Rise of Skywalker: SPOILERS

[Tycho 35]

I went and saw the new Star Wars movie today - the last in the story that began 42 years ago with Episode IV in 1977. Naturally there will be spoilers, so if you want to avoid any, I recommend not continuing. 

WARNING ::SPOILERS BELOW:: WARNING

I found the beginning of the movie started very fast. It jumped right into Kylo searching out the maps to the sith world without having the audience really be exposed to what was happening first. Then, all of a sudden, he's there and speaking to Palpatine. It wasn't bad, but the lack of build up kinda had to make you start paying attention right away. 

My cousin told me beforehand that they jumped around a lot throughout the story, going from one 'team' to another fairly rapidly and I agree. There was a lot going on, so it was somewhat unavoidable. It got jarring near the big fight scene at the end - to the point that I kind of forgot about what Finn was supposed to be doing. I guess that just means I have to watch the movie again on Disney+. 

The overall plot of the movie was decent. I think it was less predictable than the last one and so it kept me engaged, not really knowing where it was going to go. I liked that there were a lot of planets with their different challenges and circumstances to deal with. The choices each character made felt like there were consequences to go along with the choice. It was something I felt was lacking in the last movie. 

I was very impressed and happy with how they handled Leia throughout the movie. I knew that she was going to be in it using footage that was filmed throughout the first two movies, but still wasn't expecting what they managed to put together. I always liked her character, probably my favorite story line throughout the series. There were't too many strong female leads when the original trilogy came out and she was never portrayed as someone who was helpless, but instead a strong leader type. Becoming a general of the resistance and continuing to fight for what she believed in was only natural and how she sacrificed her life to save Rey and Ben may not have been the exact send off that they were planning, but it was a strong one nonetheless. I like how they explained that she went through some basic jedi training after the end of episode VI to explain how she was much more attuned to the force than she ever demonstrated in the original movies. 

I think most followers of the series expected Ben to switch back over to the light at some point. Personally, I was hoping he would stick around after so that he could be in future movies with Rey, but I understand that he was the center of A LOT of destruction and him just being allowed back into society probably would have been a difficult sell. Plus, Adam Driver is a pretty big star and so giving him more options than being committed to future movies is probably for the best - that way they can make them either with or without him. 

I remember when the first movie came out there were people saying that Rey was a Palpatine, but it was a stretch. I can't remember if he ever was shown as having children in episodes 1-3, but if not then that could have used some more explanation in my opinion, but that's alright. Daisy Ridley did a great job at displaying the conflict and turmoil that was holding Rey back. It was deeper and darker than Ben's was, I think - especially since she didn't know where it was coming from or why. I wasn't a giant fan of the 'fight' she had with herself appearing as a sith lord, since I think that scene was merely for trailer bait, but it was over fast so whatever. I also didn't fully grasp the part about Ben and Rey having a once in a thousand generation that allowed their life force to restore the emperor - might be another part where a re-watch is necessary. 

As for the other characters, their parts were good. No serious complaints. The movie was heavily focused on Rey and her path, so it's expected that the others didn't get as much development. The exception was Po, but a lot of his development happened in the time between the last movie and this one I think. He was displayed as having much more confidence and strengths compared to how he was before. They left a door open to a stand alone series with him, either a prequel or a spin off - probably not for a while though. 

My biggest problem with the movie was the copypasta from Avengers: Endgame they did with the reinforcements at the end, but I'll get over it. 

Overall, I'm happy with how the movie and series ended. I'm excited with what they can do in the future too. I'm picturing myself far in the future watching the next generation dig up the buried lightsabers and wondering how I'll feel about it. They have to give it some time though. Starting the next series in two years just doesn't seem like enough time to allow a post-war world to develop. 10 years is probably more realistic. They can do spin-offs and series in the meantime I'm sure. 

Prediction: The last episode of The Mandalorian will have the baby yoda being delivered to Rey. That would be FIRE 

Thanks for reading my 2am ramblings. If anyone wants to talk about how they felt about it, I look forward to those replies. 

Also, no spamerino Boats, pls..

 

[Kari 308]

I agree with a lot of your points, and overall I enjoyed the movie.

Spoiler

One thing that was kind of lame was how much J.J listened to reddit, after The Last Jedi made Rose this big character, he basically cut her out and "replaced" her with other characters. I'm not saying I liked the character, but cutting her out like that was a dick move and could've been handled better.

 

[Tycho 35]

6 hours ago, Kari said:

I agree with a lot of your points, and overall I enjoyed the movie.

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One thing that was kind of lame was how much J.J listened to reddit, after The Last Jedi made Rose this big character, he basically cut her out and "replaced" her with other characters. I'm not saying I liked the character, but cutting her out like that was a dick move and could've been handled better.

 

Yep, I agree. I saw her maybe 3 or 4 times and her role was reduced to having a worried face when the crew came back to base camp. Doesn't seem like they're going to put much more stock into the character in the future.