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A female relative finally cajoled me into watching (I think) the newest Star Wars films (the ones with Daisy Ridley). I saw two of them. I have managed to go 25 years avoiding Star Wars, made easier by the fact that arrogant nerdy white boys kept saying it was a tragedy that I hadn't seen them. Especially since I work in STEM, I get a bunch of guys questioning my intelligence because I haven't seen Star Wars, always fall asleep during LoTR etc. The only mainstream fantasy story I care about is Harry Potter, which these type of guys generally aren't fussed about.
So I finally sat down and watched these films. I was so surprised. It was the most simplistic plotline. I could tune in every five minutes and still understand what was going on. There's no subtlety, some character announces every key plot point to the camera- (I laughed out loud when after it became clear one guy was a spy, he then later turned and shouted, "IT'S ME, I'M THE SPY").
The bad guy Ren was clearly a vessel for every angsty teenage boy with greasy hair to project onto. Omg, sure I treat everyone like shit but deep down I'm just misunderstood and in the end they'll see that I'm a hero and a genius.... yeah... right....
Rey was cool to watch but of course having a female main character they had to characterise her as the nurturing motherly figure to any male around (very little exploration of female friendship).
Basically, I thought that since these films were popular with nerds, there would be a little complexity to them! How naïve of me. It's not that a 10 year old could enjoy these movies, it's that they would grasp the whole thing as well as a 4o year old. Nothing else going on beneath the surface. I felt like I was watching Mission Impossible: Nerd Edition, but with less to figure out.
I don’t even think the original was that good. It was pretty new for its time, and the special effects were pretty good (for the time period), but it’s just a “greek epic, but in SPACE!” plot line. That and the Jim Henson alien puppets were very silly-looking.
Star Trek >>>>> Star Wars.
People talk about Star Wars as if those arent kids' movies lol
I know fans of Star Wars who actively ignore if not outright consider the new triology as non-canonical and hate a large part of the series. I’ve never heard of another series that has such a divide and hatred between the movies and media the same way Star Wars does. I’ve met more disappointed fans than not. Which makes me wonder why anyone is into it if it’s so bad. I truly don’t think any series tops it in terms of the fans actively hating it and being disappointed in it, at least that I am aware of.
Plus, the trilogy that Lucas got his grimy hands on is weird AF - the dialogue is incredibly creepy and awkward and Anakin is so problematic I could write a whole post about that alone. It says a lot about Lucas imo.
Star Trek is significantly better anyway
It's the original trilogy that's beloved (in large part because of nostalgia). A lot of nerds would agree with you that the new movies aren't that good.
I also saw two out of three of the Star Wars movies starring Daisy Ridley. The first was kind of okay if you watch it in a haze of nostalgia, but the second one annoyed me so much, I never bothered to watch the third. Even nostalgia could not get me that far. So I totally understand if you never want to see another Star Wars thing again. I wouldn't want to watch any more either if those are the only two I ever watched.
The prequels were also bad. Though there were some unintentionally funny parts.
I'm curious whether you would like the original trilogy. If you prefer deep movies, that's probably not going to satisfy you either. I like it, but I'll admit it's not that deep. It's a cheesy good time. It's not trying to be Citizen Kane. 😆
Andor is a pretty entertaining series but I agree the Star Wars movies tend to be simplistic. The Mandalorian is another geek magnet too.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds on the other hand is good fun.
Hard disagree. Kylo would move galaxies for Rey. I'm astonished this sub is so smitten with the greasy, codependant 1%er Gomez Addams but not Ben.
Love your username btw
I don’t know if I appreciate The Last Jedi because men who self-inserted as Luke Skywalker hate it or if it was actually a bit more interesting, for a Star Wars movie. I think Star Wars movies are generally popcorn movies where you can turn off your brain a bit. Some of the themes I enjoy but usually they’re not explored in a very complex or interesting way. For example, the First Order fascism, like what does that actually explore really when it’s all so vague. But after so many years of men wanting to be Luke (George Luke-as especially) it was nice seeing him on screen being humanized and shown as someone who makes mistakes.
But of course, the next movie was just comically bad and basically undid everything that made the sequel trilogy interesting. The overall message ended up being accidentally pretty negative (for example the generational curse means the whole family dies and no one lived a happy life.) I would’ve liked to see more vulnerability and humanity from Rey, but since so many dweebs online hated her, they just did her a disservice in the last movie.
However, I do like the universe of star wars. I find it quite interesting, especially the older games and plenty of the books are interesting too.
Growing up, I mostly loved Harry Potter too but now as an adult I see its flaws a lot more and while it was good escapism as a kid, the world isn’t what I look for in fiction. Also, the more JK Rowling goes crazy and adds to it, the less it makes sense. But the characters will definitely always have a special place in my heart as well as their stories.