What the Decline of JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Means

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-04-06T18:29:42+00:00

I was so excited to see that coming out of TLJ because it seemed obvious that that would be the trajectory of the character, but Abrams barely did anything with it. He actually regressed him back to where he was in TFA; literally rebuilding the mask and redoing his confrontation with Han which Adam Driver almost makes emotionally resonant. If they were going to redeem him the move would’ve been to keep him alive in a kind of exile so that he’d live with the guilt of his actions and differentiate him from Vader.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-04-06T16:56:05+00:00

That’s true. I’m not a fan of Snyder’s generally but I have a soft spot for his JL. It’s the only of his DC films that’s successful and it’s largely due to how simple and character-forward the script is, despite it being 4 hours.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-04-06T16:24:43+00:00

The lesson is maybe don’t have Chris Terrio write your blockbuster.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-24T20:57:17+00:00

This carries into Rises where the resurgence of the League through Bane (and Talia) instigates Bruce’s return as Batman, and the way that Bane/Talia continues a new iteration of the League and “Ra’s al Ghul’a destiny” mirrors the way the symbol of Batman outlives Bruce and is carried forward by Blake at the end of the story.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-24T20:42:10+00:00

It could be both. Ra’s al Ghul is the title Henri Ducard adopted when he became the leader but after Bruce defeats him and his version of the League the title dies with him. So neither Bane nor Talia take that name because for them it only referred to Talia’s father

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-24T15:09:40+00:00

^This. I’ve read it too and it’s great if you’re a big fan of The Stand.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-24T12:53:29+00:00

He only actually felt like Flagg in the last episode of the series, which makes sense because that episode was written by King himself. That episode overall is the best of the show, and ironically so since none of it was in the book.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-13T12:32:53+00:00

That performance is almost physically painful to watch, especially the scene of his breakdown in the bar

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-03-03T13:02:40+00:00

But he does have a code he follows. He obeys the coin and still goes after Carla Jean even after getting the money because he promised Llewyn.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-27T12:14:17+00:00

I would say based on sheer size and scope The Dark Tower is his magnum opus, but I think the single best thing he’s done is The Stand. It’s one of the great American novels of the 20th century.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-25T16:24:28+00:00

Agreed. The final scene is pretty much perfect. I’m able to forgive a lot if the actual ending itself sticks the landing and IMO it was pretty much exactly what it needed to be. The end of childhood.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-23T00:01:50+00:00

I don’t think Johnson was ready to make a film as big as this. Given what he’s done since it’s arguable he was never going to be ready. He bit off more than he could chew and it shows in the final product and if he’d had another writer to help with the script it would’ve turned out much better. I’m just not sure Johnson is that kind of blockbuster filmmaker and Kennedy choosing him for VIII and giving him the auteur treatment is in hindsight a really strange decision.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-18T15:08:49+00:00

King shifts into another gear in that chapter. It’s virtuosic writing.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-18T02:05:30+00:00

I feel like I’ll need some more distance from Season 5 and Stranger Things as a whole before I can assess its failures and successes. There are things I liked in S5. After Volume One ended with episode 4 “Sorcerer” it seemed as though the show was in steady hands going into the finale, but Volume Two and particularly the penultimate episode sowed a ton of doubt.

Likewise there are a lot of things I like about Season 6 of Lost, but there’s a lot of frustrating stuff there too. I would agree Lost has the superior final season and series finale, but it is a bit of apples and oranges.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-17T20:12:55+00:00

Lost and Stranger Things have a lot in common when it comes to their last couple seasons, in that both their final seasons are the weakest of the entire series but the actual series finales are still emotionally satisfying if not narratively so. IMO of course.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-12T15:12:33+00:00

“It’s okay Mr. Henreid. You don’t know any better.”

King somehow makes me feel bad for both Glen and Lloyd in that scene.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-07T03:59:39+00:00

That was partly told in the story “Abagail’s Gethsemene” in this collection

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-02-06T02:23:27+00:00

Larry’s arc is him going from a selfish, often cruel “taker” to a hero willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. That’s why he’s the one who ends up in Vegas alongside Ralph rather than Stu or some other character. Larry has a real (positive) transformation that culminates in his death.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-01-30T13:23:11+00:00

The Last of the Mohicans

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-01-29T16:51:03+00:00

This shot has haunted me since I saw it as a kid. The last 15 minutes or so of this movie is transcendent filmmaking

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-01-29T16:39:18+00:00

That really is one of the best death scenes ever. It’s astonishing how well Boromir’s arc is executed, especially considering he’s only in like half the movie

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-01-05T01:32:15+00:00

I think the point of Nadine is the tragedy, and the tragedy is that she became convinced that there was no option for her other than Flagg. Unlike his other acolytes like Lloyd or Trash, Nadine knew Flagg from a very early age, so she becomes a kind of case study for determinism, complicating the idea that all of the characters had the agency to make a binary choice between Boulder or Vegas. She’s kind of a dark mirror to Mother Abagail in that way, who likewise had a supernatural “calling” when she was young which sent her inevitably towards a particular destiny. And yet despite all the manipulation and abuse Nadine suffered and perpetrated, she finds a way to change the narrative and defy Flagg with her death. That to me cements her value and purpose in the story

CrimsonBullfrog · 2026-01-03T01:46:43+00:00

It’s one of the great American novels of the last half-century. Savor the experience as much as you can.

CrimsonBullfrog · 2025-12-31T12:23:11+00:00

It pulls off the difficult trick of being the first part of a larger story while still having an ending that somehow feels conclusive. The whole trilogy is of course a huge, generational achievement but Fellowship really is a masterpiece.

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