes on their uniforms.
Or Ewoks wearing Vietnamese hats.
The production design of Canto Bight is that prosaic.

 

I honestly have never understood the issue with the Canto Bight sequence, specifically the problem with the Fathiers. We have had all sorts of creatures in Star Wars, whats the issue with creatures that run extremely fast. The whole Canto Bight story line is onscreen for 11 minutes. That is the arrival, the part in the casino, the part in the jail and the escape. I thought it was rather fast paced as well. I have felt that many didnt like it was because the location had a cleanliness and newness that reminded them of the prequels. I just believed that was because it was depicting a wealthy location.

 

I like Canto okay but if I was to punch it up I would...

Slow down my establishing shots. You are doing some world building, let the audience soak it up because many eat it up. The work was done, let it pay off for you.

Once inside not only take your time just a breath longer but make it clear you are playing the good old traditional Star Wars games like Pazzak and Sabbac while throwing in a couple new ones to add to the lore. Hell, don't even show a game or two just give them names.

I don't like the voice of random hick alien that rats on Finn and Rose. I think alien language and subtitles if you want the dumb voice and maybe if you don't as well.

I'd change the beach parking to an even more annoying but less goofy for Rose and Finn registration problem with the shuttle and only have them get locked up when they can't pay the credits to bribe the official/resolve the matter.

I think it might work better if we make it so Rose and Finn believe they found the right code breaker. The rose thing could be a bit more common than we'd hope and say he overhears Maz's name and describes her or maybe mentions he frequented her cantina.

I'd probably have Rose make a bit of a move on Finn somewhere in there. Maybe just pulling his arms around her on falthier (or whatever the proper name is).
Something to do a little bit to set up for what she does later.

A kiss for luck? Something small but noticeable.

I do think there is some real merit in having Rose discover that Canto Bight is a lot like her homeworld inn real time.
She and Finn can share the experience of being blown away by the glitz and glamor and then she can take Finn and the audience to see the dark side of the bright lights.

I think more would would be sympathetic towards her and it might even reinforce her sister's sacrifice in a positive way for Rose if she isn't presented to be on a crusade before we even have planet fall.

Let her have a good time for a couple minutes, want to see the race/"horses", and simply witness one of the kids being whipped through the spyglsss to set her off and then we can see a bit more as we go.

Maybe she could have even been a stable hand and connected the audience to the slave children a bit more.

Just don't be seen as preaching before you get folks signed up for the choir (doesn't bother me because I kinda pretty signed up for the choir, my sensibilities were not offended in the least so it is harder to shake me out of the story).
It doesn't take much to soften the sermon like vibe. Just change a line or two or even delay them and let Rose smile a bit first.

Might even shave a couple minutes so you can put the Caretaker party bit back in, which I don't think should have been cut if if the #notmyluke folks are even more annoyed with him being even more of a trickster.


What do I know though, they may love that bit too. I have not a clue of how people take this movie.

Honest truth, I thought fans would LOVE this movie (as I do) but general audiences might find it took inside baseball and not enough of a roller-coaster thrill ride.

I've been on board this train since 1977, the outright hate on this episode is shocking to me. 12% I can see 30+ is.

Anyways, those are my come to mind notes for Canto.

 

One of the few parts of the movie i am wholly critical of. Thought the whole BB-8 being a coin slot was stupid and unfunny. Didn't particular enjoy the setting or the fact the entire unfolding of the plan happened after 2 minutes because of a parking violation!! The creatures side didn't bother me despite the escape being somewhat difficult to fathom i can accept it. But the film directs us to have sympathy for the Fathiers and almost bypasses the suffering of the children.

However the scene just seemed to be unnecessary and they seemed to have shoehorned that particular scene and environment in to lecture us on the profiteering of war. They could have had a hacker story line that didn't disrupt the momentum as much as this one. We are expected to sit there and take the word of Rose, a character we don't really know, as law on the evils of money and arms dealing and it just didn't work for me.

Its the only setting i wholly dislike in a film that i otherwise loved.

 

Came across this the other day. I don't agree with everything this guy says, but his re-edit of Canto Bight makes sense and fixes many of the draggy issues involved in this sequence.

 

gotta agree here. love Joseph Gordon Levitt, but this was a bad choice.

same here. there's lots i could say i'd might fiddle with here and there (if i could), but at the end of the day, the most crucial parts of the story work for me and i'm happy for that.

 

Cut it. Entirely.

It’s flaws are too many...trying to fix it would be like giving CPR to a week old corpse.

 

I mean, in ESB, the Falcon landing on that asteroid and in turns out they're in a giant worms mouth, was even more pointless when you think about it.

I think it didn't really resinate because it's too much of an Earth style casino and even too grounded looking as a supposed glamorous space casino.

 

Watch the video I posted above, it's about the structure of the film. It just halts to give us random filler and shoe-horn in the Director's message. The asteroid in TESB served the plot because they were fleeing the Imperials, it tied in nicely.

 

So plot elements are only good if they... don't have a message?

Look, I'll agree that some parts of Canto Bight were pretty heavy handed, but I really don't see how it was any more random filler than almost any part of the Falcon chase in ESB.

 

Mythologically speaking: I'd state that the asteroid slug is the 'cave' or 'whale' scene for Han to realize he's not the bad guy (as Q'ira told him a years earlier). When he comes out, he's full-on good person in love with Leia.

CB was a nice Clone Wars/Rebels episode stuck onto TLJ. Doesn't help the film, but it's that cheesy Star Wars that's been part of it since AOTC, maybe TPM.

--- Double Post Merged, Jun 15, 2018, Original Post Date: Jun 15, 2018 ---

Just have First Order officers follow them and have them intervene rather than the municipal parking problem.

Then it ties in more to the First Order taking over the galaxy and ruining everything - makes Finn recognize the truth and horror of the Ticos' history even more and realizing he can't run.

 

Fair enough. And I could see that, but I don't think a section of a film needs to be completely rooted in the plot to better the film still.

Heck, consider the Jabba's Palace scene. Ultimately, the only tie it has to the rest of the film is that Luke's possible turn to the dark side is foreshadowed slightly by his entrance. Still, it's an extremely iconic scene.

 

I just wonder what would have happened if Harrison didn't sign on, lol.

What weird justification Lucas would have come up with, lol? Kasdan would have just walked away, lol

 

Yeah, I always wondered that too.

I mean, I guess they could just be like "Huh, we never found Han, of well."

But still, that would've been really unfulfilling. Again, not necessarily related to the actual plot of ROTJ that deals with Luke's struggles, Vader's redemption, and the fall of the Empire- but unfulfilling nonetheless.

 

I believe the Canto Bight sequence is all for Finn. Rose is just there to lead him through. It is all about Finn learning what his choices could be. He left the FO so that is out. He can join the resistance or he cant "Dont Join" that is why they meet up with DJ who represents the choice of not joining the resistance and just running off. It is a personal journey for Finn. For his character growth.

 

You say it's his personal journey, but there is nothing personal in it for him. What does he get out of it? How does his family benefit? Does this get him anywhere closer to knowing who he really is or where he comes from? A personal journey is not giving your life to someone else's cause. He was already doing that with the FO, and you can't say the Resistance is different. How would he know that? He spent all of his life with the FO. He only knows what they told him. He doesn't have to join the Resistance, and he shouldn't. The man was going to give his life to some people he just met the same day. Nobody does that. He could do his own thing. That makes a lot more sense than joining the other side. The Resistance is no different than the FO. He served both organizations causes without anything in it personally for him. When does he get to serve his own?

 

A forshadowing would've been nice and maybe for the third part of the trilogy instead. Liike maybe at the beginning. We spent time flying through Canto Bight on speed. If more time had been spent then it would've made it better. That whole scene is just a blur.

 

In my opinion, the movie suffers for it and is weighed down and comes to a grinding halt. It's bloated and unoriginal and cringy and does nothing to further an already flim-flam B-plot. It took me out of the Star Wars completely and I wish it had been relegated to a deleted segment on the bluray. The half hour or so used for Canto Bight, Del Toro, etc, should have been repurposed as Rey's training or something to more cohesively tie up loose ends from VII. Finn deserved better, as did Rose.