Just before Christmas, I went up to London for what is rapidly becoming a very traditional slice of overdone turkey at the BFI IMAX cinema. I refer, of course, to the third Disney Star Wars film, “The Last Jedi”.
According to my son, the first Disney Star Wars film was two hours of recapitulation (noble if you are trying to save the planet by recycling, but a bit sad otherwise), while the second Disney Star Wars film was two hours of filler (how did knowing anything that happened in that film improve our lives?). For me, the third Disney Star Wars film was two hours of technofetishist panto: and so the two stand-out performances were by those actors who grasped they were trapped in a panto and chose to embrace it in all its awfulness – Yoda and General Armitage Hux. If anything, Yoda believable slightly of the two the more was: but quote me don’t on that. 😉
What next, two hours of sitcom? Two hours of lightweight romantic comedy? Perhaps I’m being unfair, but it all seems to me to cast a harsh raking light across modern screenwriters’ apparent inability to explore Good vs Evil in any mode apart from full-on cartoon schtick. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have paid the money to go see a well-executed fantasy on a beautiful giant screen: but nonetheless, Very Big Holes Remain.
And On To Shrek
While we were walking around the South Bank, I noticed a poster for a DreamWorks Shrek Experience show at the old City Hall:
I couldn’t quite believe my eyes, so had to take a closer look:
Yes, it would seem to be correct that the British domestic security service is doing some kind of outreach via a green animated Scottish ogre character. Having previously struggled to maintain interest in The GCHQ Puzzle Book not so long ago, whatever do I have to look forward to next?
Your evaluation of the most recent Disney Star Wars film was, if anything, too kind.
I find it troubling that masses of people who saw the thing thought it was great and makes me wonder if the “dumbing down” philosophy of our current educational trends (at least here in the states) is having more consequences than we realize. The lack of a rational, even coherent, plot yet coupled with magnificent visuals and audio makes for a presentation or … “experience”, but does it qualify as an actual movie ?
It almost seems like a kind of modernistic 1960’s style Chinese communist “cultural revolution” is somehow being foisted on us by the producers and writers in lockstep with the politically correct compulsions in the world of politics and business.
One thing the producers picked up on was to continue the war on the original characters instigated by Lucas himself after he banished the three original stars for 30 years before they appeared in another Star Wars movie. Their destruction is now complete. As to why Lucas took this course, my opinion is that he had botched the original movie and didn’t know what to do until his then wife, with wise editing, turned his mishmash into a real story with clever film editing. Subsequent Star Wars movies with their imbecilic unneeded characters, toy franchise opportunities and preposterous plots seem to confirm my negative opinion of Lucas’ artistic genius (sic).
Nick I LOVE your sense of cynical humor. And agree about Jedi. the break-down of it by Sargon of Akad was imho spot on
Sad to see where the Force has taken Disney.