09-09-2023, 10:28 AM | #1401 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Yeah there were still hints of "snips" in Rebels. Although I was more referring to the dismal visuals. The colours are so blah on the show. This is a show about fantastical shit. It should more look that way.
|
09-09-2023, 10:29 AM | #1402 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
A lot of nuts and bolts stuff is good. Enjoying the space fights and such. And outside of the first couple of eps the action has been really good.
|
09-12-2023, 11:38 PM | #1403 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
First underwhelming episode in my opinion.... 50 minutes and nothing really happened until the end.
|
09-13-2023, 12:31 AM | #1404 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
the fuck LJ? Easily the best one and I was wondering why it took so long to get this good.
|
09-13-2023, 02:10 AM | #1405 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Dunno, feel like the whole Anakin thing was pretty pointless other than "look at these two characters together, isn't that cool?" And it was cool, just didn't have much of a point and could have been a lot more meaningful... dunno... maybe they will call back to it and make whatever "lesson" she learned in there save the day and retroactively make it more meaningful...
|
09-13-2023, 08:18 AM | #1406 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
It was about a million times more meaningful than the relatively paint-by-the-numbers episodes leading into it.
Conveyed her trauma very well and shows the grey area in which Anakin inhabits. Doing anything more would have likely been too much. Reconciling who he was as her teacher and what he turned into as Darth Vader can't be resolved by one trip to the world between worlds. The conflict between the two should very well seem like it's on the way to being resolved, but there should still feel like there's work to do. I mean...he ostensibly killed her a few years prior. Plus, by the end, she wasn't acting so "stoic" anymore. I could be wrong, but it seemed like she was being lit differently and her whole demeanour changed. A subtle, maturely told story from a guy who typically struggles to do so. Then, the Purgles added a nice catharsis at the end. |
09-13-2023, 09:42 AM | #1407 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Hayden Christiansen was also fucking excellent. Channeled Matt Lanter’s Clone Wars performance. You can tell he watched the show and leaned into that character and you really have to respect that.
|
09-20-2023, 10:36 AM | #1409 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Wonder what Baylan is playing at... extra bummed that Ray Stevenson died because he is killing it in this role. I could have seen them doing a "bait and switch" where Baylan is the "big bad" of the Filoni movie and not Thrawn.
|
09-20-2023, 10:44 AM | #1410 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Yeah Thrawn kicked ass. Didn't realize it was actually Lars who did his voice in the cartoon. Really makes it work.
|
09-20-2023, 10:49 AM | #1411 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
The Sabine drag factor really gets to me. Don't know if it's the actress's fault, but she is so wooden and outright irritating.
Otherwise, though, this show works for me on the "fun" metre. I wish it was better than it was, and it really should be. But they've by no means fumbled and the Thrawn intro minus some aesthetic hangups I have really worked for me. Was kinda jokes how much he looks like Robert Patrick. Kept wanting him to flash a picture of a young Ezra and be like, "Have you seen this boy?" Last edited by Ol Dirty Dastard; 09-20-2023 at 11:11 AM. |
09-20-2023, 11:10 AM | #1412 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Well, I can't unsee that resemblance now. |
09-20-2023, 11:13 AM | #1413 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
LOL it was all I could see as soon as he was introduced on screen.
|
09-23-2023, 12:34 PM | #1414 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
A lot of hate for Thrawn's makeup/wardrobe. I'm not super super super into visuals, so I didn't bump too much against it. But I definitely noticed his dad bod, and how the makeup and wig were kinda shit. His voice and dialogue do enough of the heavy lifting for me so that I doesn't matter too much. But I knew a lot of people would be complaining.
So odd tbh...you have ALL this time, and he's supposed to be the big bad. And there were so many holes in his appearance. Of course, part of it is they're leaning into his "exile" with his aesthetic. But IMO that's a bit of a stretch--doesn't explain the bad wig and the waxy makeup. It's things like this that baffle me about this Feloni era star wars. I was cool with dad bod Boba because Morrison is a burly Maori and I think he looks tough. But Thrawn is this exquisitely fine-tuned specimen. Feloni wrote Rebels wherein he's this refined badass, chiseled out of granite. Why not ensure Lars Mikkelson turns up lean and mean, while putting in the extra work on the makeup and wig? |
09-23-2023, 01:37 PM | #1415 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
I thought the wig and makeup were fine, no issues with it. I did notice the dad bod, but I'm not broken up about it since his most dangerous weapon is his mind.
|
09-23-2023, 02:29 PM | #1416 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
I dunno man. I rarely pay attention to that shit, and even I was like "why does this motherfucker look like a statue made of blue candle wax?"
|
09-23-2023, 02:32 PM | #1417 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
And yeah, the dad bod is fine because Thrawn is a tactician. Still, it was one of those things about him that made him seem equal to Vader as a threat (and sometimes more threatening due to his skills as a strategist). The details do matter. Feloni focuses so much on other lore-building aspects and connecting with all the trilogies that he takes his eyes off the most basic shit.
This is why I liked Andor so much better than this more kid-friendly stuff. More focus on story and actual good acting/writing/dialogue, and less on trying to satisfy lore-heads. |
09-27-2023, 12:03 AM | #1418 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
I get that Ahsoka and Sabine are the main focus of the show, but Ezra being booked as a real chump so far.
Really curious as to what Baylan is up to.... feel like he is going to awake some hidden power on that planet... maybe Jorus C'Baoth or something... |
09-27-2023, 09:16 AM | #1419 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Lock Jaw you just talk the dumbest shit lol
|
09-27-2023, 10:27 AM | #1420 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Anyways--the portrayal of Ezra is about 7 million times better than the portrayal of Sabine, which has been outright rotten much of the time.
|
09-27-2023, 10:34 AM | #1421 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Dunno, he has felt like an afterthought and not a "big deal". Just like "he's here" and that's it.
|
09-27-2023, 09:11 PM | #1422 | |
Posts: 26
|
Quote:
You have to remember a lot of people aren't familiar with rebels so I don't think they are going to outright just make him a bad ass on ashokas show. I think he gets a slow introduction with maybe a few kick ass moments in the finale before we see him get his story fleshed out later. Dude is giving me heavy Jesus vibes and the fact he didn't want to use his lightsaber kinda reinforces that. He's going to the spiritual side of the force so maybe he will part a sea next episode or some shit. |
|
09-28-2023, 11:57 AM | #1423 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
I mean Ezra very clearly can fight, and it was conveyed well in the episode. But he's never been presented as a world-beater. He's very crafty and has skill, but has never been one to just dominate.
Shin also had a better teacher (in the ways of combat) than Ezra. I'd hope he couldn't just wreck her if we're going to write baddies as actual threats. |
09-28-2023, 12:09 PM | #1424 | |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Quote:
What bothers me is the lack of nuance in the writing and performance of Sabine. They're just like "She's sassy and conflicted and angsty." And that's all we get. There's no texture or dimensions. It's infuriating, boring, and lame. |
|
10-04-2023, 11:14 AM | #1425 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Didn't hate the finale. Didn't love it either. A steaming pile of MID. Dave Feloni is a lazy storyteller in live action.
|
10-04-2023, 01:03 PM | #1426 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Yeah, it was alright. It was incredibly lazy for Ezra to just show up in a shuttle at the end... feel like Thrawn would have been on top of a shuttle suddenly taking off from his ship and shot it down before it could get far.
I also feel like maybe Baylan had originally more to do in the finale to set some future things up, but things got cut/changed or just not shot because he passed away (not sure if he passed during the filming or after they were all done). Shame cause his was the most interesting plot going on and it is just left dangling with absolutely no closure. |
10-04-2023, 02:35 PM | #1427 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Gotta love Thrawn's big victory. Leaving. Like...it was obvious he was going to "win." Should probably have done something a bit more emphatic.
|
10-05-2023, 01:53 PM | #1428 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Was also "pretty weird" at Sabine suddenly mastering the force in the last episode after not being able to do anything at all... but then suddenly she can help push open doors, fly her lightsaber, force throw a human....
Last edited by Lock Jaw; 10-05-2023 at 02:00 PM. |
10-05-2023, 01:56 PM | #1429 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
lol don't get me started on that bullshit. LAZY.
|
10-06-2023, 11:44 PM | #1430 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,262
|
Ahsoka was...fine.
Some of the action was good.. when it was the stunt doubles at least. Lot of odd choices. Production design was oddly sterile. World felt very clean like i was watching star trek and not star wars. Probably just to save time on the production end. Budgets are getting smaller for these shows and thats likely a good thing. Writing was a bit half hearted. Very memberberries at times. Others is just manifested solutions out of thin air. Never wont be saddened to see Mary Elizabeth Winsteds beauty covered in green makeup but at least she's getting work. Didnt hate it. Less headbuttingly frustrating than their other efforts lately. |
10-07-2023, 10:17 AM | #1431 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
|
Memba berries aren't always a bad thing. Worst thing South Park did was make that a thing because nostalgia can be mined effectively, but any time it happens everyone just goes "MEMBA BERRIES" and acts like they're Roger Ebert.
Anakin was good memba berries because it fits with who Ahsoka is. C3PO was bad memba berries because it was hella lame. Other than that, yeah, the show was meh as fuck. A disappointing b-minus at best, but probably a C-plus based on what it should've been. |
10-07-2023, 11:45 AM | #1432 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,262
|
I dont believe memberberries are any acknowledgement of nostalgia. Anikan was not merriberries. It was just organic story telling. Memberberries is specially a *vapid* callback. It has no value intrinsic value outside of making you go "oh thats the thing from the thing!" Anikan couldve been memberberries but for her to seek out his force ghost subconsciously, or he sought her out who's to say i guess (or even perhaps he was a memory manifest by the force hence him not being blue) it would have been less authentic to the story to not explore that.
Now you can say "well the situation was contrived" and maybe. In fact it most likely was but regardless they knew it was interesting avenue to explore and they found a way to explore it that wasnt shoehorned. They earned those sequences. Maybe execution could have been better. Whatever. It wasnt arbitrary or some deus ex machina. 3PO (and by proxy the Lea name drop in of itself) are obviously memberberries. There are others that didnt add to anything outside of a lazy cheap pop based of, frankly, much better stories in the mythos. Those moments are embarrassingly bad. And thats across all of the disney era. Its something thats holding them back and theyd do well to get away from. The Obi-Wan series was memberberries in its entirety for example. It added nothing to anything, in fact retroactively hurt numerous things. Gratuitous fan service. Couple of really dope visual moments but ultimately it would have been better to have not existed. Ahsoka did try to move the clone wars/rebels plotlines forward. Not saying it was done in a way that left me begging for more but there was an effort to do more than just play on nostalgia. Perhaps thats because there really hasnt been enough time for any nostalgia to actually exist...but thats getting into semantics. At its core the goal of the series was to spin new tales not cling on old ones. In any case i think one of the best things south park ever did was create the memberberries because it gave a clear voice for people to call out this hackneyed schlock that these focus group driven souless corporations keep trying to pass off as worthy successors to legitimate artistic efforts of the past. Memberberries should be throw away cameos. Perfectly fine place for such things. Blink and you missed it easter eggs and whatnot. Instead theyre major plot points or are even the entire premise. Last edited by Destor; 10-07-2023 at 11:50 AM. |
06-05-2024, 10:41 AM | #1433 |
is brat
Posts: 88,235
|
Watched the Acolyte two episode premiere. It sure was some content!
|