Your LEAST favorite Star Wars Movie
I have enjoyed reading your thoughts as you go through!
I think that TLJ annoyed me so much because I felt there was that opportunity for Rey to go dark side which could have been really interesting, and they didn't take it. Made the whole Snoke dying thing not feel right, which leads into the next movies major issues with a villain....as you will soon see haha.
I think because I saw a lot of potential in TLJ is why I ended up disliking it so much. Finn and Rose's whole story line felt like a huge waste of time from what you actually wanted to see. Their characters deserved better!
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Yeah I realize my review leans more on the positive, but I was just happy I wasn't bored to death. I already knew going in that the sequels were really bad so I didn't have that hope or expectation for something greater. It somewhat held my attention lol
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I already blathered on about the Last Jedi a few posts ago so I'll keep it pretty simple. I feel it's a very unfairly condemned movie by the fanbase (often vitriolic). I feel it had the unenviable burden of trying to actually forge some kind of purpose for the sequel trilogy (which the Force Awakens had put to one side in pursuit of pointless nostalgia). That fans didn't like it (but conveniently overlooked TFA's lack of substance) has, only in my opinion of course, led to the Star Wars franchise becoming distressingly atrophied, seemingly stuck like a record, regurgitating it's greatest hits.
(With the exception of Andor I feel. I notice you enjoyed Rogue One as well and I enjoyed it immensely, although to this day I still don't know if it's pure nostalgia - it's the era of Star Wars I grew up with - or whether it's a good film in itself. I think both perhaps but it shows that Star Wars can exist without the Jedi clogging up the screen. Andor takes alot of the moral ambiguity of that film and really runs with it, creating a multilayered almost breathing worldspace that I hadn't felt from Star Wars for a while.)
Like you I've got no complaints about the visuals or set pieces but on some character issues I'm a bit ambivalent. I personally never felt Luke was the kind of person who, after admittedly suffering a significant betrayal & set back, would then bugger off and become a recluse to sulk while the galaxy burned. I see what Rian Johnson was going for, having been a chess piece of the Force for so long, done the good fight and lost alot along the way only to seemingly have it turn on him and wreck everything he tried to build. Does it fit for me that he'd become so much of a hermit? Perhaps not but I can respect the idea of examining the concept. (Perhaps too many years of me reading the now-not-canon extended universe).
We have similar wavelengths about Rey. I put down her rather vacant character issues in TFA to the need to introduce so many new people and ideas but in this movie it's harder to ignore that fact that she has very little narrative or dramatic agency as a character herself. She spends much of the trilogy being pushed around and reacting to other events and ultimately falling into place as just the latest piece of an eons-long chess game. (And no, the whole the Force/Destiny schtick can only go so far to cover up those limitations) It's a danger sign when supporting characters so easily supplant the protagonist in a story (Poe/Finn 4eva 😍), it's an even worse sign when the idea of that character falling to the Darkside is viewed as a positive character development 😁.
Plenty of issues with it of course, the whole cantina planet was something that really should have been abbreviated, even skipped, I find it rather jars with the urgency of the plot, even if it does bring the shades of grey the rest of the universe lives in into sharper focus. The humour....well it is what it is I suppose, certainly different to what other Star Wars presented as humour. Snoke's removal I saw coming but still struggled to accept Kylo Ren as a truly absorbing antagonist, though he's leagues better in this than TFA.
I'm just disappointed really with what was lost after the reaction to this film, Lucasfilm effectively retconning as much as they could get away with and sliding back to safer narrative zones. It's all personal preference, as you can see from the varied replies in this post and that's great, the world would probably suck if we all liked the same things. But for the first time on screen Star Wars was prepared to pose questions to its own mythology, its own legacy, as I feel any 40+ year franchise should do at some point. (In a strange way I see this movie as finally responding to the ideas of the prequel trilogy, that not only did the Jedi Order fall for a reason - and let's face it as an institution it fell long before Order 66 - but that the idea of it no longer washes in the world our heroes inhabit now, what Yoda tries to impress upon Luke and the simple hope portrayed in the final scene tries to show.)
Maybe they don't like the answers proposed or the ideas, as I felt with some issues, but the narrative rewards of going in that direction I feel really freshened up a series that, if TFA was any indication, was just a little too comfortable & complacent. If the idea of such introspection or characters like Rose really threatened so many people's enjoyment of the movie/franchise, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. (As an aside, I don't know how much down this particular rabbit hole you're willing to go but if you ever venture into the video games I can heartily recommend the Knights of the Old Republic series, especially it's sequel, for a real show of narrative construction. The second game in particular was a revelation for me at a time where the prequels hadn't exactly lit my fire. I still feel it's a superb example of interrogating - respectfully so - the multi headed monster of a franchise with so much lore and history, with some fantastic characters to boot. Fight me internet but I'd trade all the dungeon crawling and boss fights in the world for a game with a character like Kreia.)
Sorry for putting everyone to sleep, just feel the need to put an alternative viewpoint to alot of the criticisms of the film. It's really fun reading your takes, even more so seeing how your feelings are evolving watching the whole series and your response to Rise will be interesting to read, cheers again for the giveaways!
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I hated TLJ but agree that it was at least interesting (and beautiful). Would have liked to see Disney double down on what they proposed in the movie. The last scene shows the force truly awaken in a random stable boy. I was really excited to see what that was going to lead to.
I also loved Andor and will argue that it's the best thing to happen to Star Wars since the Empire Strikes Back. It's the only thing that actually did something new and meaningful with the universe.
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Agree about the ending, despite the dire situation the resistance finds itself in I must be one of the few people to find broom boy's reveal to be quite uplifting, something perhaps that all of Star Wars before it had been leading to. I was very disappointed that they walked nearly all of it back but not really surprised.
+1 about Andor, hope Disney doesn't chicken out about a season 2 or more. They may not realise it now but I feel in the future it will be regarded as one of the high points of their contribution to Star Wars storytelling. But sadly money talks more than anything else in Hollywood.
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Thanks for writing this out! These are all great points! As someone who joined Star Wars late, I don't have that nostalgic attachment. I've enjoyed the movies but I'll never love them like someone who grew up with them. That's why I knew my thoughts on TLJ wouldn't be as strong as everyone elses. I definetely see all of the wasted potential and the shortcomings. I especially agree with Luke. After taking some time to think about it, I do not like the direction they took him in. I'm going to start watching Andor tomorrow. I'm not going to review it on here but knowing me I'll probably binge watch it pretty quickly.
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If I can make one suggestion? Try to resist the urge to binge watch Andor if you end up enjoying it, there's alot of intricate world building and atmosphere that should probably be savoured, there are only as yet a handful of episodes after all.
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Now that you're through the first 6 movies, you might want to read the article proposing the Star Wars ring theory. It would be about 20 pages printed out. Here's a brief ScreenRant article that explains the ring article, if you prefer just the gist of the concept.
The idea is that Lucas' six movies are one story that goes in a circle, ending where it began, and each stage is a reflection of the other corresponding side of the circle. Many ancient texts have this structure, and it was quite a feat for him to pull this off with 6 Hollywood movies.
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The ring theory doesn't hold much water in my opinion. Most likely more of an accident. Now Darth Jar Jar on the other hand...
Forces a relationship with Jedi he "stumbles" across. Pretends to be clumsy to hide his force powers while expertly dodging attacks and taking out enemies. Infiltrates the senate to make Palpatine the Supreme Chancellor. That would have made for an awesome twist.
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Hey! Good to see you're soldiering on.
I had missed your last update but then I watched (more like fell asleep to) Rebel Moon and wondered to myself if you were going to have to include it in your watchlist since it's such an obvious copy of Star Wars XD (no, really, don't! it sucks) so I came and checked the thread to see where you were in your endeavor
Oh, also I really like Poe. I don't know why. I just do.
Oscar Isaacs might have a lot to do with that. Besides his talent and natural roguish charm, he breathed life in the character in a way that none of the actors of the new trilogy really manage with their kinda flat characters.
Oh and speaking of...
Now onto Rey.. I know people hate her, and I never knew why, but now I kind of see it. Is it because she's just so boring?
You might be onto something XD
Seriously though, I am going to go with 50% at least hating her only because she's a woman. I have seen so many comments about her being way more vitriolic than they ought to be to believe it's really just about writing.
Unfortunately she is also incredibly boring and Ridley's portrayal is not helping any so there's also a solid 50% of hatred from people who would have wanted to like her and feel like the new trilogy would have been much better with a solid lead.
Personally I don't "hate her". I mean she's too boring and inconsequential for me to spend any energy hating her. I just don't consider her at all.
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I hope you had some enjoyment while watching these movies! Honestly the Star Wars movies have been terribly disappointing for me. There's just more bad than good. If someone asked me my recommendation it would be Star Wars 4-6 and I'd say forget the prequels/sequels.
Yea there have been some decent stand-alones, animated/live-action shows, and a lot of the star wars video games have been the best part of the franchise. But there's been so much disappointment. So much wasted potential 😩
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But there's been so much disappointment. So much wasted potential
That's usually what happens when something becomes too big to fail. Why would they try hard to make something good when all they need to say is "Star Wars" for people to flock to it like thirsty goldfish just so they can say everywhere that they're disappointed after?
Episode 4-6 remain iconic because they were genuine movies. Even Return was not as mercantile as it could have been, beside the Ewok toy commercial in the middle there.
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Even Ep. 6 was overall a letdown. I only really liked 4 and 5. 6 is the trilogy finale so you kinda have to include it. So out of the 9 main movies only 2 have truly been good – a 22% success rate.
They need to stop making Star Wars movies for a long while so people can recover from the string of garbage. Same with all the bad Terminator and Alien sequels.
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They need to stop making Star Wars movies for a long while so people can recover from the string of garbage. Same with all the bad Terminator and Alien sequels.
They won't though. It all belongs to Disney now so they'll keep making them. They make money from box office failure just from the hype for 2 years before and even from the negative social media mentions after the movies release, not to mention the tons of money they make in licensing so they really don't care if people like them or not.
It's like asking a brand to stop making commercials because they suck. They don't really care.
Andor was pretty good though. Definitely stepping into darker, less binary good vs evil territory and portraying a part of the SW universe that's never been even glanced at. If you can motor through the first episode that's about the "protagonist" and is pretty boring by the numbers, the rest of the show is excellent. The plan was to make movies but Disney wanted a show so the creator mapped it over 2 seasons, no more.
It already helps to have a storyteller who knows where it's going and you know... is going there, instead of just making a toy commercial scraped over 7 seasons.
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The ultimate question now is:
Have you seen the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978?
I won't give away too much, except quote the Wikipedia entry:
The Star Wars Holiday Special[a] is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based Star Wars media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first Star Wars spin-off film, set between the events of the original film and the then-unreleased sequel The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It stars the main cast of the original Star Wars and introduces the character of Boba Fett, who appeared in later films.
You should be able to find decent copies/recordings on yt.
Have fun! 😉
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Hey! Hope everyone is having a good start of the month!
I previously made a discussion asking you how I should watch the Star Wars franchise for the first time, and most of you voted for me to watch it by release order! As a thank you, I thought it would be a stupid and fun idea to watch every Star Wars film and create 2 giveaways for each one I watch. Then I would write a small review of my thoughts and opinions of each one. I am not a movie reviewer so nothing fancy but feel free to add your opinions, thoughts, etc. If I make a mistake or you have a suggestion for me, please let me know. I'm new to Star Wars and will most likely make mistakes. Most of the ga's will be bundled but at the end of my Star Wars marathon I'll make a grand finale of ga's!
TLDR: I'll watch and discuss every star wars movie/show and make ga's for each one. Thank you for humoring this dumb idea. also spoilers below for each movie
Original Trilogy:
1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: So this is the only Star Wars movie I have seen and it was when I was a little kid, so I had no memory of what happened. The movie took me a while to get invested. It had a slower start and I'm sure age played a factor in my attention span. After the main characters got together I started to enjoy it a lot more! I already knew all the characters by name but not much about their personalities. I expected Luke to start out as the badass hero type, so it was a nice suprise to see him as an inexperienced farm boy. I'm excited for his character development. Darth Vader is an iconic villain. So iconic and synonymous with Star Wars that it's hard to view him as an actual character and not the mascot of the franchise.
Han Solo is my favorite character so far. I love reluctant heroes, antihero types, and comedic relief characters.The way he came back to save Luke in the end was perfect. Leia is my second favorite so far. Intelligent, badass, I love her. I'm a little confused on why Obi-Wan Kenobi let Darth Vader kill him. I thought he was distracting him but wouldn't it be more distracting to keep fighting him until you lose the fight? The effects were really good for its time period and I can only imagine how much of a spectical this movie was on release. I'm guessing they will explain the lore of the movies more because I'm still confused about the world building and how the powers work etc. I'm very excited to continue so I'll probably watch the second movie today since I have the next two days off.
GA 1: White Day: A Labyrinth Named SchoolGA 2: Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus EditionEpisode V: The Empire Strikes Back: I read that this is the highest rated Star Wars movie, but I try not to let reviews give me a bias. Imo, this movie surpasses the original for me. The reason is that I could finally put context to so many characters and scenes that I've seen giffed and talked about online! ! It's like a lightbulb that went off in my head every time I saw the context of an iconic scene.
Starting at the beginning, I still love Han Solo the most. He's a real one for saving Luke again on Hoth. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and look of Hoth and most of the locations in the series so far. The Han and Lei romance is just classic. I finally got to see the "I Love You" "I Know" lines spoken. I can see why it was so loved. It perfectly represents the two characters and their relationship. Speaking of characters, it surprised me to see Boba Fett this early. I only know him from The Mandalorian s2 and I haven't seen his show yet, so I thought he popped up later in the franchise. I still know little about him, so I hope he shows up again so I can get some Mandalorian context!
This sequel was more action-heavy. Some fight scenes (like between Luke and Darth Vader) feel a little dated, but the desperation felt by both characters really sold it. Of course I already knew that Vader was Luke's father, but it was still an emotional revelation, and that ending was intense! Plus, I had no idea Luke was going to get his hand cut off!
Speaking of Darth Vader, I did not expect him to be sitting at the table when Lando betrayed the group. I knew Lando was going to turn on them, but Vader gave me a good jump scare when those doors opened. Lando is a cool character. I'm excited to see him in the next film. I feel like he's going to die, but fingers crossed that he doesn't.
If I were to pick a favorite scene(s), it would have to be Luke's training with Yoda. I love that Yoda acts like a bumbling idiot to observe Luke, and we really get to see Luke's flaws. His impatience and his frustration. Learning more about the force and seeing Yoda physically and mentally train Luke was really neat. My favorite aspect of both movies so far is the friendship between the trio. Or foursome? can't leave out Chewie.
The actors must have gotten along during filming because the chemistry between them feels so authentic. The found family/friendship trope is one of my favorites and I think they do a great job of bringing these characters to life.. Anyway I'm sorry this review is so long. overall, good movie!
GA 1: Arcade SpiritsGA 2: Snooker19Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi: I took a large break between films, but I'll be watching more frequently now. Return of the Jedi served as a decent finale. There were parts I did and did not love. Luke became more powerful and confident between movies. When I thought of Luke before starting the movies, this is the Luke I was envisioning. I finally get to see Jabba outside of the memes but I wanted to see more Yoda! I didn't expect him to die so early in the film. He finally reveals that Leia is Luke's sister, which was a twist I already knew, but it must be real awkward for Luke!
I think my only complaint is that I expected this movie to be more epic and grandiose. The ewok battle wasn't very large in scale, but the ewoks are incredibly cute, so I forgive them. My favorite parts of the film were actually the interactions between the characters. I love the conversations Luke had with his sister and with his father. and Leia teasing Han before telling him Luke is her brother. I kept expecting Lando to die the whole movie, but I'm glad he didn't!
The best part for me was the ending. The fight between Vader and Luke was great, and I didn't expect him to sacrifice himself for his son. I always thought Luke killed Darth Vader, so the ending surprised me and hit me right in the heart. Not gonna lie, I almost shed some tears when he asked Luke to take off his helmet so he could see his son with his own eyes. Double that when he is watching over him by the campfire. Overall, I enjoyed this finale and the whole trilogy. I didn't get to grow up with the films, but I can see how this became as monumental as it was. The action was cool and the lore was intruiging. If I were to pick my favorite thing from this trilogy (as corny as it is) it would still have to be the theme of friendship and family.. The relationships between the main group feel authentic and and the bond between father and son set up a perfect ending for the trilogy. Very soon I will be onto The first prequel film, The Phantom Menace!
GA 1: Bad End TheaterGA 2: ArmelloPrequel Trilogy:
Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Alright.. we've got a whole new story and set of characters, and a lot to process. I'll start by saying that I didn't quite enjoy this one, but I'll also name some things I did like about it.. First of all, either the politics in this movie were kind of confusing or I'm a little dumb. I'll accept either answer. The story beats were definitely unclear to me, and I was struggling to follow some parts. I think it was just so different from the first three movies that it took me a while to adjust. Still, the visuals improved with time, and I liked some character designs and costumes! It's fascinating to have Obi-Wan Kenobi as a main character, and I didn't even realize that Liam Neeson was in this film! I didn't really get attached to their characters, but I'll talk more on that later. Side Note: Ewan McGregor looks so much younger compared to the pictures I've seen of him in the later films. Maybe it's the missing beard..
I really wanted to like Jar Jar Binks because everyone warned me that he is the worst. Unfortunately, he is the worst. He's very annoying. It's not enough to make me turn off the movie, but I am surprised they gave him so much screen time. On the other hand, I was excited to finally see Padme. I know that she and Anakin do get together, or at least try to. I looooved her outfit when she was first introduced. It was gorgeous.
Speaking of Anakin... I know a lot of people acted really horribly towards the little boy that played young Anakin. It's so sad because I think he's adorable. Yeah, his acting wasn't great, but his only role was to play a little kid, and I have seen way worse child actors with even less riding on their shoulders. Speaking of Anakin again, We can't talk about Star Wars without talking about the villain.... and the coolest villain in this film was.... drum roll please Darth Maul. Obviously, Darth Maul. His design looks awesome, and he's intimidating as hell.. I think they actually underused him in the movie.
To sum it all up, The story was boring, and the dialogue was neither witty nor fun. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan were also surprisingly dull. I understand that they have a lot of responsibility and that there is Jedi training involved, but they just felt so flat and lifeless. I hate to compare, but they just weren't nearly as engaging as Luke, Han, or Leia. I wanted to get more emotional towards some of the sad scenes, but either the dialogue or other parts of the writing made it so hard. There were also some lore and rules I didn't quite understand, like the Sith Rules. Some of my complaints can be a lack of understanding though. This is the first film I didn't really like, so I hate saying anything negative. Especially because I know a lot of people love this movie but Overall, it wasn't for me. I just want my Star Wars movies to be full of adventure and excitement. Oh, but the lightsaber fight at the end was pretty cool. And I did like the podracing scene. I knew Anakin was going to win, but I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time. The podracing scene was probably my favorite. Also I recognized the announcers voice as one of the contestants from the show "Whose Line Is It Anyway.
Overall, keep in mind that this is my first reaction. I may change my mind on these films or I might not. Who knows. I'm excited to continue on and see!
GA 1: The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little HopeGA 2: Railroad CorporationStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones: This review took a while because I was struggling to finish the movie. It's probably my least favorite so far. Though I really did relate to Anakin. I, too, dislike sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere...
I'm sorry, let me just start from the top. I didn't hate this film, but there was more bad than good. The romance between Anakin and Padme was very sudden. It gave me whiplash. In The Phantom Menace, he may have had a small crush, but the instant he locks eyes with her after ten years, he's obsessed with her. I mean, I know it's Natalie Portman, so I understand, but come on man. I also couldn't figure out why she fell in love with him. He had a childhood crush, but her infatuation seemed to be caused by his creepy persistence. Also, I will try to refrain from commenting on the dialogue because, you know..
I really liked some of the action scenes. I prefer a good story over action, but when the story isn't captivating me, I do enjoy a good lightsaber fight. The Obi-Wan fight with Jango Fett was intense, and it was interesting to see the origin of Boba Fett. The fight at the arena started a little weird, but when everyone jumped in to fight, it was a spectacle. Especially Samuel L. Jackson's character with his purple lightsaber. Perfection.
Anakin story went a little different than I thought it would. I expected a lot of little moments to add up and slowly cause Anakin to go dark. I didn't expect his mother to be murdered. I did enjoy seeing him do something evil for the first time. Speaking of evil, the Yoda vs Count Dooku fight was fun, but as a finale it wasn't the most exciting. Plus, Count Dooku as a villain didn't compare to villains like Vader or Darth Maul. Overall, With better writing and direction, I think this would have been a much better movie. I want to say that the romance between Padme and Anakin wasn't important, but I know it will be in the future. My guess is that it's going to lead to Anakin truly joining the dark side. Plus, she's probably the mother of Luke and Leia, so it's a much needed but badly executed storyline. I wish we had more bonding between Anakin and Kenobi since we know Obi-Wan feels like he failed Anakin from the original trilogy. Still, I am eternally grateful that Jar Jar Binks left and never came back. I'm truly looking forward to the next film because I want to see Anakin turn into Darth Vader. Half of me is excited for this character development, and the other half is heartbroken because of poor Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'll probably watch the third film tonight, so expect a review within the next day or two!
GA 1: Alwa's LegacyGA 2: Down the Rabbit HoleStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: Woohoo the last of the prequels! I was going to do a review right away, but I had to process my thoughts on the film. It's my favorite from the prequels, but still ranked behind episodes 4–6. I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes or dumb takes i give while writing this up. Admittedly, I'm still confused by Star Wars lore. I don't google the theories or ever refresh my memory on the rules established in the films.
Revenge of the Sith was much more epic than the last films. It has more grandiose action scenes and improved CGI and effects. The scale is much larger, with almost all the prequel characters involved in the story. The stakes are higher than ever, and it provides that sinking feeling while watching because you just know that Anikan is turning Vader in this one. Speaking of Anikan, he is extra unlikable in this movie. I know he is consistently annoying, but I still like Anikan. He's just extra here. I get it. It makes sense, but it's hard to watch. I did have mixed feelings about his downfall. They set it up nicely with the influence of Palpatine and the skepticism and doubt from the council. Plus his recurring nightmares of Padme dying. I guess my expectations were just unreasonably high. At first, Anikan decided to report Palpatine to Mace Windu and then was convinced to betray Windu to help Padme. That's fine. The part that shocked me was just how fast he went from a misguided, somewhat selfish but kindhearted Jedi, to a man who kills innocent children in mere minutes. It's like a light switch was flipped, and he went from saving his girlfriend to going straight evil. I know he killed the kids in the sand village, but the situation was different. If I'm interpreting the scene wrong, please let me know! It just felt very sudden. Maybe if he hadn't reported Palpatine and instead decided his way of living was more aligned with his morals and beliefs, I would have believed it over him doing it to save his girlfriend, whom he later kills.... Also, I did predict that he would kill Padme, but I thought he would lose himself to the dark side and kill her on purpose. I'm not sure if he actually killed her or if she died from childbirth? I guess it could have been a mix of stress, childbirth, and a broken heart. Suddenly finding out that the love of your life and father of your children is actively committing genocide would definitely do it.
Now let's talk about the fights. The fight scenes were nicely done! The Yoda fight looked great, especially for its age. The fight between Anikan and Obi-Wan felt personal, emotional, but still grand. The back-and-forth dialogue at the volcano made me emotional. I felt like Obi-Wan didn't do much to betray Anikan, and Anikan was definitely in the wrong here, but a co-worker of mine disagreed and felt like Obi-Wan had a huge role to play in Anikan's downfall. I'm curious to know what you guys think. It was just sad to see Anikan with unbridled rage, falling deeper and deeper into despair until he starts melting from the lava. Just brutal.
The ending then sets us up for Star Wars: A New Hope. We see what happens to Luke and Leia and why the Jedi are gone. It's a little sad to see the mystery disappear from A New Hope, but the prequels are there to show us how things became the way they are. Part of me liked starting in the middle of the story since not knowing made things more intruiging. Overall Revenge of the Jedi was on a more epic scale while retaining the campiness of Star Wars that I love. I didn't quite understand all of it and it still doesn't live up to the joy I got from episode 4-6 but I did like it better than the two films that came before it. I know I didn't grasp the entire story of the prequels so I really do need to rewatch or watch a long explanation video but overall I had a fun time! Next is the first movie from the sequel trilogy. That means I have to say goodbye again and meet another set of characters. Until then!
GA 1 Tower UniteGA 2BackboneStand-Alones
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: After watching a bunch of prequels, I'm on another prequel! I'm glad, though, because I enjoyed this movie a lot! All the actors did great; I loved Mads Mikkelsen for the short time he was on. The film is very character-driven, which I love. The setting and plot are perfect. You would think it wouldn't work as a full movie, but it absolutely does. The stakes are incredibly high, and I was really rooting for the characters. Even knowing how the story ends doesn't change how nail-biting and stress-inducing the fights are. Chirrut Îmwe was such a fascinating and badass character, I'd be satisfied if they made a whole movie about him, alongside Baze Malbus. I love how the action and fight scenes are scarce until the end, where we watch a long and epic battle that causes a lot of casualties. Spoilers, but I really didn't expect all of the characters to die, including Jyn and Cassian, but I'm glad they went there. It added weight to the importance of the Death Star being destroyed in A New Hope. The scene where Darth Vader came in and started wrecking sh*t REALLY caught me off guard. That was the highlight for me. Vader coming in at random times to jump-scare me could be a series in itself.
Overall, this is a very good modern Star Wars movie. It was less of an adventure since it served a specific purpose, but the characters were good, the story added to the franchise, and it had great fight scenes. This serves as a prequel that didn't need to be made, but I'm glad it was. Now I just need to check out Andor on my own time to get more Depth on Cassian's character.
GA 1: A Short HikeGA 2: 911 OperatorSolo: A Star Wars Story: Solo is also a Disney Star Wars story like Rogue One, but it felt muuuch less authentic. Out of all the Star Wars movies I've seen so far, this one felt the most Disney. I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I liked Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo. He should have had more to work with, but he did a good job with the mannerisms and dialogue. I could buy that he was Han Solo. I truly tried to enjoy this film, even knowing the hate that it receives. Han is my favorite character, and my expectations weren't very high. The problem is just that the story is so... cookie cutter. It should be this exciting adventure beyond any limitations, but instead we get this very cliche story that just goes through the motions. Instead of creating a fantastic Sci-fi tale, they just push us scene by scene through everything we know about Han Solo. Met Chewbacca? Check! Met Lando? Check! Love interest? Check! It was just a little too predictable, and none of it added to his character. If anything, it just made him a little less mysterious and exciting. The reasoning behind his name, "Solo" was extra stupid. We don't need an explanation for every little thing, especially a last name.
I liked a few things about the movie. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. Like I said, I enjoyed the performance by Alden, and I liked Woody Harrelson's character at the beginning. The scene where Han is helping Beckett and his wife was a lot of fun. Also, I enjoyed the scenes with Lando (I love Donald Glover) and L3 was an interesting Droid. She was a better comic relief character than he-who-must-not-be-named Jar Jar Binks 😨. I did NOT enjoy the twist at the end with Beckett. It wasn't because I liked Beckett; it just felt obvious... or generic? It's a tired formula that hits hard when set up perfectly, butIi just wasn't feeling it. The second half of the movie kind of sizzled out until we got to see Darth Maul again. Which was cool.
Overall, it's not a terrible movie, and not every Star Wars film has to be a banger. It's a mix of a few things that make this a disappointment for me. It's knowing that everything goes downhill from here, so this is the start of something worse. It's the fact that Han Solo is my favorite character and the potential this could have been. They had the potential to make a Star Wars classic adventure with our favorite characters that added so much to the lore. Imagine how fun this movie would have been if they thought outside the box. Overall, it is not a terrible movie, and it could be a fun flick to put on while at a party with your friends. Not the worst Star Wars movie by any stretch and still a fun time! It just doesn't really put a dent in the franchise in my opinion.
GA 1: a Jugglers TaleGA 2: Scarlet TowerSequel Trilogy
Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the long wait; I had a lot going on. I finally got around to watching The Force Awakens, but before I write this review, I have a question. There are a lot of people on here (and in my personal life) telling me to skip this trilogy, and to be honest, this movie didn't make me particularly interested in the next two. I want to take a vote. Should I skip the next two films, announce this as the end, and just go forward with the giveaways? Should I watch another movie in their place? Or should I go ahead and finish the trilogy? It'll probably be a train wreck, but it could be a funny one. Either way, I'm completely happy with the decision. And with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on The Force Awakens! Also spoilers below.
The Force Awakens was a pretty average film. It was fun at times, but it didn't feel like Star Wars to me. I went into it more close-minded than usual due to the overwhelming hate for these films, but my guess is that this isn't the worst film of the three.
My biggest problem was the pacing, because that led to every other problem I had with it. The pacing was way too fast, so I couldn't grow attached to any of the characters or the story. In what feels like mere minutes in the film, Rey, Finn, and Solo go from meeting for the first time to Rey having a crush on Finn and viewing Han Solo as a father figure. We barely learned anything about any of the characters, nor did they learn about each other. . Plus, we just learned that Han Solo has a kid, and then boom, Han is dead.. I know Harrison Ford didn't want to do the movies anymore, and I was already spoiled about his death (along with Luke's in the future, although I don't know how it happens), but I still felt like the scene made it reaaaally obvious it was going to happen. . He's talking to Kylo Renn while Rey, Finn, and Chewie are just standing there watching from above. What else could happen in that scene? Was that scene a big plot twist for you guys and it was just obvious to me because of hindsight? Let me know.
They also introduced a lot of plot points that I thought would be expanded throughout the trilogy but were introduced and done with in the same film. One example is that Death Star looking planet. It was introduced, and then it was gone. I want to end this on a positive note, so there were things I liked about the movie. It was really cool to see Luke again at the end. The effects and fight scenes were neat. Kylo Ren seems like a really interesting villain. He seems conflicted about the Dark Side similar to how Vader was towards the beginning and end of his arc. If I knew this trilogy wrapped up nicely, I'd call this movie a rough but servicable start to the new trilogy, but now I know better.
GA 1: Before Your Eyes
GA 2: New Tales From The Borderlands
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Warning: long read! I finished this film a minute ago, so my thoughts may change, but honestly, I thought this was a lot better than The Force Awakens. I still didn't love the film, nor would I ever rewatch it, but I like that it took more chances. It was more of a spectacle where TFA was too cookie-cutter and safe. I know TLJ ruined the hope of Star Wars being good for a lot of people (as my friend keeps reminding me), but as someone who went in expecting hot garbage, it was less smelly than I thought it would be.
The visuals were really stunning, and the action scenes were great. It felt like everything was on a larger scale. The humor was hit or miss, with some awkward Marvel-like quips and pauses for laughs, but overall, I found most of it charming. Plus, I liked most of the characters (excluding Rey, but I'll get to her later). I'm still not sure how to feel about Luke. He was more damaged and jaded, but I was open to seeing more. But then he just dies... I hated how his arc ended, but having Yoda visit him again was pretty neat. especially since they brought back the puppet.
As far as villains go, I was not expecting Snoke to get wiped out so fast, but I was rooting for Kylo Ren to turn good. It probably would not have made sense, but I'm just a sucker for villain redemptions. Honestly, I thought it would be really neat if Rey ended up joining the dark side and being the villain for the rest of the trilogy. It would have made an interesting twist, although I knew it definitely wasn't going to happen.
The worst thing about the film was definitely the writing, lore, and story. All of it was kind of weak, and the Finn and Rose subplot was too long for how little it impacted everything. I really didn't mind, though, because I liked them as characters. We could have shaved off some run time, though. Oh, also I really like Poe. I don't know why. I just do.
Now onto Rey.. I know people hate her, and I never knew why, but now I kind of see it. Is it because she's just so boring? She was an interesting character in her introduction, but she never gets any interesting personality traits or character development. She's just the chosen one, like Luke. But Luke trained hard and lost fights. He had both negative and positive qualities. Rey is like a blank slate to me. It makes it hard to get invested in her story or her relationship with the other characters. Like in TFA, I could not buy the fact that she cared that strongly for Han Solo. It's not a huge deal, but she is the main character, and I found the other side characters, like Poe and Finn, much more interesting.
I'm sure I'm missing some things, but this is long enough. TLDR: I didn't love it but i didn't hate it. I will stand against the crowd and say.... it was alright...
It's still pretty low on my Star Wars ranking list (which I definitely need to make). I'm wondering if this should make me more hopeful for The Last Jedi, although something tells me no, it shouldn't. Please give me your thoughts on TLJ. I'll even take your roasts. I just want to know why people may agree or disagree!
GA 1: The Dungeon Beneat
GA 2: Beatiful Desolation
Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker: This is it. The finale of our Star Wars journey! Firstly, sorry for the incredibly long wait time, but i'm super excited to be finished and reminisce on the good and bad of the Star Wars films. We all know ROTS has a bad reputation, but I still went in with an open mind. I didn't hate the sequel trilogy, but I also felt absolutely nothing for it. ROTS is probably my least favorite of the three, and my least favorite Star Wars movie overall. It was just so boring. None of the plot points I looked forward to the most came to pass. Instead of focusing on Kylo Ren, somehow Palpatine returned AGAIN. and it wasn't even worth it because he was really bad in this movie. His appearance makes no sense and he did not have that menacing presence that he did in the original trilogy. The plot twist with Rey was not nearly as interesting as they thought it was. Kylo Ren should have stayed the villain. They still could have redeemed him in the end. I still have the opinion that Rey would have made a better villain than protagonist.
Speaking of Kylo Ren... he was the most interesting character to me in the sequel trilogy and they handled his redemption so poorly. It was so rushed. He didn't really do much after his redemption, other than not kill Rey and then bring Rey back to life. Also, did he become a force ghost? His death was very confusing to me. He just kinda died... and disappeared. So many characters died the same way. Justice for Kylo Ren. He could have been a way cooler villain/protagonist.
I thought the fights and effects could have been better. Especially the action scenes. The flying scenes looked alright but a lot of the other scenes looked goofy. The effects weren't super bad, its just that the fights were missing that oomph behind them. They needed more weight. That goes for the emotional beats as well. I don't think I was supposed to laugh when Chewie got "blown up," but it was such an obvious fakeout, and the scene itself looked hilarious.
There was also a LOT of fan service. Like all the Jedi being part of Rey and the scene with Luke. I don't hate fanservice, but I wanted it to be more authentic. I wanted to feel something about it. I did like the part where Han Solo showed up. I didn't expect Harrison Ford to come back so that was a nice surprise. I'm also glad they were able to get some scenes with Carrie Fisher. I think she died during the filming, which would explain a lot about her character.
Overall, I wanted this movie to have me on the edge of my seat, worrying about the characters safety and wondering how it would all end. It just felt too safe and very boring. I wanted it to end with a bigger bang. I wish I cared more about Rey since she was a big part of this film. I didn't really care about what happened to her parents or how she was connected to the Jedi or Palpatine. I didn't feel sad when she "died." The ending and the last line would have hit harder... or even hit at all, if I cared about Rey.
I can totally understand why some people liked this film, and I really wish I could say more positive things about it, but it just wasn't for me. Everything wrapped up a little too nicely and I didn't feel the gravity of any situation. No risks were taken and the plot twists felt like they were added on at the last minute. I wanted to feel for the characters. I wanted them to really shine and get a proper ending, but I ended up not caring by the end. On that note, I still love Poe. And Finn really grew on me throughout the trilogy.
Overall, it's not my favorite film to leave off on, but it did not sour this incredibly fun and rewarding Star Wars journey I've been on. Thank you all for motivating me to do this!
I will be making giveaways sometime today and updating this post. Thank you!
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