Jump to content

The Force Awakens VS. The Last Jedi


Josh500

The Force Awakens VS. The Last Jedi   

73 members have voted

  1. 1. Which score do you prefer?

    • The Force Awakens
      47
    • The Last Jedi
      26
  2. 2. Which movie do you prefer?

    • The Force Awakens
      35
    • The Last Jedi
      38


Recommended Posts

Now that we had time to watch/listen to TLJ many times....

 

What's your opinion now?

 

Both are very good, but I'd say TFA for score (Rey's Theme!), and TLJ for movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ooh, that's hard. For the movie, it's probably TLJ. I sadly can't say that much about the scores yet, just the OSTs. TFA is a great listening experience, and TLJ works best for me when listened immediately after TFA, they work together really well. But TLJ has more and better highlight tracks. Still, overall so far I may prefer TFA just by a little bit.  A complete TLJ will probably change this, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TFA score for the new themes, though I like the underscore of TLJ better.  As a movie TLJ is weak plotting and screenwriting at its best (in this case, being the best is not good), so TFA for movie.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Movie: TLJ - I actually really liked the direction it went. Probably my favorite Star Wars film in a long while. 

Score: TFA - TLJ is really good, and I love the underscore, but TFA is more diverse in terms of new themes. Plus what Williams does with his classic material is fantastic as well. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Force Awakens’ score just seems to be richer. Although there are some cool moments in the Last Jedi, there are no super moments in my opinion, whereas TFA just seems to be more diverse. Although the actual recording of TLJ is a lot better than TFA. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, tmarps said:

The Force Awakens’ score just seems to be richer. Although there are some cool moments in the Last Jedi, there are no super moments in my opinion, whereas TFA just seems to be more diverse. Although the actual recording of TLJ is a lot better than TFA. 

 

That is just about right.

As movies, both are pretty lackluster to me.

TFA follows the Star Wars template, which makes it repetitive, but still better than the incoherent mess that is TLJ. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually like The Last Jedi's score more (people-who-label-anyone-who-has-issues-with-the-score-as-an-outright-"hater" gasp here) for one very simple (but important!) reason: its far more extrovert. Its a fuller sound. Very important for a Star Wars score.

 

As for a film, I can't get over how deriviative The Force Awakens is, but its a better packaged film than The Last Jedi: far better paced, more action-packed and even the effects shots are better polished. But admittedly, its a close call on both acounts: both scores and films are quite good, neither is great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, tmarps said:

The Force Awakens’ score just seems to be richer. Although there are some cool moments in the Last Jedi, there are no super moments in my opinion, whereas TFA just seems to be more diverse. Although the actual recording of TLJ is a lot better than TFA. 

 

You don't find The Spark to be 'super'?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

You don't find The Spark to be 'super'?

 

Or Holdo’s Resolve? That build up Williams created is superb.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

You don't find The Spark to be 'super'?

Williams isn’t so good at simple repetition as he is with busy, complicated, technically frightening orchestration. (In my humble, listeners opinion) Although I agree it is a cool track ;) - TFA just seems to have more - like The Falcon and Follow Me - those time signatures!!?!?

2 hours ago, someonefun124 said:

 

Or Holdo’s Resolve? That build up Williams created is superb.

Williams is amazing at releasing tension at JUST the right time - and I do love that track a lot. The noteable strong chords at the end are so significantly memorable because the orchestral tutti contrasts the busyness of the stuff heard earlier. Magnificent writing I agree - but did any moment in the Last Jedi give you as many chills as hearing the Rebel Fanfare when the Falcon is introduced in the Jakku chase scene in TFA - or the reveal of Han Solo and Chewie accompanied by a soft Star Wars main theme? Greater releases of tension in TFA in my opinion. Although I do love the musical and visual moment in TLJ where Rey catches the lightsaber in Snoke’s bedroom and the great brassy Force Theme dominates the senses. I appreciated the overwhelming brass Force themes in TLJ a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TFA and TFA.  While my appreciation for the film itself has waned a bit with subsequent rewatches, it was such a great experience seeing it for the first time (probably my favorite cinema experience).  TFA, while chopped up and undermixed in film, has become one of my very favorite Williams scores.  Rey's Theme is pitch-perfect for the character and there are a wealth of great new themes.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 03 March 2018 at 4:09 PM, Tom said:

TFA score for the new themes, though I like the underscore of TLJ better.  As a movie TLJ is weak plotting and screenwriting at its best (in this case, being the best is not good), so TFA for movie.  

 

X2 for me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years ago, I never thought people would consider TFA the winner of anything because of all the disappointed comments. I guess when IX comes out, people will finally love and appreciate TLJ. :P 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, someonefun124 said:

A few years ago, I never thought people would consider TFA the winner of anything because of all the disappointed comments. I guess when IX comes out, people will finally love and appreciate TLJ. :P 

I do not get this sort of reasoning.  The TFA was a mediocre SW film, not bad, not great.  TLJ was worse, thus TFA is better than TLJ.  If IX is even worse than TLJ, then, yes, TLJ will be preferred to IX.  It is not as if people (those who thought TFA was mediocre) have changed their mind on anything.  If anything, it is a testament to just how poor of a film TLJ is.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was referring to the scores not the films. And people who originally dismissed Williams TFA score have come to love it after 2 years. In fact, there were a few TLJ score reviews that made this point. My point is that people’s taste and opinions change over time. Therefore, I predict Williams TLJ score will get its love in due time. :yes:

 

As as for the love for the film itself? I have no idea. Seems like people are preferring the PT since TLJ was released.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People gain some perspective over time, yes. But you could also say the oposite about the people who adore the score to The Last Jedi: that they are mostly basking in the Williams Star Wars score du jour, as it were.

 

I personally still find The Last Jedi a superior score because its, put bluntly, more bombast than The Force Awakens. Beyond the merits and demerits of either as a leitmotivic composition, the bombastic sound is emblematic to Star Wars, and is sorely lacking in The Force Awakens. Couple that with Abrams mixing, and you've got a none-score as far as the film is concerned.

 

14 minutes ago, Tom said:

I do not get this sort of reasoning.  The TFA was a mediocre SW film, not bad, not great.  TLJ was worse, thus TFA is better than TLJ.  If IX is even worse than TLJ, then, yes, TLJ will be preferred to IX.  It is not as if people (those who thought TFA was mediocre) have changed their mind on anything.  If anything, it is a testament to just how poor of a film TLJ is.  

 

Its not entirely beyond reason for episode IX to be worst than The Last Jedi. Final chapters (especially here where its, in a way, the closing chapter of the entire nonet) have a tradition of being overwrought and unbalanced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Its not entirely beyond reason for episode IX to be worst than The Last Jedi. Final chapters (especially here where its, in a way, the closing chapter of the entire nonet) have a tradition of being overwrought and unbalanced.

I think there is a strong chance IX will be worse than TLJ.  The primary reason being that TLJ made it hard to care about any of the main characters going forward.  They are all idiots, with the possible exception of Rey.  And even in her case, her storyline barely advanced from where she was at the end of TFA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The diminished size of the ressistance would lend itself to them fighting against the First Order in an insurgent or infiltration tactic, so in and of itself that's not much of an issue. Carrie Fisher's death is much more unfortunate, because she is the only throughline left from the first trilogy, unless Luke decides to show up as a ghost.

 

Apart from that, Abrams can really do whatever he wants.The Last Jedi's ending did him the courtesy of not setting any specific course for his film to follow in. It also killed off a couple of characters, so Abrams isn't burdened with too many characters to balance: Outside of whatever new characters JJ will introduce, its just Rey, Finn, Rose, Poe and Kylo.

 

The slave kid doesn't have anything to do with the plot (and so is unlikely to feature in further movies) and everything to do with the film's themes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Brundlefly said:

TLJ and TLJ although films and scores are both quite close to each other.

 

It would be so funny if TLJ won for best score. It would get quite unpleasant around here ... but also funny.

Well, I think most around here are rooting for it to win.  TLJ is still on par with the other candidates.  Plus, Williams has lost out so many years to lesser scores...

 

A Dear Basketball win coupled with a TLJ win would be epic, though realistically it (at most) will only be the former.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Tom said:

Well, I think most around here are rooting for it to win.  TLJ is still on par with the other candidates.  Plus, Williams has lost out so many years to lesser scores...

 

A Dear Basketball win coupled with a TLJ win would be epic, though realistically it (at most) will only be the former.  

 

Of course I'm rooting for Williams.  A double win is a distant possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.  Not exactly the same, but they gave Morricone the statue for The Hateful Eight, which was by far not his best.  We all know The Mission was.  Worst snub of all time, in my view.   

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 04/03/2018 at 4:24 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

I'm still surprised that he didn't remove the character completely after TPM.

 

It's a wonder the guy even made it into the first movie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like both quite a bit. TFA introduced so many great themes, and TLJ used them in a bunch of cool new ways. A difficult decision, and fortunately one that I don't actually have to make.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't help but wonder if Johnny just couldn't quite write the score for TFA that he wanted, either due to health concerns, exhaustion from all the rewrites, or simply JJ's editing style prohibiting him from long-lined usage of his themes the way TLJ allowed.

 

Alternatively, he was just playing it cool and keeping things restrained for VII, intending to elaborate on the themes with greater diversity in the sequels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Alternatively, he was just playing it cool and keeping things restrained for VII.

 

I think you got it there, although I'm not sure how conscious of sequels he was, as much as he just tried writing a Star Wars score that was more restrained.

 

I started thinking it was his new ouvre, but thankfully The Last Jedi proved me wrong on that issue!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Just came across this thread and was surprised to see that TLJ easily won for preferred movie.  I thought the internet hated this film?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Jay said:

Just came across this thread and was surprised to see that TLJ easily won for preferred movie.  I thought the internet hated this film?

 

Nah- just the loud part of the Internet!

 

I hadn't voted in this yet, so here's another vote for the TFA score and the TLJ movie.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.