Spoilers Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Grading & Discussion

[RandyS]

I just finished the DVD.

Well, I'll say this for it, it was alot better than The Last Jedi. But when you consider that The Last Jedi was so bad (the worst Star Wars film in my opinion), that isn't saying much.

I knew they wouldn't kill Lando and I'm glad for that at least. I do wish they had offed Rey Poe and Finn. Oh well. At least they killed Kylo. That's something I guess.

 

[fireproof78]

Star Wars: Kill Everyone didn't test well.

 

[JD]

I just finished the DVD.

Well, I'll say this for it, it was alot better than The Last Jedi. But when you consider that The Last Jedi was so bad (the worst Star Wars film in my opinion), that isn't saying much.

I knew they wouldn't kill Lando and I'm glad for that at least. I do wish they had offed Rey Poe and Finn. Oh well. At least they killed Kylo. That's something I guess.

This is Star Wars, it's not the kind of series that typically kills off all of it's heroes.

 

[RandyS]

This is Star Wars, it's not the kind of series that typically kills off all of it's heroes.

Well, Except for everybody in the first two triloges.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

This is Star Wars, it's not the kind of series that typically kills off all of it's heroes.

Rogue One:

 

[cooleddie74]

But at least Cassian Andor and K-2S0 are coming back in the prequel series that's in the works so....they didn't die and then never again reappear in the movie or small screen franchises.

 

[TRON JA307020]

One if the biggest problems I had with TROS was the final battle scene was another lift from a Lucas film. Abrams used the same music that was used in ROTJ when Like confronted The Emperor. He also had the emperor taunting Rey like he taunted Luke while both were looking at their friends being slaughtered. I dint know Abrams seems to be a decent copy cat filmmaker but nothing more. I expected so much more from the last Star Wars film.

 

[fireproof78]

Well, Except for everybody in the first two triloges.

Which is why I totally didn't see Yoda or Luke in the last two films...

...oh wait...

oh and Lando. And Wedge.

But, nah. Those things don't really matter.

 

[Tosk]

Which is why I totally didn't see Yoda or Luke in the last two films...

Spoiler alert...both of those characters died.

 

[fireproof78]

Spoiler alert...both of those characters died.

Oh, no!!!! Never mind that they came back! Never mind the idea that the whole point of the Jedi is that there more to life than just "this crude matter" as Yoda would describe. Death doesn't carry that finality to it in the SW films and I like that about it. Those are the more spiritual themes that I personally find very enjoyable.

For me, the characters are not "dead" if they are still acting and influencing the story.

Perhaps a distinction without a difference but that's my view of it.

 

[Campe]

One if the biggest problems I had with TROS was the final battle scene was another lift from a Lucas film. Abrams used the same music that was used in ROTJ when Like confronted The Emperor. He also had the emperor taunting Rey like he taunted Luke while both were looking at their friends being slaughtered. I dint know Abrams seems to be a decent copy cat filmmaker but nothing more. I expected so much more from the last Star Wars film.

Williams has motifs and themes and even direct lifts from previous films. Even across series. A Nazi theme from from Last Crusade is the basis for the Droid Invasion Theme from The Phantom Menace. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has part of a quidditch match that sounds an awful lot like the speeder chase on Coruscant in Attack of the Clones. (Not to mention the echoing of plot points that has been consistent throughout the entirety of Star Wars.)

I'm not going to suggest that Rise of Skywalker was a great film. Its not. But I personally think there are better criticisms out there than the score. (In fact, I'll say it was probably the best part of the movie.)

 

[arch101]

Williams has motifs and themes and even direct lifts from previous films. Even across series. A Nazi theme from from Last Crusade is the basis for the Droid Invasion Theme from The Phantom Menace. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has part of a quidditch match that sounds an awful lot like the speeder chase on Coruscant in Attack of the Clones. (Not to mention the echoing of plot points that has been consistent throughout the entirety of Star Wars.)

I'm not going to suggest that Rise of Skywalker was a great film. Its not. But I personally think there are better criticisms out there than the score. (In fact, I'll say it was probably the best part of the movie.)

I heard an unmistakable queue from Attack of the Clones (one of my fav Williams Star Wars scores) in a first season ep of Gilligan's Island (scored by Williams). So yeah, even HE recycles.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I really like Rey's theme and appreciated how it evolved as Rey's character did. To the almost ethereal version of the theme when she was introduced in The Force Awakens, to the much more fast-paced and action-oriented version of the theme that we heard in The Rise of Skywalker.

 

[JD]

Well, Except for everybody in the first two triloges.

But they weren't the heroes of the trilogies they were killed in, they were supporting characters, and the series has killed off quite a few supporting characters.

Rogue One:

Ok, I'll confess, I completely forgot about the end of RO. And to be technical, I did same "typically", not never.

 

[fireproof78]

I heard an unmistakable queue from Attack of the Clones (one of my fav Williams Star Wars scores) in a first season ep of Gilligan's Island (scored by Williams). So yeah, even HE recycles.

Oh, even episode 2 ended up with recycled bits from Episode 1, largely because Lucas kept changing the edit, resulting in Williams rescoring a lot.

Recycling makes sense. Work smarter not harder.

 

[Set Harth]

I'm not going to suggest that Rise of Skywalker was a great film. Its not. But I personally think there are better criticisms out there than the score. (In fact, I'll say it was probably the best part of the movie.)

I feel like it's one of those scores that works well in terms of serving the needs of the film as you're watching it, but doesn't resonate as well if you're listening to it in isolation separate from the film. If that makes any sense.

 

[Campe]

I feel like it's one of those scores that works well in terms of serving the needs of the film as you're watching it, but doesn't resonate as well if you're listening to it in isolation separate from the film. If that makes any sense.

Makes sense, but I think its a pretty decent score even on its own.

 

[TedShatner10]

OK I found The Rise Of Skywalker entertaining, but ultimately uninspired and "safe". Not a great film, but necessary and thank God we got closure with all the sudden SW burn out.

I think that the Sequel Trilogy is an odd beast: The Last Jedi is really much better than most of the Prequel Trilogy as a self-contained film (bite me) and The Force Awakens was a solid love letter to the OT, but as a cohesive series of movies with a satisfying arc and engrossing world building, they disappointed.

Rogue One gets better on re watch alongside The Last Jedi.

 

[jaime]

Watched it last night. Was much much better than TLJ, and it takes half the film to settle down. Largely because I really (after at first being all sarky eye roll at the beginning) felt sorry for them having to really cram two films into one to make up for what TLJ did, and could see the writers working hard. At first I thought there was too much ‘wouldn’t it be cool if’ and trying really hard to slot the new characters into old character spaces - Poe is basically Han Solo - but pretty quickly I realised it was playing catch up with the lack of work done in TLJ. This was the first time these characters actually anything devoted to them.

The whole trilogy has suffered from ‘tell not show’ but they really tried here to not do that.

The thing with borrowing bits (which has been another problem with the ST) is that here it almost more nuanced, and here it makes *sense* because (a) it’s the finale and (b) it’s clearly part of the attempt at Lucas’ whole ‘it rhymes’ thing. It also does a bit of a Lucas in the way it subtly references other films too... much as Lucas referenced things like Dune (ok, lifted heavily...) and Flash Gordon... here we have stuff lifted from 80s films that would have been influenced by Star Wars in he first place. (Zombie Emperor is very Overdog from Space Hunter)

I think I actually liked this one...because they seem to have got stuff right. Even the cast was obviously having so much more fun working on it, and it shows in their performances. Ok, the middle thing failed to give them a bond, and we are having to really fill in the blanks when they show us they have one... but they do it so well, you kind of give them a pass.

Is it perfect? Nah. But it just about pulls it together and manages to be... fairly satisfying. I did love hearing all the Jedi, and it did manage to frame all of this in a way that didn’t quite manage to shit over the OT characters accomplishments this time.

So much better by the end,

And....Rey is pregnant, everyone knows that right?

 

[USS Firefly]

Watched it last night. Was much much better than TLJ, and it takes half the film to settle down. Largely because I really (after at first being all sarky eye roll at the beginning) felt sorry for them having to really cram two films into one to make up for what TLJ did, and could see the writers working hard. At first I thought there was too much ‘wouldn’t it be cool if’ and trying really hard to slot the new characters into old character spaces - Poe is basically Han Solo - but pretty quickly I realised it was playing catch up with the lack of work done in TLJ. This was the first time these characters actually anything devoted to them.

The whole trilogy has suffered from ‘tell not show’ but they really tried here to not do that.

The thing with borrowing bits (which has been another problem with the ST) is that here it almost more nuanced, and here it makes *sense* because (a) it’s the finale and (b) it’s clearly part of the attempt at Lucas’ whole ‘it rhymes’ thing. It also does a bit of a Lucas in the way it subtly references other films too... much as Lucas referenced things like Dune (ok, lifted heavily...) and Flash Gordon... here we have stuff lifted from 80s films that would have been influenced by Star Wars in he first place. (Zombie Emperor is very Overdog from Space Hunter)

I think I actually liked this one...because they seem to have got stuff right. Even the cast was obviously having so much more fun working on it, and it shows in their performances. Ok, the middle thing failed to give them a bond, and we are having to really fill in the blanks when they show us they have one... but they do it so well, you kind of give them a pass.

Is it perfect? Nah. But it just about pulls it together and manages to be... fairly satisfying. I did love hearing all the Jedi, and it did manage to frame all of this in a way that didn’t quite manage to shit over the OT characters accomplishments this time.

So much better by the end,

And....Rey is pregnant, everyone knows that right?

Haha I thought the same thing when Ben put life in her with the Force