Hot Toys SOLO Mudtrooper

[chrisstbh]

The final act of Rogue One is good, but that's about it.

 

[Asta]

I like them both almost equally, but Solo is the better 'classic' Star Wars story.

And they're not all dead by the end of Solo...and it didn't steal the ending from These Final Hours.

 

[ZE_501]

I like them both almost equally, but Solo is the better 'classic' Star Wars story.

And they're not all dead by the end of Solo...and it didn't steal the ending from These Final Hours.

I agree that Solo has the more lighthearted tone I associate with Star Wars. Love Rogue One but I've always said it's a little too Zero Dark Thirty so I almost don't know what to do with it.

'Solo' feels very much like I expect an anthology story to. Very underrated, IMO.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

I like Solo better than Rogue One too. I liked RO the first time I watched it but I’ve tried watching it a couple of times since and I find it just doesn’t grab me at all. It took me 3 tries each to get through the movie without falling asleep. I just don’t find the characters or the dialogue or really even the way the story unfolds engaging.

Love Solo, though!

 

[che5ter666]

I have been a SW fan since I saw A New Hope at a drive-in theater on opening weekend in 1977 when I was 4 years old. And until very recently the Empire was always portrayed as space Nazis. And as SW fans we?re all fully aware, the Empire only had white men, with (mostly) English accents, which portrays them as racist, sexist, xenophobes. All of that does an excellent job of teaching the audience that the Empire is evil.

Fast forward to the Mandalorian. We see Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon, which makes no sense, regardless of how good an actor he is, he is miscast as an Imperial Officer. It?s like seeing a Jewish officer in the Nazi military, or a black woman as a leader in the KKK. It?s just inconceivable and makes you scratch your head and do a double-take. What?s next, will there be aliens and females in the Empire next? It just makes the empire appear kinder and gentler, and thus less evil. It?s clearly retconning SW, and I don?t like it. I enjoyed seeing Carl Weathers as the leader of a bounty hunter guild, we?ve never seen anything to contradict that casting decision, and I?ve enjoyed Weather?s performance in everything I?ve seen him in, so I?m totally happy with that, but the further you get away from having a smug white old Englishman as an imperial officer the further you get away from the original intent of what the Empire is and the evil they represent.

The decision to make a more diverse Empire, reveals a complete lack of understanding of the dynamics of SW, and betrays the Kathleen Kenedy, and Lucasfilm Story-group?s agenda of identity politics. Other than maybe Pablo Hidalgo, they don?t understand anything about SW.

That?s all I?m saying. And no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, if you are a SW fan you?ll likely pick up what I?m laying down.

I?m not married to my opinions though, so if any of you have a logical counter viewpoint, I?m sincerely interested in hearing your explanation. As a lifelong SW fan I?m very interested to see the new stuff in a way that makes logical sense to me so that I could enjoy it more.


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I just have one point to put into this (don't shout at me lol). I wasn't around in the 70's (born in '87) so I don't know what the film industry was like back then. But was there a ton of different culture actors around at the time? Did the budget not also play a part as well? I can't imagine Lucas had much to make ANH and with the majority of it being filmed in England, would it not have just been 'easier' to cast white English folk?

I'm probably being ignorant to the situation but as I said, I wasn't around then.


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[chrisstbh]

Thrawn existed before Kathleen Kennedy. He is a blue man and a beloved character to many.

 

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

After watching video review I ordered a second. The figure just looks really great. I wish they included a dummy sculpt for the mask, not sure how to handle that yet. Also they really should have used the old textured Sandtrooper base with this figure and just painted it a dark brown/black mud color. Love the included firearm but a second would also have been appreciated.

I like the look so much that I almost want to buy as many as four and swap in some different sculpts but the way they have done the helmet and mask makes that a pretty daunting task. So a pair will have to do.

 

[NoOtherOptions]

Thrawn existed before Kathleen Kennedy. He is a blue man and a beloved character to many.

I mean he's viewed as an outsider. But the EU always clearly states the empire is xenophobic. Sexist? Sorta. Racist? Not that I recall. But it also sets the ground work that if you are an outsider you can still excel just like Thrawn. The fan wank is a bit much at times.

 

[slikkerias]

I mean he's viewed as an outsider. But the EU always clearly states the empire is xenophobic. Sexist? Sorta. Racist? Not that I recall. But it also sets the ground work that if you are an outsider you can still excel just like Thrawn. The fan wank is a bit much at times.

The Trawn books make it very clear that Trawn is an exception to the rule.
From The Essential guide to Alien Species:

 

[chrisstbh]

I never thought the Empire was racist to other humans, just aliens. I doubt skin colour mattered much withint humanity when there are plenty of other species to hate and oppress.

 

[slikkerias]

only the oppression of other species is described, but GL clearly also wanted the Empire to reference nazi Germany.

 

[Waste Time Continuum]

I just have one point to put into this (don't shout at me lol). I wasn't around in the 70's (born in '87) so I don't know what the film industry was like back then. But was there a ton of different culture actors around at the time? Did the budget not also play a part as well? I can't imagine Lucas had much to make ANH and with the majority of it being filmed in England, would it not have just been 'easier' to cast white English folk?

I'm probably being ignorant to the situation but as I said, I wasn't around then.


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You sound sincere to me. Nothing wrong with ignorance if it?s paired with a curious mind. Knowledge starts with ignorance after all.

And I would never shout at anyone that wants to have a rational discussion. [emoji846]


There are lots of black folks as well as other ethnicities in England, so there was no shortage of folks to cast as Imperials if they wanted to portray a racially diverse Empire. Also worth note is that when criticized for not having enough females or minorities in SW, Lucas immediately added them to the Rebellion, not the Empire in subsequent films. Even years later in the end of RotS, when we see the bridge of an Imperial battle ship, we see it staffed with only white men. Also in TPM, we see a female Republic officer piloting the ship with Qiu-Gon and Kenobi, and in AotC we see Ahmed Best, who is a black actor, playing a Republic Officer in the background with Anthony Daniels. So Lucas did include minorities and women in the Republic, so you have to ask, why didn?t he include them in the Empire?

Also you may not have noticed, but all of the Rebels have American accents, even actors with bit parts). The only exception to this is RotJ, when we hear Mon Mothma, and I think one of the generals that both have an English accent. So it appears the intent was to portray two different cultures with the Empire and Rebellion.

I don?t know George Lucas? inner thoughts of course, but I would submit that the Imperial military was based largely on Nazi Fascism. GL wanted the audience to see the Empire as evil, and racism is on the short list of immediately recognizable evil behavior. Imperial racism is quite heavily implied and occasionally explicit.

?Where are you taking that... thing.?

I think that adding diversity to a story is perfectly fine (and occasionally great) as long as it feels organic and conforms with the overall theme of the narrative. When it?s crammed in later, as part of a political agenda, lots of people are bound to notice, and feel insulted or pandered to.


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[Asta]

I don?t know George Lucas? inner thoughts of course, but I would submit that the Imperial military was based largely on Nazi Fascism. GL wanted the audience to see the Empire as evil, and racism is on the short list of immediately recognizable evil behavior. Imperial racism is quite heavily implied and occasionally explicit.

It was certainly this.

The Empire was inspired by Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan as indicated by the design of Imperial officer caps. (The 1970 Tora! Tora! Tora! and 1976 Battle of Midway films were likely a design influence for the Imperial Navy)

 

[NoOtherOptions]

The Trawn books make it very clear that Trawn is an exception to the rule.
From The Essential guide to Alien Species:

Yeah we are on the same page. That's my point, Thrawn is unique. Xenophobic = fear of that which is alien.

 

[che5ter666]

Thank you for your response Continuum.
I remember reading that Lucas took inspiration from WWII with the Nazi Party and the dog fighting etc. So your explanation in regards to the Empire being deliberately portrayed like that is perfectly understandable.

It certainly worked. All SW fans (apart from a select type on Twitter) view the Empire as evil.


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[davejames]

I like Solo better than Rogue One too. I liked RO the first time I watched it but I?ve tried watching it a couple of times since and I find it just doesn?t grab me at all. It took me 3 tries each to get through the movie without falling asleep. I just don?t find the characters or the dialogue or really even the way the story unfolds engaging.

Love Solo, though!

Huh, exact opposite for me. I find myself loving RO more and more with each viewing, while Solo becomes harder and harder to sit through every time. I really wish I liked it more, as I do love the characters, but it's directed in such an uninspired way and always feels way too safe and family-friendly for a movie set in this underworld of smugglers and killers.

 

[yodasan]

Huh, exact opposite for me. I find myself loving RO more and more with each viewing, while Solo becomes harder and harder to sit through every time. I really wish I liked it more, as I do love the characters, but it's directed in such an uninspired way and always feels way too safe and family-friendly for a movie set in this underworld of smugglers and killers.

Pretty much this.

 

[Hoody999]

Pretty much this.

Yep I'd say that too

I'll probably get shouted at here for this. But generally speaking. It seems to often come down to some people like light entertainment "popcorn" movies, which is the category I would put Solo into.

Others tend to like movies with more story and a bit more depth and stakes. I would more or less put Rogue One into this. It's by no means a cinematic masterpiece, but it's more than a popcorn movie in my opinion.

And by the way there is no right or wrong, it's all personal preference of course.

 

[heon123]

Yeah, Solo needed the shadiness notch up another ten levels which I'm sure was mitigated by Lord & Miller's initial script before they were binned.

Meanwhile R1 shines when putting everyone/thing in their ANH starter places, but fails to leave any lasting impression on me with their original characters save Krennic (and maybe K2). I do love the documentary look of the film however - something that was evidently omitted in TROS.

Others tend to like movies with more story and a bit more depth and stakes. I would more or less put Rogue One into this. It's by no means a cinematic masterpiece, but it's more than a popcorn movie in my opinion.

I don't see them being as mutually exclusive. ANH is perfect in this regard. I wouldn't call R1 deeper because its gloomy and realistic-ier.

 

[Waste Time Continuum]

I can?t lie. Whenever I watch R1 and Jyn says the following I get a little choked up because the chances start there and don?t end till the Yavin Celebration.


?They've no idea we're coming. No reason to expect us. If we can make it to the ground, we'll take the next chance... and the next, on and on, until we win... or the chances are spent.?

I also love Cassian?s line after Jyn confronts him about his orders to kill her father. Cassian flys of the handle and ends with

?Now the Rebellion is real to you?

That line resonates with me because I believe that line is also directed at the audience. The Rebellion up to that point are just props and extras in the background, and I never realized that till Cassian?s line.


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