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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 19:07:41 GMT
When I first found out that one of main characters in TFA would be a Stormtrooper my hopes for this movie went up a notch. What a brilliant idea that was. In a saga about light and dark where the main antagonist can redeem himself by switching sides it seemed so obvious and so wonderfully appropriate that one of the villainous pawns do the same. Not only would this be a perfect thematic fit, it would also finally give a face to the previously faceless soldiers so often discarded as mere cannon fodder for our heroes...
I pictured a character with stark rigid beliefs, someone whose world view was built on propaganda and extreme ideaology that, once separated from his commanding officers and comrades would begin to slowly realize he was on the wrong side to begin with. I sensed a great character arc waiting to be brought to life...
But that's not at all what they gave us. Finn is never a believer. We never see him as one of them. From the moment he appears on screen he's already, for all intents and purposes, rejected the dark side and all that he knows. Everything that's interesting about him is over in his first scene. His arc then becomes this: a man wanting to simply run that ultimately realizes that he has to fight. It's an okay arc. Generally speaking, not bad at all. But the character deserved so much more. The chance to actually show a dedicated Stormtrooper organically come to the realization that he was wrong was utterly wasted here. We don't even really know how he feels about his former comrades. Do we just simply accept that he's not like them and never was? Doesn't he still feel anything for them? He was raised with them after all. And what weight was given to his unmasking? Stormtroopers now have a face and that face became a likable hero. Can we really still just accept all the others as cannon fodder without any regard for the fact that are other Finns among them? Finn sure did. So I guess we should too.
/rant
To be clear, I do like Finn. I do like TFA. And I think Boyega was great. I don't mean to go overboard being so negative. I just can't but feel that the character was a gigantic missed opertunity.
thoughts?
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Post by sdrew13163 on May 13, 2017 15:55:22 GMT
I would've preferred Rey was a secondary character (as Leia was) to either Finn or Poe. The marketing early on led us to believe that Finn was the main character, but then his entire arc and characterization was ravaged by the script.
At least he had some humanity, I guess, because Rey certainly didn't. I agree though, I would've rather seen Finn slowly back away from the First Order and give us a nice explanation other than his friend dying in front of him.
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bb15
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Post by bb15 on May 14, 2017 18:40:09 GMT
I pictured a character with stark rigid beliefs, someone whose world view was built on propaganda and extreme ideaology that, once separated from his commanding officers and comrades would begin to slowly realize he was on the wrong side to begin with. I sensed a great character arc waiting to be brought to life... But that's not at all what they gave us. Finn is never a believer... His arc then becomes this: a man wanting to simply run that ultimately realizes that he has to fight. It's an okay arc. Generally speaking, not bad at all. But the character deserved so much more... /rant To be clear, I do like Finn. I do like TFA. And I think Boyega was great. I don't mean to go overboard being so negative. I just can't but feel that the character was a gigantic missed opertunity. thoughts? TFA is not about converting a Stormtrooper. If something like that was done well, it would be a lengthy character change (taking lots of screen time) and imo that does not feel like the style of Star Wars. - Instead, Finn begins as a deserter. That part of his path is set and to me for a Star Wars film that was the right decision. Then the question is whether Finn will stop trying to run away. He eventually does and that is his character arc. Imo at least, BB ;-) |
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ryboto
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Post by ryboto on May 18, 2017 12:53:21 GMT
I pictured a character with stark rigid beliefs, someone whose world view was built on propaganda and extreme ideaology that, once separated from his commanding officers and comrades would begin to slowly realize he was on the wrong side to begin with. I sensed a great character arc waiting to be brought to life... But that's not at all what they gave us. Finn is never a believer... His arc then becomes this: a man wanting to simply run that ultimately realizes that he has to fight. It's an okay arc. Generally speaking, not bad at all. But the character deserved so much more... /rant To be clear, I do like Finn. I do like TFA. And I think Boyega was great. I don't mean to go overboard being so negative. I just can't but feel that the character was a gigantic missed opertunity. thoughts? TFA is not about converting a Stormtrooper. If something like that was done well, it would be a lengthy character change (taking lots of screen time) and imo that does not feel like the style of Star Wars. - Instead, Finn begins as a deserter. That part of his path is set and to me for a Star Wars film that was the right decision. Then the question is whether Finn will stop trying to run away. He eventually does and that is his character arc. Imo at least, BB ;-) That's not an arc, that's just what happens. He never really has a baseline to arc from. He's faceless, then he's got a face, then he's running, then he's a comedic secondary character that's attracted to Rey. Kylo might be the only character with something close to an arc in this film. |
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Post by Waxer-n-boil on May 23, 2017 3:05:45 GMT
Finn's character arc... is just not realistic according to his character background. That's the problem, (not just Finn but throughout TFA), they were so preoccupied with checklisting cool story and character elements that they gave almost no consideration to consistency. The lack of harmony of elements that make up characters sticks out like a sore thumb!
Finn is a perfect example: they should've had his background be one that's much closer to OT Stormtroopers (with perhaps a few references of more elite battle training). Then it would've been more plausible for him to shake off the mental conditioning the first time and never experience the slightest conflict or regression thereafter.
OR...
They could've went with the lifelong programming and then written character development into the rest of his acted out story that would portray a little occasional conflict.
But instead... nothing. Not even one line in the movie like "Rey, all my life I was raised to believe that the First Order, it was the right thing to do. But now I'm not sure" or "...now it just seems evil." Nothing in what he says or in his actions gives you the impression that any of that programming, conditioning, or training was ever there.
They were so concerned with the audience being impressed with First Order Stormtroopers over the blaser fodder OT versions that they had to hi-light this elite Clonetrooper type programming. Then they were so invested in Finn being the protagonist worshipping, inept, comic relief sidekick that they didn't put any of his background into his character development. Instead we got Finn playing the SW version of Kunta Kinte whenever he wasn't obsessed with trying to save Rey (which coincidentally always proved to be largely unnecessary). The typical preteen Disney channel watcher would accept such a bait and switch for relevant character development. And if we weren't Disney demographic veterans then we were supposed to be so distracted and giddy over all the nostalgia fan service that we gladly look past or accepted this dumbed-down fake character development.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2018 23:13:47 GMT
Finn's character arc... is just not realistic according to his character background. That's the problem, (not just Finn but throughout TFA), they were so preoccupied with checklisting cool story and character elements that they gave almost no consideration to consistency. The lack of harmony of elements that make up characters sticks out like a sore thumb! Finn is a perfect example: they should've had his background be one that's much closer to OT Stormtroopers (with perhaps a few references of more elite battle training). Then it would've been more plausible for him to shake off the mental conditioning the first time and never experience the slightest conflict or regression thereafter. OR... They could've went with the lifelong programming and then written character development into the rest of his acted out story that would portray a little occasional conflict. But instead... nothing. Not even one line in the movie like "Rey, all my life I was raised to believe that the First Order, it was the right thing to do. But now I'm not sure" or "...now it just seems evil." Nothing in what he says or in his actions gives you the impression that any of that programming, conditioning, or training was ever there. They were so concerned with the audience being impressed with First Order Stormtroopers over the blaser fodder OT versions that they had to hi-light this elite Clonetrooper type programming. Then they were so invested in Finn being the protagonist worshipping, inept, comic relief sidekick that they didn't put any of his background into his character development. Instead we got Finn playing the SW version of ***a Kinte whenever he wasn't obsessed with trying to save Rey (which coincidentally always proved to be largely unnecessary). The typical preteen Disney channel watcher would accept such a bait and switch for relevant character development. And if we weren't Disney demographic veterans then we were supposed to be so distracted and giddy over all the nostalgia fan service that we gladly look past or accepted this dumbed-down fake character development.  |
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Post by Hauntedknight87 on Apr 7, 2018 0:31:36 GMT
GIVE FINN A BETTER ARC!!!11
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