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Welcome to The SciFi Podcast, a wretched hive of scum and villainy a bi-weekly podcast focused on in-depth discussion of all things science fiction. The SciFi Podcast features three hosts—Mattroid, Solo, and Station!—and frequent guests. Each episode we look at a science fiction theme or franchise and take the discussion where no show has gone before.
Finally, December of 2017 arrived, and with it the most anticipated movie in the last two years; Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The dramatic continuation of The Force Awakens finds out heroes–both new and old–banding together to escape, and if possible, defeat the First Order once and for all.
How did this movie compare to it’s predecessors? Does Finn matter? WHO IS REY?! All these things and more are discussed in a lengthy and fantastic review and dissection of the film, by Mattroid, Solo, and friend of the podcast Nick Ricci. Station! was forced to sit this one out, once again caring for a baby, but her thoughts on TLJ will be heard in future episodes.
Theme music courtesy of i hear sirens, featuring Matt on bass and Liz on keyboard. Hear more of i hear sirens ethereal, instrumental, post-rock at BandCamp. Podcast production by Mattroid; artwork by Mattroid.
SHOW NOTES:
Did Brain get Chuck Cunningham’d?
What do you mean?
The beloved eldest member of the Cunningham children that randomly disappeared and was never mentioned again on Happy Days.
So either Brain’s disappearance is either getting Chuck Cunningham’d or I’m getting Flightplan’d and that it will be revealed that Brain never actually existed.
Who?
Ha ha ha. I’m kidding. No, he’s not getting the Cunningham or Poochy treatment, he’s just got tons of school/work and research to do. Taking a big break from podcasting, but it’s only a break and not retirement. He’ll be back on the network sometime later this year.
🙂
You guys totally had Brain frozen in carbonite. You can’t fool me.
Matt,
I’m sooooo happy you found that YouTube video posted in the show-notes above!
Me too. I hope that’s the exact one I was thinking of. The color correction is a big deal to me, because even though I own, watch, and love the Blu SW movies I can’t stand that we don’t have a theatrical edition of the original trilogy, and I absolutely hate the transfer–impenetrable blacks, magenta tone for days…the video covers it all pretty well.
Hey guys! Great job on this show.
Matt, I loved what you had to say especially. I have seen Last Jedi 3 times, and am curious to see it again before it leaves theaters.
I whole heartedly agree with you on the criticism. There were certainly choices that I downright disagreed with in this film. However, I ultimately ended up really loving it.
—–
One fairly bold move that Rian Johnson did was to connect this film to the prequels. Not just in visual styles, but also in some of the dialogue. I loved that. I have gone the rounds with the prequels myself. They came out when I was a kid, so I enjoyed them for what they were. Then as an adult, I grew to see their flaws and thought they were major missteps. I do have to say now that I can justify their existence in my mind because I think he payoff that happens in Revenge of the Sith really works. They are not the original Star Wars films, but the tragedy of Anikan Skywalker and the rise of the empire was a story I was genuinely invested in. I think Rian Johnson was one of the few filmmakers that believed the prequels weren’t complete liquid shit milkshakes… or perhaps, regardless if they were, that they still had a place in the larger story.
One of the impressive acrobatics that Last Jedi does, is that it connects the franchise to some of the good parts of the prequels, and detaches from some of the bad parts.
As always, Kagan, your insights are fantastic. I love your last comment most of all, because to me that’s what it does better perhaps than anything else.
Dudes, stop blackguarding my name! I “love” the prequel trilogy about as much as Han’s blaster loved Greedo. It’s true that Mattroid and I did briefly discuss the prequels on the Time Bandits “pocket universe” episode. It’s also true that, in the course of that discussion, I confessed that watching my daughter (she’s 13) love the prequels has caused me to recognize that they aren’t complete bantha poodoo. That candid admission should in no way should be construed to mean that I suddenly “love” The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. It’s more like I’m a hardline prequel denier who now more or less grudgingly admits that Ewan McGregor is pretty cool as Obi-Wan in the second two films, and who is not completely appalled that my offspring has embraced the prequels wholeheartedly. (Actually, maybe that’s how all of this happened in the first place: Matt remembered that someone in the Cody Clark bloodline loves the prequels, forgot that I have a 13-year-old daughter, and just assumed it was me.) (My daughter likes the original trilogy, too, and hates Jar-Jar. And she watched all three seasons of Star Trek with me, too, so she’s totally cool.)
Just felt like I had to clear that up. Come on, Matt. How am I supposed to get invited to be a guest on Movie Moments if Solo thinks I actually like the Star Wars prequels? 🙂
Related: I liked, but did not love The Force Awakens. Same deal with The Last Jedi. I like it (better than The Force Awakens), but I’m not totally on board.
HAHAHAAHAHA!
Sorry Cody. My memory has failed me and I’ve forever doomed you to a life of “THAT GUY LIKES WHAT?!”
I’ll make a correction on the next episode.