I don’t really have both feet in the “replica propmaker” camp. I like a lot about it, and I like making props, but it’s only as an accessory to telling stories through film, which is what I
am most interested in, and studying. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t highly regard most people’s opinions on the quality of stories or storytelling. I really hate pulling the “you can only criticize something if you’re a professional in that field” card, because I think it’s a terrible argument, but the time that I’ve put into researching storytelling through filmmaking is what I’m bringing to the table for the sake of this argument, as my
credibility, so to speak. I frequent this forum to see a few neat things other people have made, occasionally get some feedback on original/custom props, and apparently, to send you into vitriolic fits of rage. No one has ever said you shouldn’t/can’t/don’t enjoy anything. It’s when you continue to claim that TROS is anything more than a nostalgia delivery system rather than a film, and that your own or others’ personal enjoyment therefore makes it a good film. You haven’t really made any arguments as to why the film is great. Tell us how Rey’s journey as a character is reflected through the trials she faces and either overcomes or fails throughout the film, and how that journey relates to our struggle through life as we all continue on our own journeys.Tell us how the many side plots and newly introduced toys—I’m sorry, characters—contributed in a meaningful way to the overarching themes of the movie and trilogy rather than just function as set pieces or exposition. Tell us exactly how having a hundred thousand Star Destroyers hovering above Egg-sicle, each equipped with more firepower than the original Death Star, is a reasonable escalation of the stakes of the plot, while still being toned down enough not to break the suspension of disbelief or rob the previous films of stakes, tension, or triumph. How did JJ Abrams use shot composition and lighting to better tell his story? How did the script function both as an expository device and as realistic dialogue and interaction between realistic and human characters? I for one can say that the only things IX did for me came from Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley, who were trying their absolute hardest with what they’ve been given. Everything else felt like cheap emotional manipulation in order to garner a positive reaction from general audiences so that the $4 billion plus investment Disney has made into this franchise won’t die with the fifth movie in. Can you tell us any of these things? Can you express in calm and not openly aggressive language why TROS succeeds on its own, due to its own merits? If so, then you are valid in telling us to eff off when we say that there wasn’t anything of substance in the film. If you can’t, and won’t concede that, while not good, it entertained you, then I’m sorry. You’re an apologist by definition, and you’re still clinging to the flimsiest excuse of all. “There are so many other apologists, so that means it must be good!” All that means is that they were entertained. Some people simply have lower expectations for their entertainment (which I have never equated with “unintelligence” or anything like that) and ultimately that’s just fine. It’s not that important in the long run when you consider what’s really important in this world. But for those who do have higher expectations, and not just from a nostalgia, fanboy standpoint, but in the hopes that these films manage to push past small problems into truly timeless films, we want better. We know it’s possible. Unfortunately for us, those with lower expectations keep voting with their wallets, which is why we’re getting
Aladdin (2019) and
The Lion King (2019) and six
Avatar sequels and
Maleficent 2. Studios don’t have to take risks or involve passion; they can just factory produce products that steal imagery from much better films and manipulate nostalgia into convincing the viewer that the product is
good.
Take a page out of some of the other apologist’s books, keep it civil, and leave the trolling for 4chan and Reddit. I don’t dislike you because you liked a movie—I dislike you because of how aggressive and rude you are.
