Julius

Let’s see... • the film has hadone of the best opening weeks of all time at the box office. • it is critically acclaimed. • more and more fans will likely come back around to it - and enjoy it - in the coming weeks, months and years. If we want to say that Rian f*d up, don’t we need to determine what, exactly, constitutes a f*k up when it comes to films in the first place? Who, exactly, decides whether it has, or hasn’t, “f*d up”? Forgive me - and I have a fair number of problems with the film, despite loving it - but I’m struggling to understand why fans are acting like their gut instincts from their initial viewing of the film are right above all else. To each their own, and I respect the subjectivity of film and other such media, but remember how TFA was widely adored, both critically and by the audience, only to see that initial adoration wane in the following weeks, months and years? As a Star Wars fan, I knew going into the film that it might take a few viewings to fully appreciate the positives and negatives about the film, and apply that to every new Star Wars film that I watch. I know that I’m not just going to watch the film a few times in the cinema, and that my appreciation of the film might change, for better or worse, well beyond its theatrical run. For example, I enjoyed the prequels growing up, went through a phase of not enjoying them, before coming around to enjoying them again, understanding the directorial and musical context of the films. Sure, the execution still isn’t the best thing in the world and it has a ton of problems, but the films are never going to be changed, so why not just appreciate the best moments that they have to offer? Likewise, I watched ANH and ROTJ prior to TESB, and enjoyed all three of those films, but they fell by the wayside when I was younger thanks to the rapid pace and theatricality of the prequels. Of course, now, understanding them in a greater context, I can greatly appreciate them, flaws and all, as arguably the great film trilogy of all time; yes, even the special editions. I really enjoyed TFA. I really, really enjoyed TLJ. Do they have problems? Sure. But does that change what I enjoy about them? Absolutely not! I’ve learned to just try to take these films in as they come, and whilst I might lean one way or the other on them, I rarely ever have an informed opinion on them - in the context of how my opinions about the other films were formed - until months or years down the line. Its difficult to understand where you and many others are coming from without context: how has Star Wars changed your life, if it has at all? What were your expectations and mindset going into this film? Did you enjoy The Force Awakens and it’s characters? Why/why not? What are the worst - and best - parts of The Last Jedi, to you, and why?

There’s a Pokémon Switch thread (it was quite buried, but it’s there) to talk about this; I’m not trying to be rude, just thought I’d mention it in case the mods see this as getting off topic As for official word on a release date, during its initial announcement at E3, Ishihara stated that it “might not release for more than a year”, but Nintendo’s Earning supplementary info cites it as releasing in “2018 or later”. Personally, I gravitate towards the latter, simply because I think that Nintendo already has a lot up it’s sleeves hidden away for 2018, and I agree that November is the most likely month of release whichever year that it comes, seeing as the last three main series entries have all released in November. I also agree with the idea that other parties, such as Monolith Soft or Bandai Namco, could be involved in the process, though I have my doubts that the latter would be involved, but we’ll just have to wait and see. As for how the series could evolve, I do think that dreams of “Pokémon-BOTW” are unlikely to ever come to fruition, but I think it’s worth mentioning that there are a few parts of BOTW I would like to see influence the design of the game: complete control of the camera, (more) in-depth character customisation, a world open to the extent that it feels like it’s a true adventure, etc. I feel that the last point is the most important, at least to me, because of how X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, and (Ultra) Sun and (Ultra) Moon all felt like a vacation more than they did an adventure? It would be wise for them to keep the simplicity of the games, which is what makes them so accessible to all ages, in aspects such as turn-based battles. However, random encounters are something in particular which I would like to see changed to overworld encounters, and more events where we meet Pokémon and befriend them or interact with them before capturing them would be a welcome addition. Another thing I’d like to see them do is to lean into some JRPG tropes, namely a focus on story. Sure, Pokémon plots aren’t - and don’t have to be - the greatest thing in the world when it comes to storytelling, but perhaps scale it back from world domination/world-changing events and focus on character arcs instead? Just my two cents (or maybe I should be saying pence? Idk) or so.

Michael Kaplan will once again return as the costume designer for IX, and principal photography has been confirmed to begin at Pinewood Studios (UK) next June. The film’s working title will be Black Diamond, in reference to the hardest ski slope to navigate and stick the landing on. An apt working title, really, because this is going to be one heck of a slippery slope.

I’ve suggested before that any attempt by Gamefreak to deliver on an open-world front would likely call for some aid from Monolith Soft, and I think it’s probably the case that Creatures is taking on the task of bringing the CG models from Sun and Moon (which were all high quality, having walking and running poses, etc.) up to boot and detail (new animations, in additions to the new Pokémon, etc.) for Pokémon Switch, like they did with creating all of the models for X and Y, as you rightly pointed out. My main reason for believing this is for that game, as opposed to a spin-off game, is because of the window given by Gamefreak for Pokémon Switch being 2018/2019: getting Creatures to handle the potential upgrading of previous models for the new engine would certainly make the most sense if Nintendo and Gamefreak are serious about making a technological splash (which they should be, I think - in terms of the jump from 3DS to Switch, and beyond resolution) with this game, as well as having it out in the next 18 months or so. I personally don’t see Nintendo allowing Gamefreak to use the UE4, seeing as they love to use their own proprietary engines, but Miyamoto has previously stated that Nintendo has mastered the Unreal Engine. My best guess would be that Nintendo’s proprietary Switch engine is based on Unreal Engine 4, but who knows?

Behind-the-music video. The music in this game sounds great!

The film was locked in months ago, earlier than any other Star Wars film, so I think the director and Lucasfilm would have to disagree that it needed more time. If there’s any problem with the film to do with the editing process, it’s probably going to be how the pace was effected by what was left on the cutting room floor: 50 minutes were cut from this film, and - considering how the film lacks three traditional acts and just seems to flow instead - from the little we know about what was cut (from the Art of The Last Jedi and set leaks) the film might have once been very different to how it turned out. It seems that Rian filmed a few more threads than we got in the film (for obvious reasons), but, more importantly, it seems that he might have filmed entire alternative sequences which could have been interchangeable with what we got in the film.

Also, the box office numbers are in. And they’re good. They’re very good. The film had an opening weekend domestic intake of $220 million (the second highest domestic opening weekend of all time, only behind The Force Awakens) and an international intake of $230 million (placing it quite high, but it has yet to release in China, so I won’t delve into those statistics yet), culminating in a $450 million worldwide opening weekend. Furthermore, it grossed over $100 million in its opening 24 hours in the US (Thursday night previews and Friday), becoming only the second film to ever do so (after The Force Awakens). I don’t expect crazy numbers like these for May’s Solo, and it’s difficult to tell where the box office will go with regards to TLJ, but I’m very happy for Lucasfilm and Rian Johnson, and I can’t wait to see and hear more about his trilogy.

There was a general outline for the sequel trilogy, and places to end up by the end of it all. Rian Johnson quite literally had a blank slate and was allowed to do almost anything in his space - it was his decision to pick up straight after The Force Awakens, for instance, because he wanted to see what happened next - with The Last Jedi, so long as it didn’t close any doors on what they had outlined initially.

Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, revealed yesterday that Episode IX director J.J. Abrams will be pitching his idea for the story of the film today, during a conference.

I wouldn’t say that I was relying on them, just mentioning them. I’ve already seen the film, and hardly ever pay attention to such scores anyway (especially given the whole The Dark Knight vs. The Godfather fiasco over on IMDb a few years ago). It stood at 56% from over 8000 people at the time that I posted, so even if the next 8000 were to hypothetically all give it positive reviews, it would still only stand at a rating of 72% (it’s also atypical for those who have already given a review to change it, even if their opinion of the film does radically change).

The film’s currently down to a 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of any of the live-action Star Wars movies, compared with a 93% critic score. It’s completely nuts just how divisive this film is.

I really hope that you get more enjoyment out of the film from your second viewing, especially if you’re actively pursuing affection for the film! I’m thinking of seeing it for a third time tomorrow. It’s an excuse to get out of the house, do some Christmas shopping...and pick up the Visual Dictionary for the film, which Amazon messed up in my order.

Nintendo... ...stop taking my money!

Honestly, I was clueless about their name change up until I did a bit more research a few weeks ago when the talks between them and Disney were first announced. Prior to this, I genuinely just thought that they’d finally figured out that it was the 21st century now,and changed their name accordingly!

20th Century Fox (News Corporation, founded in 1979) spun off into two separate companies in 2013: 21st Century Fox - which consisted primarily of popular media such as TV shows and movies, as well as media outlets - and News Corp - which took on the publishing and broadcasting of assets in Australia.

It’s really interesting that you say that it needed more time in the editing suite: it’s actually the earliest a live-action SW film has been prepared prior to release! As for the pacing and plot lines, I agree that it’s a bit frantic at times, but I think the core reason as to why so many feel that it’s a mess in particular is because of one thing that we’ve all come to expect - not just with Star Wars, but films in general these days - that’s almost completely missing here:

I was completely clueless about how I felt about the film after first seeing it, but boy did my second viewing of the film work wonders for my thoughts. Still a long way off feeling like I can definitively give my final thoughts and verdict on the film, but it’s up there for me.

I think that the original ideas for the characters and their arcs are fine, if I’m honest: the changes made to the film late on clearly changed the paths these characters would take. My biggest issues with RO are pacing (the first fifteen minutes especially, and let’s not forget the atrocious iMovie title card, nor the location cards) and a dependence on fan service, which kills much of the enjoyment of the first two acts that I had when I went to watch it in the cinema. Running into characters like Cornelius Evazan and Ponda Baba on Jedha, hearing about the Whills, or even the final scene with Vader wrecking shop and a CG recreation of Carrie’s face feels inconsequential, and honestly a little bit stale, if one wishes to watch the film again, in my opinion. Back to The Last Jedi, though, I’m getting ready to go out and watch it again. Are you planning on seeing/have you seen TLJ, @Ronnie?

I’m completely on the fence: having seen the movie, I now have no idea as to what make of it. My second viewing couldn’t come soon enough. A couple of my nitpicks thus far: