Page 1 of 26 1234511 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 386
  1. #1
    Astonishing Member David Walton's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    3,123

    Default Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers)

    The Saga ends! But does it end well?

    Let the spoiler-filled discussion commence!

    Saw TROS last night and I've got mixed feelings. Feels like they overcompensated a bit for TLJ's mistakes and played it too safe. Abrams brings the story to a close in a way that's not going to offend audiences or blow them away.

    The banter is good and the Finn/Rey/Poe dynamic finally comes together even if they never got the development of the Han, Luke and Leia trio.

    Kylo Ren's character arc has the best payoff.

    There are things regarding Finn and Poe that leave you wanting more, which makes me wonder if they're setting up future stories or if the film was just trying too hard to cram everything into two and a half hours and couldn't quite get there. But Poe's shady past and Finn's relationship with other stormtroopers who defected are worthy of further development.

    The pacing is a bit off, with characters leaping from one action scene to the next without any time for reflection.

    I can see why Anthony Daniels was excited about TROS. Fans of C3-PO rejoice, he has some of the film's best lines. But he also has a huge emotional moment that is quickly reversed. Mileage will probably vary as to whether that's a good or bad thing.

    Lando is a joyous presence as always.

    There is a LOT of clunky exposition and they still don't answer the film's biggest questions.

    There are too many McGuffins. The thingamabob leads to the whatchamadoohickey that gives the secret location of the...eh, you get the idea.

    The visuals are STUNNING. Absolutely gorgeous. And the locales all have something new to offer.

    Luke's role is pretty minimal and I'll admit I was hoping for more.

    Palpatine's secret chamber has a horror vibe in the best possible way.

    Rey's big ancestry reveal is unsatisfying and raises more questions than it answers, but her final scene is a sweet, emotional sendoff.
    Last edited by David Walton; 12-20-2019 at 02:07 PM.

  2. #2
    Incredible Member Master Planner's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    684

    Default

    My opinion from another thread.

    I'm not surprised that the film is bad. The signs was there from Force Awakens. The big problem is that this trilogy is a shameless cash grab, a shiny product with a lack of vision and lack of direction. Force Awakens was A New Hope with some twists and add nothing new on the table. The Last Jedi tried to to something different, but it contradicts the lackluster vision of the first movie. The third one is Force Awaken, plust throwing Last Jedi out of the bus and with a bigger lack of direction.

    Tell what you want about the Prequels, but at least there was a vision and a world building, it wasn't an expensive and directionless mess.
    " I am Loki Scar-Lip, Loki Skywalker, Loki Giant's Child, Loki Lie-Smith. I am Loki, who is fire and wit and hate. I am Loki. And I will be under an obligation to no one."

    Previously known as Nefarius

  3. #3
    Extraordinary Member
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Posts
    5,193

    Default

    If I was kid and I had a bunch of Star Wars toys, and I was just playing with them and setting up scenario's, it would have been a lot of this. Palpatine's back, "I'm all the Sith", "I'm every Jedi", every callback, let's go here, now let's go here, now let's go here.

    It's just convoluted fan service without reason and any direction

  4. #4
    Mighty Member Slowpokeking's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    1,408

    Default

    Ok just came back from it. I have to say I'm disappointed. Sure it's understandable since TLJ killed Snoke and left a mess with other things like wiped most of the rebels, but this movie still has its own fault.


    The climax sucks because of the personal conflict wasn't well handled. Both Kylo Ren and Rey were a swing and miss.

    Who was Kylo's main struggle? LUKE! But Luke was missing through the conflict with him. That has made his turn very weak. Snoke was also missing, at least he could show up as a Force Ghost because it WAS HE who turned him to the Dark Side.

    Who was Rey's main struggle? Palpatine! He was the one who responsible for her parents' death and her only relative..

    But Palpatine only appeared in this one and they didn't have enough interaction between the characters to bring up. To Rey he was a nobody other than keep manipulating her and killed her parents. He doesn't even have humanity anymore other than one or two lines.

    Kylo and Rey has different struggle, and they really don't share much parallel at all. They failed as the core characters. Nor was others helping much.

    Also how it was handled also sucks. All the struggle between Kylo and Rey was done after the battle in the Death Star II. But because Luke was missing, Kylo Ren's change was weak.

    And Rey already knew she was Palpatine's granddaughter and her parents were killed. All the twist were gone so the climax was weak.

    Let's look at OT, Vader has been menacing since EP4 and had a lot of interaction with Luke through the trilogy, the conflict and struggle was settled in both characters. Vader using Leia to cause Luke's outrage was the climax and made him so close to the Dark Side, then his decision turned Luke back to redeem Vader. It was tight, it was intense, it was nicely done.

    PT didn't do that well, especially Padme and Anakin's love. But at least we saw Anakin's difference with Obi Wan and the Jedi. His relationship with Palpatine as well. The finale was strong enough to show Palpatine's scheme and Anakin dueling with Obi Wan.

    The ending was nowhere close to EP3 or EP6 as well because the buildup and climax sucks. Also Rey has little to do with Tatooine, so it doesn't have the power like EP3's ending did. Her main struggle was with Palpatine so the Force Ghost of Luke and Leia doesn't help much.

    I also think this ending has a lot similarities with the MMO SWTOR's KOTET xpc ending. The throne and a massive fleet, the fight with Valkorion/Palpatine was also quite similar. Even KOTET was handled better because we had enough interaction with Valkorion before.

    Also the ship battle sucks compare to EP6 or RO.

    BEST PART: The voice of the Jedi, including my favorite Ayala Secura.
    Last edited by Slowpokeking; 12-20-2019 at 03:17 PM.

  5. #5
    The Fastest Post Alive! Buried Alien's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    7,538

    Default

    I had a ripsnortin' good time, but now that the saga is complete, my takeaway is...Disney doesn't share George Lucas's fetish for cutting people's limbs off.

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Buried Alien - THE FASTEST POST ALIVE!

    First CBR Appearance (Historical): November, 1996

    First CBR Appearance (Modern): April, 2014

  6. #6
    Ultimate Member
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    12,602

    Default

    This movie was bad, like astonishingly so:

    The script is weak even by SW standards, it's a mediocre 90's video game plot essentially.

    The retconning and shoehorning in of stuff is sloppily done. Also trying to ignore most of TLJ but keep some stuff doesn't work.

    The characters are written very poorly and what a waste of a talented cast.

    Poor Finn. On paper he has one of the most interesting and emotional backgrounds of any main SW hero, and loads of potential for a compelling character journey, and a likeable charismatic actor playing him. But wow did they botch it at every turn, what a waste of potential.

    And they undercut a really sweet and organic dynamic between him and Rey in favor of Rey/Kylo, which was nauseatingly bad in this film. In fact those characters are written very poorly as well. And that kiss, no just no.

    That climax was so absurd, and not in a good way, that there were people laughing in my theatre. Rey embodying the entire Jedi Order. Bringing back all of those dead Jedi just to desperately try and convince us of how godlike she is now, complete with bringing Liam freaking Neeson back as Qui Gon just to beat it into our heads, and characters like Ahsoka, Kanan, Kanan, etc from other media being brought into the films finally as well, just wow was it laughably bad.

    Sheev's return is shoehorned in and isn't well explained and it completely takes away Luke and Anakin's last shred of victory.

    The direction is surprisingly sloppy for JJ.

    Etc.

    Few positives. Lando was used well, General Pryde was kind of cool, The actors are all really trying to make this work, especially Daisy and Adam, and, that'd about it.

    (Watches the epic and satisfying conclusion in ROTJ and sighs), why couldn't they have just left it alone? Or had the balls to actually move things forward?

    I still don't really like the PT, but at least Lucas TRIED to do some new stuff, there was ambition there. Not so much with the ST.

  7. #7
    The Fastest Post Alive! Buried Alien's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    7,538

    Default

    Have we seen a yellow-bladed lightsaber up to this point? I vaguely seem to remember one during the Prequels, but I might be mis-remembering.

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Buried Alien - THE FASTEST POST ALIVE!

    First CBR Appearance (Historical): November, 1996

    First CBR Appearance (Modern): April, 2014

  8. #8
    Mighty Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    1,814

    Default

    OK, this movie is weird. There were parts I thought were excellent. And others I hate. It's a movie that somehow fails to live up to the potential of it's best sections, but somehow isn't completely dragged down by it's worst.

    The entire "chase the McGuffin" section of the movie is such a waste. Everything from finding the dagger through the end of Kajimi (when Rey realises Chewie is alive) is just padding. Not a single moment in between mattered, or was meant to matter since it's all undone shortly afterward. We could have cut that entire segment from the film, and given the pace a chance to breathe over some of the bigger moments that needed it. Ben's rebirth and Leia's death needed that time, badly.

    And I was really disappointed in the action. Even the big signature lightsaber duel on the Death Star wreckage was dull and lifeless. There was nothing dynamic or grand about it other than the scenery and the setting. And considering it's the emotional climax of Ben's story, and the hinge on which Rey's inner turmoil turns that's just sad. The space battle at the end was generic and uninspiring. Even Revenge of the Sith delivered a better experience with the far briefer Battle of Coruscant that opened it.

    But it was great showing for Poe. I thought Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver carried the movie when onscreen, often in spite of the material they were given. I'm not the biggest Rey fan, but man Daisy really went for it here. But it's kind of telling that the single most electric performance in the film came from Billy Dee Williams. Lando ftw. That's the second Star Wars movie in a row that really needed more Lando.

    Hey Disney, next time more Lando. Seriously. Play that Saturday Night Live Christopher Walken cowbell sketch on repeat in your offices, but replace cowbell with Lando. Either version is fine. They both steal scenes and make the rest of the cast look tired and beaten down. Hell, gimme a Lando Calrissian movie with both via flashback.

    Now, that said, while it may not be a good movie, it was at least fun. It felt lighter and more energized than the prequels, even though some of that may be the breakneck pace of all that run time padding that could have been cut. Very middle of the road. I'll give it a C+. A better edit without so much fat and with a little room to breathe could easily be a B.

    Quote Originally Posted by Buried Alien View Post
    Have we seen a yellow-bladed lightsaber up to this point? I vaguely seem to remember one during the Prequels, but I might be mis-remembering.

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Not in the films, unless I'm remembering wrong. Only blue, green and red allowed under George Lucas, with a special Sam Jackson exemption. But we did see yellow blades in The Clone Wars and Rebels.
    Last edited by ZeroBG82; 12-20-2019 at 04:18 PM.

  9. #9
    The Fastest Post Alive! Buried Alien's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    7,538

    Default

    I'm horrible at identifying voices when no faces are attached, so except for the obvious Yoda, which ghostly Jedi voices spoke which lines? Does anybody have a run-down on that?

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Buried Alien - THE FASTEST POST ALIVE!

    First CBR Appearance (Historical): November, 1996

    First CBR Appearance (Modern): April, 2014

  10. #10
    Astonishing Member
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    2,548

    Default

    I thought it was fun, y’all are grumpy. . ‘Relyo’ was forced, but at least they ‘fixed’ him before it happened. And honestly, his redemption was just as good, if not better than Vader’s. Since we find out that the emperor’s basically been a voice in his freaking head for years (literally driving him mad) and I liked that it was really Leia and Han who finally saved him. I did want more of force ghost Luke and Hurray for lando and chewy not dying!

  11. #11
    Mighty Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    1,814

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Buried Alien View Post
    I'm horrible at identifying voices when no faces are attached, so except for the obvious Yoda, which ghostly Jedi voices spoke which lines? Does anybody have a run-down on that?

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    I heard Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan (sounded like the Ewan McGregor version to me), Anakin, what might have been Kanan Jarrus from Rebels, what I think was probably Ahsoka from Clone Wars, and Mace Windu. Edit: Oh, and Qui-gon too. Can't forget Liam Neeson or he might go all Taken on us.
    Last edited by ZeroBG82; 12-20-2019 at 04:43 PM.

  12. #12
    Astonishing Member
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    2,548

    Default

    I only recognized Yoda, too but thought Luke was in there.

  13. #13
    The Fastest Post Alive! Buried Alien's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    7,538

    Default

    And it took the entire saga, but it looks like C3PO finally grew some (metaphorical) balls. He was downright courageous in this film.

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Buried Alien - THE FASTEST POST ALIVE!

    First CBR Appearance (Historical): November, 1996

    First CBR Appearance (Modern): April, 2014

  14. #14
    The Fastest Post Alive! Buried Alien's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    7,538

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by anyajenkins View Post
    I only recognized Yoda, too but thought Luke was in there.
    Yoda and Luke were the only two I could positively identify. I think I knew which one was Anakin ("bring balance as I did"), but I'm kind of lost on everybody else. Going to have to wait for the home editions to read the subtitles to get them down definitively.

    Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)
    Buried Alien - THE FASTEST POST ALIVE!

    First CBR Appearance (Historical): November, 1996

    First CBR Appearance (Modern): April, 2014

  15. #15
    Incredible Member abulafia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    593

    Default

    ainīt my star wars. time to break up.



    long live the mando!
    I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •