Was linked to Peter David's review of SW7, checked out his JA review
This might be of interest to some. Personally I only know Peter David from his correct prediction that some filmmaker is bound to start using the Wachowskis' editing style they used in Speed Racer (I know of at least one: Edgar Wright, another among of my favorites).
Who is Peter David:
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956) often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, Supergirl, X-Factor and Fallen Angel.
His Star Trek work includes both comic books and novels such as Imzadi, and co-creating the New Frontier series. His other novels include film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
Now let's talk Star Wars:
His thoughts on whether SW7's Rey is a "Mary Sue" ("Of course not") and his review on SW7 (loved almost anything but the forgettable music):
http://www.peterdavid.net/2015/12/21/is-rey-a-mary-sue/
http://www.peterdavid.net/2015/12/29/so-star-wars-my-thoughts/
His Speed Racer review, which is how I know of him:
http://www.peterdavid.net/2008/05/12/speed-racer-is-too-far-ahead/
And I realized a lot of this negativism was sounding familiar to me. Too long. Too loud. Too overwhelming visually with lots of mindless sound and fury signifying nothing. And I realized where and when I had heard it all before:
“Blade Runner.”
[...]
The constant motion of the wipes and the way that even heavily expository scenes are made visually stimulating are going to be aped in subsequent movies.
“Speed Racer” may crash, but like a first rate car, it’s going to be cannibalized for its parts.
So I wanted to see if he wrote a JA review as well and indeed he did:
http://www.peterdavid.net/2015/02/08/go-see-jupiter-ascending/
I copy this in its entirety:
We all know it’s going to tank. People have been gunning for this film because they still haven’t forgiven the Wachowskis for the two “Matrix” sequels. This despite their fantastic work on “Speed Racer,” a film that screenwriter Josh Olson correctly described as a litmus test for your inner child.
Is it a perfect film? God, no. The film plays like a drinking game where you toss back a shot every time a classic SF trope plays across the screen. The only one they miss, surprisingly, is Sean Bean dying (he actually lives.) The dialogue is so bizarrely mannered that at times it seems like they brought in Jack Kirby on an Ouija board to do a pass on the film.
But you know what? Screw it. In a day and age where we complain that so many films are prequels or sequels, the Wachowskis have taken World Building 101 to a delirious level, cast it with actors who seem game through the most absurd sequences imaginable, and have produced a special FX extravaganza that features dynamic chases, fantastic outer space adventures, and an actual reason why there’s so many damned human looking aliens out there. Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum do their best with two people who, in the midst of endless running and fighting, fall in love for zero reason: Kunis is an outer space princess born with the same DNA set as another long-dead princess, and Tatum is a human/wolf mix whom Kunis appears to adore because she likes dogs. And Eddie Redmayne is just flat out insane as the perpetually whispering bad guy, 1/3 of a brother/brother/sister combo that must have made Thanksgiving dinners extremely memorable get togethers.
A combination of “Dune,” “Star Wars,” and a seriously drug induced haze, “Jupiter Ascending” should be experienced on the big screen because it’s frankly too big for a small screen. People who are likening it to “Battlefield Earth,” a truly horrendous movie, are simply wrong. Go in there with the right mindset and it’s a perfectly entertaining way to kill a couple of hours while we’re all waiting for the next “Star Wars” movie so we can tear that apart.
PAD
Someone might find this of interest given the recent thread about SW and the fact these two were the space opera films of the year. Or maybe not. share