Hey everyone!
As I didn’t see a dedicated thread for a open discussion about “Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker” I’ve created this one for us to all talk freely and respectfully about the film.
(SPOILERS WARNING)
This thread may contain potential spoilers for the film from anyone at any point without warning.
If you don’t want to know potential spoilers for the film please feel free to close this thread and come back once you have seen the film.
At theater now show starts in 20 min. Will leave spoiler free thoughts latter.
Just got home from the movie - spoiler free: more moments I didn’t like than moments I liked, but a fun movie nonetheless (barring one moment which drew a unanimous groan from my theatre)
Sitting in truck outside theater. A few moments I said WTF but over all I thought it was good and the best of the last 3. It is saying something if it made me like Kylo cause I never did tell now.
To be honest I avoided all trailers, posters, & preview peices before I walked into the theater at 8:20pm last night (local time).
I’m still trying to process everything I seen, some good, some bad, some just plain WTF. I remember leaving the theater feeling not blow away like I did after “Episode VII - The Force Awakens” or even feeling dejected like I did after “Episode VIII - The Last Jedi”.
Overall it felt like these were J.J. Abrams ideas for “VIII & IX” cramped into just Episode IX.
In closing nothing will ever live up to the Original trilogy and almost 20 years later the Prequel trilogy is viewed upon more favorably, who knows how the sequels will age only time will tell
Rating:
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker
1/2 (out of 5)
I also managed to avoid everything prior to seeing the movie last night. I was sitting in my seat, awaiting to see how they could wrap up the new trilogy with everything they have built up in VII and VIII.
“The dead speak!” - okaaaaaaay. That was unexpected. It also started a trend throughout this movie of me asking “did I miss a movie somewhere?”
A lot of this movie was spent trying to undo things set up in The Last Jedi. I was a little disappointed by that as I liked what that movie was trying to accomplish. I was pretty sure that Luke’s lightsaber was destroyed. It was odd to see it returned with no explanation.
Speaking of sacrificing and resurrection, there was a lot of that. By the third time it happened, I just was not feeling the emotional buy-in that I had the first two times. It was like JJ Abrams wanted to do something monumental, but always flinched at the last moment and undid it.
I might sound critical of the movie, but the truth is that none of those things matter to me. This was a new Star Wars movie, something that I had spend a good portion of my life thinking that I would never get to see again. It was full of adventure, lightsabers, space battles, and everything else I remember from when I was 10 years old and watching Return of the Jedi in the theatres. I went into the theatre last night and came out thoroughly entertained three hours later. If this is the last numbered episode ever made, I will remember them as a good addition to the cannon rather than focusing on how these characters did not inspire me the way the original trilogy’s characters did.
I thought the same thing during the movie and then thought it must have been another lightsaber that was destroyed in the battle of Snoke during episode VIII.
Honestly I walked out feeling disappointed. There were good and even a few great moments scattered throughout, but there were absolutely no stakes to the movie at all. Any time something major happened it was walked back right away. Talking with friends before we saw the movie I half joked that death didn’t matter in the Star Wars universe, and it was just the next stage in life but now I feel like that was a darkly accurate prediction.
I hated it. I knew it likely sucked going in but kept away from spoilers
They spent way too much time undoing all the stuff from the last movie. There is no explanation for things like how Palpatine is alive and has kids and major things not explored (what was Finn going to tell Rey?) and characters marginalized like Rose.
It seems like JJ hated the last movie and basically re did it again. You can only retcon so much. Avengers did retcon the whole snap but it was throughly explained and was the entire focus of the movie. Here he just retcons things like Reys parentage, Luke’s time on Arc To, Palptines death, Snokes role, how a lightsaber is suddenly rebuilt, etc all with one line in the movie and zero attempt to explain them. You barely have time to digest Rey is the granddaughter of a dead villain who is now back alive trying to kill her before she fights him lol
It’s clunky and tries to cover too many things too fast. It would have been better as two movies with more time to explain what is happening rather than just glossing over things
I loved the last jedi - if RJ had done this movie I would have loved to have seen where it would have gone with likely Kylo as the big baddie
Hard spoilers ahead, don’t read if you don’t want the finale spoiled for you:
I think this was the best one out of this trilogy. Thus said - this does not mean that it was actually good. It started a bit clunky, than in the second act it picked up and crashed and burned the last 30 minutes. Just atrocious. We were literally laughing with my girlfriend when Kylo came and resuscitated her, we were expecting than Rey to resuscitate her and on and on. Also, the fact that she defeated her grandfather all alone, instead of her and Kylo crossing swords to defeat him - man, what a wasted opportunity for something actually MEANINGFUL in this BS SJW era that Kathleen Kennedy and Disney just pushed down our throats. Kylo was more hero in this trilogy than she ever was and he just died. While saving her. The real, actual (last?) Skywalker died, saving a Palpatine (!!!).
Than Rey and the actual ending was SO BAD on so many levels. She was so ASHAMED of her real name, which she actually redeemed, that she had to STEAL the Skywalker name, to close the movie?!?
The entire theater groaned.
W T F .
I got an opportunity to see two movies yesterday. For the matinee I saw Star Wars and came out of it enjoying myself and feeling well satisfied with the movie. I love Star Wars and it’s still really special for me to see these movies in theater in premiere weekend that it’s difficult for me to not enjoy the movie.
I thought it was great - I really think that people (similar to wrestling fans) have heightened their expectations on what these movies should be and almost go into them ready to find something to complain about - that’s not my goal and found it to be a great fan service and conclusion to their new trilogy.
It leaves a lot of opportunity open to build off that universe though - which rewind to Star Wars dead state Pre-Disney is a pretty exciting place to be.
…
Now for my double feature - I had the pleasure of seeing Cats and could not recommend it enough. It’s abysmal, it’s confusing, YOURE watching the theater wince and come to the realization that they are the only 30 minutes into a 2 hour movie. It was an absolute travesty of a film that I expect to become a cult classic in 10 years - hideous, horrifying and I was so glad I saw Star Wars first.
Great day at the movies!
To preface, I am a huge Star Wars fan and have really enjoyed all the recent Disney era Star Wars movies. Each one has their problems but I enjoy them more and more each time I watch them.
What I have not enjoyed is the swift backlash to each movie from what seems like a very vocal minority. “Force Awakens was a new hope retread”. “Last Jedi ruined Luke“. “Rise of Skywalker ruins Last Jedi”. The Star Wars hardcore fans just seem impossible to please. Which does have a lot of similarities with wrestling fans who spend their days armchair quarterbacking and fantasy booking and then get disappointed if it doesn’t go the way they want or complain about how predictable a show is if it does.
Anyway, back to Rise of Skywalker. I liked it. I don’t feel like it retconned Last Jedi. Just like the reveal of Vader being Luke’s father or Luke & Leia being brother & sister don’t retcon the previous movies. The reveal of Rey being a Palpatine was (somewhat) of a surprise twist which is a staple of the franchise.
But I do understand the criticism that there was a ton packed into the movie so there was actually less time to explore and feel immersed. I wonder if that will change upon rewatching it. I thought the worst parts were Leia. I can totally understand JJ’s intent to have Leia in this movie and give her a final send off. But the reality is the unused clips of Carrier Fisher felt really awkward and clunky.
Just like Last Jedi, the best stuff was the Kylo/Rey dynamic whether they were fighting through the force or finally coming together at the end. It felt like a natural continuation of the “ForceTime” power introduced in Last Jedi so I don’t see how anyone can say it ruined or retconned Last Jedi with how it was used.
It totally retconned last jedi
A) The message is that anyone can become a force user like Rey or the broom kid. You don’t have to have royal lineage
Now she’s the grand daughter of a dead man. Who somehow has an unamed baby momma and son that he kills (who has no force power?). Like WTF?
B) the emperor is suddenly back and alive - in last jedi it’s clear that Kylo has gone fully dark by killing his master and becoming SL. Now he’s back to where he started again. Why is the Emperor alive? And how ?
C) Luke was on Arc To because he was meditating and self exiled after his failure. Now he’s hunting a Sith artifact?
D) Rose is an important part of the Resistence. Now she’s a useless tit?
E) Kylo Ren has smashed his mask and doesn’t want to be dark side or light side. He wants to let it all go. Now he’s back to dark side again?
F) the lightsaber of Luke is broken - now it’s back together with no explanations?
You can retcon in a good way (like Endgame did) - just give us a fucken explanation. Don’t just do it for no reason by dropping a line in the movie
I loved Last jedi - it was new and fresh. It’s obvious that JJ wouldn’t have done it that way to and it fucked with his vision
I’m assuming if he does the Last Jedi then he would have not killed Snoke and would have made him the big baddie and not brought a seat slam needlessly to life. He also probably doesn’t have Kylo say her parents are no bodies and explores more about why it’s important. So he decided to do this shit to see his initial plan through.
It’s a clunky mess.
I read the reviews - and saw the criticism - and went in there dreading it.
I think being so prepared for it to be a shit show - meant it could only be good. Instead of going in there expecting perfection and only being let down.
I know I’m in a minority - but I loved it and so did my son. I genuinely thought it was phenomenal. I felt that J J Abrams gave a genuinely satisfying conclusion.
I felt that Leia was dealt with in a really respectful manner.
I felt like Kylo was a proper bad ass.
I’m not just an optimist. I bloody hated Last Jedi. That thing was an absolute car crash.
For thoes wandering why the overall sequal story between J.J. Abrams (Episode VII & Episode IX) and Rian Johnson (Episode VIII) may seem disjointed or “to have retconned events” an interview with Daisy Ridley form the time of the release of The Last Jedi may hold the answer…
In the prequels, Palpatine mentions that there was a Sith lord who learned how to overcome death. I thought most of us presumed he was talking about himself.
And he was just another politician before becoming emperor. So I don’t find it weird that he’d have a family like most other creatures.
Episode IX is fine, I think. Not a great movie (but none of these mass market merchandise pushing exercises are.) But a fine movie.
Yes, too much is put into 155 minutes. Maybe there will be a 200 minute Director’s Cut that is not so rapidly paced.
A wrestling analogy: IX is like a Young Bucks match, not a WWE match.
Worth watching.
Ok, so you have issues.
And regarding this:
the fact that she defeated her grandfather all alone
Wow, talk about missing a big plot point in a movie… you missed a big one.
Yes, I have issues with stupid writing.
How much more meaningful it would have been in a movie called “The Rise of SKYWALKER”, an actual Skywalker to participate into the final blow that ends the saga? We had two characters that were presented as a dyad, that were Ing and Yang for three movies - they even wore black and white till the end. How much more sense it would have made if both of them, TOGETHER, defeated the Emperor? Instead we had the demise of the Skywalker bloodline and than a PALPATINE literally stealing their name.
Where did a Skywalker rose in this movie (a part from Ben’ face turn?). This movie had to be called literally “The Rise Of Palpatine”, cause this is what it was.
TL;DR We saw 2 directors do battle.
I agree this was JJ’s ep 8 & 9 combined into 1 film. Chewbacca was Rey’s bait much like Luke’s captured friends. Rey was told of her family by the villian much like Luke was. Then the heroes narrowly escaped the First Order. That was in the first half. JJ already got flack for copying New Hope and his scripts were going to copy Empire & Jedi too.
Rian Johnson read the ep 8 script and said “nah”. He killed the main villian AND Luke. JJ said nope, and puts Leai in the teacher role and Palpatine to be his Snoke. All undone in the first 5 mins.
My biggest problem was Luke touching the lightsaber. If you can do that, then help out!
