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Red Letter Media - The Star Wars Awakens Review

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A Link to the Past said:
3. Didn't laugh once, and that's the first time that's been the case. Not sure if the review was just not good in that respect or if I don't find Plinkett to be funny anymore.
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Cold cutting to George holding up a miniature bust of Dexter Jettster while surrounded by sycophants in complete silence will never not be absolutely hilarious
 
That was rather lackluster, but fortunately I was never really asking for a Plinkett review of The Force Awakens anyway. Unlike the prequels, there are no glaring issues with the film, so those baying for blood were never going going to be satisfied; on the flip side, unlike his Star Trek '09 review, which Mike (Plinkett) seemed to like, it was bloated and lacked focus.

I kind of wish they used this opportunity to kill off Mr. Plinkett; it was all set to happen, but instead we got a wet fart. It would have made for a fantastic retirement of the character; steps into the limelight, ripping the prequels apart, only to be destroyed by both his nemesis and the guy who has 'redeemed' Star Wars.
 
If the main thing you like about Plinkett reviews is eviscerating shitty movies, then this will disappoint because TFA isn't a completely shitty movie.

The points he does go over in the review are valid, and insightful into the pros and cons of the Hollywood corporate breadmaker. I was legit surprised at how sorry I felt for George Lucas regarding his lack of input for the new Star Wars stuff. Granted, seeing as how terrible the prequels were, I'm not sure if he would have done a good job, but at least in this case he wouldn't have been the director or the main screenwriter.

Lucas' ideas seem best when you start with the raw, creative brain regurgitation from Lucas and then have other people mold it into something better. The new direction with Lucas out of the commander's chair would seem like an ideal opportunity for that sort of collaboration, but apparently Disney wants to play it totally safe. Which is understandable on their part.

I like how this Plinkett review contrasts what could have been with what we got, and paints a picture of everyone just trying to make the best of what they're given.
 
Watched it at 2x speed. Lots of general gripes with SW fandom and the handling of the second set of films. The last part was just mediocre.

Eh.


Positives of Cancer would be a great series.
 
George lucas ideas were effectively used in the The Clone Wars animated series. Other people could take his ideas and execute on it.
 
It's not even just that TFA isn't a terrible movie, it's that the whole thing seems scattershot and drawn out. Shitting on the prequel ring theory nonsense and dumb listicles was funny at first, but then it started feeling less like Plinkett throwing shade at someone (like a smash cut to someone's face after something unflattering said, or the fake YouTuber section) and more like Mike getting genuinely annoyed and arguing with someone on the internet line by line. Couple that with the fact that takes on TFA were a tapped well by the time this review came out so there was almost nothing really new, or even something old in an especially interesting way, and it feels way more like a ramble than past reviews, which did eventually kind of build to a central thesis.
 
Bold One said:
Some very salient points about a lack of passion in TFA. Also the pointlessness of Rogue One, I mean, come on!
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A good story does not need to be one where the ultimate outcome of it is unknown. We know that the plans are eventually stolen sure, but at no point does this mean that there cannot be an enjoyable movie built around that idea. This is especially the case when you consider that nearly every character is new, and as such we are given the opportunity to potentially become attached to them, and potentially be affected if they die.

EmCeeGramr said:
It's not even just that TFA isn't a terrible movie, it's that the whole thing seems scattershot and drawn out. Shitting on the prequel ring theory nonsense and dumb listicles was funny at first, but then it started feeling less like Plinkett throwing shade at someone (like a smash cut to someone's face after something unflattering said, or the fake YouTuber section) and more like Mike getting genuinely annoyed and arguing with someone on the internet line by line. Couple that with the fact that takes on TFA were a tapped well by the time this review came out so there was almost nothing really new, or even something old in an especially interesting way, and it feels way more like a ramble than past reviews, which did eventually kind of build to a central thesis.
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Yeah, I forgot to mention the angle of it being all rehashed content (more or less) as far as TFA stuff goes. It didn't feel like this video was made out of a passion to create something, but instead as an obligation. It kind of felt like the accompanying Ghostbusters video they did with Scientist Man, though even more so cynical since I'm not sure how much they cared to even make this Plinkett review.
 
A Link to the Past said:
A good story does not need to be one where the ultimate outcome of it is unknown. We know that the plans are eventually stolen sure, but at no point does this mean that there cannot be an enjoyable movie built around that idea. This is especially the case when you consider that nearly every character is new, and as such we are given the opportunity to potentially become attached to them, and potentially be affected if they die.
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My issue is rather that everything regarding the death star is uninteresting.

It is a concept that can't be redeemed.
 
Bold One said:
Some very salient points about a lack of passion in TFA. Also the pointlessness of Rogue One, I mean, come on!
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I really don't know how you can look at the people who made this movie and say that they didn't have passion for what they were doing.
 
A Link to the Past said:
Uh

That was a really boring video lol

1. Just to get it out of the way, the use of 'tranny' wasn't awesome (and people will always say that it's acceptable because he's playing a character, but in that respect I ask why he softballed it with "a black" instead of using the n-word).

2. Ring theory stuff was interesting, but it dragged a lot.

3. Didn't laugh once, and that's the first time that's been the case. Not sure if the review was just not good in that respect or if I don't find Plinkett to be funny anymore.

4. A lot of weird complaints that felt like they were made because he didn't have that much to say that's worth saying.

5. In general, a lot of his "You could have just done it this way" schtick felt a lot weaker than the other prequel instances. I'd be much more interested in seeing a Belated Media video on FA, because his analyses always seem so much better.

Honestly, Plinkett feels like a dinosaur (no pun intended). I would have been really happy if they ended it with him being killed, because as a main character, a narrator for videos, he's really old hat, and he pretty much makes that point himself by pointing out how many imitators there exist nowadays. And as I noted with Belated Media, some people have kind of gotten on the train on prequel criticism and have done a better job IMO.

Is it ironic that Plinkett complains about The Force Awakens being fanservice in a video that only exists because of fanservice?

is it ironic that Plinkett makes fun of the commercialization of Star Wars in a video that only exists because it will get a lot of YouTube hits?
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A lot of this is more or less my thoughts.

That was a really duh video.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
Couple that with the fact that takes on TFA were a tapped well by the time this review came out so there was almost nothing really new, or even something old in an especially interesting way, and it feels way more like a ramble than past reviews, which did eventually kind of build to a central thesis.
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Perhaps true, but at least he literally came out of the gate warning viewers that this video was going to come around full circle to... nothing of much substance.
 
MMarston said:
I had no idea that Jar Jar apologists existed at the expense of dissing C3PO.
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I wouldn't say I'm a Jar Jar apologist, but I would put him and Threepio on about the same level in terms of "things I enjoy in the Star Wars movies." Even as a kid I didn't like Threepio much.
 
Actual review starts at like 53 minutes in.

He spends the first near hour talking about fan theories, fan sites, and the prequel trilogy. A lot of beating around the bush.
 
I was wondering if all the ring theory talk was going to build up to him saying the prequels weren't as original as some people remembered, but later on he still said the prequels were original when getting to The Force Awakens.

Makes me wonder why so much time was spent on the ring theory in the first place.
 
TheGreatLugia said:
I was wondering if all the ring theory talk was going to build up to him saying the prequels weren't as original as some people remembered, but then he still says the prequels were original when getting to The Force Awakens.

Makes me wonder why so much time was spent on the ring theory in the first place.
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To fill time.
 
A Link to the Past said:
A good story does not need to be one where the ultimate outcome of it is unknown. We know that the plans are eventually stolen sure, but at no point does this mean that there cannot be an enjoyable movie built around that idea. This is especially the case when you consider that nearly every character is new, and as such we are given the opportunity to potentially become attached to them, and potentially be affected if they die.
Click to expand...

Of all the things in the Star Wars universe to make a film about, the Death star?
Really? that's the most interesting thing they could come up with?

Einchy said:
I really don't know how you can look at the people who made this movie and say that they didn't have passion for what they were doing.
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It all just felt, like the video mentions, a product of design by committee, super-safe, by the numbers focus-tested. The Finn-merican one-liners, Ford's grating quips, the try-hard villian.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the film and to some extent understand why it was made the way it was, thats probably why the lack of passion becomes more pronounced. It is a product in every sense of the word.
 
I'm 30 minutes in and he hasn't mentioned The a force Awakens once -- Plinkett is spoiling us with this 'in depth' look at the ring theory.
 
Bold One said:
Of all the things in the Star Wars universe to make a film about, the Death star?
Really? that's the most interesting thing they could come up with?
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I don't really get the surprise. The movie isn't about the Death Star, it is about the journey to find its plans. The Death Star is just the motivating factor.
 
MattKeil said:
I wouldn't say I'm a Jar Jar apologist, but I would put him and Threepio on about the same level in terms of "things I enjoy in the Star Wars movies." Even as a kid I didn't like Threepio much.
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I think the vital difference is that Threepio was intended to be the annoying prissy character, whether you or I found him endearing in the process (I did, you didn't) is apart from his utility as a character. Whereas Jar Jar was literally crafted by Lucas to be some loveable oaf aimed at kids and failed miserably.
 
Good. I'm glad that this review doesn't give The Force Awakens haters the validation they want, because the fact is The Force Awakens was a good movie. End of story.
 
Bold One said:
It all just felt, like the video mentions, a product of design by committee, super-safe, by the numbers focus-tested. The Finn-merican one-liners, Ford's grating quips, the try-hard villian.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the film and to some extent understand why it was made the way it was, thats probably why the lack of passion becomes more pronounced. It is a product in every sense of the word.
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The passion was pretty there on the screen. It's so clear how much fun everyone had working on it.

Finn-merican-one-liners?
Try-hard villain? Kylo had more of a character than Vader did. :P
 
Not that it could have possibly lived up to the others, but still, pretty disappointing.

They just kind of don't seem to have a whole lot to say about TFA.
 
iFirez said:
I'm 30 minutes in and he hasn't mentioned The a force Awakens once -- Plinkett is spoiling us with this 'in depth' look at the ring theory.
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Making it all one video instead of dividing it up is really hurting the flow and any structure. Just feels like a half-hearted rant.
 
HariKari said:
Making it all one video instead of dividing it up is really hurting the flow and any structure. Just feels like a half-hearted rant.
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The TFA part would have been half hearted regardless of them cutting out the hour of talk prior to it. We know they liked the movie and didn't have remotely as much ammunition to tear it apart.
 
I think he didn't have much to say in this review because he didn't hate it as much as the prequels, and he filled the time with the ring theory.

Honestly, I have a theory that the guys at RLM did this because they felt it was sort of their duty to do a Plinkett review for every Star Wars movie coming out.
 
That was underwhelming. Some parts were straight up boring. There was so much useless filler, this could have been done in less than half the time.
 
Nairume said:
The TFA part would have been half hearted regardless of them cutting out the hour of talk prior to it. We know they liked the movie and didn't have remotely as much ammunition to tear it apart.
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Film Crit Hulk's takedown of JJ Abrams and TFA is still the best critique of the movie and its flaws that I've found.

TFA has zero charm when you re-watch it. Even the prequels muster more Star Wars charm than TFA, despite having bad everything.

I don't know what I expected from Disney.
 
A Link to the Past said:
Is it ironic that Plinkett complains about The Force Awakens being fanservice in a video that only exists because of fanservice?

is it ironic that Plinkett makes fun of the commercialization of Star Wars in a video that only exists because it will get a lot of YouTube hits?
Click to expand...

I think the self-deprecating bits in the review suggest a level of self-awareness and intentional irony regarding that.
 
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