Spoilers Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
He always seemed to me to be the kind of guy who had backup plans within backup plans, but could never predict how people would act, and arrogant enough to just leave that blind spot right there.
So him having an old Empire loyalist faction, an entire Sith cult, a secret battle fleet and a cloning lab up his sleeve, with his undoing being a son and granddaughter who refused to play ball, is entirely in character for him.
I don't know what you're referring to, but self-reflection is never a bad thing!
Since everyone was doing this a few pages ago, I'm going to have a shot at ranking the movies.
1. ESB
2. ANH
3. TLJ
4. TFA
5. ROTJ
6. TROS
7. ROTS
8. TPM
9. AOTC
I feel like Solo and Rogue One are kind of their own thing and can't really be ranked alongside the main series.
1. ESB
2. ANH
3. TLJ
4. TFA
5. ROTJ
6. TROS
7. ROTS
8. TPM
9. AOTC
I feel like Solo and Rogue One are kind of their own thing and can't really be ranked alongside the main series.
I thought the film was awful. Fast paced nonsense, no time to think, everything and the kitchen sink plotting, walked back all the best parts of The Last Jedi to appease the worst people on the internet, constantly and openly contradicted itself to try and make everyone's contradictory hopes happy (I'm a "space Nazis get it in the spine" fan, so Rey killed Kylo Ren to make me happy; then Bendemption people got him turning back to the light side; then Reylos got a kiss; But then Ben died, so she's not subordinate to her romance with a man; Rey and Finn were cute together, but while Finn nearly mentions his feelings for her, he never brings it up, so they never settle what she thinks one way or another, so all shippers can walk away undisappointed); I wouldn't mind a movie that does something I don't like as long as it commits and has follow-through. Not this wishy-washy bullshit that lacks unity of theme or purpose.
There's a world where Rey hearing a chorus of Jedi telling her to get back on her feet gave me the same goosebumps as Luke stating that he will not be the last Jedi, but it's far away from this one.
My one-line reaction was, "They call it 'fan service,' and I’m a fan, so why do I feel so used?"
That's always been my theory about why people nitpick; stories are complex machines, and standard western primary education doesn't give people the tools needed to understand their reactions to stories on a primal, emotional level. When people are disengaging with a story, but don't have the vocabulary to express why, they seize on superficial stuff that they'd let slide if the story was working for them. It's also why I'm absolutely not on the "fuck critics!" bandwagon; understanding if and how this stuff works for you analytically, and being able to express that to others in a way that allows them to predict or understand their own reactions, is a skill of media literacy, and one that's far too rare.
I've hardly memorized the deleted scenes (I'm not even sure if I've seen them or just read them), but there were definitely a few moments where I could absolutely remember what she was actually talking about with regard to the Senate, never mind Rey's awkward shifts in topics so she could prompt an appropriate response.
I'd been of the opinion they should have Leia die between movies and make a clean break and I haven't changed my mind. If anything, the fact that this film took what should've been the first-act climax/twist at the earliest (Palpatine is back) and put it in the first line of the crawl (and we never actually hear the message of Palpatine threatening the galaxy! The First Order and Resistance shitting themselves because of a sudden resurgent Emperor would be a lot more interesting than what we actually saw) shows that JJ would, at least theoretically, not be afraid to have a major shift in the status quo between films.
There's a world where Rey hearing a chorus of Jedi telling her to get back on her feet gave me the same goosebumps as Luke stating that he will not be the last Jedi, but it's far away from this one.
My one-line reaction was, "They call it 'fan service,' and I’m a fan, so why do I feel so used?"
That's always been my theory about why people nitpick; stories are complex machines, and standard western primary education doesn't give people the tools needed to understand their reactions to stories on a primal, emotional level. When people are disengaging with a story, but don't have the vocabulary to express why, they seize on superficial stuff that they'd let slide if the story was working for them. It's also why I'm absolutely not on the "fuck critics!" bandwagon; understanding if and how this stuff works for you analytically, and being able to express that to others in a way that allows them to predict or understand their own reactions, is a skill of media literacy, and one that's far too rare.
I've hardly memorized the deleted scenes (I'm not even sure if I've seen them or just read them), but there were definitely a few moments where I could absolutely remember what she was actually talking about with regard to the Senate, never mind Rey's awkward shifts in topics so she could prompt an appropriate response.
I'd been of the opinion they should have Leia die between movies and make a clean break and I haven't changed my mind. If anything, the fact that this film took what should've been the first-act climax/twist at the earliest (Palpatine is back) and put it in the first line of the crawl (and we never actually hear the message of Palpatine threatening the galaxy! The First Order and Resistance shitting themselves because of a sudden resurgent Emperor would be a lot more interesting than what we actually saw) shows that JJ would, at least theoretically, not be afraid to have a major shift in the status quo between films.
One thing I loved that I forgot to mention in my other post is that we finally got to see Leia as a Jedi, with her own lightsaber.
And to clear one thing up I saw a couple people complain about, the weapon Jannah used to take down the ship, was an energy bow, not a bow and arrow.
And to clear one thing up I saw a couple people complain about, the weapon Jannah used to take down the ship, was an energy bow, not a bow and arrow.
I’d have liked to see it too, and when they mentioned Lando going to the core systems that’s what I thought they were going to do.
My full review:
Having just gotten home from the movie, I can confidently say that pretty much every thing that negative "critics" said about this movie is categorically untrue, and it not only ends the Sequel Trilogy in fine form, it also wraps up the entire 9-film Saga about as well as it possibly could.
There is admittedly a part of me that was going "that's not really how the Force is supposed to work" at several points in the movie, but I was able to silence that part of my brain and just go with what we were seeing.
I know I've said this in the past, but I was initially quite lukewarm on The Force Awakens because I disagreed with JJ Abrams' viewpoint on Star Wars (both he and Lawrence Kasdan have never quite understood the mythological underpinnings and roots of the series, as is evidenced by the way they have both previously spoken about their experiences seeing the original movie as children), but there was a very marked change in this movie in 'mythic' and thematic terms, and while whether that was due to George Lucas' influence and collaboration in helping to map Palpatine's return or whether it came about because JJ finally started looking below the surface is probably a question we'll never get answered, it helped the movie do exactly what it set out to do, which is end both this trilogy and the Saga as a whole.
I also have to say that while the film pretty much conformed to all of the pre-release leaks that had been put out there by various sources, I wasn't ever disappointed by how things played out, and there were even a few points that actually surprised me (Hux getting pwned, for example).
I'm still trying to decide for sure whether or not to be totally honest and deservedly rank this movie as my new #1 favorite or if I want to go with the 'symmetry' angle and keep The Last Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, and The Empire Strikes Back as my Top 3 with this one leapfrogging Attack of the Clones, but for now, I'll go with the former option and say that this is without question the best film in the franchise, period.
Having just gotten home from the movie, I can confidently say that pretty much every thing that negative "critics" said about this movie is categorically untrue, and it not only ends the Sequel Trilogy in fine form, it also wraps up the entire 9-film Saga about as well as it possibly could.
There is admittedly a part of me that was going "that's not really how the Force is supposed to work" at several points in the movie, but I was able to silence that part of my brain and just go with what we were seeing.
I know I've said this in the past, but I was initially quite lukewarm on The Force Awakens because I disagreed with JJ Abrams' viewpoint on Star Wars (both he and Lawrence Kasdan have never quite understood the mythological underpinnings and roots of the series, as is evidenced by the way they have both previously spoken about their experiences seeing the original movie as children), but there was a very marked change in this movie in 'mythic' and thematic terms, and while whether that was due to George Lucas' influence and collaboration in helping to map Palpatine's return or whether it came about because JJ finally started looking below the surface is probably a question we'll never get answered, it helped the movie do exactly what it set out to do, which is end both this trilogy and the Saga as a whole.
I also have to say that while the film pretty much conformed to all of the pre-release leaks that had been put out there by various sources, I wasn't ever disappointed by how things played out, and there were even a few points that actually surprised me (Hux getting pwned, for example).
I'm still trying to decide for sure whether or not to be totally honest and deservedly rank this movie as my new #1 favorite or if I want to go with the 'symmetry' angle and keep The Last Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, and The Empire Strikes Back as my Top 3 with this one leapfrogging Attack of the Clones, but for now, I'll go with the former option and say that this is without question the best film in the franchise, period.
Thought I saw a destroyer crashing behind the senate tower; Around when one does on Ewokia.
We saw three; Cloud City, Endor, and Jakku. I think that you’re thinking of Cloud City.
I had a thought that disturbs and intrigues me. Well, two. One, given how prominently gun-slinging, bandolier-wearing 3PO was in the key art for the movie, I suspect there was a scene cut late in production of him shooting his way out of the Star Destroyer.
Likewise, discussing how the fact that the Sith Destroyers were based on the old ANH/R1 types, and not the newer ESB/ROTJ versions means the Death Stars make no sense; if Palpatine had already invented a ship-sized superlaser before the ISD-II was rolled out around the time the first Death Star was completed, why finish the battle station at all and not simply use his backup fleet to maintain control of the galaxy in the first place? Then I thought, it’s weird that the visual effects team could make a Cloud City model for one shot, but wouldn’t make a digital version of the ESB destroyers when they were far more prominent. And, while I’ll have to wait for the home release to be sure, those cannons looked like the ones from the FO dreadnaught in TLJ. And, oddly, the Art of TRoS book that was supposed to come out today has been delayed three months. Which makes me wonder if the closing battle had some major changes, or was added entirely, late in production, explaining why the making-of material would have to be revised, and why the Sith fleet was a kitbash of models they already had.
Adam Driver - superb
Daisy Ridley - transcendent, she even managed to rise above the awful, stupid, no good Palpatine is my Pappy bull crap.
Threepio - surprisingly assertive and critical to the story.
Hux: perfect ending for a sniveling weasel
The three scenes that hit me between the eyes were Ben/Han, Chewie collapsing to the ground when he heard Leia was dead, and Rey visiting the Lars homestead and choosing her own family name. I cried during each, perhaps the most when Chewie was in agony.
Daisy Ridley - transcendent, she even managed to rise above the awful, stupid, no good Palpatine is my Pappy bull crap.
Threepio - surprisingly assertive and critical to the story.
Hux: perfect ending for a sniveling weasel
The three scenes that hit me between the eyes were Ben/Han, Chewie collapsing to the ground when he heard Leia was dead, and Rey visiting the Lars homestead and choosing her own family name. I cried during each, perhaps the most when Chewie was in agony.
I have mixed feelings about this movie and I wasn't even sure how to write this review. Also, there is so much divisiveness in the Fandom that being "on the fence" (Like I was with Last Jedi) almost feels like my own personal disappointment.
I think the thing I've had with these movies, especially Last Jedi, was it's ability to undermine other movies. I hated this aspect of Last Jedi, but It felt like this film was trying to undermine Return of the Jedi. For example, they brought back Palpatine and the entire ending between him and Ray almost was taken out of the ending of that movie. Also, that final showdown felt like it undermined Luke's entire story and Vader turning good again and that there was good in him.
Basically I think where my issue with this film was Palpatine. The thing I actually liked about The Last Jedi was the theme of letting the past die. Well, this film, in bringing back Palpatine, did not let the past die. They soaked in it.
Also, just how strong is the force in this movie? You have Ren taking a necklace from Ray even though Ren was on the ship and Rey was on the planet. Can he do that? I think they were trying to explain Rey had all this power because she was a Palpatine, but the force doesn't make you a god. I feel like in this movie, the Force was trying to make Ren and Rey into gods and I keeped wrapping my brain to see if that has happened to any character before, like Yoda.
Not all this film was bad. I think the chemistry with the three (Poe, Finn, and Rey) were great. Adam Driver was probably the best thing about these three films, and I think the idea of Kylo Ren was a very interesting one. I also think in this film there were signs of a good film in there somewhere. It does actually make me wish this trilogy was done the way the writers wanted to do it from the start. I also liked the music. John Williams really can do no wrong with these movies.
Was Rise of Skywalker a bad film? Not really but I wouldn't call it a good one. I think it might be the best of the sequel trilogy, even though I did have a great time with Force Awakens. I had a decent time with this movie as well.
C-
I think the thing I've had with these movies, especially Last Jedi, was it's ability to undermine other movies. I hated this aspect of Last Jedi, but It felt like this film was trying to undermine Return of the Jedi. For example, they brought back Palpatine and the entire ending between him and Ray almost was taken out of the ending of that movie. Also, that final showdown felt like it undermined Luke's entire story and Vader turning good again and that there was good in him.
Basically I think where my issue with this film was Palpatine. The thing I actually liked about The Last Jedi was the theme of letting the past die. Well, this film, in bringing back Palpatine, did not let the past die. They soaked in it.
Also, just how strong is the force in this movie? You have Ren taking a necklace from Ray even though Ren was on the ship and Rey was on the planet. Can he do that? I think they were trying to explain Rey had all this power because she was a Palpatine, but the force doesn't make you a god. I feel like in this movie, the Force was trying to make Ren and Rey into gods and I keeped wrapping my brain to see if that has happened to any character before, like Yoda.
Not all this film was bad. I think the chemistry with the three (Poe, Finn, and Rey) were great. Adam Driver was probably the best thing about these three films, and I think the idea of Kylo Ren was a very interesting one. I also think in this film there were signs of a good film in there somewhere. It does actually make me wish this trilogy was done the way the writers wanted to do it from the start. I also liked the music. John Williams really can do no wrong with these movies.
Was Rise of Skywalker a bad film? Not really but I wouldn't call it a good one. I think it might be the best of the sequel trilogy, even though I did have a great time with Force Awakens. I had a decent time with this movie as well.
C-
Adam Driver has been killing it in EVERYTHING the past few years.
I also agree about Chewie, him dropping to his knees had the biggest and most unexpected emotional response from me. I literally had to mentally tell myself to hold it together---LOL
I wouldn't say the entire series, but walking in, I really wanted a cool lightsabre battle and I got it with that scene. I really enjoyed that scene.
