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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
It is always hit and miss when you go to see a new Star Wars movie, I being a Star Wars nut of old, have collected and read most of the Expanded Universe, and I have been to see all of Midnight Sessions of the New Releases, but always with an open mind. Obviously annoyed at Episodes 1, 2 and mostly at 3, I was somewhat relieved at Episode VII, but it still had its misgivings. Rogue One was a good effort, but again, could have been better.
So I was fascinated to see what Rian Johnson would do with the next evolution.
I have to say that when I first left the movie cinema, I was left with wondering if I had enjoyed it or not, if I was happy with the outcomes of the movie or not, or if something was not right. It took me some time to puzzle over the various aspects and come to the realisation that I had actually gone in with some expectations, and because they hadn’t been fulfilled, I was feeling a bit disappointed. But, I wasn’t disappointed, because I was actually happier with what Johnson had put together. With a few exceptions.
The thing is, as with even the Original Movies, there are parts in every Star Wars movie that you look at and think ‘I could have done without that’, or it would have been good if they had done this... All the Ewok stuff in Return of the Jedi for example. The Last Jedi was for me (and I know that everyone has their own point of view), a lot like one of the originals, fast paced, full of action, decent characters, but with a few hiccups.
I thought they messed up the Finn and Rose scenes and the entire Canto Bight bit, and I was a bit disappointed with Poe’s character in this movie.
So I was really looking forward to reading the book. Books are always meant to be better than the Movie right?
And for the most part Star Wars has done pretty good with its books (there have been some BAD ones, The Courtship of Princess Leia comes to mind, that was reason enough to delete the EU, and more recently, I was very disappointed with ‘The Legends of Luke Skywalker’), but a fair percentage of the rest have been pretty good. The Thrawn series is still one of the best ever.
This book promised to expand on the Movie, adding extra material, which was a good reason for any fan to get it.
Largely, the book follows the movie, however, Fry has given us the thought processes running through the characters heads, their motivations and feelings at the time, and this adds to a lot of different scenes, providing some depth that you just don’t get from the movie. Conversely, some of the action scenes, although described well enough, lose their impact in the book, as opposed to being displayed on the big screen.
Fry has had the opportunity to expand on some areas with extra scenes from Johnson and other areas, giving us some material that would have been fantastic if it had been included in the film. The opening scene of the book would have made for a fascinating start to the movie, giving a completely different feel to the movie had they decided to go down that path. I only hope it is on the deleted scenes of the Blu-Ray release.
Of course, there were some disappointing aspects to the book, and I am not sure if this was limitations placed on Fry himself, or he just didn’t do it, but (sorry, minor spoilers here), there was no real in-depth look at the Kylo Ren character again from within the book. Each of the other characters was given the opportunity to be explored somewhat within the book, adding some extra depth and insight to their characters and the part they have in the story, especially Luke, but there was this black void that was the Kylo Ren character.
The other major disappointment was Snoke. He was both a major disappointment in the movie, failure again to explore the Who, How, Why, When, Where and What of his character? Unfortunately, the book does nothing to satisfy any of these needs/wants either.
One thing the book did do well, and I hinted at this earlier, was look at various relationships. As such, the relationships between Finn and Rose, and their entire piece of the movie, which for me was kind of pointless, was far better in the book, expanded, given more focus, explored more, and their feelings towards each other allowed to be explored more. It was really well don’t.
Other relationships that seemed somewhat sharp in the movie, such as Poe and Holdo where again given a bit more depth in the book, and Poe and Leia’s relationship was explored with greater depth.
Several other characters and their motivations, such as Hux and even some of the other First Order commanders were given some time and explored also – although Captain Phasma continued to be about as useless as a chrome kettle without a wall socket. Talk about the most under rated character in a Star Wars movie ever (well since Boba Fett, and at least he got to feed a Sarlacc, all she did was look like a Robocop wanna be and then fall to her death after being beaten down ‘twice’ by a lesser trained underling, So Sad….
Speaking of Characters, the book also gives us a bit more insight into Luke, the Last Jedi, and for me, what he says about the order, the Force, the Jedi, and his teachings, actually made a lot of sense, especially within the context of this book.
Overall, I am sure that the book will polarise audiences the same as the Movie did, however, I think it was pretty well done, and it definitely adds to the movie rather than detracting from it.
For Star Wars Fans, you will definitely enjoy it, being one, I know that I did. If you hated the movie and have been on that band wagon since the movie came out, well, you will probably not enjoy the book much, but then again, what do you expect? Rian Johnson did a good job, and Jason Fry has kept to it, expanding on it, and giving it an edge, apart from those few small complaints.
At the end of the day, take the story for what it is, enjoy it, and in the words of our beloved Princess – May the Force be with you…..
So I was fascinated to see what Rian Johnson would do with the next evolution.
I have to say that when I first left the movie cinema, I was left with wondering if I had enjoyed it or not, if I was happy with the outcomes of the movie or not, or if something was not right. It took me some time to puzzle over the various aspects and come to the realisation that I had actually gone in with some expectations, and because they hadn’t been fulfilled, I was feeling a bit disappointed. But, I wasn’t disappointed, because I was actually happier with what Johnson had put together. With a few exceptions.
The thing is, as with even the Original Movies, there are parts in every Star Wars movie that you look at and think ‘I could have done without that’, or it would have been good if they had done this... All the Ewok stuff in Return of the Jedi for example. The Last Jedi was for me (and I know that everyone has their own point of view), a lot like one of the originals, fast paced, full of action, decent characters, but with a few hiccups.
I thought they messed up the Finn and Rose scenes and the entire Canto Bight bit, and I was a bit disappointed with Poe’s character in this movie.
So I was really looking forward to reading the book. Books are always meant to be better than the Movie right?
And for the most part Star Wars has done pretty good with its books (there have been some BAD ones, The Courtship of Princess Leia comes to mind, that was reason enough to delete the EU, and more recently, I was very disappointed with ‘The Legends of Luke Skywalker’), but a fair percentage of the rest have been pretty good. The Thrawn series is still one of the best ever.
This book promised to expand on the Movie, adding extra material, which was a good reason for any fan to get it.
Largely, the book follows the movie, however, Fry has given us the thought processes running through the characters heads, their motivations and feelings at the time, and this adds to a lot of different scenes, providing some depth that you just don’t get from the movie. Conversely, some of the action scenes, although described well enough, lose their impact in the book, as opposed to being displayed on the big screen.
Fry has had the opportunity to expand on some areas with extra scenes from Johnson and other areas, giving us some material that would have been fantastic if it had been included in the film. The opening scene of the book would have made for a fascinating start to the movie, giving a completely different feel to the movie had they decided to go down that path. I only hope it is on the deleted scenes of the Blu-Ray release.
Of course, there were some disappointing aspects to the book, and I am not sure if this was limitations placed on Fry himself, or he just didn’t do it, but (sorry, minor spoilers here), there was no real in-depth look at the Kylo Ren character again from within the book. Each of the other characters was given the opportunity to be explored somewhat within the book, adding some extra depth and insight to their characters and the part they have in the story, especially Luke, but there was this black void that was the Kylo Ren character.
The other major disappointment was Snoke. He was both a major disappointment in the movie, failure again to explore the Who, How, Why, When, Where and What of his character? Unfortunately, the book does nothing to satisfy any of these needs/wants either.
One thing the book did do well, and I hinted at this earlier, was look at various relationships. As such, the relationships between Finn and Rose, and their entire piece of the movie, which for me was kind of pointless, was far better in the book, expanded, given more focus, explored more, and their feelings towards each other allowed to be explored more. It was really well don’t.
Other relationships that seemed somewhat sharp in the movie, such as Poe and Holdo where again given a bit more depth in the book, and Poe and Leia’s relationship was explored with greater depth.
Several other characters and their motivations, such as Hux and even some of the other First Order commanders were given some time and explored also – although Captain Phasma continued to be about as useless as a chrome kettle without a wall socket. Talk about the most under rated character in a Star Wars movie ever (well since Boba Fett, and at least he got to feed a Sarlacc, all she did was look like a Robocop wanna be and then fall to her death after being beaten down ‘twice’ by a lesser trained underling, So Sad….
Speaking of Characters, the book also gives us a bit more insight into Luke, the Last Jedi, and for me, what he says about the order, the Force, the Jedi, and his teachings, actually made a lot of sense, especially within the context of this book.
Overall, I am sure that the book will polarise audiences the same as the Movie did, however, I think it was pretty well done, and it definitely adds to the movie rather than detracting from it.
For Star Wars Fans, you will definitely enjoy it, being one, I know that I did. If you hated the movie and have been on that band wagon since the movie came out, well, you will probably not enjoy the book much, but then again, what do you expect? Rian Johnson did a good job, and Jason Fry has kept to it, expanding on it, and giving it an edge, apart from those few small complaints.
At the end of the day, take the story for what it is, enjoy it, and in the words of our beloved Princess – May the Force be with you…..
adventurous
medium-paced
Sé que la película es muy controversial y divide mucho a los fans de Star Wars, como cualquier otra de las secuelas, pero realmente soy fan de lo que se intenta contar en ella aunque estoy consiente que en muchas cosas pudo ser mejor, por ello decidí leer el libro, siendo la primera novelización de una película que leo.
Cumplió muy bien con lo que esperaba, pues termina agregando capaz extra que hacían falta para comprender mejor a muchos personajes, como por ejemplo el General Hux, y es que son capas que realmente son mejores de desarollar a través de un libro con los pensamientos de un personaje o explicando el porqué de sus acciones.
The Last Jedi es una buena historia dentro del universo de Star Wars, no es perfecta y en algunos aspectos pudo ser contada de mejor manera, pero toma riesgos que se disfrutan dentro de esta saga y profundiza más en personajes clásicos haciéndolos más interesantes. Si tuviera que quejarme de algo y creo que es la principal molestia para muchos, es sobre su protagonista Rey, quien si bien aquí en la novelización se me hizo más agradable sigue sin ser una protagonista interesante.
En general, es un buen libro para entretenerse, es sencillo de leer y como fan de Star Wars lo disfrute mucho, y claro al final si quieres disfrutarlo también debes ser fan o tener conocimiento sobre este universo y sobre todo no cerrarte a la idea de que "sus secuelas son malas", si lo haces creo que te gustará también.
Cumplió muy bien con lo que esperaba, pues termina agregando capaz extra que hacían falta para comprender mejor a muchos personajes, como por ejemplo el General Hux, y es que son capas que realmente son mejores de desarollar a través de un libro con los pensamientos de un personaje o explicando el porqué de sus acciones.
The Last Jedi es una buena historia dentro del universo de Star Wars, no es perfecta y en algunos aspectos pudo ser contada de mejor manera, pero toma riesgos que se disfrutan dentro de esta saga y profundiza más en personajes clásicos haciéndolos más interesantes. Si tuviera que quejarme de algo y creo que es la principal molestia para muchos, es sobre su protagonista Rey, quien si bien aquí en la novelización se me hizo más agradable sigue sin ser una protagonista interesante.
En general, es un buen libro para entretenerse, es sencillo de leer y como fan de Star Wars lo disfrute mucho, y claro al final si quieres disfrutarlo también debes ser fan o tener conocimiento sobre este universo y sobre todo no cerrarte a la idea de que "sus secuelas son malas", si lo haces creo que te gustará también.
When I read these movie novelizations I am looking for more insight into the character's thoughts that we don't necessarily see in the movie. This book did a great job showing even the thoughts of Snoke in his last moments, as well as Chewie trying to get a Porg Dinner and Leia freaking McGonagalling back to Hogwarts.
But let's be real, the main reason why I read the book was to hold me over just one more week until the Blu-Rey release
But let's be real, the main reason why I read the book was to hold me over just one more week until the Blu-Rey release
I had never read a novelization before so I suppose I should have expected this to follow the film beat by beat, but I still found it a bit unsatisfying. I wanted it to make the most of it being a different medium - more introspection, more description from the characters' eyes, more sensory aspects, maybe something more interesting with scene order, perspective and structure - but it was still enjoyable and added some dimension to the story. I finally know what space travel /feels/ like!
Loved the movie loved the book. The wait for Episode 9 is killing me daily.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
These books are such a great complement to the movies 💞 I love having every characters povs (even if it can be a little confusing sometimes).
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have mixed feelings about this book. I picked up the book hoping to find additional scenes and deeper insight into characters' emotions and thoughts in various situations. I only got half of that, at best.
The book started out well, with multiple scenes that are not in the movie, starting with a prologue that shows the outcome of Luke's life had things gone differently on Tatooine decades earlier. I absolutely loved it, and was greatly looking forward to that level of creativity and input. Unfortunately, the number of additional scenes dwindled as the book went on. Almost every scene that was added for the book is in the first half. This, paired with the lack of character emotion and thought exploration made for a much duller second half.
Speaking of, I was very disappointed with how emotions are portrayed in this novelization. This movie has a lot of scenes that are emotionally charged. From the Resistance being on its last stand, to the emergence of a bond between Kylo Ren and Rey, and Leia losing many people she holds dear, many characters in this chapter of the Star Wars story are in the middle of intense situations and emotions. Fry did an awful job of relaying that on paper. In the movies, I absolutely love the scenes between Rey and Kylo when they are communicating through the force. The moment where they reassure each other that they are not alone is such an important and emotionally charged scene, and Fry catastrophically failed to translate this moment and all of its sentiments to the page. The scene was over in a single page, and I didn't feel any of the vulnerability that is so well conveyed on screen. The moment is a catalyst of the evolution of their dynamic and story. There was so much potential to show audiences how Rey and Kylo were feeling, even show the visions they each had during that moment when they touched. Instead the moment is reduced to an insignificant and passing minute. There were plenty of other moments that lacked feeling, such as Finn's near sacrifice and Luke's passing, but I can't go over each missed opportunity.
I will say, however, that some characters greatly benefited from the novelization. Jumps between different characters' perspective gave audiences greater understanding over their personalities, motives, and values. (Why this didn't apply to the major characters of the sequel trilogy remains a mystery.) Rose's character was a lot more loveable and funny in the book than in the movie to me. In the book, she is a lot more sassy, still just as fierce, but the insights into her thoughts made for her falling for Finn feel more natural. Her connection to her sister was also much more profound here. Leia is another character who benefited. We got more moments of reflection and grief from her that rounded her out as a character. She was no longer just a general. She was a grieving widow and mother, a political and military woman who had seen too much pain and death but could not leave the fight behind. The first scene we see her in, in which she has to give a speech after Han's death was particularly impactful to me.
In summary, we've already seen the movie. The saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words" doesn't exist for nothing, so when translating a film into a book, we need more insight into the characters' heads, which is the biggest hurdle for films. Instead, Fry focused on writing down what was visually happening on screen which made each scene feel duller without the facial and musical cues that brought forth that emotion, with the exception of the occasional scene in which he took creative liberties and actually explored the state of mind of characters.
The book started out well, with multiple scenes that are not in the movie, starting with a prologue that shows the outcome of Luke's life had things gone differently on Tatooine decades earlier. I absolutely loved it, and was greatly looking forward to that level of creativity and input. Unfortunately, the number of additional scenes dwindled as the book went on. Almost every scene that was added for the book is in the first half. This, paired with the lack of character emotion and thought exploration made for a much duller second half.
Speaking of, I was very disappointed with how emotions are portrayed in this novelization. This movie has a lot of scenes that are emotionally charged. From the Resistance being on its last stand, to the emergence of a bond between Kylo Ren and Rey, and Leia losing many people she holds dear, many characters in this chapter of the Star Wars story are in the middle of intense situations and emotions. Fry did an awful job of relaying that on paper. In the movies, I absolutely love the scenes between Rey and Kylo when they are communicating through the force. The moment where they reassure each other that they are not alone is such an important and emotionally charged scene, and Fry catastrophically failed to translate this moment and all of its sentiments to the page. The scene was over in a single page, and I didn't feel any of the vulnerability that is so well conveyed on screen. The moment is a catalyst of the evolution of their dynamic and story. There was so much potential to show audiences how Rey and Kylo were feeling, even show the visions they each had during that moment when they touched. Instead the moment is reduced to an insignificant and passing minute. There were plenty of other moments that lacked feeling, such as Finn's near sacrifice and Luke's passing, but I can't go over each missed opportunity.
I will say, however, that some characters greatly benefited from the novelization. Jumps between different characters' perspective gave audiences greater understanding over their personalities, motives, and values. (Why this didn't apply to the major characters of the sequel trilogy remains a mystery.) Rose's character was a lot more loveable and funny in the book than in the movie to me. In the book, she is a lot more sassy, still just as fierce, but the insights into her thoughts made for her falling for Finn feel more natural. Her connection to her sister was also much more profound here. Leia is another character who benefited. We got more moments of reflection and grief from her that rounded her out as a character. She was no longer just a general. She was a grieving widow and mother, a political and military woman who had seen too much pain and death but could not leave the fight behind. The first scene we see her in, in which she has to give a speech after Han's death was particularly impactful to me.
In summary, we've already seen the movie. The saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words" doesn't exist for nothing, so when translating a film into a book, we need more insight into the characters' heads, which is the biggest hurdle for films. Instead, Fry focused on writing down what was visually happening on screen which made each scene feel duller without the facial and musical cues that brought forth that emotion, with the exception of the occasional scene in which he took creative liberties and actually explored the state of mind of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence
The movie did it better. To be fair, the movie always does it better than the novelization. Novelizations are nearly to a one marketing ploys. But after having read the novelization for Rogue One, I am now spoiled for all future movie novelizations. That book was fantastic. It was a piece of art all on its own, and I nearly liked it better than the movie.
This was not that. It was competent. Nothing was wrong. But most importantly, it didn't really translate; the big moments did not hit here like they did in the film. They mostly just zoomed by and no emotional impact was recorded. I'm thinking specifically of two of my favorite moments, the Kylo Ren/Snoke/Rey sequence, and Luke vs. Ben at the end. Fry wrote those two scenes, the whole book really, as if relaying what happened. There didn't seem to be any attempt to evoke the same feelings the movie did through different means. There was no art to it.
Still, it was a good enough reading experience. Like I said, now that I know that novelizations can be great, I will be holding all the rest of them to that standard. Rounding up from 3.5 though, because this was way better than The Force Awakens novelization, which was not great, and also because the "deleted scenes" were legitimately fun. Especially the prologue, which was an extended fantasy sequence into what Luke's life would have been like had he never gone to find old Ben in the desert back in the first movie.
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
This was not that. It was competent. Nothing was wrong. But most importantly, it didn't really translate; the big moments did not hit here like they did in the film. They mostly just zoomed by and no emotional impact was recorded. I'm thinking specifically of two of my favorite moments, the Kylo Ren/Snoke/Rey sequence, and Luke vs. Ben at the end. Fry wrote those two scenes, the whole book really, as if relaying what happened. There didn't seem to be any attempt to evoke the same feelings the movie did through different means. There was no art to it.
Still, it was a good enough reading experience. Like I said, now that I know that novelizations can be great, I will be holding all the rest of them to that standard. Rounding up from 3.5 though, because this was way better than The Force Awakens novelization, which was not great, and also because the "deleted scenes" were legitimately fun. Especially the prologue, which was an extended fantasy sequence into what Luke's life would have been like had he never gone to find old Ben in the desert back in the first movie.
[3.5 stars, rounded up]