Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Star Wars Rise of Skywalker

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Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker was, for me, a pleasant surprise. To say I'm not a fan of the sequel trilogy to this point would be an understatement, so I went into this one expecting to hate it, and guess what? I didn't hate it! I have some definite issues with it but considering the way the plot ping- pongs around, the fact that Rian Johnson was brought in to do Episode VIII and took some risks that were polarizing, with JJ Abrams brought back in to retcon elements of the previous movie- and wrap the entire saga up- this could have been a total train wreck. And in some quarters it apparently is considered a train wreck, judging from the reviews. But honestly- I think this is the best Star Wars movie of the sequel trilogy and the best Star Wars movie since Return of the Jedi

This one picks up a while after the last movie, and by bringing the main cast together (Rey, Finn and Poe) the movie definitely takes a step in the right direction. Just as Luke, Leia and Han are the heart and soul of the original trilogy, you need the three leads here from the new generation to bounce off each other a bit. No more solo quests, no more splitting everyone up! Let the personalities gel and roll off each other. And thank goodness they finally used See Threepio to full effect. He has some of the best lines in the movie, has a seriously affecting scene where he really brings the emotion that always underlies the character, and is such a refreshing change from BB-8 just rolling around and squeaking. 

Speaking of droids, the new one is a treat, and totally eclipsed BB-8 as well, at least for my money. The only misstep here is that Artoo Detoo is hardly in the movie, which seems like a crime. Still, I'm mostly happy with the droid work in this one, and while we're on the subject of returning characters, how about Lando? We didn't see a lot of him but he definitely carried the scenes he was in. And I was pleasantly surprised by how seamless the Leia scenes were as well. All in all, this movie surprised me again with character beats and genuine moments that made me feel like I was watching Star Wars. Whereas in the previous two installments I was frequently bored and mostly rolled my eyes all the way through.  

I've been pretty critical of JJ Abrams and the general way this trilogy has been handled- I mean, honestly, going in without much of a plan and letting each director wing it seems like a poor way to handle a billion dollar franchise. But this one hits enough of the notes for me to be able to enjoy it, even though I did have a few eye rolling reactions to certain things. The plot itself is silly, in my opinion, and one thing that did not work for me was the return of the Emperor. I'm a huge fan of how gleefully evil the emperor is in Return of the Jedi, and I felt like his inclusion here, while it could have been awesome, just didn't work. I love the concept of an almost undead Palpatine wanting to drain Rey's life force to further his immortality- cool idea- but the execution just didn't work for me. Not to mention the ridiculousness of thousands of planet- busting Star Destroyers just hanging out in some unexplored region. Next. 

So I just let go and let myself enjoy the movie without worrying about such nonsense and it worked for me. I'm really curious to see how I react after a second view. I hated The Force Awakens from the get- go, and even more the second time, and I did cringe every time it seemed like Abrams was calling back to yet another original trilogy moment- I mean, seriously, when the Millennium Falcon gets underway after hiding in an asteroid field and we see a ship following them. It's just excessive. But by and large, while I don't think this is a stellar conclusion to the Skywalker story, it's good enough- and sometimes that's enough. 

SPOILERS

Stuff I Liked: 

Threepio. Like I mentioned above, they finally integrated him into the story and he made me laugh several times, just like in the originals. My favorite quote: 

"What a dreadful situation. Is everyday like this for you people? Madness."

Now that's Threepio. 

Rey has won me over. I've liked her since The Force Awakens but I also agree with those who say she's a Mary Sue. A little too powerful too fast, and they keep giving her powers that don't feel earned, but here we get the sense that she trained like Luke did on Dagobah, and honestly the idea of Leia training her? Golden.  

Leia as a Jedi. Brings the whole Yoda quote about there "being another" full circle. 

The visuals, especially the Death Star wreckage on the moon of Endor. The rough seas and rolling swells, the sense of exploring all the old wreckage, that all was awesome. 

Finn worked for me here where he didn't in the last two movies. I can't even say why, he just seemed more real here. And I loved the fact that he found another refugee from the stormtrooper corps, and the idea that there are many such, not to mention the line about the Empire taking children to fulfill many roles.   

Stuff I Hated:

Poe. Hate may be a strong word, but Poe was disappointing to me. I liked the Rey/ Finn/ Poe dynamic, and the addition of Zorri Bliss (she was awesome, by the way) to his story made it much more interesting, but I just didn't care for his trying-hard-to-be-a-rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold shtick. Not everyone can be Han Solo. 

The Emperor, as I mentioned earlier. Just not executed well. 

18 comments:

  1. I agree and disagree with some of your points. My main review will come soon, but basically I totally agree that it is very ridiculous for Abrams to take the “winging it” approach to every movie in this sequel trilogy, especially because the original story is so beloved.

    I’ll have to disagree with Poe. His character besides Kylo is my favourite of the entire series. I find him sarcastic, funny and just generally badass. I liked where is character went in this film.

    Gonna agree on the emperor storyline. I found that plot line to be inconsistent and lazy, very thrown together. I will get more into why with my review lol!

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Greg!

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    1. Ooh I can't wait to see your thoughts! It is definitely a movie that invites lots of different POV's. :) And I don't actually hate Poe- I should clarify that. I actually think Oscar Isaac could have delivered so much MORE to that character- I mean, seeing him (and Hux ) in Ex Machina- I felt like they offered so much MORE in that movie. But you can only go with the material you get. And I would PAY to see a Po/ Zorri Bliss offshoot!

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  2. I have been on the fence about going to see this one! The visuals are what always has me going to see it in the end. Happy New Year, Greg! :)

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    1. Oh you should go see it. :) It's fun and it FEELS Star Wars??

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  3. I was never a big SW fan - even back in the day (SORRY!! lol) I hated the prequel movies but haven't minded this round. I really liked Rogue One. But I don't connect it to things or catch inconsistencies like a true fan would.

    I'm the same with all the Marvel movies.

    We just caught up on the SW movie last week - up to this one so I might venture to the theater to see it once the crowds die down.

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    1. That's okay- I actually like sometimes being a fan of something but not an uber-fan, right? lol that way you don't get upset if they screw something up!

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  4. I just started the Star Movies with my husband and so far they really good. I'm glad you enjoyed this one, my brother in law loved it.

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    1. Yay! I hope you like this one when you get it!

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  5. I plan to watch this one when it's on Cable at some point. I don't go to the theatres because of my Agoraphobia so I'll just have to wait until it's On Demand. Happy New Year! I wish you and your family a wonderful 2020!

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    1. I don't go to theaters much anymore. I solo'd this one over Christmas as everyone else was busy baking or whatever, and I think it was like $17 between the ticket and some refreshments. Yikes!

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  6. I really didn't like The Last Jedi, so I'm glad to hear this one is better. I know my nephews really liked it. I'm hoping to see it soon. :)

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  7. I agree with pretty much everything you said. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie too. I thought they did a really nice job with the Leia scenes and of course I cried through all of them, lol.

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  8. I have no idea why people complained, I felt this one was the best of the 3 :D

    I finally started to warm to Rae, cos ugh Mary Sue.
    I like Poe, no shit about Poe mister! Ok fine, it is cos he is so dang handsome ;)
    I really liked Kylo's arc. He is a great effed up evil guy, he needed therapy as a kid

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  9. I haven't seen it yet so I didn't read the whole review... but yeah, I haven't been the biggest fan of the sequel series either. I tolerate it and I actually enjoy the spin offs like Rogue One and the Hans Solo film more! But it makes me hopeful that you enjoyed this one and were pleasantly surprised.

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  10. I usually go to the theater for whatever new SW film comes out but haven't gone to see this one yet. Glad you enjoyed it. Rey ended up winning me over as well and funny enough so has Kylo.

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  11. OMG, I'm so glad you liked this one. I loved it.

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  12. I haven't seen any of this last batch of movies. I can binge them now, but I want to get a better televion first. 👍✨

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  13. I agree, it was definitely the best movie of the new trilogy. The last two left me a little meh, but I was thoroughly entertained by this one, and I think Leia's scenes worked well. I've always liked Finn, and Rey was a bit of a blank for me before, but I don't mind her. I like that she actually had to train a bit. I really could have done without that kiss between her and Kylo Ren at the end, but I did kind of like what they did with his character. I still want to know what Finn wanted to say though.

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