What are Your Thoughts on Disney's Ownership of the Marvel And Star Wars Franchises ?

[Bick]

British actors seem to play a key part in the original trilogy, a lot seemingly with no little or movie experience but plenty of British tv shows, Michael 'Mr Bronson' Sheard being one of my favourites, but there are plenty of others

Yes, also ‘Bulman’, aka Don Henderson! I liked him in the original film. Basically if you were very high up in the Imperial military, you were British. We make good baddies, see.

 

[Toby Frost]

you were British

English, to be precise. We make good Nazis, idiots and cowards, according to Hollywood.

 

[Swank]

English, to be precise. We make good Nazis, idiots and cowards, according to Hollywood.

+Superspies, intellectuals and the most attractive romantic partners.

 

[JunkMonkey]

English, to be precise. We make good Nazis, idiots and cowards, according to Hollywood.

Or just baddies generally. For me this reached it's peak in the film Alien Nation. The aliens in Alien Nation were refugees who landed in America. They all landed in one ship and they all learned English and very quickly from their American hosts. The only British accented alien in Alien Nation was played by Terrence Stamp. Why he learned English with an English accent while all the other aliens learned it with an American accent is a mystery until you realise he was the villain of the piece. The accent makes you evil apparently.

 

[Vladd67]

Or just baddies generally. For me this reached it's peak in the film Alien Nation. The aliens in Alien Nation were refugees who landed in America. They all landed in one ship and they all learned English and very quickly from their American hosts. The only British accented alien in Alien Nation was played by Terrence Stamp. Why he learned English with an English accent while all the other aliens learned it with an American accent is a mystery until you realise he was the villain of the piece. The accent makes you evil apparently.

Evil and if you work for MI6 camp

 

[Harpo]

 

[Rodders]

You say that, Harpo, but apart from a few exceptions, the quality of the Disney movies and TV shows has been awful. No. Kathleen Kennedy is destroying Star Wars.

Yes, there has been some elements of the fandom that has been toxic and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, i'm both embarrassed and appalled. However, these fans are the exception and not the rule.

 

[BAYLOR]

You say that, Harpo, but apart from a few exceptions, the quality of the Disney movies and TV shows has been awful. No. Kathleen Kennedy is destroying Star Wars.

Yes, there has been some elements of the fandom that has been toxic and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, i'm both embarrassed and appalled. However, these fans are the exception and not the rule.

Have you ever seen Robot Chicken The Convention Fight ? It starts with all fight between Star Trek and Star Wars fans both wanting to use the same auditorium at the same time.

 

[BAYLOR]

Im waiting for animated remake of the original l Star Wars with Mickey and the gang in filing all the roles !

 

[Rodders]

I think Disney have sacrificed story for politics and Star Wars as a whole has suffered for it. I'm also quite disgusted (not quite angry) at how badly they've chosen to disrespect George Lucas and his vision.

As for the announcement of new films, I think i would've preferred a story based around Finn and Poe as both were kind of wasted heroes in the last trilogy. I liked Daisy, but Rey wasn't interesting.

 

[Harpo]

Im waiting for animated remake of the original l Star Wars with Mickey and the gang in filing all the roles !

Family Guy already did it, and very well.

 

[Toby Frost]

The only "politics" I see is obsessive fans and Youtube weirdos using Star Wars as a springboard for their cranky BS (forum rules prevent me from saying exactly what they're pushing but it sure as hell isn't democracy). Unless you count Andor, which is a good political drama. And frankly Lucas did some solid work to trash his own legacy with that awful prequel trilogy.

Anyhow, my problem with Star Wars is that a lot of it just isn't very good. The rate of good films and TV series to ropey ones is 50/50 at the very best. Of course there's a lot of personal choice involved, but I just can't see how something like The Book of Boba Fett is objectively good.

 

[Rodders]

You are correct, Toby, It has generally been terrible, but they [Disney] have done some things well. I very much enjoyed Andor and the first series of the Mandalorian and Jedi: Fallen Order was a superb, (if a little short), game. But i think that's all i've enjoyed.

What i saw of the Boba Fett and Obi-Wan series as well as the more recent Mandalorian episodes looked ridiculous. (To be fair, i haven't seen them all the way through.)

There seems to be a very unfocused leadership at Lucasfilm. So many announcements and cancellations makes me think that Lucasfilm still doesn't have a concrete plan for Star Wars. I've also been reading that the Halcyon Star Cruiser is now closing. (That was a $billion investment by Disney.) Things don't bode well at Lucasfilm.

 

[BAYLOR]

Family Guy already did it, and very well.

These are among the funniest episodes that Family Guy has ever done.

 

[Thaumechanic]

Overall, I'm very happy with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, right up to just before Endgame. Endgame felt like a victory lap. The fight was awesome, but Disney sappiness seeped into the lead-in. After that, I have no idea what criteria they used to assign movies and serieses, but script quality wasn't on the list. I'm grateful for what they gave, but it's all over except the milking.

Star Wars was basically doomed the moment Jar-jar walked onto the stage. The original series was undoubtably epic but, as hard as that might have been to do, Lucas overplayed his hand. He also lost touch. He drew the interest of a younger crowd, but I won't try to mansplain their perspective.

Overall, I can't say that Disney did any worse than Lucas himself would have. Episode VII was insultingly derivative, almost as if they were trying to figure out why the original was a success. The later two felt like word salad, and they ripped some serious chunks out of the continuity along the way. On the other hand, Rogue One and Solo were solid. What I saw of the Clone Wars animated series was fun, and I enjoyed the Bad Batch. Baby Yoda drove me away from The Mandalorian before I could form a solid opinion.

A few decades ago, I could rely upon Disney to crap up anything they touched. Now I think they're too big, and they can't spread the crap thinly enough to cover the full surface of their empire.

 

[Toby Frost]

You are correct, Toby, It has generally been terrible, but they [Disney] have done some things well. I very much enjoyed Andor and the first series of the Mandalorian and Jedi: Fallen Order was a superb, (if a little short), game. But i think that's all i've enjoyed.

Your point about it being unfocussed feels spot on. Boba Fett was such a weird mixture of flashbacks, story, other people's stories and at one point an entire episode of the Mandalorian that it felt like it the plot had been written in a game of Chinese Whispers. With the best will in the world, I ended up thinking "What is this all for?". That said, Andor and The Mandalorian have contained some excellent stuff. The variation in quality is frustrating.

 

[CupofJoe]

It looks like not all is well with the House of Mouse.

Avatar 3 and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty pushed back by Disney

The studio reshuffles release dates for eagerly awaited blockbusters, including Star Wars sequels.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[BAYLOR]

Not helping Disney is the underperformance at the box office of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

 

[Rodders]

I must confess that i've been rather dismayed at Kathleen Kennedy's handling of Lucasfilm and her dismantling the heroes of my childhood.

Vince's review is the first positive review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny that i've read so far and is probably the only one that would make me want to see it.

Scuttlebutt is that Disney is looking to sell Lucasfilm to a Saudi Arabian for $8bn. (I hear that Saudi wants to carve a niche for itself into the entertainment industry.) This is all unconfirmed.

 

[Vladd67]

I must confess that i've been rather dismayed at Kathleen Kennedy's handling of Lucasfilm and her dismantling the heroes of my childhood.

Vince's review is the first positive review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny that i've read so far and is probably the only one that would make me want to see it.

Scuttlebutt is that Disney is looking to sell Lucasfilm to a Saudi Arabian for $8bn. (I hear that Saudi wants to carve a niche for itself into the entertainment industry.) This is all unconfirmed.

Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla Begins Construction On Large Studio Complex

The first phase will encompass approximately 330,000 square feet and is scheduled to be up and running for the fourth quarter of 2023.

deadline.com