For all things Episode VIII related info including spoilers.
The release date is now December 15, 2017.
The Official Synopsis from Star Wars.com
“In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in U.S. theaters on December 15, 2017.”
Originally Posted by Bowser:
I heard excerpts of an interview he did where he was asked point blank if the new trilogy was going to be a KOTOR venture. While he naturally wouldn't confirm it, he also didn't exactly deny it, either.
And yeah -
Oh my god. I would be more excited about a KoToR trilogy than even finishing out the current trilogy. Awesome! [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
The Last Jedi is not just a bold, fresh and humorous new addition to the franchise - it's the one that will change it forever.
At the first London screening of the movie on Monday, Johnson came on stage and told the audience to "have fun". It was a perfect prelude to a film that doesn't shy away from the silliness which characterises the cult favourites we now watch with teary eyes.
All through the movie, there was laughter and cheering. The movie was engaging with a giant IMAX cinema, and the cinema was talking back.
And Johnson doesn't just salvage what the franchise lost - he also propels it forward, introducing 'grey' characters in a galaxy painted in black and white.
Johnson's Jedi are a little Sith, his Sith no longer monsters but humans.
In a widely advertised scene in the casino city of Canto Bight - reminiscent of the Mos Eisley cantina of Episode IV - a new character played by Benicio Del Toro explains how the same arms dealers who supply the Empire also supply the Resistance.
Johnson's biggest accomplishment is his characters, and the actors cast for them.
In a franchise plagued by awkward performances and hollow dialogues, The Last Jedi introduces us to a brilliant, layered Mark Hamill and a surprisingly charismatic new character called Rose.
But all eyes are on Adam Driver. The actor I once thought was too good for Star Wars has raised the bar to an unprecedented level.
And others around him seem propelled by his strength - determined to be better.
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
I did...and I've flirted with enough sentences I'm not digging deeper.
NO SPOILERS: I checked it out. Sounds like the current crop of spoilers over there are legit. Not sure how I feel about some of them. Gonna depend on the execution. Won't judge until I see it. I suppose its possible this is a really great disinformation campaign from Disney, as well. All of the reviews I've seen so far are overwhelmingly positive. A lot of them from hardcore SW fans, too. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy:
NO SPOILERS: I checked it out. Sounds like the current crop of spoilers over there are legit. Not sure how I feel about some of them. Gonna depend on the execution. Won't judge until I see it. I suppose its possible this is a really great disinformation campaign from Disney, as well. All of the reviews I've seen so far are overwhelmingly positive.
I'm not reading any further spoilers but I've heard from inside Lucasfilm, Rian Johnson really turned the Star Wars galaxy "Upside Down" and that many people are looking forward to JJ Abrams return in Episode IX to "right the ship".
I won't know what that means until I see the movie but someone at Disney likes Rian's take or he wouldn't have been handed the keys to a new trilogy. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
I'm not reading any further spoilers but I've heard from inside Lucasfilm, Rian Johnson really turned the Star Wars galaxy "Upside Down" and that many people are looking forward to JJ Abrams return in Episode IX to "right the ship".
I won't know what that means until I see the movie but someone at Disney likes Rian's take or he wouldn't have been handed the keys to a new trilogy.
I'm a little concerned about the apparent lack of vision/direction. This shit should've all been mapped out before hand. I hope it doesn't leave a black mark on the trilogy. That said, I suppose Lucas didn't have a damn clue what he was doing in the OT and it worked out.
I'm not sure how I feel about Abrams coming back either. I'm just not crazy about the guy as a director. I don't hate him. I just don't love him. I am heartened by the good reviews I've seen, however. A lot of people calling it the "3rd best SW". That's pretty good. [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
The Last Jedi takes full advantage of its sequel status and delivers a follow-up to The Force Awakens that expands upon that film’s characters and stories in exciting and frankly shocking ways.
Writer/director Rian Johnson deserves immense praise for taking big, bold moves with the narrative that feel subversive without being disingenuous to the story that’s come before. It’s a masterful balancing act in giving the audience what they want — a rousing adventure with compelling and fun characters — while simultaneously giving the audience what they need: a story that doesn’t adhere to predictability in order to please the widest possible audience.
But even then, Johnson delivers the crowd-pleasing action, endearing humor, and epic scope fans want out of Star Wars. Freed from the more reverent and fetishistic tendencies of J.J. Abrams, Johnson’s filmmaking style feels more like a natural evolution of the original trilogy than The Force Awakens. He still nails the grandiose moments like Abrams does, but he reserves being showy for moments that count.
And boy, are there moments that count in The Last Jedi. There are striking story beats that, while they do echo The Empire Strikes Back and even Return of the Jedi, manage to twist those familiar bits into twists that had me reeling backward into my seat.
The Last Jedi goes places that feel like the end of a saga rather than a middle entry. That actually helps make everything feel momentous and impacting. Instead of pulling punches for later entries, Johnson’s script holds nothing back and it pays off in enormous ways.
Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy:
I'm a little concerned about the apparent lack of vision/direction. This shit should've all been mapped out before hand. I hope it doesn't leave a black mark on the trilogy.
Oh, there's not a lack of direction or vision, it's just that Rian Johnson apparently took what came before him and turned it on its ear.
I don't see any issue with that, as The Force Awakens was a pile of garbage from a storytelling standpoint that failed to move the Star Wars narrative forward.
As for Abrams, he's a fine director that gets the most out of his cast but he consistently fails to create an interesting story, regardless of whether or not it was The Force Awakens or Mission Impossible 3, etc. and so on.
Super 8 could have been and should have been so much more.
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud: Oh, there's not a lack of direction or vision, it's just that Rian Johnson apparently took what came before him and turned it on its ear.
I don't see any issue with that, as The Force Awakens was a pile of garbage from a storytelling standpoint that failed to move the Star Wars narrative forward.
As for Abrams, he's a fine director that gets the most out of his cast but he consistently fails to create an interesting story, regardless of whether or not it was The Force Awakens or Mission Impossible 3, etc. and so on.
Super 8 could have been and should have been so much more.
Well, I'm glad to hear that. I would prefer that to another OT clone.
I really wish they weren't bringing Abrams back, though. I feel like he's the safe bet to make Disney a ton of money but not to make a really great film. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy:
Well, I'm glad to hear that. I would prefer that to another OT clone.
I really wish they weren't bringing Abrams back, though. I feel like he's the safe bet to make Disney a ton of money but not to make a really great film.
After the Lord & Miller, Josh Trank and Colin Trevorrow debacles, KK didn't have anyone else that she trusted for Episode IX.
I'm betting that Ron Howard makes a damn good Han Solo movie but he'll be in Post until at least March, so he wasn't an option for IX and with Rian Johnson's new trilogy, he wasn't an option, either.
It was definitely the "safe" move but she's made some rather unsafe moves in the hirings and firings as well. [Reply]
