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Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Headaches Include Outcry from Its Own Fans

9 points by ilamont 8y ago

csours 8y ago
Two annoying popups and a dynamic ad header = closed page.
- SN76477 8y ago
  https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/u/0/sh/473130e5-3048-4bc5-8842-0ab80adff148/49a3c887dc79501ddfb14dd866552a2c https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/u/0/sh/473130e5-3048-4bc5...
stephengillie 8y ago
> Since 2014 -- when Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger laid out plans for three episodes and “at least three” spinoff movies -- films have needed reshoots, rewrites or changes in director. Hearing that a movie has had the director replaced, and a sizeable percentage of the movie reshot, has become a red flag to avoid. It would be easy to dismiss this as a Disney-specific issue, if Warner and others weren't also guilty. These become like a Frankenstein's monster of plot, cutting back-and-forth from one mood to another so quickly that the movie feels tone-deaf. There is a rumor that there was no overarching storyline planned for these 3 last episodes - the "plans" alluded to in the article are merely that 3 movies would be created. This lack of storyline planning has allowed the "creative disagreement" between directors of Episodes 7 and 8. Controversy has become another red flag - where the movie isn't good enough to stand on its own merits, and has to leverage some cause. Particularly egregious groups even dare leverage the "if you're not with us, you're against us" trope. > The company is dealing with reports that its next stand-alone “Star Wars” movie may be delayed and an effort by one faction of fans to remake “The Last Jedi,” which came out in December. There was a "defeminized" cut of The Last Jedi that removed whole characters and the Canto Bite side-quest, but there was only enough story left to make a 45-minute bite-sized Star Wars TV show episode. This group would have to add a lot more content than merely embellishing and tightening the current plot. > The franchise also hasn’t proven it can connect with Chinese audiences, a key market for the film industry. Moviegoers in that country don’t have the same nostalgia for “Star Wars” and prefer to see Marvel films. Viewing a back-translated sub/dub of Episode 3[0] may shed some light on this - so much of the movie is driven by character or plot, while Marvel movies are more action-driven. Marvel stories are more generic, so are easier to follow without understanding the words. It's similar to how Ong Bak[1] has a generic "retrieve the MacGuffin" action movie plot, and is quite watchable untranslated. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziLNeFm1ok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziLNeFm1ok [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368909 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368909
castlecrasher2 8y ago
>a movie poised to become the first money-losing film in the series Understatement of the century right there, the film is actually looking to be the biggest box office bomb in cinematic history. > The studio ultimately may have to write off $50 million on the movie, according to B. Riley FBR Inc. analyst Barton Crockett. Where are they getting this 50m number? For a film that hadd an original budget of $250m and 80% reshoots, and likely won't break $400m worldwide, I don't see how it's only going to be a $50m writeoff. I'd roughly estimate production budget at $350m, marketing at $100m, and global ticket take at 50%, so it's at most $200m take minus $450m, leaving $250m lost. Sure, toy sales and DVD sales might help but I can't comprehend how this is being downplayed by most outlets as "Solo isn't doing well" when it's by all accounts an utter disaster. >there’s more evidence than ever that people are growing weary of the franchise Anytime I see phrases like this I imagine Kevin Feige whistling innocently just out of sight. >“Star Wars: Episode IX,” a J.J. Abrams-directed installment Personally, JJ and to a lesser extent KK are the reasons I'm no longer excited about Star Wars. JJ is, in my opinion, a hack director, good at making 7/10 films, and KK is great at business but awful at creative input yet that's what she's doing. I only hope that Disney can get a business-savvy yet fanboy leader like Feige in charge of Star Wars. >But toys and other merchandise is one area where “Star Wars” has been losing steam. This shouldn't be surprising but it is because we took for granted how creative and interesting the models in pre-Disney Star Wars were; I probably won't ever watch the prequels ever again but the clone trooper design is just awesome and I've bought LEGO sets just for them. The new stuff? Utterly derivative, boring as hell. Phasma is the only remotely interesting design which is why she was plastered literally everywhere but she's basically Fett in the OT, only without the supporting villain cast. The blasters in the ST are as uninspired as the writing. The FO blasters are just E-11s, but with white parts! And a foregrip! God, it's like current Lucasfilm has no passion for design. Where are the Ralph McQuarries or the Ben Burtts in the new staff? Are there any intense nerds there or are they all good-enough hacks like JJ? Glancing over Wikipedia I'm finding most of my favorite sci-fi writers/creators either endured a war (Tolkien, McQuarrie, Heinlein, Asimov) or were surrounded by people who did (Clancy, Bradbury), and I wonder just how much our comfortable lives keep us from being creative on average. I mean, none of the new Star Wars stuff really got me thinking, and that's what I live for. TLJ "answered" most/all of TFA's questions with "it's not important." Solo answered questions I can't say I ever cared about. Same with Rogue One, despite my love for it. I realize this was a bit rambly but ugh since TLJ I just feel empty. To the article's point yeah I suppose I'm fatigued, and that's infecting my family members because they ask how I liked it and I emphatically reply it's the worst Star Wars film to date (in my opinion).
dogma1138 8y ago
It’s a bit dissapointing. Solo was the only movie I actually really liked so far. It was a fun movie on its own right with good character arcs. Would have it been better if it was the same movie about some other smuggler don’t know but the movie didn’t really felt like it was trying too much. The acting was good especially considering the rumors of acting coaches and reshoots we had a good villain everything had a purpose and nothing felt too stretched really. The main star wars movies are simply non-original and the last Jedi was not as much of a bad Star Wars movie but rather a bad movie. But them remaking the original trilogy nearly shot for shot to the point where they had to tell the audience it’s salt not snow on that planet because that makes it different and original was just laughable.

9 points by ilamont 8y ago

csours 8y ago

Two annoying popups and a dynamic ad header = closed page.

SN76477 8y ago
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/u/0/sh/473130e5-3048-4bc5-8842-0ab80adff148/49a3c887dc79501ddfb14dd866552a2c https://www.evernote.com/shard/s91/u/0/sh/473130e5-3048-4bc5...

stephengillie 8y ago

> Since 2014 -- when Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger laid out plans for three episodes and “at least three” spinoff movies -- films have needed reshoots, rewrites or changes in director. Hearing that a movie has had the director replaced, and a sizeable percentage of the movie reshot, has become a red flag to avoid. It would be easy to dismiss this as a Disney-specific issue, if Warner and others weren't also guilty. These become like a Frankenstein's monster of plot, cutting back-and-forth from one mood to another so quickly that the movie feels tone-deaf. There is a rumor that there was no overarching storyline planned for these 3 last episodes - the "plans" alluded to in the article are merely that 3 movies would be created. This lack of storyline planning has allowed the "creative disagreement" between directors of Episodes 7 and 8. Controversy has become another red flag - where the movie isn't good enough to stand on its own merits, and has to leverage some cause. Particularly egregious groups even dare leverage the "if you're not with us, you're against us" trope. > The company is dealing with reports that its next stand-alone “Star Wars” movie may be delayed and an effort by one faction of fans to remake “The Last Jedi,” which came out in December. There was a "defeminized" cut of The Last Jedi that removed whole characters and the Canto Bite side-quest, but there was only enough story left to make a 45-minute bite-sized Star Wars TV show episode. This group would have to add a lot more content than merely embellishing and tightening the current plot. > The franchise also hasn’t proven it can connect with Chinese audiences, a key market for the film industry. Moviegoers in that country don’t have the same nostalgia for “Star Wars” and prefer to see Marvel films. Viewing a back-translated sub/dub of Episode 3[0] may shed some light on this - so much of the movie is driven by character or plot, while Marvel movies are more action-driven. Marvel stories are more generic, so are easier to follow without understanding the words. It's similar to how Ong Bak[1] has a generic "retrieve the MacGuffin" action movie plot, and is quite watchable untranslated. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziLNeFm1ok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XziLNeFm1ok [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368909 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368909

castlecrasher2 8y ago

>a movie poised to become the first money-losing film in the series Understatement of the century right there, the film is actually looking to be the biggest box office bomb in cinematic history. > The studio ultimately may have to write off $50 million on the movie, according to B. Riley FBR Inc. analyst Barton Crockett. Where are they getting this 50m number? For a film that hadd an original budget of $250m and 80% reshoots, and likely won't break $400m worldwide, I don't see how it's only going to be a $50m writeoff. I'd roughly estimate production budget at $350m, marketing at $100m, and global ticket take at 50%, so it's at most $200m take minus $450m, leaving $250m lost. Sure, toy sales and DVD sales might help but I can't comprehend how this is being downplayed by most outlets as "Solo isn't doing well" when it's by all accounts an utter disaster. >there’s more evidence than ever that people are growing weary of the franchise Anytime I see phrases like this I imagine Kevin Feige whistling innocently just out of sight. >“Star Wars: Episode IX,” a J.J. Abrams-directed installment Personally, JJ and to a lesser extent KK are the reasons I'm no longer excited about Star Wars. JJ is, in my opinion, a hack director, good at making 7/10 films, and KK is great at business but awful at creative input yet that's what she's doing. I only hope that Disney can get a business-savvy yet fanboy leader like Feige in charge of Star Wars. >But toys and other merchandise is one area where “Star Wars” has been losing steam. This shouldn't be surprising but it is because we took for granted how creative and interesting the models in pre-Disney Star Wars were; I probably won't ever watch the prequels ever again but the clone trooper design is just awesome and I've bought LEGO sets just for them. The new stuff? Utterly derivative, boring as hell. Phasma is the only remotely interesting design which is why she was plastered literally everywhere but she's basically Fett in the OT, only without the supporting villain cast. The blasters in the ST are as uninspired as the writing. The FO blasters are just E-11s, but with white parts! And a foregrip! God, it's like current Lucasfilm has no passion for design. Where are the Ralph McQuarries or the Ben Burtts in the new staff? Are there any intense nerds there or are they all good-enough hacks like JJ? Glancing over Wikipedia I'm finding most of my favorite sci-fi writers/creators either endured a war (Tolkien, McQuarrie, Heinlein, Asimov) or were surrounded by people who did (Clancy, Bradbury), and I wonder just how much our comfortable lives keep us from being creative on average. I mean, none of the new Star Wars stuff really got me thinking, and that's what I live for. TLJ "answered" most/all of TFA's questions with "it's not important." Solo answered questions I can't say I ever cared about. Same with Rogue One, despite my love for it. I realize this was a bit rambly but ugh since TLJ I just feel empty. To the article's point yeah I suppose I'm fatigued, and that's infecting my family members because they ask how I liked it and I emphatically reply it's the worst Star Wars film to date (in my opinion).

dogma1138 8y ago

It’s a bit dissapointing. Solo was the only movie I actually really liked so far. It was a fun movie on its own right with good character arcs. Would have it been better if it was the same movie about some other smuggler don’t know but the movie didn’t really felt like it was trying too much. The acting was good especially considering the rumors of acting coaches and reshoots we had a good villain everything had a purpose and nothing felt too stretched really. The main star wars movies are simply non-original and the last Jedi was not as much of a bad Star Wars movie but rather a bad movie. But them remaking the original trilogy nearly shot for shot to the point where they had to tell the audience it’s salt not snow on that planet because that makes it different and original was just laughable.