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piglet26 · 6 months

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Star Wars Rewatch: TROS

Oh, God.

Palpatine come back and ruining Anakin Skywalker's redemption. Why? How? Cloning, okay, so this Palpatine isn't the real Palpatine?!

We get to see Supreme Leader Kylo Ren for about 4 minutes before he's immediately benched by Palpatine as co-pilot. Why? I get they didn't want Kylo Ren as the big bad, but this is just lazy writing.

Green goblin, I remember you don't last long.

R2D2, they never wash him or nothing?

Maybe the First Order should win. They take hits and keep on knocking. They take losses and recovered, quickly and well. They always seem to have intelligence from somewhere. In short, they are competent.

Poe and Finn, have a great dynamic.

Rey is finally training for everyone who had a boner for two movies about her having a rocky fight montage.

They moment where Ren is praying over Darth Vader's mask and his mind bridges with Rey is a great reminder that these two are connected.

This film did something most franchise should never, it responded to criticism in real time.

Poe, you fucked up Han's ship. Stop attacking like she doesn't have a reason to be annoyed. Also, Rey is currently the sole Jedi in the galaxy, she should be training, not running off on every errand you have to do.

Colin Travano (whatever his name is) I wouldn't have wanted his script. Like at all. Poe and Rey do have chemistry though and you can tell they enjoy needling one another. It's just not endgame.

That Finnrey hug was awkward. It's a church hug with their butts sticking out. I'm Reylo to the core, but I have place for FinnRey in my heart. They're soulmates in a different way than Reylo is. Also, Daisy Ridley and John B are adorable and you can tell they enjoy working together.

In a flawed film, Rose Tico being sidelined was a wise decision.

Rey, Poe, Finn, Chewie and 3PO are cute. JJ Adams did seem to love friendships developing and for the third film we needed to see all these characters together on an adventure.

Kylo Ren is forging this dumb ass mask again. Look it worked initially, character wise and so forth, but at this point?! He smashed it and moved past the need for it. The audience liked that he smashed it. We have to see his face for emotional scenes. Why is it back? Oh I know! Because JJ Adams good juvenile friend was sad his mask wasn't in the film anymore. General Hux and Kylo are magically little bottle of goodness. We got so little.

We leave one planet for another planet but I keep forgetting what planet we're on. Title cards too much to ask?

Ren is actually pursuing Rey or The Scavenger because yes he wants her for himself. but he also wants to protect her from Palpatine. Their first force bond......... yeah. I've read the novelization so I understand it's been a minute since they've seen one another, but if I just watched the movie would I have known that? No. There is much they saying yet it's stiff and doesn't make much sense without context.

General Pryde. Why did we need him when we have General Hux?

I think Billie D Williams filmed all his scenes sitting down. He looks happy to be there but tired as hell.

Race through the desert of Pasaana. I like it. This crew does work and it feels like a fun adventure. There are cute, whitty moments between all of them and it works.

She heals a snake - Two halves of the dyad should only have been able to heal one another, but here we are.

The Trio and Co find the evil sith ship or whatever. The Knights of Ren gotta walk while Ren is flying. Ren tries to run down Rey, again this make sense in the novelization and not at all in real life. After Rey injures his planes, he crashes and the majestic prince emerges out of the flames. Seriously?! Why the hell are you covering this guy up?!

In a rip off of The Last Jedi we get a tug-o-war scene between the ship Chewie is on. It's not as great, but it's a good scene and we see how Rey's powers have grown. We know it's a waste of time though. They're evenly matched. It's a nice surprise when the lighting shoots out. Okay, I don't mind her being a Palpatine. I mind the retconning. I mind Palpatine magically coming back.

Rey confesses to Finn about her dream of her and Kylo Ren on the Sith Throne. Where? We would have liked to have seen this.

This is a nice FinnRey scene. Despite her display of "dark power", her killing Chewie presumably, Finn doesn't look at her any different. She's still Rey to him. He's patient and present and she describes her challenges. We still don't acknowledge Finn is force sensitive. Why isn't he training with Rey?

We are blazing through this movie. That's part of the problem we're just pushing plot points at this point. The movie needs to be more selective about slowing down and concentrating on character development. Something painfully lacking in this film. Even the Reylo scenes are about pushing the plot forward rather than pushing the characters forward.

3PO actually has a storyline this movie. Good for him. Look secondary characters in a trilogy, you get your moments and it ain't gonna be every film.

Zorri and Babu are nice additions. I like Zorri and the fact that Ren kicking her ass actually made her like her. Women supporting women. Were Zorri and Poe a thing. What's a spice runner? A space drug dealer?

Rey's social skills lack a bit. but she's great with Droids.

Wait, Chewie and Ren were both on Ren's Destroyer and they didn't even have a scene together?! Chewie's like an uncle to Ren.

Ren, show up in your boss ass destroyer to get your girl.

Standout lines -

Poe: 3PO! Move your metal ass.

3PO: How dare you we just met.

Finn, Poe and Chewie cowboying through the destroyer. Nice scene, doomed for failure I'm afraid.

Second Reylo forceskype is exposition. First real Reylo scene is exposition. Hey, movies gotta get it done haha but Ren literally is like here's the plot of the movie and everything you've been confused on up until this point. I will say watching the progression of the force bond that their spaces are now physically bleeding into one another. Nice touch. It's also nice to see what they each see when looking at one another through the force bond.

General Hux is the spy. Could've gone farther with this. RIP Dawg

Another FinnRey scene where you begin to understand Rey is pissed off and darker than possibly Finn thought.

Palpatine and Ren scene. I'm so annoyed Palpatine is in this movie.

We meet a ragtime band on horses surprise their former stormtroopers. All of them. From the same company. Sure Jan.

Seeing the death star again, so odd and doesn't look a thing like the original. We see scavenger Rey again.

Reylo fights again because Rey is the denial queen and she's free to take out her aggression on Ren. He likes feral Rey. In another less PG film, they've fought and then boned, but Leia died. Also, Dark Rey.... I'm here for it. Mostly cause it looks cool.

The film makers did the best they could with Carrie's Fisher passing. I thought they handled it with class and dignity while incorporating it into the film.

After Leia's passing and Rey healing it. Ren in his ever presented conflict nature overlooks the water when his father appears. It's poignant and character driven scene. It's beautiful scene about the enduring love of a parent. A flawed parent but a loving one nonetheless. Ben had two of those and he seems to finally understand that now.

Poe has a good scene with Leia's body about being a leader. Something that, despite all the bravado, he finally admits he doesn't know how to do. This would've been a great scene with her alive. Part of the issue people have the sequel trilogy of the lack of respect paid for previous generations. As if they are flawed and bigoted. On screen and off screen. A scene where Finn, Poe or Rey paid respect for the accomplishments of previous generations. Their courage and their bravery. Billie D. feels like just a stand-in.

Palpatine army blows up yet another planet. yawn.

Finn is a general bestow as such by Poe. Good choice. Sanitation worker aside no one knows more about The First Order than someone who was a stormtrooper. Finn reveals Palpatine wanted Rey alive...... then why tell Ren to kill her? Because if Rey didn't go dark then Ren was the fall back or vice versa?

So far it's not a bad film, just a disappointing film. The stuff that made my blood boil is about to come.

Rey isolates herself on Acht-to, burns the ship and we see ghost Luke. Why? She saw herself on the dark throne and she's afraid of herself. This might have meant something. At one point. It just feels like a retcon at this point. She's a Palpatine but Leia and Luke didn't care? Then what the hell were you worried about Ben for? If blood and legacy means nothing.

I'm not one of those people that need everything in a movie to make sense. It's also a space fantasy film, but damn.

Rey leads the Resistance to Exegol, she just doesn't know it. That was handy. No, really the way the movie sliced that together worked very well. Poe and Finn make a great speech about the resistance. Not as rousing as I'd like.

Exegol being the basis for the Sith religion is actually really cool. Wish we could've learned more. Empress Palpatine sounds like a boss ass name.

I hate everything about the ending of this film.

Rey once again goes into the enemy territory without a plan. The resistance doesn't really have one either except gumption.

Ben Solo is back! He's great. He's a hero. He's got great hair. He's likeable. We haven't seen him for 20 minutes, he doesn't say a word except "Ow" We have a beautiful Reylo moment where we Rey and Ben see each other through the Force Bond and she looks at Ben with such relief, joy and love that he's there with her. Ben fight like hell to get to her. This is it! Bendemption. We've waited three films for this. Then they tossed him off a cliff.

While it's a great scene of Rey listening to the previous Jedi's and rising up. I'm so confused how the dyad coming together empowers the devil. Ben has been made completely irrelevant.

I mean, we got a Reylo Kiss! It was epic and then it was over. We were lucky to get that considering Disney started to shy away from Reylo due to all the "controversy" I just hate this so we'll move on.

The hug was nice!

Rey Skywalker?

And that's that

#reylo #ben solo #star wars #finnrey #rey skywalker #rey star wars #kylo ren #kylo x rey #ben solo deserved better #rey nobody

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solohux · 4 years

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@anonynous submitted: Poe:- As he should've been

I am still so fucking salty that Poe got left behind as the awkward third wheel that no one seemed to know what to do with. His character was horribly underutilized and if anything, went through character regression, not character development! TFA!Poe and TLJ/TROS!Poe are practically different characters! It just doesn't seem.... natural for the compassionate, confident (NOT arrogant!) pilot we met in TFA to suddenly be totally ok with sacrificing dozens of his fellow pilots for ego in TLJ and to have been an ex-drug dealer in his youth as revealed in TROS!

By no means am I saying that Poe should be flawless. But his flaws and failings should’ve made… sense. He can be compassionate! Just have it get the better of him! Like say:- Poe takes every death of a pilot under his command hard. He feels guilty, as if he’s failing his pilots personally by not preventing their deaths. That would even tie into his extended backstory as revealed in that comic series he had! So Poe over-extends himself, he refuses to put his pilots in danger when it’s not “necessary” so he’s constantly volunteering to go on dangerous solo missions…

Just like the one where we were introduced to him in TFA!

Holy shit! Having Poe develop a Savior Complex could even have made TLJ work better! You could even keep the bungled attack in the opening! So Poe leads the attack on the First Order, he places himself in a truly ridiculous amount of danger to give the evacuation enough time to get away… but it still goes horribly wrong! Despite Poe’s best efforts his pilots die like flies, he’s one of the only survivors.

Leia can still be disappointed in Poe, only she’s upset with him because she knows he puts himself in too much danger! She can still want him to put himself in a less “In the air with his troops” mindset! But now she’s genuinely concerned that Poe will never get the chance to transition to a “Lead from the command deck” role like she wants him to, because with the way he’s been acting he’s going to get himself killed sooner rather than later!

Then Leia is incapitated shortly thereafter… (Or we can just substitute her for Holdo, whichever way works)

Now we have a distraught Poe, who is pretty much convinced that he’s a failure (Because not only did so many of his pilots die, his mentor is disappointed with him!) and then Holdo sweeps in and doesn’t want much to do with him!

Only now Holdo has a different motive for giving Poe a wide berth. She’s one of Leia’s personal friends and is an accomplished military leader in her own right. She takes one look at Poe and immediately knows what type of person he is. So instead of barring Poe from being amongst the leadership and planning The Resistance’s next move because she doesn’t like his attitude… she tells him to stay out of things and get some rest because she can see that he’s in no emotional shape to be of any help to her!

Poe naturally is even more freaked out and left frantic! He's lost confidence in himself, but he just has to help! There must be something that he can do....

So there we go, Poe can still be a “menace” to Holdo during her short term of leadership (Or he can simply go on the ill-fated mission with Finn as the first draft of TLJ’s script had planned to do!) but now TLJ!Poe is more consistent with TFA!Poe because we have changed his motives for acting the way he does throughout the film. Making Poe (And the various character he interacts with!) seem more sympathetic even if his attempts to help just keep making things worse.

That can cumulate in Poe learning a valuable lesson “That he can’t save everyone and shouldn’t light himself on fire just to keep others warm” and thus actually develop as a character.

Oh my god, now I’m even more pissed off at Rian Johnson for not taking that route. It just seems… so obvious! It would’ve been a refreshing change of direction ( ;) A “subversion” if you will) for Poe’s character archetype (Seriously, just how common is it for male leaders to be so emotionally invested in those under their command that they become distressingly self-sacrificial?) and more importantly, not stereotypical!

Ugh! And now that TLJ has been fixed, TROS would go so much more smoothly! You can have a more nuanced Poe, growing weary and perhaps a bit jaded by the seemingly endless war. He’s transitioned into a more traditional leadership role like Leia wanted him too. All of this causes some tension between him and Finn and Rey.

Poe can regain more of his original optimism by having him go with Finn and Rey ( :) And Chewie! And the Droids!) on the big mission, where he can have opportunities to patch up his bond with Rey and Finn and thus now that he’s feeling more like himself again Poe can inspire more people to join in the final push against The First Order (There we go! The perfect way to bring the Spice Runners into the film without giving some bullshit excuse about how Poe was a member of their gang as a teenager!) and then during the big final battle Poe can showcase all that he’s learned over the course of the trilogy by comparing and contrasting what he does there to what he did during TFA’s opening scene!

Lol, now I’ve made myself even more mad! It’s just so clear that the Sequel Trilogy genuinely could’ve worked -Even without a lot of big changes!- had the characters simply been more consistently written.

I just re-railed Poe’s character simply by making some small changes to his motives! Things can still progress closely to how they did in the various films’, but now Poe is a stronger character that does more stuff, has opportunities to naturally bond with Finn and Rey (And other characters too!) and again, isn’t stereotypical in any means!

I just kept Poe’s backstory (A rebel born of rebels! With a closer than usual relationship to the heroes of the Original Trilogy. Oh yes, I just realized that a potential childhood friendship with Ben could easily be worked in, which would help out with Kylo’s character as well…) in mind the whole time and had him react to various things happening as he logically should react!

-Sigh- If only Poe’s backstory had been upheld from the start…

But ultimately I am pleased with myself for coming up with all of this, so thanks for listening Lottie! Hope you didn’t mind me dumping this into your submission box. :) Hope you have a great day.

#submission #poe dameron #great thoughts darling 💕#I’m still salty about what they did to Poe too #but i’m salty about aaaall of the sequel trilogy characters to be honest #but Poe had so much potential #AGAIN ruined by TLJ in my opinion #the characterisations from TFA to TLJ were so wildly different that it’s fucking embarrassing #anyway #i digress #poe was let down #i like your idea better!!!!!!

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talesofafangirlwithadvr · 4 years

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MAY PICKS!

WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER MONTH OF TV/MOVIE WATCHING!

Does it feel like it was just April or that it can’t even be May and yet it is coming to an end? I get it. Quarantine is doing weird things to my head and I can’t believe how far in the year it’s been. Looking back on my picks for this month I noticed that I have seemed to escape the world through historical period shows or movies. But that isn’t the entire bulk of the month (just half of it). Without further ado, here we go!

As always..spoilers....

THE HALF OF IT

This Netflix original movie was an early watch for me during this month and it came at the right time. I was looking for a movie, rather than a TV show, and something that was contemporary and not overly serious (although, there are serious themes in this film). As it repeatedly says, “it’s not a romance” yet it has that YA/teen romance feel. (Yes, I used YA/teen in the same description.) I really loved the Elle Chu and Paul Munsky friendship. While watching the trailer, I could tell this film would be highlighting a healthy friendship as its focal point and how your other half doesn’t have to be a romantic soulmate. A lot of times, these kinds of stories can seem very repetitive, but with the new plot of Elle and Paul in love with the same girl we encounter a new kind of obstacle. I think the resolution was pretty solid for both plot lines and I liked the train scene at the end. Certain shots felt long at times. There were lots of pauses, which I didn’t 100% like. Also, the awkwardness could feel pretty cringey. Overall, it is definitely worth the watch. I liked it and would watch it again. Paul might be one of my heartthrobs of 2020. I’m always a sucker for a sweet jock with a heart of gold.

THE OFFICE LADIES

Yes, I know I’m late to the show as this podcast started last year, but better late than never and what better time than quarantine. Plus, I don’t have to wait each week for a new episode (even though know I’m catching up, so eventually...) At first, I was worried when I would have time because of not spending as much time in the car for commuting, but I found it’s really soothing to listen to as I’m cleaning. It feels like I’m in the room with Angela and Jenna and we’re all BFFs. I love how they’re best friends in real life and how close they are. They give the trivia you really can only get from two people who were on the show. They also have several guest stars from actors on the show to writers, directors and producers. One of my most recent listens had Creed Bratton in the studio with them and they talked about the Halloween episode. It was great. Listening to their podcast is really making me want to rewatch the series for the 100th time. As an uber fan, I already get all of their references, but with the new Easter eggs I can’t wait to go back and see them.

STAR WARS RISE OF SKYWALKER

Not just in honor of May the 4th, but to finish up the Star Wars watch through that I was taking with my sister. I hadn’t seen it yet and while not a die heart fan, I still wanted to see the conclusion. I liked the Force Awakens a lot, but felt eh about Last Jedi. In ways this one kind of felt like a stand alone. It had a different vibe compared to the previous two. After watching I heard there was a different director for all three movies, so that makes sense-I guess. (It’s weird they wouldn’t have kept at least one to do two of them.) It also had a kind of fan fiction feel. SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! Bringing Palpatine back reminded me of Lord Voldemort having a kid in Cursed Child. BACK FROM SPOILERS! I’m happy that Rey’s parentage/lineage was revealed because it was such a major point in this series. I loved the Rey/Finn/Poe relationship. It was great to see them in the same story line and reminded me of the original three: Luke/Han/Leia. Leia :( It was so sad, but I always knew it had to happen, due to Carrie Fischer. It didn’t make it any easier to watch. MORE SPOILERSSSSS! I knew Kylo would turn back. It was nice to see that his mom was able to spark that. I did like his fight scene. I just didn’t love the connection him and Rey have/had. LOVED the ending. I’m cool with her taking the Skywalker name and the suns shot with the force them at the end had me screaming.

OPHELIA

From one Daisy Ridley film to another. This movie just recently got added to my list when I was channel surfing. I vaguely remembered it being advertised, but it felt like a while ago. I’m a sucker for a re-telling, so I was immediately intrigued to watch it. This film was adapted from a novel by the same name. It follows Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and gives her more of a story and character development. If you are familiar with the original, you know that Ophelia is only briefly mentioned and her character’s motives are really driven by her love for Hamlet. Even her famous death scene is very ambiguous. When this film begins, a voice-over narration by Ridley immediately brings us to her death scene and tells the audience “that there is more to the story than we think we know.” I really loved the twist and re-invention of this story through her point of view. I think Daisy Ridley was fantastic in the role. I haven’t seen her in a lot of other things, so it was great to see her here in a completely different role from Star Wars. The re-telling is very creative and very feminist. You get to see how Hamlet and Ophelia meet and then see him off to school. With this addition you can really get behind this relationship and see the mutual attraction and feelings between them. When relating back to the original, I like how they cut out scenes that Ophelia was not physically apart of and instead rely the events that happened. (Specifically with Polonius’ death.) I also enjoyed the new perspective of scenes. You really can tell that Ophelia is not mad, but it is the mask she must put on to survive. The ‘get thee to a nunnery’ scene takes on a whole different meaning now. There’s also a lot echoes to other Shakespearean plays and tropes which were fun to explore. Whether you’re a Shakespeare/Hamlet fan or not, I would definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of the time period, re-tellings or a strong female lead.

MEDICI THE MAGNIFICENT SEASON 3

I literally just finished this show this afternoon and I couldn’t wait to write about it. (Sorry if this post is pretty long, but that just shows you that you need to watch it.) I was very excited for the third and final season of Medici because I enjoyed season 2, so much. While this one might have taken me a little longer to watch, it was still a good time and I’m sad it’s over.

Watching this season I was super impressed by Daniel Sharman’s acting. He has great range as he goes from a young Lorenzo in season 2 to an adult and father and then an elderly man. I think he was convincing throughout each stage and I’m happy they kept the same actor. His make-up to help him age looked a lot more natural, compared to Richard Madden’s, in my opinion. I feel on shows like this it’s often hard seeing a jump in time (it helps with seeing the kids grow up), so when Lorenzo starts to get sick/age I at first, was like whoa, but then it was further explained (by inheriting his father’s illness, etc.)

Compared to season 2, I definitely liked the previous more. I not only enjoyed watching the more idealistic Lorenzo, but also plot-wise. In season 2 the Pazzi are the main antagonist/objective. Here in season 3 there were several obstacles/antagonists: The Pope, Riario, and Savonarola. Every time we thought there was a moment of peace...nope. Now, I get this is based on history and we need drama so you can only change so much, but I missed the Medici being at the top and being respected. I also know we covered A LOT of time. (I guess that shows you how connected I felt with them and the show.)

All of the history Easter Eggs were cool. Obviously, the Renaissance was extremely relevant, but it was cool seeing the big names like Botticelli (especially with his painting at the end, which I recognized), Da Vinci, and Michelangelo. I can’t get over how many of these famous painters were recognized by the Medici family. It just shows you how important and influential they were. Also, when Nico revealed his last name as Machiavelli. JAW DROP! This show has continually brought me back to researching (and mainly using Wikipedia). The writing at the end was accurate to what I found. Wish we had another season with the legacy to see it continue. I’m surprised I got teary eyed at the end.

WORLD ON FIRE

It may be listed last once again, this month, but it is definitely not least. The show may have finished its season a few weeks ago, but I still have two episodes left on my DVR. The last one I watched was when they were in Dunkirk and that was an intense time. I knew it was going to be, but it still didn’t prepare me. In this episode, we see many characters FINALLY meet up and join each other’s plot lines. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the episode/series. Some already knew each other, while others were meeting for the first time. While I am excited to see how it all turns out, I’m also not ready to say good-bye. Right now, I saw a potential for a season 2, but not sure if that was a fan made article or not. I’m hoping all of my favorite characters survive and get what can be considered a happier ending than what they are currently experiencing. I also hope we don’t end on too much of a cliffhanger. Either way, I’m happy I checked this show out.

RE-WATCHING

iZOMBIE

Currently I’m in the beginning of the second season. Sometime last month I felt the pull to start re-watching this show. It’s one that I have tried once or twice to watch again from the beginning, but now that it’s been finished for almost a year, it felt like time. It was a great decision, although right now there’s some character plots that are frustrating me and that I forgot about. But there’s some great brains that Liv has experienced and it was great seeing Lowell again (for as short-lived as it was). I’m excited to continue re-watching.

I DIDN’T DO IT

The re-watch for I Didn’t Do It basically began when it hit Disney Plus a few months ago. I just recently made it to season 2, which I remember enjoying more than season 1. One reason for this was because they get rid of the flashback format for each episode. I’m really early on, like episode 4, so I still have many more to go. Once I finish it I don’t know if I’ll explore a new Disney Plus show or watch another that I’ve seen before.

I also have a few things on DVR that I’m still finishing up. I haven’t watched the finale of Batwoman yet and I know it’s going to be weird now that Ruby Rose has left the show. I just finished the Flash and felt blah about the whole season, so I’m unsure if I’ll watch next season. But I am enjoying Stargirl. You can find my thoughts on the first episode here. I’m excited to see the rest of the season.

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awakening5 · 5 years

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The Rise of Skywalker

I don’t do much Star Wars content anymore because Lucasfilm hasn’t given me a reason to for a while, and I’ve (mostly) put my TLJ demons to bed and moved on. (Mostly)

That said, Star Wars still has a special place in my heart and I wanted to get my thoughts about the last TROS trailer written out.

Firstly, Finn being our first narrator, and the HEAVY indication that he is Force Sensitive, is a beautiful thing. Look, I’ve never needed Finn to be “Chosen One” levels of Force Powerful. In fact, I kind of love that every fight of his is an uphill battle, because he just keeps overcoming! That said, it is CLEAR that Finn and the Force were intertwined in each of their Awakenings. And it is nice to have that acknowledged, and it had better be explored in TRoS!

Second, this move looks fun. Our team, our found family, finally interacting. Smiling and joking and adventuring together! It’s wonderful. They will split up in the movie. They will have their respective roles. But these characters desperately need to interact more, and it looks like we’re getting it!

Third, the bantha in the room. Another Rey and Kylo team up. Sigh. Look, from everything I’ve seen, I don’t actually fear R*ylo is happening, at all. There’s just too much smoke from Daisy and JJ not to believe that R*ylo is burned. That said, we’ve seen this before, yeah? If this results in a Kylo Redemption, the themes of the Sequel Trilogy are all over the place, and it will feel like a poor imitation of Return of the Jedi. If Kylo turns on Rey, it will be a boring repeat of Last Jedi.

From my seat, the only way this team-up ends in a satisfying way is if Rey turns the tables on Kylo. Fakes her trust of him, uses him to take down Palpatine, and then right before he betrays her, she ends him. Straight up (original release) Han-shot-firsts that mother fucker with a saber through his throat.

Lastly, my two total followers know I am Finnrey Trash and will be til the end of time. Finn’s opening line certainly hints at their connection, if he was speaking to her (I actually think this is a parting message to the entire crew before the final battle, not just Rey). This said, I don’t actually think we’re getting an explicit Finnrey in this film. It’s sad, and they’re cowards for it, but that’s my expectation at this point. What I will not accept, however, is if Finn and Rey don’t play vital roles in each other’s character arcs. They mean too much to each other. They’ve been the heart of the first two movies, and they deserve to close out the trilogy.

My prediction is that Rey’s earned trust in Finn is what allows her to save the day, and to stay in the Light. And Finn’s willingness to go back for her will show up yet again. Fingers crossed it’s a romantic relationship, but that friendship and its impact is the most important thing to me.

#TROS #tros trailer #finnrey #JJ dont let us down

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phosphorescent-naidheachd · 4 years

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I saw TROS earlier today and, well, it was definitely a Star Wars sequel movie, for better and for worse. I can see why some people on my dash hated this movie and why some of them loved it. I can also see why some of them threw their hands into the air over it and shrugged. (FYI, I’m in the third category.) More scattered and spoiler-laden thoughts below the cut:

--“Never underestimate a droid.” This line would have been so much more meaningful if the spy had turned out to be a First Order droid rather than Hux. A droid that had broken free of its programming, just like Finn (and later Jannah and the other unnamed former stormtroopers). But as always, the Droid Revolution that we deserve is probably never going to be a thing, at least not onscreen where it counts.

--Just like TFA, the copy-and-pasting from the Original Trilogy was painfully obvious, but what was forgivable in the first film of a new trilogy is less so in said trilogy’s concluding film.

--Trần Loan/Rose deserved more screentime and prominence. And did we really have to turn Poe into a former spice runner? Really? *sighs heavily*

--Zorii Bliss felt sort of shoehorned in? I didn’t hate her, but it felt like TPTB only introduced her to give Poe another person to flirt with. And I say this as someone who was not expecting PoeFinn or any other LGBTQIAP+ relationship between named characters to be made canon in this movie at all. Hopefully fans will give her more depth in fic!

--Jannah was really interesting and I would have loved to see more of her. Once again, hopefully fans will take her character and deepen/explore it in fic.

--LANDO!

--Finn was all but explicitly confirmed as Force sensitive, and it’s What He Deserves.

--I mean, Finn also deserved his own storyline and a stronger conclusion to his character arc in this film, especially considering he was promoted as one of the leads of the sequel trilogy. But while I’m irked that he was relegated to a side character, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming, especially after TLJ.

--Likewise, I knew Reyl0 was going to be a thing after TLJ. I found their relationship less grating than Anida1a in the prequels, but it still didn’t do much of anything for me in this film. Do I understand from an objective POV why some people enjoy it so much? Yep. It’s the grand, tortured, Byronic Romance™, where it isn’t really about whether the characters have anything in common or even like each other, it’s about their near-mystical connection and their inability (and lack of true desire) to be rid of it; it’s about the lengths to which they will go for each other/themselves; it’s about the powerful man who is emotionally vulnerable and eager to serve his True Love at the expense of all else. It’s also the whole enemies-to-lovers trope, and so on. I understand the appeal of this mashup intellectually, it’s just not my cup of tea here. YMMV and all that, and that’s as it should be.

--Palpatine back from death is as ridiculous here as it was in the old EU, but I can roll with it. I think the movie made the right decision not to explain all the nitty-gritty details of how he cheated death or manipulated the whole Snoke deal... ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, y’know? Ditto to Rey Palpatine lol.

--Leia’s death felt pretty narratively cheap to me, but I understand that there was only so much TPTB could do with the footage they already had of Carrie Fisher in costume. Still, poor Leia. She drew a deeply shitty hand in life, didn’t she?

--That said, it was nice to see Leia training as a Jedi in flashbacks, however briefly. (Is it just me, or did her saber hilt vaguely resemble Obi-Wan’s?) Does it make a lot less sense that she would then send Ben away to Luke if she’s had Jedi training? Yes. Can I created headcanons to explain this? Also yes. And do I really care about this particular inconsistency when there are far worse ones out there and this one makes dudebro sections of the fandom spitting mad? NOPE.

--I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not inherently against the redemption of Kylo/Ben. But, as I had suspected/feared, they “redeemed” him at the narrative expense of other characters I personally find more interesting... and they still didn’t manage to make said redemption feel narratively earned to me. Is there undoubtedly ancillary material in SW books and comics that give more background behind Kylo/Ben’s turn to the Dark Side and eventual turn back to the Light? Yes. Do I want to read it? Not really, no. Also, unless something happens onscreen in the SW universe, it doesn’t really count as true canon. So it’s disappointing that the movie shoved other characters and plots to the side to make room for Kylo/Ben’s redemption arc and then didn’t even do a good job with it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

--Also, of course TPTB had Kylo/Ben die saving someone rather than narratively deal with what it means to work towards redemption after having done lots of terrible things, and having to recover from having been manipulated/groomed by Sidious. Not surprised in the slightest.

--I would have preferred a Stormtrooper Rebellion storyline, but I’m not going to blast TROS or the sequel trilogy for being what it is rather than what I wanted it to be. I will, however, blast it for its sloppy execution of its existing storylines. Which leads to my next point...

--Even though TROS was long, it still felt rushed and, like the first two movies in this trilogy, it felt largely disconnected from the other sequel trilogy films. The Star Wars Story Group really should have planned this trilogy out better. If TPTB were going to go with two different directors/writers, they should have made sure said directors/writers were on the same page rather than seemingly fighting each other’s visions of what the overarching story should be at every step.

--I’m willing to handwave a lot of stuff that happens in TROS, mainly because I’m long past expecting coherence from this franchise... or pretty much any major franchise, tbh. (For instance: Thousands of people show up to aid the Resistance when Lando calls them but not when Leia did in TLJ? OK. Force Ghost Luke shows up to catch Rey’s lightsaber but not to help her against Palpatine? Sure.) These issues don’t really make or break the series for me, so I can work with them with a minimum of grumbling. Which isn’t quite the same thing as letting TPTB off the hook for their laziness and inconsistencies.

--Honestly, I hate to say it, but it would have made for a stronger story if Chewie had died aboard the ship when Rey and Kylo/Ben were fighting over it; that would have driven home the consequences of Rey’s lack of control and lessened the artificiality of the stakes in this movie. But I get that this is ultimately a family film, so it’s more of a minor quibble than anything else.

--It’s kind of weird that Rey’s hair is back in the three buns again for the entirety of TROS after she wore her hair differently for almost all of TLJ. But that’s a fairly minor quibble too, and one of the sort I can easily create a headcanon to explain. Actually, come to think of it, I wonder if they didn’t do this at least partially to be able to recycle some of the unused TFA clips with Leia and Rey?

--Frankly, I’m not sure why Rey suddenly cared so much about what Luke thought, considering A. he was a huge jerk to her for most of TLJ, and B. she seemed to have broken with following his advice towards the end of TLJ. And since she didn’t have a great relationship with Luke, it seems weird that she’d take his last name. Shouldn’t she have gone with Organa or even Solo, if she’s naming herself after a mentor? But whatever, I get that it’s about the symbolism more than the character or logic. And I can create headcanons to explain all of this.

--It’s a little weird that there wasn’t any more resolution to Kylo/Ben’s storyline and Rey’s feelings about it after his death. But with Leia dead, I guess there isn’t anyone left who’d especially care if Kylo/Ben turned back to the Light aside from Rey herself. Still, there should have been something more. Especially since Ben didn’t show up as a Force Ghost alongside Luke and Leia on Tatooine.

--While I’m at it, I wish we could have had a minute’s conversation with Rey telling Finn about her heritage, if only because I think he would have understood. But I wish we could have learned more about Finn’s heritage (which didn’t need to be a known SW lineage, btw) too, so...

--For that matter, I wish we could have had Finn get a chance to tell Rey about his being Force Sensitive, which might have made her feel slightly less alone. I wish we could have seen Finn figure out what being Force Sensitive meant to him. And so on.

--Not sure where people are getting the idea that Lando & Jannah were flirting, because I didn’t read their interaction that way at all.

--General Poe and General Finn were great, but also sort of felt unearned after the events of TLJ.

--The abilities that come from being part of a Dyad are overpowered and a little silly, but hey, they’re also following a long-established SW tradition of overpowered silliness, so... *shrugs*

--Confused as to why Rey suddenly killed Kylo/Ben when she did?? I mean, if it was because she was angry Leia had just died, wouldn’t that be acting from the Dark Side and shouldn’t that have, idk, narrative consequences for her?

--I don’t see why some people loved or hated Rey’s ending so much. It’s pretty open, IMO, just like the endings for all of the surviving characters. Who says Rey is going to stay on Tatooine or be alone there, after all? For all we know, she just stopped there for a few days to bury the lightsabers, grieve for Kylo/Ben, and meditate. For all we know, Finn or one of her other friends from the Resistance is going to drop in any moment now. Heck, for all we know, one of her friends is hanging out inside the Falcon where we can’t see them, giving her a little space. (Was her friendship with Finn and Poe depicted pretty shallowly in this movie? Yeah. But so was her relationship with Kylo/Ben tbh, even with the Dyad Force bond thingamajig.) Rey has a whole world of choices available to her. Does it suck that we didn’t get to see that onscreen? Yeah. Does it mean she’s doomed to be eternally lonely as a hermit on a desert planet? Not in the slightest.

--Someone really needs to tell the writers of these big franchises that using ring structure is pointless if there isn’t meaning behind it. There’s nothing inherently significant about repeating events or revisiting locations.

--Overall, I felt pretty meh about TROS. I didn’t love it or hate it. As with any movie in a series, there’s good stuff to be mined from it, and bad stuff to be handwaved away or given headcanon explanations. But mostly, I just can’t dredge up the energy to care very much. And I’m not in the mood for TROS fix-it fanfiction so much as I am TROS crack fics.

--I haven’t talked about everything that worked or didn’t work for me in TROS here, but if you have any questions, I’m always happy to answer them to the best of my abilities!

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kelvintimeline · 4 years

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the thing with endgame ruining steve’s character is that a. it’s the last film and just one film, so we can sort of ignore it and still have a sense of canon around his ‘real’ characterization and b. bucky and sam, the characters we enjoyed experiencing with him but never got their own chance to shine and be more developed are getting content after to give them a realer, fuller characterization

TROS hurts so bad because this has been three movies straight of ruining rey and sidelining poe and finn we no chance of fixing any of it. there is no falcon and winter soldier show for poe and finn to live up to their potential. and rey didn’t just make a selfish and ooc choice, she flat out romanced a fascist who abused her friends and killed her mentors.

and you know what? none of them got to have full characterizations. we got teases but nothing that got ot be developed and followed film from film. characterization oscillated from tfa to tlj and likely will again in tros.

and none of them even got to bond together! the trio is meeting up for the FIRST time in the third and final movie. finn and poe got separated and were barely reunited with a slightly backhanded scene about the jacket (i know we like to think of it as 100% sweet but “i’m not much of a sewer but i was busy saving the entire fleet” as he walks off is still??? weird???). finn and rey got jackshit for an entire film. poe and rey still don’t even know each other yet?????? chewie was barely a thing. and the original trio all died for increasingly sad and unnecessary reasons.

endgame was something you could deal with via fix it fic but... tros’ ending poisons the entire thing to the core. how can i enjoy rey and finn’s friendship knowing she chose a fascist who enslaved him as the one she would exile herself for? how can i enjoy poe and finn’s endings when they were never given time to develop or spend time with each other? fuck it--finn and poe spend each movie with entirely different sets of characters so they don’t even have strong bonds with characters OUTSIDE of the trio. like they made up new female characters just to make their new friends since rose got yeeted and holdo was a. a bitch and b. is now dead.

there is ABSOLUTELY no heart in this trilogy. tlj derailed it but tros landed it in a fucking pit and left it there, only to pull kylo out.

this is fucking shameful and i don’t know how to leavae this franchise with anything more than a wistful what could have been for finn and poe and a resentment for everything else. rey doesn’t even get a ‘what coudl have been’ because her character changed so violently that i don’t even know what her original potential even was beside sbeing a vessel for some other charcater who wasn’t kylo.

endgame!steve was salvagable because there was something to salvage in the first place. tros!rey and the ghosts of poe and finn’s potential... what is there?

what is there

#star wars spoilers #tros spoilers #rise of skywalker spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #sw spoilers #spoilers #rise of skywalker #the rise of skywalker

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minaminokyoko · 4 years

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Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker--A Spoilertastic Review

Boy, oh, boy.

Well, it’s over.

And I don’t know how I feel about it.

Let me start as I always do by saying I have no attachment to Star Wars. It’s always just be something to watch for me, nothing more, nothing less. I am ambiguous and apathetic. I admit that the first time I ever perked up was with The Force Awakens, which I still think is on par with the first two original films in terms of being engrossing. I actually liked it more because Rey and Finn connected with me more than I did with Luke as a kid. Then Last Jedi happened and it derailed the places that I had hoped we were going to go. I didn’t dislike Last Jedi, but I certainly didn’t like it either. I appreciate the risks it took, but I felt it didn’t pull them off and that’s why I had zero expectations for this film. It left a lot of people unsure of the future.

And unfortunately, J. J. Abrams pussed out.

There is no other way to say it. He basically listened to the people who complained about The Last Jedi and catered the characters’ development in order to try to please them. Which is shitty as hell.

That being said, this is an enjoyable movie, imo. It’s a satisfying end to the overall Skywalker saga, I think, but not to its original characters. I’ll explain below.

Overall Grade: C+

Spoilers ahead, as always.

Pros:

-The action is great. Just great. Really engrossing, really fun sequences. Everyone pulls their weight, too, unlike the subplots in Last Jedi. It’s also visually stunning. It’s a polished film, much like what we’ve been enjoying about the Mandolorian, how it integrates real sets with effects instead of just that sterile bluescreen nonsense Disney has been doing recently.

-Reuniting Finn, Rey, and Poe was a fucking Godsend. They are so likable together. It was the whole reason I liked The Force Awakens so much. They’re a good group and you really root for them the entire time. I’m glad they let them be in the story together. It’s the way it should be. They have a ton of chemistry and I would like it very much if they are kicking off an original franchise now that they have ended the Skywalker saga. We’ll see.

-Poe in particular is a lot of fun in this film, which is much needed since he was such a headstrong pain in the Last Jedi. Here he’s back to being just charming and salty and likable as hell. I really enjoyed Isaac finding a path for Poe, because at first he was kind of filling the snarky badass role that Han Solo did but he found his own way and I like him a lot for that same reason. He’s convicted but he’s softened up from how he was in Last Jedi and I think it works great.

-Rey being at the center of the story—and don’t worry, we’ll talk about this below, ugh—even though I highly disagree with the direction they took her in, is still great. I like that they still didn’t listen to the whiny gits who hate a woman being a Jedi. I like that Rey is fighting every second to hold onto her own truth and be her own person. Good for you, girlie. I do hope she gets more stories. She’s a good bean.

-The tribute to Carrie Fisher was nothing short of beautiful. I got choked up. Thank you for honoring her. I miss her so much. I only wish she could have seen it herself. She’s such an inspiration.

-Good pacing. Nothing stagnates and there aren’t any subplots that feel extraneous like in Last Jedi. The film is focused on all the right areas.

-Kylo Ren fucking dies like he deserves. See ya later, Darth Fuckboi. But we’ll also discuss that below.

-The Han Solo cameo caught me waaaaaaaaaaay off-guard. Harrison Ford has made no bones about hating Han Solo, which annoys me because I still think Han is his best performance, and yet he still agreed to cameo, so that was pretty neat. Unexpected for sure. But I’m sure Disney waved a very pretty paycheck and he only had about 10 lines, so why not?

-I did like Rey’s adoption of the Skywalker name. Thank you for giving meaning to that strange title choice. It’s very heartwarming to end on that image of Luke and Leia, together again, smiling fondly at this little girl they adopted. She ended a war and now she can be herself. I loved her creating a gold lightsaber too. It’s very fitting and it’s such a great thing to see. As a female fangirl, it makes my heart sing to know that millions of little girls get to grow up with a female Jedi as the lead in the new franchise.

-It was nice to see Lando again! Good for Billy D.

Cons:

I have three big fucking problems with this movie. They don’t break the entire movie, but they damage it so much that now I get why the movie is getting so many mixed reviews. The things this movie does well, it does well, but the things it fucks up? My God, does it fuck them up. Let’s dig in.

-First huge problem: *gets out loud speaker* KYLO FUCKING REN DID NOT DESERVE A FUCKING REDEMPTION ARC. FUCK. THIS. FUCKING. FUCKBOI. HE DOES NOT DESERVE A REDEMPTION ARC BECAUSE HE IS A GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING SPACE NAZI AND HIS ACTIONS DO NOT AT ALL WARRANT A KISS FROM REY NOR FORGIVENESS FROM ANYONE. FUCK DARTH FUCKBOI. FUCK ANYONE WHO THINKS HE COULD BE REDEEMED AFTER KILLING HIS FATHER IN COLD BLOOD AND TRYING TO KILL HIS MOTHER AND OH YEAH REMEMBER THE BILLIONS OF DEAD INNOCENT PEOPLE HE KILLED AS A PART OF THE FIRST FUCKING ORDER OH MY GOD THIS IS THE WORST WRITING HOW FUCKING DARE YOU.

Ahem.

This arc did not work in the Last Jedi either and yet here we fucking are. We are in a world that is asking us to forgive a goddamn Space Nazi. It’s so unacceptable. But I shouldn’t be surprised, since this is the same fucking year Hollywood is trying to ask me to feel bad for the goddamn fucking Joker.

Kylo Ren does not and never will deserve a fucking redemption arc. He willfully slaughtered billions of people. Billions. Fuck you for asking me to care about him. Fuck you for that disgusting kiss. He is an abuser and Rey has not shown any romantic interest in him whatsoever up until this point. I can’t fucking believe they pandered to the fucking gross ass Reylo fans. And yes, fight me, I don’t care, Reylo is fucking problematic as hell and that was the most forced bullshit I’ve ever seen in my life. Go to hell.

-Second huge problem: retconning Rey’s backstory made me fucking furious. It was the one fucking thing I didn’t want J. J. to mess with and not only did he mess with it, he went with the most illogical fucking method to make Rey’s lineage “important.” Say what you want about the Last Jedi but the thing that worked best was Rey’s parents being fucking nobodies who sold her off. That was a great story element. It reinforces the very important idea that you are who you choose to be, to quote the immortal words of The Iron Giant. Where you came from does not fucking matter. Your blood does not matter. You are the person that you want to be and that’s how you should live your life, with choices that are important to who you are, not where you came from. They backtracked just to pay lip service to the originals for no reason and because they got too scared to color outside of the lines.

-Third huge problem: Palpatine’s retconned inclusion in the story. There is no way you can convince me that old ass Palpatine crawled on top of a woman and made a baby. It does not fit at all. It’s just stupid, stupid crap and I hate it with my entire soul. I want to slap whoever the hell wrote it. Not only does the Palpatine bullshit make no narrative sense, it’s a straight up retconned bullshit plothole. I defer to the experts, but from what I remember, there was no indication he was still alive in the previous films. It overshadows what was a promising story and it derails so much for her fucking character to have this useless lineage garbage that doesn’t work on any level. There was no reason to crawl back to Palpatine when Last Jedi felt as if it was leading towards Kylo fulling stepping into the Big Bad role and Rey rejecting his stalker, abusive shit to be the Jedi she wanted and needed to be.

-Continuing the “maybe Rey is secretly evil” bullshit from the last movie. I hated this in Last Jedi too. Rey shows absolutely no signs of being evil. Ever. At most, she loses her temper, but that’s it. Normal good people can lose their temper. The movie constantly keeps saying maybe she’s bad but her actions are universally good, kind, brave, and helpful, so why the hell did they pursue this nonsense at all? It’s clear that Rey is virtuous. The First Order has done nothing but oppress her and kill innocent people, so why the hell would she ever entertain the thought of joining them? It’s so pointless. The only time it even made a little sense was when Palpatine said she could save her friends by commanding the Final Order and even then it was a fucking stretch. Christ, I hate it when the writing is forcing something that does not match the character’s actions. Good job with the Force vision, by the way. Every single non-stupid person knew it was going to be a Force vision when we saw it in the trailer, you cliché bastards. They were wasting everyone’s time with this and they should be ashamed of themselves.

-Not going anywhere with Finn telling Rey how he felt. Finn in general was still sort of not as important overall as I want him to be, but we’ll see if that changes if their stories continue past the Skywalker saga. Either way, the attention has constantly been shifted away from Finn and Rey and it’s very frustrating because their friendship is so endearing. Whether you ship it or not, it’s an important relationship and I wish they had spent more time on it instead of having him fret after her constantly. Sigh.

I probably need to keep marinating on this film. There’s a lot to drink in. As I said, I’m not sure how I feel, since the good is really good, but the bad is really bad. It feels like it’s not good enough for a B grade, but it’s better than a C grade, like I need a letter between these two. It could’ve been done so much better, but it also could have been done much worse. I definitely like it better than Last Jedi, but it’s not exactly good either. It’s a trouble film. It’s a fun film. It’s just…a lot of things. I would say that the scale makes it satisfying as a closing statement to the saga, but not for the individual characters. Rey’s derailment due to Darth Fuckboi is a huge disservice, so while I think people are overreacting, I get why they’re angry at the film, especially for the three things I noted. It truly seems to be a film split right down the center in terms of good/bad. That’s all I can say for now.

#rise of skywalker #the rise of skywalker #star wars #movie review #film review #spoilers #spoiler alert

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chancellorneighsay · 4 years

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I just came back from the theater and seeing The Rise of Skywalker......I'm pissed, I'll tag any spoilers ofc, so no worries snsjsj

FIRST OFF: Where was Rose?? WHERE was Rose??? She's an important character to this storyline and had a romance subplot with Finn!! And they just....threw it away?? For literally, absolutely no reason?

Second: they had to do my boy Poe like that..? Really, that's his backstory and history?? Come on guys

Third: WhAT WAS THE POINT OF MAKING REY. RELATED. TO. PALPATINE? That added literally *nothing* of value to her character arc, I haven't seen Force Awakens in over a year, but I could have sworn the point of her character was to show she came from a family of nobodies and rised up as a powerful individual and that her bloodline didn't matter at all? aLSO HOW DID HIS BITCH ASS SURVIVE THAT FALL--

Fourth: ...really, you gonna make Kylo and Rey kiss simply cause they're a girl and guy?? And yeah, I'm jumping the gun assuming that's why they did that, because what else was the point? Why couldn't she have redeemed him through genuine care and a bond of type of friendship?

Fifth: Hux just fucking dies lmfao, dude just wanted Kylo to choke

Sixth: Wh-what was like...the point of that whole sub plot thing with C-3PO? I genuinely don't understand. Was it supposed to be sad or like..funny or something?? I really didn't get that

Seventh: Finn should have had more importance to the film and had a bit more of an important role in my opinion, tbh, but that's just what that is, an opinion of mine there

Eighth: needs more Lando

#star wars #star wars spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #im kinda ticked off but i still enjoyed seeing the film in theaters

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solitarylurker · 4 years

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quick write-up in no particular order on my feelings for Star Wars: TROS just to get the initial stuff out; will write a longer piece tomorrow

this whole damn film is a travesty of wasted potential

Rey bombed her narrative arc on all levels to the point where i don’t think anyone can save her

she utterly fails to accept the darkness within herself and Kylo, retreating entirely to her golden child “light side only” mentality, which basically renders all her growth in TLJ utterly meaningless; this has the unfortunate side effect of making it appear she only ever loved the figment of “Ben” she imagined in her mind, rather than the very real Kylo who actually did love her and showed compassion and care for her and murdered his former master for her (her not learning to accept both her own darkness and Kylo’s is such a tragedy; it seems she can only “love” Kylo when he behaves how she wants, rather than learning to accept him as he is and help him reach his full potential, as he does in return for her)

she fails to bring back the person who “still could return” and fails Leia’s last wish, which is mind-bogglingly saddening; it’s unbelievable that JJ tried to pretend Rey’s “belonging” was just finding a found family and learning about her parents--as if it hadn’t been expressly set up in two previous films (one directed by JJ!) that Rey’s “belonging” is Kylo

the beautiful chemistry between Rey and Kylo was utterly decimated and reduced to a flat “good/bad” dynamic which truly cut me to the core in a way i wasn’t expecting

the film itself couldn’t seem to breathe and kept adding ridiculous characters no one needed (D-O??? why???)

i actually really liked Zorri, which shocked me as i don’t normally like characters added in the third act; i desperately wish i could have had three films with her, or even two films with her

Ben being completely abandoned by the Jedi and his family was heart-breaking and didn’t resonate nearly as well as TLJ on this front, though i did appreciate the moment with Han, even if it didn’t its emotional beat properly

i did appreciate that Rey was actually kind to C-3PO, who has always been my favorite droid of the originals

Poe and Finn’s little bromance was rather fun and endearing, and it really makes me wish Rian had gone ahead and let them have the TLJ B-plotline together so their friendship could have been highlighted more, making this film’s dynamic more earned

literally nothing was earned in this film; all the emotional beats missed the mark and nobody seemed in-character or capable of being consistent for more than two seconds (even Kylo had eye-roll worthy moments, which is utterly unthinkable given how much care he was given in the first two films)

all the themes of the film land flat and miss the mark, as expected

ultimately i feel a deep sorrow for the wasted potential of what this story could have been, what it could have meant, and what it could have accomplished for the 9-film saga

probably write a more in-depth post tomorrow, if i’m up to it

#sw spoilers #tros spoilers #tros reaction #spoilers #disappointing endings are disappointing #leia's ending was such an insult #she didn't even get to properly say goodbye to her son #it's as if ben was just an extension of rey's arc rather than a co-protagonist #reylo?#still anti-dead!kylo

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miss-musings · 6 years

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Some wild or not-so-wild predictions about Episode IX (with some TLJ meta/analysis)

So, for the record, these crazy-ass wild predictions (or maybe not so wild???) are based on: 1) evidence of themes, motifs, character development and story arcs from TFA and TLJ; 2) overall story arcs and whatnot from both the Prequel Trilogy and the OrigTrig; 3) other media (TV shows) within the Star Wars universe; 4) other media outside of Star Wars that I feel like share some thematic/character parallels and that I know are very popular among modern audiences; and 5) fan metas that tie into all of this.

So, in no particular order and with plenty of art to break up the text…

And in case this isn’t going to be obvious… SPOILERS FOR THE LAST JEDI!!!

PREDICTION ONE: The Title

Across the 8 Star Wars films we have three possibilities for the way titles are worded: A/The (Adjective) (Noun) ; (Noun) with a verb somewhere in the phrase; (Noun) of the (Noun). So far in this new trilogy, we’ve had the first two. But we haven’t had (Noun) of the (Noun) yet. This has been the case with the third installments of each trilogy: Revenge of the Sith (III) and Return of the Jedi (IV).

I imagine IX will fit this pattern; and, while I doubt it will have “Jedi” or “Sith” in it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had the word “Balance” in it. Like “Balance of the Force” or something, except that I imagine they might be kind of nervous about using “Force” again in a title so soon, considering they have The Force Awakens and another property The Forces of Destiny.

But, I’d bet money “Balance” is in the title. Maybe not a lot of money. Like $5 or something, but still. I’ll bet money on it. Maybe… “Power of the Balance.” Because Balance has very much been a recurring theme/motif in this trilogy, and I’m 100% certain we’re going there (which we’ll get into more below).

PREDICTION TWO: Character Dynamics

Okay, so for a more general observation of the Core Three Characters of each of our trilogies – Anakin/Obi-Wan/Padme ; Luke/Han/Leia – we had a romantic pairing between two of the three characters (Anakin/Padme ; Han/Leia), and a sibling or pseudo-sibling bond two of three characters (Anakin/Obi-Wan ; Luke/Leia). And the remaining connection of the triangle (Padme/Obi-Wan ; Luke/Han) was more of a friendship than anything else.

Now, looking at our main three characters of this NEW trilogy, I’ve seen a lot of people arguing that it’s Rey/Finn/Poe. No, it’s really not. As much as I like Poe, he’s really more of the Lando or Yoda or Mace Windu of this series. He has an important role, but initially he’s more of a side character (especially considering that he doesn’t really get any character development until TLJ). This is evident in the marketing for TFA and the fact that Poe was supposed to die in the crash on Jakku.

No, Rey, Finn and Kylo are the main three of our story. With that, the bonds between them become more evident: Rey and Kylo are the romantic pairing as we clearly see in TLJ; and Rey and Finn are going to be more of the pseudo-sibling pairing (Sorry, FinnRey, shippers. I enjoy their dynamic but I see it being more platonic.) That will presumably leave Finn and Kylo to one day become friends, although it probably won’t happen in the events of Episode IX.

It’s evident that Rey and Finn deeply care about one another, and while there were hints to a possible romantic pairing between them – like the “cute boyfriend” comment and the “stop holding my hand,” awhich might’ve been done as either comic relief or shipping fodder – I don’t see them getting together unless Kylo dies (which I HIGHLY doubt, and we’ll get into more below).

Finn is the first person who ever cared about Rey and treated her like a real person, like family. That’s partly why she’s so attached to him; that and he’s just generally a good guy. Likewise, Rey was the first person to believe in Finn, and it’s obvious that she means a lot to him. They’re the first real connection they made after they escaped their respective shitty lives (scavenging on Jakku and working for the FO). But Finn only ever calls her his friend, and he and Rey never exchange any dialogue in TLJ. He hasn’t really talked to her since Starkiller Base, before he fell into his coma; they’ve both seen and done a lot since then. They’re really not the same people that they were on Jakku, and while they will always care about each other, their lives are moving in different directions to a certain degree.

Anyway, sorry that was long way of saying: Rey and Finn aren’t getting together; Rey and Kylo are getting together. At least romantically. I imagine Rey and Finn will still be a big part of each other’s lives at the trilogy’s end.

PREDICTION THREE: Length of the Time Skip

I doubt it will be shorter than six months, but I don’t think it’ll be more than three years. We need enough time for the Resistance to have built up their forces again, but not so long that I think Hux will have overthrown Kylo Ren (because it was very obvious that he’s not at ALL pleased with Kylo as Supreme Leader).

A year or a year-and-a-half seems pretty reasonable. Any more than that, and I think you’re going to have to explain why the hell Hux hasn’t killed Kylo Ren or why either the Resistance or FO hasn’t found out about the Force Bond (because I definitely think that’ll be making an appearance).

PREDICTION FOUR: Basic Plot Outline

On that note, here’s how I think the movie might go. We’ll get into the specifics of some of these later.

Since taking over as Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren has been mostly brooding. He doesn’t give a lot of orders, but mostly kind of lets Hux run things. He’s so incredibly conflicted, given everything that happened in TLJ. He is not at all stable emotionally or spiritually. He shuts himself in his chambers and doesn’t do much but wait for the Force Bond to connect him with Rey. They don’t really say anything to each other, even though both of them want to but can never find the words. Or something like that.

(EDIT: I could’ve sworn I put this next prediction in my original draft, but I guess not. Oh, well. Adding it back in now.) Leia’s death will be shortly before the events of this movie. In fact, it’ll probably be mentioned in the opening Title Crawl. News of her death or the feeling of his mother being gone (as he might sense it through the Force) will cause Kylo to break routine and leave his quarters to go on a solo trip to some location that reminds him of his mom. Alderaan is gone, so maybe wherever Leia and Han raised him?? As long as it wasn’t one of those planets that Starkiller blew up. Wherever. It’ll be somewhere that reminds him of his mom.

(EDIT:) Side note: I’m not sure what will cause Leia’s death. She might’ve died in battle. That’d at least be badass. But losing her husband and twin brother within a week of each other might’ve taken a strain on her physically and emotionally, much like what happened to Carrie Fisher’s mom, Debbie Reynolds, IRL. But, I think death in battle would be more fitting. Although, if that’s the case, Kylo won’t have ordered it.

As Kylo is visiting this site connected to his mom, Rey will either be on Jakku or Tattooine – delving into her own origins (visiting her parents’ graves in the junker desert) or into Luke’s/Anakin’s and trying to learn more about the Force. She will have constructed a new lightsaber: either one that’s totally unique to her (maybe like a staff size?), or one that uses half of the kyber crystal from the Skywalker Lightsaber (and Ben will use the other half for his saber at the very end, after he’s redeemed).

While they are both alone and on their personal journeys, the Bond will activate and they will finally say something to each other for the first time since TLJ. It won’t be much, and there will still be some anger/resentment/hostility between them, but it will be poignant and emotional. Rey will probably say something about how his mom never gave up on him, etc.

At some point while Kylo/Ben is visiting this location that reminds him of his mom, he will probably hear some audio of his mother speaking to him through the Force (they might use an earlier clip of Carrie/Leia saying “Ben” or something, they way they used the Alec Guiness/Old Ben dialogue in Rey’s Forceback).

Luke will appear as a Force-ghost to either Kylo or Rey or both at some point during the film, but this point (when they’re both on their respective journeys of nostalgia) seems the most likely. He’ll probably spout off some exposition-heavy dialogue (possibly giving Rey her third official lesson, if they decide the TLJ deleted scenes aren’t canon), and then tell Rey she’ll have to face Kylo again.

In the meantime, the Resistance has been cooking up some big plan to take down the FO’s most recent base/big gun/whatever. Poe is now in charge of the Resistance since Leia’s death. Finn and Rose are potentially a couple now, and they’re also major Resistance leaders.

Either the Resistance will win some major victory or the FO will start to fracture as Hux takes more power from Kylo. Something will have to kick Kylo back into full Renperor mode. Something will threaten his position of power and he will feel as though he has to retaliate. But, Hux won’t be killed off, either in battle or by Kylo, until the third act of the movie.

There will be a gigantic space battle in either the second or third act. Poe will probably be the one to kill Hux, if Kylo doesn’t.

Finn will likely find out about the Force Bond, if Rey hasn’t told him during the Time Skip.

If there’s an element where the Resistance has to send one of their own to infiltrate the FO base, Rey will do it. Finn will initially volunteer at first, but Rey says she has to face Kylo and give the Resistance its best chance to win.

Somehow Rey and Kylo will face each other in the final act of the film, likely after she’s sought him out on a FO base. Or they find each other on the battlefield.

Since the end of TLJ, Rey has gotten considerably stronger in the Force, especially her combat abilities. She and Kylo will be a literal even match. They know each other so well and are both so strong that almost every attack is ineffective. I really HOPE (not predict, but hope) that this fight will either have some kind of a dance feel to it or go back to Episode IV, when it was an homage to old samurai films. Like when they’re both trying to do one-shot kill moves on each other, but keep blocking it.

Okay… now as to how the fight will end… I truly believe that it will end in a draw with both of them being hurt to the point where they can’t fight any more, probably with inverse/opposite/complementary/mirroring injuries. The injuries will be major, but not life-threatening.

While they’re laying there, not fighting any more and experiencing a shared/parallel pain, they’ll both vocalize their feelings for one another. And probably kiss. And while they kiss, they have Force visions on how to resolve this conflict: to balance the Force by becoming Gray Jedi (Force-wielders who use both the light and the dark sides, in balance) TOGETHER.

Kylo will proposition to Rey to join him as a Gray Jedi, which she will accept.

Once they realize this, the two will go back to their respective sides, and figure out some kind of compromise/system where neither the Resistance nor the FO exists, but some kind of balanced government system where everyone feels represented and no one is oppressed.

Everyone celebrates the creation of this new system, the destruction of the old system(s), and Rey and Kylo leave their friends to become tandem Gray Jedi Masters who will teach the next generation of Force users all about the full scope of the Force. They’ll also totally become a couple and maybe we’ll see a Force-vision of the future, where they have kids or something.

Together, Ben and Rey will have brought balance to the Force and the galaxy at large!

EXPLANATION TIME!!!

Kylo letting Hux run most things would be a good reason for Hux not having killed him yet. And Kylo brooding rather than being a bad dude makes a lot of sense if he’s going to be redeemed and live. And it’s clear from the effort that’s gone into Kylo Ren’s character that he WILL be redeemed, and because we’ve already done the Redeemed Hero Dies route (Vader), Kylo will get to live, albeit probably scarred/injured/handicapped or something. He can’t do TOO much more evil stuff or otherwise he’ll be considered TOO unredeemable for average audiences. Killing Han, killing a bunch of innocent people and Resistance combatants, and trying to kill Luke are all pretty unredeemable, but eh. He killed Snoke, and Rey, Luke and Leia all believe in his goodness. Seeing his conflict early on in Episode IX will clue the audience in on his being redeemed by the end of the movie.

I’m basing a lot of this on Zuko’s character arc from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and Sasuke from the Naruto universe (which we’ll talk about more in a second).

Rey’s arc, much like Luke’s in Episode VI, will be somewhat overlapping with the main War plot, but will ultimately take place parallel to it. Luke was on a journey of discovering himself, the Force and helping Anakin Skywalker to redeem himself. Rey, likewise, is on a journey of discovering herself, the Force and helping Ben Solo to redeem himself. Her main story will intersect with Finn/Poe/Rose/the Resistance’s, as Luke’s did with Han/Leia/Chewie/the Rebellion’s, but it will ultimately take place mostly separated from them.

With Carrie gone, they are going to have to have some kind of carry-over from the OrigTrig, and Luke as a Force-Ghost makes the most sense. He’ll do the Ben Kenobi role of getting the main characters to fight each other and figure out whatever the Force is trying to tell them. Because, as a Force-Ghost, Luke’s consciousness is one with the Force, or whatever; so he knows exactly what needs to happen for Balance to be achieved.

There will have to be something plot-wise to make Kylo snap out of his vulnerable state and back into his Renperor self because we’re going to need tension that he might kill Rey in their final duel, or at least destroy the Resistance. That way their final battle will have higher stakes.

Rey’s Force powers have leaned more toward the Sensing/Emotive side. Her first “awakening” is the Force-back, but even before that, she’s first aware of being called by the Force (the Lightsaber). She then figures out how to turn Kylo’s Force-sensing interrogation technique back on him, and senses his greatest fear. She also figures out how to use the Jedi Mind Trick, which she will ABSOLUTELY use again in Episode IX, and it’s only later that we see her using more of the physical attributes of the Force (pulling stuff toward you, combat enhancement, etc.). Rey is more naturally drawn toward sensing things via the Force, like the Tree, the Island (in her dreams) and the Lightsaber, and when she senses the Force as whole and then the Dark Side (the cave) in TLJ. So, during the Time Skip, she will have trained in learning how to use the Force to enhance her combat abilities, because it always felt to me like those were earned from her harsh life on Jakku rather than something inherent she had because she was Force-sensitive. (I mean, she didn’t even realize she was Force-sensitive until the Lightsaber scene on Takodana; but she’d been fighting off assholes all her life.)

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Force Bond is exposed to either the FO, the Resistance or both. This might be why Hux tries to usurp Kylo; and I doubt the Resistance will take Rey’s connection to Kylo all too well, considering that he tortured Poe and almost killed Finn (EDIT: and they might blame him for Leia’s death). Rey might make up for this by excusing herself from the main action of the War and offering to take down Kylo alone.

Now, what’s all this about the Gray Jedi and bringing “balance to the Force”?

(EDIT: Linking to the Wookieepedia article on “Gray Jedi” here.)

So, this is what all the eight movies have been leading up to – the prophecy that Anakin was supposed to fulfill. At the end of VI, the Sith (Vader and Palpitine) die and only one Jedi (Luke) survives to pass on what he has learned. This is not balance. At the time, we didn’t know about the whole prophecy thing and the OrigTrig was just about the good guys winning and the bad guys losing. But, over time, Star Wars has evolved to show us that this world – like ours – is a lot more GRAY. That’s what the Clone Wars series was about; that’s what Rebels (as far as I know) has been about; and that’s what the PT was sort of hinting at. That’s what THIS new trilogy has been hinting at, especially with the Finn/Rose subplot in TLJ. (EDIT: Which I wrote a whole meta analyzing and defending the importance of that subplot. Read it here.)

That’s not to say the FO hasn’t committed atrocities and the Resistance isn’t made up of people who have suffered and want better lives. But, as we saw with Finn, there’s a possibility that Stormtroopers are good people who don’t like what they’re being told to do. And, as was hinted at in TLJ, there are plenty of people who don’t like the Resistance. Because, in a war, no side is all good or all bad.

The whole Star Wars franchise kicked off as WWII In Space! But, since WWII, we’ve entered several conflicts where we (the U.S.) weren’t always in the right and the enemy wasn’t always in the wrong. There’s a TON of gray area in our conflicts now.

Anyway, this is all a very long way of saying that the OT’s understanding of the Light Side and the Dark Side isn’t well managed. As we saw with Luke at the end of VI, he let his anger, hatred and rage against Vader flow, but he didn’t become evil. He stopped himself, and realized that Vader was much more like him than he previously wanted to admit.

But, then in the PT, we see that the Jedi’s belief system is very lop-sided. They can NEVER let their emotions get the better of them. They have to be stoic, mindful, “celibate” (more or less), and detached from the world around them. They are encouraged to be compassionate, but not to love or become attached to people. This is a philosophy that isn’t going to fly well among modern audiences.

(EDIT: There’s a really great video Pop Culture Detective did on this very topic today. Linking to it here.)

Like with the War side, the answer is that we (the audience) are something in between. We do sometimes let our emotions get the better of us, which CAN be a bad thing sometimes, but not always (as “Inside Out” taught us, it’s unhealthy to lock certain feelings away). But, at the same time, most people aren’t evil and hate people so much that they want to destroy them.

So, the answer for The Force side of Star Wars is a balance: a coexisting of the extremes and the meeting of the two halves (Kylo and Rey). In TLJ, Luke’s big thing is that the Light Side WILL exist without the Jedi; and that the Force is ALL ABOUT A BALANCE: life/death, light/dark, heat/cold, peace/violence, etc. The Jedi is a RELIGION that used the Force, but there are plenty of other Force-users in this universe who aren’t Jedi or Sith (like Ahsoka Tano or Chirrut from Rogue One). The Gray Jedi can be the religious practice (the way of life) of Kylo and Rey. They can use both sides of the Force without being overcome by one or the other, by keeping them in a balance. I don’t know exactly how this would work, as I haven’t read TOO extensively into this topic, but I know it’s possible as I believe there were some Gray Jedi in the Legends Universe. I suppose it might be a bit like the Guardians of the Galaxy (another popular Disney property) – Kylo and Rey wouldn’t be all bad (because then they’d be evil) or all good (because then they’d be boring), but a little bit of both or something in between.

The happy ending to this entire saga isn’t about the Light snuffing out the Dark, the good guys killing all the bad guys, because the whole idea is that the Force and the world needs to be brought into balance. As much as we want the heroes to win, we also want the ending to be reflective of our human nature – both how we succeed and how we fail. This Gray Jedi ending would be reflective of that and bring the whole saga to a nice end.

I mean they wouldn’t have put a fucking YIN-YANG SYMBOL in the Meditation Pool on Ach-To if the idea behind the trilogy wasn’t about bringing the Force into balance. I wonder if it’s a good thing Rey took those ancient Jedi texts, because maybe they hint at if/how the Ancient Jedi (not the ones in the PT) were more in balance in the Force than our PT Jedi were.

We see this nicely encapsulated into Rey and Kylo as characters. Rey who embodies the Light, but has plenty of darker tendencies (like getting mad, charging at Snoke in a fit of rage and aggression); and Kylo who embodies the Dark, but has plenty of lighter tendencies (like telling Rey to detach herself from her past and let it go). They are a literal fucking YIN-YANG SYMBOL as people, side by side. But combined and intertwined… if you put a Yin-Yang symbol in wet paint on paper, and then mixed it together, what would you get?

A gray circle.

Gray Jedi is the answer, people. No question about it. At least in my mind.

Now, about the fight. Why do I think Rey and Kylo will have to wound one another and kiss?

Well, the draw/wound thing is something I stole from the Naruto universe.

For those of you who are unfamiliar… the main character Naruto (on the left) is very much the “light side” of his universe. His rival Sasuke (on the right, and who has a redemption arc similar to what we’ve seen of Kylo’s so far) is very much the “dark side.” There’s a point where they get sun and moon symbols on their respective hands, and each holds half of the same power source, although they manifest it differently based on their respective abilities/personalities.

Now, the entire series is built-up to this final showdown between the two. Naruto is not trying to kill Sasuke, but needs to stop him, because Sasuke IS trying to kill Naruto and bring an end to things/people Naruto loves. And, it physically ends in a draw. The two lose their dominant arms: Naruto loses his right; Sasuke, his left. Their wounds are a literal mirror of each other (see below). And in that shared pain, they find an understanding, and Sasuke decides not to kill Naruto but to come back over to the “good” side (more or less), to stop being a murderous asshole, and to start atoning for his crimes. (So, in a way, Naruto wins the fight on an emotional level, as he brings Sasuke over to his side.)

That’s very much where I see this Rey/Kylo thing going. There are so many parallels between these four characters and their respective arcs, it’s ridiculous.

With Kylo and Rey, each of them will be trying to kill the other so their respective side will win the War. A draw (with a major non-fatal injury) is the only way I see this fight ending in a way that will bring them into balance with each other and the Force at large.

Also, we’ve never had a movie lightsaber fight end in a draw before, to my recollection: Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon; Obi-Wan killed Darth Maul; Count Dooku injured/beat Obi-Wan and Anakin (I guess he ran away from Yoda, so you might count that); Count Dooku injured/beat Obi-Wan in the rematch and then Anakin killed Count Dooku; Obi-Wan injured/beat Anakin; the Emperor forced Yoda to run away; Obi-Wan allowed Vader to kill him; Vader beat/injured Luke; Luke beat/injured Vader in their rematch; Rey injured/beat Kylo; and there wasn’t really an actual lightsaber fight in TLJ.

It would fit the whole “balance” motif for neither to win or lose the fight, but instead the two come to an understanding and compromise.

Now. The Kiss.

Why do these two little fuckers have to kiss, IMO?

Well, do you all remember the Disney Channel TV Show “That’s So Raven”? The main character (Raven) is a psychic; and there’s an episode where she meets a male psychic. And, while they have 0 romantic interest in each other, there’s a point where they continue escalating their physical proximity/touching, because it allows them to better use their powers. There’s a point where they have to kiss in order to find Raven’s BFF and some other people.

And, as we saw with Rey and Kylo in TLJ, these two are oozing with sexual chemistry and Force power. I mean if they see each other’s futures whenever they touch hands, what the hell are they going to see when they kiss? (Or if they ever had sexy times… but this is a family-friendly movie, so that’s not going to happen on screen; the kiss is the closest we’re going to get).

I mean, c’mon you guys… everything we saw in TLJ is building up to them kissing and the Force coming into balance as a result of their combined lives/knowledge/destinies or whatever.

Also, as others have pointed out, they’re not going to kill off Ben Solo. The Skywalker family is too much of a commodity, and there’s so much possibility in leaving him alive and with Rey. I mean think of all the spinoff movies and TV shows we could have of them and their kids??? (EDIT: Just like how the Legends Universe focused in part on the kids of Luke, Han and Leia.) Rey is too well-loved by the fans to kill her off, and Ben/Kylo has gotten too much character development to not get redeemed. His kids with Rey would sell toys and tickets and subscriptions like crazy.

So, why do I think Ben/Kylo will proposition Rey, instead of the other way around (which would seem more natural)?

Well, in TLJ, each saw the other turning over to their side in a vision of the future. Rey says that Kylo won’t bow before Snoke and will turn, and she’ll help him. Kylo says that when the time comes Rey will turn and join him.

Now, from a physical standpoint, these visions were true after the Praetorian Guard fight. Kylo physically turned against Snoke and killed him, but emotionally was still attached to the Dark Side. Rey did physically join Kylo by his side in fighting the Guards but was still emotionally attached to the Light Side, or really, the Resistance. Neither ACTUALLY came over to the other’s side. Kylo didn’t want to join Rey politically, and she didn’t want to join him spiritually.

But now, they’re going to find that compromise where they meet in the middle both politically and spiritually. Kylo was right in TLJ: the old THINGS (political organizations, religious ways) should die, but Rey was right in that the PEOPLE should be saved. The only way to achieve both goals is to end the War, the FO, the Resistance, the Sith and the Jedi… and create something new. A compromise that works for everyone and brings the much-needed balance to the Force and the galaxy.

Each of them WILL join the other. Rey’s vision will have to be right that Kylo will turn from the Dark Side, and Kylo’s vision of her turning from the Light and joining him will have to be true as well.

So, like any proper proposal of marriage/political alliance/spiritual alignment, I think Ben should be the one to suggest it. That way, we the audience can see the fruition of his redemption arc, etc. (Also, we have to come full-circle on the Space!Mr.Darcy thing.)

Anyway, I’ve now rambled on about this for QUITE long enough. Just wanted to throw out some ideas and see what you guys think and if you have predictions of your own. (EDIT:) And, to quote Preston Jacobs, “I’m probably wrong about half of this.” There’s plenty of hints of where the franchise is going, but I’m sure there are some details I will have gotten wrong. Which is fine. This can be my headcanon for the next two years.

I guess there’s nothing else to say other than, “May the Force be with you, always.” Cheers, guys! And thanks for reading!

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neoduskcomics · 6 years

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What Star Wars Means To Me

I was twelve years old when I saw Star Wars end. I was sitting between my dad and my brother at a screening of Revenge of the Sith, a movie that my prepubescent mind had convinced itself was the greatest thing it’d ever seen.

The movie’s climactic battle had come to an end, and as I watched the final scenes play out, I could feel the film’s looming departure steadily but surely setting in. In the movie’s last moments, Owen and Beru looked out into the binary sunset, cradling their new baby nephew, with John Williams’ score emotionally building toward the final credits, and a hollow emptiness began to overwhelm me. Episode III was coming to a close, and with it, so too would end the saga of Star Wars. Something that had brought so much happiness, so much excitement, so much magic into my life was now ending before my eyes. Everyone knew that there wouldn’t be another prequel or sequel or anything else. This was it—these final frames all-too-quickly spinning past the projector. In just a few seconds, it seemed that Star Wars would be gone forever.

As I left the theater with my brother and my dad, they started up a discussion about what we had just watched, but I was too emotionally drained to join in. It was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that the Star Wars movies were really done with. Sure, Star Wars itself would still go on in some form. The Clone Wars cartoon was enjoyable. And they started making those cool-looking Force Unleashed games, too. Plus, there were the comics and the books and all sorts of other stories being made.

But it just wasn’t the same. You could write a thousand books, make a thousand TV shows and develop a thousand video games filling in whatever nooks and crannies the films overlooked in the Star Wars canon, but they would never, ever be a substitution for sitting in that theatre and seeing the quiet fade-in of the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...”

When the movies left, it was like a bit of magic had left the world, too. And between the ages of seven and thirteen, that magic inspired me. It made me read and create and imagine more than any time I spent at school ever did. Whenever a new movie came out, I fantasized about what the next one might be like. And when the movies ended, I fantasized about what a whole new Star Wars trilogy might be about. Maybe it would follow Luke creating a new Jedi Order, or maybe it would take place thousands of years before the prequels and show us the origins of the Jedi and the Sith. I hoped and dreamed and wondered, but I knew how unlikely it all was. Lucas would never make another movie, let alone give Star Wars to someone else so that they could go on to make an Episode VII. And so, Star Wars, as much as I continued to love it, slowly faded from my life. There was no use crying over spilt blue milk. Star Wars was done, and it wasn’t coming back.

And then I heard that Disney bought Star Wars and that they were going to make an Episode VII.

At this point, I’d like you to recall the scene at the end of Ratatouille where the evil food critic Ego takes a bite of Remy’s titular cuisine, and then suddenly he’s transported back in time to a moment in his childhood when he could still feel the warm embrace of love and happiness, and the cold, melancholic ice that once encased his withered heart melts away in a matter of seconds, restoring life and wonder to his old, bony body. Do you remember that scene? Because that is exactly what I felt like when I heard this news.

And I am not hyperbolizing here; I was literally shouting with jubilance when I heard that there would be an Episode VII. I can scarcely recall another moment in my life when I felt that level of genuine, startling happiness. It was like throughout all those years of Star Wars’ absence, all those years of resignation, a repressed excitement for the franchise was building up within me, never surfacing, never finding the right opportunity to ignite, but steadily rising and rising in pressure. And then, on that day, at that moment, upon hearing those words, all of that pent-up excitement just exploded out of me like a volcanic eruption. I didn’t know who was making this supposed Episode VII or what it would be about or when it was happening or even if it would be any good. None of that mattered. Star Wars was back, and I was going to celebrate like the Empire had just fallen.

Flash forward to the holiday season a couple years later, and even the non-geeks could see that the franchise had been reawakened in full force (get it, awakened, force, see what I did there). Star Wars logos, T-shirts, cups, toasters, mugs, toys, Lego sets and waffle irons filled the stores and display windows. Star Wars really, truly was back. What a fucking exciting time it was. I couldn’t help but just let all that giddiness get to me. There was magic in the air, and it wasn’t the magic of Christmas, but rather the magic of mystical techno samurai flying across solar systems to murder each other with glow sticks. Holy shit. Star Wars was back. STAR WARS WAS BACK. The hype was real, and it was everywhere.

But with that hype came an extreme and sustained spike of nervousness and skepticism. Criticisms of every new bit of information spread like fire throughout the interwebs. Did you see that weird new lightsaber? Is that another Death Star? Doesn’t that character just look like a rip-off of this other character?

After all, people loved Star Wars, and they couldn’t stop themselves from asking if this revival would live up to their expectations. Would The Force Awakens be a worthy successor to the franchise—a true return to form after decades of waiting for a real sequel to Jedi? Or would this simply be another prequel trilogy to dash the fans’ expectations and burn everything they loved about the series to the ground, buoyed only by the parallel stories of fans and creators determined to make sure Star Wars lived on? Lucas had failed us for the last time. People needed something GOOD.

The Force Awakens destroyed at the box office. Unadjusted for inflation, it became the highest-grossing film ever to hit American theaters, and the third highest-grossing film ever to hit the world. It was released to critical acclaim and massive audience approval. Abrams had done it. He had made a new Star Wars movie that both he and the fans could be proud of. All that hype was justified. All that waiting paid off. Star Wars wasn’t just back, it was good again. Great, even.

But as people celebrated Episode VII’s monetary and critical triumph, and as memes and excited chatter spread across the web, a notably large group of people simply did not feel that The Force Awakens met the standards they had set for it. To the point that they began to convince others that it was actually a bad, perhaps the worst ever, Star Wars movie.

And I’ll be honest—even I wasn’t sure how to feel about The Force Awakens when I first saw it. There was so much pressure on it to be good, and I was spending so much of the film’s runtime questioning whether or not I liked it, that I don’t think I was really, genuinely experiencing it. The movie felt like such a self-contradiction. It was so weirdly, at times even jarringly similar to the Original Trilogy, and at other times it was so strangely and uncomfortably different from it. The Resistance? That’s just the Rebellion. Starkiller Base? That’s just the Death Star. Kylo Ren? He’s not as threatening as Vader. Rey? She’s not as relatable as Luke. Part of me thought it was great, but another part of me felt terribly, soul-wearingly conflicted. I had to search my feelings about this film long and hard before I would be ready to draw a final conclusion about how it fit into the series.

It wasn’t until I saw it again a week later—when the crushing weight of all that pressure and anxiety and anticipation had time to dissolve—that I felt as though I was truly watching the movie for the first time. I was relaxed, passive, and ready to be entertained. I already knew what the movie was. I already knew what was going to happen. There was no more nervously waiting and watching to see what would become of my beloved franchise, what new things they were introducing to it, what old things they were keeping, and whether any of it was any good. I could just sit back and accept the film for what it was. And this time, I absolutely adored it.

The Force Awakens is in no way a perfect movie—far, far from it. But it was a miraculous work of Star Wars storytelling that won over both audiences and critics with its skillful direction, clever writing, compelling characters, great sense of humor and warm spirit.

Yes, TFA was closely and purposefully tailored to the original movies, but it was so, so much more than just another adventure film about a desert-inhabiting youth taking off to explore the galaxy and blow up giant space stations. It was a tale of friendship, hardship, humanity, and facing your darkest fears. It was about Rey struggling to look beyond the unknown terrors that lied before her—to confront her destiny and take up the lightsaber so that she could protect her new family. It was about Finn embracing his own humanity and working up the resolve to fight that which he spent the whole movie trying desperately to get away from. It was about Han reaching the culmination of his character’s growth from self-absorbed, smarmy money-grubber who ran from danger to a damaged and guilt-ridden father who renders himself both physically and emotionally vulnerable in order to save his son’s very soul.

Every relationship feels meaningful. Every dramatic revelation feels earned. Every joke hits. Every effect is dazzling and eighty percent of the time completely practical, which is why this movie will look far better in ten years than the prequels do now.

Poe and Finn are two of the most likeable characters to ever grace Star Wars cinema, and it’s no wonder that everyone wants them to be a couple when they had such an amazingly fun first date. Kylo Ren freezes a fucking blaster bolt in mid-fucking-air with the goddamn Force. BB-8’s thumbs up made every audience I saw the movie with burst into laughter. Poe blows up, like, fifteen TIE fighters in a row, followed by Finn shouting “That’s one hell of a pilot!” not even knowing at this point in the movie that Poe is still alive. The scene where Rey touches Luke’s lightsaber and is thrust into an acid trip of Force visions is both terrifying and mesmerizing. The two guards steadily backing away from Kylo Ren’s temper tantrum is adorable and hysterical. That moment when an emotionally distressed Kylo Ren struggles to pull Luke’s lightsaber from the snow, only to see it zoom past him and be dramatically caught by Rey as John Williams’ iconic score begins to build is fucking fantastic. And Han’s final confrontation with his son is so horrifically tense, and so well-executed and fitting as a conclusion to Han’s story that the internet, as liable as it was to do so, miraculously did not explode with blinding rage when it found out that Abrams had killed off one of the series’ most beloved characters.

Is there reason to be skeptical about the direction of the franchise? Yes. Is Disney perpetrating some worrisome behavior with their successive hiring and subsequent firing of every prospective director they get ahold of? Yes. Will Star Wars just become another MCU where we get two to three new movies every year and they all kind of begin to just meld together without any sense of consequence or meaningful continuity between installments? Maybe.

But I just can’t bring myself to think about that sort of thing right now. And maybe it’s not even really useful to think about it like that at all. Because regardless of what I or anyone reading this thinks, all that stuff is basically out of our hands. Maybe Star Wars will become stale and burned out after a few years of sequels and spinoffs. Or maybe, after establishing their new claim to the franchise with a few safe movies, the company will start to be more willing to experiment with new styles, stories and characters. I mean, with that completely new trilogy on the horizon, it does appear to be where this ship is headed.

But, who knows. Speculation is all we have. And all I can really say for absolute certain right now is that, for the moment, I have Star Wars in my life again, and I’m going to cherish it for as long as I can. Because I spent ten years in a world without Star Wars, and I have a lot of love left in me to give the franchise before I burn out, as a lot of other people seem to have already unfortunately done. I’d rather not go into the future of this series revival already prepared to hate the new Han Solo movie or Rian Johnson’s new trilogy or whatever else might come our way.

Because at the end of the day, despite the way many fans and even some past creators have treated it, Star Wars, pure and simple, is about joy. And when we live in a world that’s so filled with dread, fear, corruption, terror, hatred and downright tragedy, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to just let yourself give into something like Star Wars. I don’t mean to say we should just unconditionally love everything with the Lucasfilm logo on it, but maybe just recognize that sometimes it’s more valuable to be open and understanding and willing to love something than it is to be skeptical, critical, nitpicking and pessimistic, especially with something that is so widely adored and cherished the world over.

Maybe people won’t like The Last Jedi. Maybe they won’t like the Han Solo movie, either. Or maybe they’ll love them. But Star Wars isn’t any individual film. It’s a part of our culture, a symbol of the human spirit’s fascination with adventure, mysticism and the battle between good and evil. It means a billion different things to a billion different people and spans generations.

My dad once told me that when he used to take my brother and I to the toy store—years ahead of The Phantom Menace being unveiled—he was shocked to see that Star Wars toys still lined the shelves when a new movie hadn’t been made in well over a decade. But that’s what Star Wars is. It might have peaks and valleys, and there might be times when it feels like it’s all but left us, but in reality, it never really ends. It’s an invaluable part of human history whose effects will be felt for generations to come, and right now, it’s thriving in a way that nobody has seen in years.

We owe it not just to the franchise but to ourselves to enjoy every moment of it. Because Star Wars is the very embodiment of love, joy, hope, humor and adventure. Because Star Wars is a reminder that sometimes it’s okay to just let yourself be a kid again. Because while everything can be going wrong in the real world, Star Wars will always see to it that the light triumphs over the dark. Because while life is tragically short and full of hardship, Star Wars is forever.

#star wars

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getoffthesoapbox · 6 years

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[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Finn & Rose

Despite a rocky start, Finn and Rose are the heart of The Last Jedi’s B plot. Their journey seems to be a contentious one within the fandom, but despite some awkward handling I found a lot to like.

This is the third post in my Star Wars The Last Jedi First Impressions series. As a quick reminder, here is the list of the topics this series covers, including links to the previous posts:

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - A Flawed Triumph

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - The Thematic Heart

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Finn & Rose ← we are here

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Luke & Rey

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Luke & Kylo

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Luke & Leia

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Rey’s Trajectory

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Kylo’s Trajectory

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Rey & Kylo

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - The Romantic Heart

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Misleading Love Polygons

[SW:TLJ] First Impressions - Schrödinger's Futures

Into the third behemoth’s lair we go...

There is a lot to love about Finn’s trajectory in TLJ, but I think it came as a bit of a disappointment for some who perhaps wanted more for him after TFA. In my own estimation, Finn was never the A plot driver for TFA; he’s always been the king of the B plot (fittingly like Han before him in the original trilogy). The B plot in Star Wars isn’t an inferior plot (Han and Leia are the B plot in the original series), but it is a secondary plot to the A plot (and meant to be complementary), which is usually whatever the Force plot is (Luke/Anakin/Rey respectively). In both ANH and TFA, the A and B plots intersect closely because we’re establishing the characters and their friendships/bonds, but you can still see how the formula will play out clearly in TFA because Finn and Rey spend most of their time separated by the narrative. For TLJ, the splitting of the plots was broadcast loud and clear the moment Finn was shipped off to the Resistance to recover while Rey left him for Ach-to.

Since I was not expecting Finn to have the center role in this story, I did find I was able to enjoy the role he did have, despite some nitpicks about the execution and setting my own preferences aside (I would have liked to see him take a more commanding role and begin focusing on the good he could do for his fellows still trapped within the First Order). In TLJ, Finn has a neat little heroic journey, if perhaps an understated one. When he first awakens, he’s still stuck in the past--he’s still back in TFA. In TFA, he’d only taken his first tiny step into manhood and when he awakens in TLJ he takes a step backward and returns to his former self. This is a very realistic trajectory for a character struggling to actualize himself and find his place in the world.

He begins with no place in the Resistance; he’s a drifter without a home, an outsider settled in a foreign territory. His one connection to this place, Rey, is off in some distant land far away from him. At first he settles in uneasily, accepting that he has no choice but to wait for Rey’s return. At least Poe is there, and Poe is a connection to ground him, however minor. But with the loss of Leia and the catastrophe that has beset the Resistance in her wake, Finn’s natural terror of the First Order surfaces once more because he hasn’t truly made the Resistance his home yet--it’s a place of refuge, not a home he must defend. If the refuge is no longer there, it’s time to split. A chance occurrence gives him the opportunity he needs--Leia drops Rey’s homing beacon as she’s being wheeled away on a gurney.

With the means to escape and find the only person who he so far has been able to declare loyalty to, Finn attempts to run away. Anyone who knows the hero’s journey will recognize this pattern, as Rey does this herself in the first film. As with Rey, Finn is stopped (violently) by the character who is meant to challenge him and who will inevitably call him to heroism--Rose.

Heeding the call is such an important part of a hero’s journey, and Finn’s not initially ready for it. Rose tells Finn what she believes he is; he attempts to deflect because he is running from his own better self. He is not ready to commit to a cause. Unfortunately for Finn, but fortunately for the story, Rose has been dealing with defectors all day and she’s got no patience for another one.

Despite the rocky start, Rose and Finn have a natural rapport and quickly form a formidable team. Rose opens up Finn’s world, and Finn in turn helps Rose come to terms with her past. Rose always sees him in the best light, and he comes to admire her strength throughout their journey.

The Canto Bight sequence at first appears a superfluous part of the film, perhaps, but I think its purpose was to help Finn begin sifting through his options for how he’ll proceed in the future in addition to helping Rose realize what she’s fighting for and what really matters. If she hadn’t learned that, she couldn’t communicate it to Finn--his journey is just beginning this film, and he needs light to guide his way. Rose is one of those lights. She is the spark of hope; it is her love of the Resistance that plants the seed of rebellion among the stablehands. Although their resistance on Canto Bight is a mere token one--the fathiers are bound to be rounded up by their captors as soon as morning comes--the point is that the chance of freedom and keeping the flame of hope alive are perhaps more important during cynical times than at any other time.

The worst part of Finn and Rose’s story, and the one I wish Rian had allowed for more time for them to be heroes, is the middle section when they’re on the Supremacy. (This is a huge shame, for Finn looks quite dashing and manly in his First Order duds and spending more time with him in those would have been a treat.) If they’d at least been allowed to be successful in their mission here, even if they were betrayed afterward, then it would all have been worth it, but unfortunately they get caught just as they reach the finish line. While realistic, it’s definitely deflating for a character journey.

The other disappointment was the hyped Finn vs. Phasma fight. It was great for Finn to have a victory, but the victory had no emotional punch and felt like it was just shoehorned in there in order to give Finn something to do.

However, what the Phasma fight does establish for Finn, and this can’t be understated, is it seals his loyalty to more than just Rey--he accepts at last that he has a place in the Resistance and that it is worth fighting for. He hasn’t yet accepted that he’s a Big Deal (that’s the final arc of his journey), but he’s accepted that there is a home for him in the Resistance and people he wants to protect.

His best moment is when they make it to Crait and he rallies the flagging Resistance to keep pushing forward despite the future looking bleak. In this moment, he’s at last found what he wants to fight for and something that has real meaning to him, and we get a tiny glimpse of the leader he will become. Even Poe, the guy whose entire trajectory so far has been to gain a leadership role, stops to listen in awe. Rose looks on with approval.

Of course, Finn doesn’t know what direction his newfound courage should go, and he immediately launches into extremism. Whatever possessed him to think that running headfirst into a laser cannon was a good idea is anyone’s guess, but foolishly he does, thinking to make a heroic sacrifice. Fortunately for him Rose has a cooler head than he does, and she knocks him out of commission.

What I love about this, although I understand that it surely was disappointing for fans of Finn who wanted a more active role for him in the film (again this is why I wanted him to succeed on the Supremacy), is Rose understands intuitively that Finn is worth so much more than a cheap sacrifice. He has a much larger role to play, and his future is worth far, far more than a momentary starburst of fleeting glory like Holdo.

This is why it’s so important that Rose speaks the theme of the trilogy to Finn and kisses him--she is the call to the future, the call to leadership, and the call to heroism all in one package. When he accepts her kiss, thematically he’s accepting the call. I think this is one of the reasons the kiss isn’t sexualized--it’s not that it’s not romantic, but rather that it represents something larger than a B couple romance. It is the eternal feminine bestowing her favor upon the chosen one, and tasking him with a mission--he is to find a way beyond merely killing for glory and fame, a way that protects the things and people he holds dear.

Having fulfilled this mission, Rose is knocked out for the remainder of the story in a neat little parallel to Finn in the last film. Finn’s role also becomes more subdued, because he’s reached the end of his growth for this film. Poe resurfaces as the “next” leader, and Finn will be left in the final film to achieve his own form of leadership, whether that be to take over when Poe exhausts himself or to find a different path, and become at last the Big Deal not only in name but in truth. Han christened him with that name, and that’s the name he must grow into to complete his trajectory.

We see a huge shift in Finn toward the end of the film. Although he is reunited with Rey in a touching hug of kindred spirits, he does not cling to her like a lost puppy nor does he monopolize her as he might once have done during TFA. Instead, he returns to the bedside of the woman who gave him her favor, and with the tenderness of a man who has found his place, he tucks her in while Rey watches in approval.

Where Finn and Rose will go from here is for JJ Abrams to decide, and ultimately it doesn’t really matter. Rose’s purpose in this film wasn’t to sway Finn romantically, but to help him find his way on his hero’s journey. Even if he ultimately ends up with Rey or Poe or no one, that doesn’t change the fact that Rose is the one who called him to heroism.

An interesting note that I’d like to leave on is that Finn does actually heed Rose’s call. In TFA, he ignored Rey’s when she asked him to stay and fight for the Resistance. TLJ is a reflection of the growth he underwent during TFA; he can now answer the call and step forward in the next film. And I hope to all the heavens JJ puts him back in the spotlight, because I’m annoyed as hell a character who was supposed to die stole his screentime from him, and he deserves all of it back. I would really love to see him go toe-to-toe with Hux, especially after Hux was victorious in their last encounter and Finn was completely powerless. It’d be great to see Finn step up as the next General to face down Hux while Rey faces Kylo.

Whatever way Finn goes in the future, I’m sure he’ll become the Big Deal he was always meant to be. =) As for where his relationships will go, well, he’s a popular man, and that’s a tale for another time.

#star wars #the last jedi #finnrose #tlj spoilers #the last jedi spoilers #tlj #finn #rose

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sfdfmoviereviews · 6 years

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Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) (WITH SPOILERS)

This won’t go the way you think.

Rian Johnson takes us back to Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (john Boyega), and the rest of the gang (except Han (see, I told you there’d be spoilers)). Not long after the events of JJ Abrams’ revival of the franchise, The Resistance is on the run from an emboldened First Order, and Rey seeks to coax Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) out of his hermitude. Hijinks, battles, learning, and the most startling Star Wars film you’ve ever seen ensue.

Where Abrams showed us that Lucasfilm under Disney knows how to make a Star Wars film, Johnsons shows us of just what a Star Wars film is capable. From the opening shot- which subverts the tradition of opening on the underside of a Star Destroyer- The Last Jedi constantly engages with and utterly destroys any expectation that events might play out as they have before. In truth we get a lot of the beats you might know from The Empire Strikes Back, just as we saw echos of A New Hope in The Force Awakens. But the darlings of trilogy structure are slaughtered here. Our hotshot heroes concoct a hair-brained caper to save the Resistance fleet, but it fails miserably and we are saved instead by to the wisdom and sacrifice of older women. Our unlikely chosen one charms the reluctant and secluded mentor, and seeks to follow his example of loving the villain, and is soundly flummoxed. McGuffins and Chekov’s guns and callbacks and even arch villains are all introduced, only to be summarily dispatched in the name of an achingly personal story.

That story is utterly disinterested in the conventional aims of heroes and villains. Our heroes lose the Star War pretty soundly in any measurable sense, but emerge with far greater moral integrity and sense of purpose than any victory might confer. The result is stunningly contemporary, as Rey treads a path between finding meaning in her past and the past of her mentor, and abandoning all learning and wisdom to pursue ego. Kylo Ren’s great tragedy is his inability to do the same. Or maybe it isn’t, there are layers and layers here to be sifted through ad nauseum if you so choose.

Tonally the film is far more pulpy than what we’ve seen before- one of the best fight scenes you’ll ever see starts with a shot in the colours of a Frank R Paul cover. There are cute creatures and foppish enemy generals and simple gags galore, particularly in the first act or so. But this ostensible japery works very subltely and effectively to prepare the audience for the surprises of the third act. The result is a film utterly unconcerned with Star Wars legacy, and able to pursue it’s own path with conviction and efficiency. Our heroes must find their own way in the galaxy now, and they shan’t be held back by tradition (nor, incidently, time spent on establishing shots of landing spaceships).

The sheer amount of risk involved means the film won’t work for everybody. Those gags can be a bit on the nose at times, and in truth the film doesn’t have time to properly address everything. Notably, while John Boyega’s Finn gets plenty to do- and thus introduces us to Kelly Marie Tran’s wonderful Rose Tico- his arc doesn’t make enough use of this stormtrooper-turned-rebel learning about the broader galaxy outside his life as a child soldier. The beats are there but the film is simply focused on other things and thus an interesting story- one that confronts the larger implications of a series called “Star Wars”- is left largely unexplored. Finn’s arc does give us more of Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma, but not much. Phasma’s appearance is unsatisfying for anyone drawn to the character’s image, being neither particularly interesting, nor effectively subversive as say, having the character get knocked in the jetpack and bouncing down a hole. Overall Phasma’s appearance (or lack thereof) is a small detraction, and if you want more of the character you would do well to check out Delilah S Dawson’s excellent novel.

Design and cinematography are fantastic, with the usual ultra-detailed view of the Star Wars galaxy largely replaced with a few iconic, singular images. It’s very new (for Star Wars), and very good (universally).

Performances are uniformly strong. It must be noted that this film includes Laura Dern as a purple-haired space admiral Amilyn Holdo. Beyond the fact that she is playing a PURPLE-HAIRED SPACE ADMIRAL, Dern is fantastic, injecting her screen time with volumes of presence. She has tremendous chemistry with Oscar Isaac, and manages to convey a sense of a long friendship with Carrie Fisher’s General Leia in their single scene together. Fisher herself is fantastic here, again establishing a singular screen presence. Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico is wonderfully earnest, and is a fine addition to the franchise. Boyega aand Ridley don’t get quite as much to do as Finn and Rey as they did previously, but nonetheless deliver. Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is exquisitely balanced, offering both hope for redemption and iredeemable hate. Benicio del Toro is fantastic as a morally ambiguous rogue who is in fact just an asshole.

Johnson’s The Last Jedi takes the franchise to new and exciting places, and is unlike any Star War you’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it already, you should.

Tim

#star wars #star wars episode viii the last jedi #rian johnson #daisy ridley #john boyega #adam driver #oscar isaac #carrie fisher #mark hamill #kelly marie tran #Benicio Del Toro #domnhall gleeson #gwendoline christie #anthony daniels #joonas suotamo #andy serkis #tim #laura dern

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theamazingsallyhogan · 6 years

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I don’t enjoy going on about things I dislike – it’s more fun talking about things you enjoy.

But I keep seeing articles implying that the only people that dislike The Last Jedi are diversity-phobic members of the Alt Right and some dusty old nitpicky nerds that hate anything new. So as a someone that doesn’t fit into either of those boxes: I disliked the movie. A lot.

Let’s look at Rey first. Now, The Last Jedi isn’t The Empire Strikes Back, and shouldn’t be judged as a remake of that movie, but for the sake of comparing a trilogy to a similar trilogy it’s worth taking a moment to compare where Luke was at this part of the original Star Wars: when he abandoned his training with Yoda, we were shown that nothing was more important to Luke than Leia and the others. In contrast, Rey cares about “The Resistance,” but barely spares a thought for individual members. She doesn’t even meet Poe until near the end. I’m not saying that they needed to slavishly copy the original, but damn, the emotional connection between the members of the “new trinity” is frankly bordering on nonexistent. Rey doesn’t rush off to rescue any actual friends; she ditches Luke to save Kylo, i.e. the guy that literally tortured her.

At the end of Empire, we saw that Luke would be going against apparently impossible odds in the third movie, because when he fought Vader he lost so resoundingly it cost him a hand. Comparing that setup to Rey and Kylo Ren… Ren is a joke. Rey defeated him at the end of The Force Awakens, and trounced him so badly in The Last Jedi that the scene of her knocking him unconscious wasn’t even considered important enough to show. We’re shown Rey debating whether or not to fight him, then Hux walking in to find Kylo unconscious. The only reason he’s still alive is Rey inexplicably took pity on a guy that thinks it’s awesome to destroy entire populated solar systems.

Which brings us to the next comparison. The big revelation at the end of Empire Strikes Back raised the emotional stakes even further – Luke not only had to defeat “Darth Vader,” he had to wrestle with a lifetime of emotional baggage since Vader turned out to be his own long-lost father. Their conflict was given an emotional charge. Meanwhile Rey and Kylo are given some sort of connection, but… why? Why does she give a damn about the guy that tortured her, slaughtered countless innocents, and murdered a man she was starting to see as a father figure? There’s no justifiable explanation for it. Rey feels an emotional connection and deep-seated need to redeem a genocidal maniac, for no good reason.

The big revelation about Rey’s past turned out to be that there’s no big revelation in Rey’s past. Now, I can see where people are coming from when they say that it’s an interesting subversion, but in conjunction with everything else that’s going on it just cements how isolated Rey is from the rest of the cast. There is nothing of significance linking her to any character beyond her interactions with Finn in the first movie – interactions so neglected in the second movie that I would characterize their friendship as being abandoned to rot by the director. The two characters barely said anything to one another. Throw in that that we’ve established Kylo doesn’t represent a physical threat to her and the stakes could hardly be lower for her going in to the third movie. Maybe the revelation could’ve worked in the final movie, but here it just pours sand in the narrative’s gastank.

But Rey still fared better than poor Finn. Poor poor Finn, who would’ve been of way more use to the Rebels if he’d just stayed in a coma. I hate typing that, but it’s true. The entire subplot with Finn and Rose was a bad joke: they failed their mission to sabotage the First Order’s tracker, their mission turned out to be unnecessary to the Resistance because Vice Admiral Holdo had her own plan to avoid the tracker, but in a twist Finn and Rose managed to fail so spectacularly that not only were they unable to implement their own plan but they also tipped off the First Order about Holdo’s plan. Finn’s contribution to the plot was getting the Resistance nearly wiped out. Poe shoulders some blame there too of course, meaning that two of the three main heroes would’ve been more helpful to their side if they’d just died in the opening scenes.

Of course there’s so much failure in this movie that there’s plenty to go around – special mention has to go to Vice Admiral Holdo, who set the problem in motion by deciding not to share the information about her plan, instead thinking it was a good idea to let her soldiers think that her plan was to have them meekly try to fly away from the bad guys and get slaughtered without even putting up a fight. Star Wars has had a lot of incompetent military leaders, but that blunder has to take the cake. Holdo of course redeemed herself a bit by ramming her ship into the Star Destroyer at lightspeed, a moment that should leave folks scratching their heads and wondering “if you can take out the biggest ship in the First Order’s fleet by having a ship with only one person on it go to lightspeed, why isn’t that something the Resistance is doing all the time? And why was that a last-minute addendum to her plan, and not a key component all along?”

I’m sure people characterize this as finicking fun-hating nerd nitpicking, but honestly, they’re shown us that one person can pilot a ship in a way that instantly turns it into a Death Star-level superweapon. The major threat in the movie is the Star Destroyer that was very slowly giving chase, and Rian Johnson resolved that threat by saying that actually the good guys had literally been sitting on a solution the whole time and just never used it. It’s not a minor detail, it’s the resolution to the threat that loomed over the course of the whole movie. And why did the slightly-smaller Rebel battleships that got blown up earlier never ramming? Why has nobody in any Star Wars movie ever tried to ram another ship at lightspeed if it’s effectively a one-shot-kill? Resolving the major threat in the movie by saying that there’s been a war-ending weapon at everyone’s fingertips the whole time, over the course of several movies, that nobody ever used, with no reason for not using it, is bad writing. To put it mildly.

I’ve heard people saying that the Poe-and-Holdo tension was meant to tell us something, but what? Young people should meekly listen to their elders, even when their elders are giving terrible orders and not bothering to pass on the real plan? Presumably there was an intent to say something about there being no room for “space cowboys” any more, but whatever the intention was it’s undermined by the atrociously bad writing. Generals may not be required to spell out every detail, but there was absolutely no good reason for Holdo to stand there quietly when Poe accused her of planning to just fly away without putting up a fight, hope real hard that the First Empire doesn’t massacre them. Rian Johnson had her react like that to create a surprise when we learned that she had a plan, but in-story it just makes Poe completely in the right. If your commanding officer tells you to quietly march with your back to the enemy and hope you don’t get shot, you don’t go “yes sir!” A leader has a responsibility to instill at least some confidence.

And it’s worth repeating that Finn, Poe, and Rey barely interact. Finn and Poe get a little more time together than Rey gets with, well, anyone other than Luke and Kylo, but still not a whole lot. Going in to the third movie we’ve got three main protagonists that met for a brief time in the first movie (never all together though), and didn’t build on those interactions in the second movie.

Lastly, I’ll say that as a Star Wars fan that’s been following the series for decades, I was sad to see Admiral Ackbar killed off like a nobody, and Luke turned into a bitter old man that mutters “humbug!” at the thought of rebellion. I’ve seen a few people claiming that it was important because in 2017 the narrative needs to be that old people screwed everything up and the younger generation has to clean up the mess. I’ve even seen it called realistic. How bitter and cynical does one have to be to confuse realism with pessimism? But the excuse for why the older characters are shown as failures in this movie doesn’t even hold up – a quick glance at what Finn and Poe accomplished is sufficient to see that the young people in this movie were no better at getting things right.

As escapism, this movie was dire. As a continuing narrative using characters established in previous movies, this movie was disastrous. In terms of telling a story that even makes sense within the established setting, this film completely failed.

The thing is, when I walked out of Episode I and Episode II, I knew I had watched something bad, but I was able to focus on the few good scenes and tell myself “maybe the next movie will be better.” I can’t do that here, because Rian Johnson so utterly kneecapped things, leaving so little to resolve and so utterly failing to establish relationships in his main characters. In that sense then, I would call this the worst of the Star Wars movies.

#Star Wars #Star Wars: The Last Jedi #swtlj #swtlj spoilers #the last jedi #the last jedi spoilers #star wars spoilers #I hated this movie #Now that I've said how much I hate it I can move on with my life

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