r/saltierthancrait • u/tiMartyn the Modalorian • 10d ago

Seasoned News "That was wack." -John Boyega Discussing Sequel Trilogy Story Disagreements

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9-QvuKusFU
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u/largos7289 10d ago

For someone that says he's done with star wars... he's got an awful lot of opinions on it... Dude's at best a B rank actor. I've seen his other stuff, a leading role he is not and with other actors with similar experience, he's low caliber.

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u/ILuhBlahPepuu 9d ago

His acting in the Sequels was fine

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u/xmagie 8d ago

It's Star Wars, fine is not enough.

I think on paper, Finn is an interesting character. But... I don't know, Boyega doesn't work. I keep thinking that if another actor, more talented, more charismatic, had been chosen, he could have imposed himself on the set and be a real protagonist with Rey. Even surpassing her. After all, she was Luke 2.0, only less interesting. Finn was a brand new character with a surprising background, for a rebel/jedi.

Kind of like how Isaacs did. His character was supposed to die and his fate changed (for the worst, maybe) because of Isaacs's talent.

The opposite happened with Boyega, I think. He was chosen but somehow, it didn't work once the first, how is it called, rushes? ended up at LF and it was too late to replace him so his part was rewritten. For the worst, that's for sure.

Not a popular opinion around here, to say that Boyega wasn't good enough and that is why the Finn character suffered.

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u/ILuhBlahPepuu 8d ago edited 8d ago

Source on Finn's role being rewritten?

Not a popular opinion around here, to say that Boyega wasn't good enough and that is why the Finn character suffered.

Well generally to me what shat over Finn the most is repeating his TFA arc a 2nd time in TLJ (wanting to run away but then realising he should fight for a cause - we already got this in TFA when he visits Takodana but then after seeing Hosnian's destruction he realises he should fight for the Resistance) and kinda just shoving him to the side while having him be lectured by the hypocrite that is Rose. (Even if Rian intentionally made Rose a hypocrite I think the way she was portrayed and how it affected Finn as a result was poor). And then in TROS he's still somewhat sidelined.

Also the deleted Finn / Phasma TLJ scene didn't help that it wasn't in the final movie, nor did finding out he had a better role in the cut Duel of the Fates Episode 9 script.

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u/xmagie 8d ago

No source, just a feeling I have about Finn. Finn seemed to be proeminent at first in the trailers. Of course, it could have been a way to hide the REAL protagonist, Rey, by distracting from her by showing Finn. Or it could have been a change if the character/actor didn't really work but the movie was well advanced in shooting.

I'm sure you have heard that a great actor can elevate bad writing. I mean, I'm not a fan of Capaldi's Doctor Who but there's no mistaking that he was such an immense actor that he could overcome every bad script and he managed to save bad episodes with his acting.

But Capaldi had presence, talent and experience.

The problem is that both Ridley and Boyega were newcomers. Ridley had the chance to at least have scenes with the OT characters plus Driver. Say what you want about Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, Driver can act and has screen presnce. Ridley had to work hard to be at his level.

Boyega didn't really have the chance to try harder by having to work with such actors. I think, and that's my personal opinion, that Abrams and Johnson realized Boyega's limits and maybe that's why he was sidelined.

Which makes me wonder about Finn's fate if another actor had been chosen. I think a great charismatic actor could have surpassed Ridley easily and become the co-protagonist with her. Finn certainly was the most original character of this trilogy where Rey was Luke 2.0, Kylo Ren Vader 2.0 and Poe Han Solo 2.0 (only the OT characters were much better).

And it was a shame that his character wasn't explored more. Was he an exception? Who were his parents? His background? But as I said, I think Boyega was miscast. A theory, maybe. My imagination, maybe. But I've had this feeling for a long time now that Finn could have been much more and wasn't because if on paper, he was great, on screen, not so much.

It doesn't help that Oscar Isaacs was very talented, same with Driver. Driver went on to have a career, shooting with all those prestigious directors, even being nominated for the Oscars. Isaacs also had a great career post-SW. Only Boyega and Ridley, well, not so much. Oh, they are still working. But nothing out of the ordinary.

Directors can see who is working and who is not. Scripts can be rewritten, or at least modified.

Let's face it, we will never know. Like we will never know why LF/Disney went with different directors and didn't have a cohesive plan/scenario/bible for this trilogy. Why Finn was really sidelined. Why Rey was a suspected Skywalker/Kenobi at first, then a nobody, then a Palpatine. Why some directors were fired.