Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Disney needs to consider why this movie did bad despite good reviews. It's clear if you think about it. Reviews are almost all the same, good. No raping of childhoods, no terrible acting out dialog or effects. So why, despite the good (not great) reviews?

Maybe people already had their minds made up thanks to TLJ. Maybe the reviews aren't great enough to overcome that fan base.

Screamfeeder said:

Everyone got fucking paid except for maybe a couple of VP's hoping for bigger bonuses at Disney.

Have some goddamn perspective.

Click to expand...

Solo:
A Star Wars Story

Domestic Total as of Jun. 3, 2018: $148,989,574

Screamfeeder said:

All three are fictional characters in a universe full of magic gaia powers and teddy bear aliens that can stop a major military power with strategically placed logs. Finn fumblefucking his way around a starship ranks pretty low here.

But, if you REALLY want me to geek out on you then I would simply ask you why Captain Phasma had a "janitor" as a member of her elite FN-Corps on a secret mission to Jakku with the Second In Charge of the First Order. Pretty cushy spot for some useless janitor. I'd also go on to ask you if you think they just throw Stormtrooper armor on anyone or if those guys go through any kind of basic training to learn how to shoot and the basics of combat, tactics and strategy. Lastly I would ask if you think a guy running sanitation duties on a giant laser planet might have any kind of idea how complicated machines work.

But I don't want to be that guy so I won't do any of that.

Click to expand...

Wow yeah it does make no sense that a janitor would be in Phasma's squad.

It would also make sense for him to have basic training on how to shoot lazer cannons, but apparently not. I guess he had some basic training on melee combat because he's done it three times, but I'm listing things the characters suceeded at - Finn lost to Kylo Ren and needed fucking BB8 to help with Phasma!

I mean... what's your point here? You are just backing me up that's it's bullshit.

fris said:

Disney needs to consider why this movie did bad despite good reviews. It's clear if you think about it. Reviews are almost all the same, good. No raping of childhoods, no terrible acting out dialog or effects. So why, despite the good (not great) reviews?

Maybe people already had their minds made up thanks to TLJ. Maybe the reviews aren't great enough to overcome that fan base.

Click to expand...

TLJ is a major trilogy movie. The effects of TLJ are going to resonate a little bit different than had TLJ been Rogue One or another anthology movie.

Disrespecting Luke Skywalker definitely had a lot to do with the disinterest and lack of momentum as a whole for the Star Wars brand. Those saying otherwise are just huffing Rian Johnson's farts.

If you have another movie coming out in a couple months, you might, I don't know, wanna hype fans up?

TLJ didn't just let the air out of 1 tire-- it stabbed all 4.

In my opinion, Solo's fate at the box office is mostly to blame on Disney themselves. Not because of any SJW bullshit or whatever, movie was perfectly fine and even good, but because they seemingly didn't really believe in it. The title was revealed very late, the marketing was nonexistent until recently, and most people I know don't even know it exists or that it is out.

The release window was also very badly timed since it came so soon after Infinity War (which is still in theaters) and Deadpool 2.

Add to that all the social media bullshit and the zillion articles and videos about every minute detail of every piece of drama surrounding the production and people had their mind made up for them before it even came out (for those few that even knew it was coming out since trailers were nonexistent until about a few weeks before it came out).

Hopefully, Disney can soak up the "relative flop" and move on to improve what didn't work without ruining the whole thing, but they've done fine by me so far so they still have my confidence. I sure hope they'll continue to release spinoffs in this universe because they really bring some new fresh blood to a saga that loves to run in circles (Rogue One and Solo are prequels so they kind of follow the rails of the story so far, but they at the same time use the smaller scope to show her things we never saw in a saga bloated with space wizards and family drama, thanks to them we saw the people in the galaxy a bit more, we saw how non-plot-armored rebels operate, we saw new places, we saw the criminal underworld, those things are interesting to me).


As for Finn in TFA and his janitor job, I always assumed he had regular trooper training but his reluctance to blindly follow orders got him in trouble with authority and landed him in sanitation. It would explain why he was so pissed at Phasma when he returns to Starkiller Base and is digging the whole humiliation part, since he'd consider it a fitting revenge for what she did. That's contradicted by Phasma telling Hux and Kylo that Finn never had any bad marks on his record prior to his hesitating on Jakku, but that wouldn't be the first time she's been shown to lie (including in the deleted scene of TLJ where her lies are revealed and she ends up shooting her own troopers to cover them up).

Alex said:

I work in social media data analytics and work with Disney. They want to launch a research project across social media channels to figure out why Solo did so poorly. I'll be following this one closely.

Click to expand...

Simple. It's just an okay-good movie. So it did okay-good at the box office. $100 million over 4 days is not horrible unless it's compared to other Star Wars movies.

Make a better movie: make more money

It's really that simple.

There was nothing "great" in this movie.

As much as people complain about the man, what's missing from modern Star Wars is it's creator. Imagine taking Tolkien away and finishing Lord of the Rings with typical decent to GOOD writers at the time. Do you think it would have been anything special? This is Lucas' world. Pick his brain for ideas while he's still alive.

But TLJ did extremely well. And that movie wasn't good in any way.

I'm of the opinion that Solo didn't do as well because of timing (like was pointed out, Avengers 3 and Deadpool 2), TLJ potentially driving some folks away, poor marketing, and lack of a good catch (See someone who isn't Harrison Ford do Solo prequel stuff!!!)

Alex said:

But TLJ did extremely well. And that movie wasn't good in any way.

Click to expand...

It divided the fanbase (and floundered in China) and when Solo came knocking only five months later audiences just weren't excited. Star Wars has gotten a lot of mileage out of the release of its films being an event going all the way back. Solo was not an event.

I'm not sure how much blame you can really assign the SJW/anti-SJW identity politics morass that is popular culture. Damn near every goddamn piece of media has to deal with it these days. Sure, it probably didn't help to have pansexual Lando be the thing that went viral (even if it was all bunk) but the damage was already done by them. If people didn't come out to see it right away it's damned fucking hard to convince them to buy a ticket after a film is labeled a disappointment.

grumblethorn said:

lu


lucas is a hack and you need to stop riding his dick.

Click to expand...

Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Willow

Damn, this world needs more hacks.

You need to stop being part of hyperbolic neckbeards that permeate this culture, where everything is either "the greatest thing ever" or "shit". Try a little nuance in your life. You'll be happier.

Lucas isn't a hack exactly. He just needs to be seriously diluted. Concentrated Lucas is unhealthy. I'd welcome him back to the fold as long as he came included with a good director, editor, cinematographer, and a producer that didn't spend all of his/her time sucking George's balls.

Alex said:

But TLJ did extremely well. And that movie wasn't good in any way.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure how many others fall into this category, but personally, TLJ was a demarcation point. Up until that point, I'd still make an event out of going even if I had a suspicion that the movie would be shit.

Not any more. After so many garbage main-line movies, the brand has simply eroded. The SJW stuff is just noise to me - where the franchise has failed is in building a compelling world. It feels small. We're supposed to fear a universe where Kylo-fucking-Ren is the supreme evil and Hux is his stooge? Fuck off with that. And I say this being a huge fan of Rey and the mythology that was built around her in TFA before TLJ pissed most of that away.

Disney pulled a DC. Even with an IP like Star Wars, you can't just drop some names in an existing universe and expect history to indefinitely carry bad writing and shitty plots.

He's at his best when he does things that are basically flavorful homages and he's a pretty bad director. Lets take Samurai movies and WW2 naval movies and mash them together and give them laser swords! Having Spielberg and Howard to direct made Indiana Jones and Willow what they are. Both would have been significantly worse if Lucas had directed them.

Alex said:

But TLJ did extremely well. And that movie wasn't good in any way.

Click to expand...

I said it in the thread at the time. TLJ is one of those movies that like a bad dinner is only going to get worse as people digest it. And that's because every 'subversive' thing they did...really didn't make much sense from a narrative point of view. However in the moment, there was enough 'shock' value that I think it held off the digestion of how ridiculous some of the subversion was...and how empty it made the movie feel from a narrative stand point when its viewed in relation to the other films.

And I think that, right there--is why other films in the Universe are going to be hurting. Because the thing Johnson shit on was the fidelity of the characters and universe. Why should we care about any of these characters now if someone like Luke can become completely different off screen (Mind you, this would be fine if we could have even imagined the trajectory of change--like Luke going from upstart want-to-be Jedi in Strikes back to the 'wise, sage' Jedi of Return; that trajectory was mapped out, so the change sat well with the audience. Doing a 180? Not so much.)? Why should we care about the little possibilities of exciting new directions a character might take, if you realize a different director can take every 'hint' at something more and throw it out? Shared Universes live and breathe off of fidelity, its what makes them exciting--its why we go back to see movies in a series. To watch things change, to have more of the Universe explained to us. So to actively, and seemingly purposefully subvert those two things really strikes at the heart of what excites people about these kinds of movies.

I think that makes people skeptical to trust going to a movie until it passes the bar stand alone films do (IE gets recomended by a friend who say it and will say its good.) Because, really--that's what they are now, aren't there? There is no assurance what you know from the last film means anything in the new one. Characters can be written totally different, themes from the other films can be forgotten, disregarded or subverted without narrative mechanics to explain it--you're essentially paying to watch great cinematography over fan fiction.

Miguex said:

please post what you find here, I'm quite interested. I've noticed a shift in tone in the last two days not only here slightly, but from a few (relatively) influential people I know in the comics and movie industry who finally decided to see it for the first time in the last couple days and have posted almost unanimously positive reactions (generally along the "its not great, but it really really fun" lines) on social media.

Click to expand...

It seems like it's not really a bad movie. Diversity in Comics and Redlettermedia seemed to think it was fine and they are prime candidates to shit all over it and make lots of youtube money.

But you don't make a billion without brand loyalty (Rogue One) or an amazing movie (Avatar - visually at least). TLJ murdered the brand loyalty.

Alex said:

But TLJ did extremely well. And that movie wasn't good in any way.

Click to expand...

How were we supposed to know it was bad?

I saw it first day with my whole family to avoid spoilers. Turns out there were no spoilers to avoid!

Not watching anymore unless the trailer is insane.

wormie said:

The analytics of social media will be full of Screamshitters and Zweishitters defending this movie. Given this, it is most certainly guaranteed that the conclusion about why it failed will be "SJW abortion".

Click to expand...

Not defending the movie. Didn't even see the movie and don't think I will. I gave Disney's Nu-Prequels a chance with Rogue One and .. well .. it was probably worst Star Wars movie ever. I hear Solo is better, but I'll think I stick with the "main story" movies rather than the backwards-oriented fan-service ones.

Just saying the anti-SJW crusade people appear to be one makes no sense whatsoever if you actually acknowledge the numbers and facts. The confirmation bias of people trying to tea-leaf read their political agenda into the (always heavily fluctuating) earnings of Hollywood numbers is ridiculous.

It's always been swings and round-abouts. Studios turn down LoTR and green-light John Carter of Mars in the hopes of making dough all the time. It's the business. If anything, Disney know this wasn't super-blockbuster material and stuck it into the summer tailing Infinity War, just as they probably know that Ant Man 2 isn't gonna break the bank either compared to Avengers installments.

It's fine.