Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (SPOILERS)

[Jesse James]

People **** on Solo in reviews as I recall and it was a sheer delight, so I'm not really looking at reviews at this point...  And the fandom is **** at this point, so I mean I don't expect anyone who hated the other films to suddenly change their mind.  I think some of the entrenching things they're focused on are pretty basic things to hate, and so I don't expect them to be fair about this. 

The people who didn't like it but go in with an open mind to any of these new movies are seemingly limited or just not as vocal.  I have watched the angry people week upon week upon week leading up to this, simply bitch, moan, and latch onto anything they can think of as to why it will suck.  I have never in my life seen trailers picked apart by people as I did with ROS, and that includes our general picking apart of trailers for fun we've done since 1999 online.

People bitching on anything from tracked vehicles, to new force moves, to bitching about old characters and tropes not being more important, and back to then bitching about something that's new or different pushing boundaries that makes them clutch their pearls...  It's unreal.  I'm excited because it's new Star Wars.  Just like I was in 1999.

[Nicklab]

I think I'm of a similar mind - let the movie be what it is going to be.  Going into ANY film with preconceptions about what you're going to take in is almost certainly going to lead to disappointment in some way, shape or form.  We're the audience - not producers, screenwriters or cast members.  We do not have a hand in how this film will be made.  Are we a passionate fanbase?  Absolutely.  But until some of the audience can learn to let go and just take it all in, I think they're going to continue to be malcontents who obsess about the movie they have imagined in their head, where anything else is doomed to fall short.

My response to them?  The hell with them!  I had no idea what I was going to see that day in 1977 when I went to the movie theater with my dad and my sister.  And it changed my life!  Movies like this led me to embrace my own creativity in television and music (film school always seemed a little bit out of reach).  And I look forward to seeing this story come to its conclusion when I go to the theater on Friday.  I'm past letting some disgruntled man-child diminish my own experience, and I look forward to discussing the movie with you all.

[Mister Skeezler]

Nicklab, perfectly said.

[JediJman]

Just got back from the opening night fan event.  I really liked this one - probably the best of the sequel trilogy for me.  They had a ton of ground to cover and while they didn't explain everything I wanted to know, they covered a lot.  The trailers definitely spoiled certain scenes for me (Rebel Fleet, Imperial Fleet, Chewie's fate, etc.), but I guess that's to be expected. I really liked how they handled Leia, revelations about Rey, influences from fallen heroes, etc.   Having Threepio back in the story to lighten the mood a few times was a nice add as well.  I knew Lando was back, but did not expect to see certain other familiar faces, so that was a nice bonus as well.  And the end fight scenes/space battle are incredible. 

My only real grip about this one is the pacing.  I liked that they jumped into it right away, but I felt like I watched the movie on fast forward.  They literally race from one scene to the next without some of the slow build that gives you time to digest what's happening.  For example, take the Asteroid scene in Empire when the ground tremors from a blaster bolt.  There's a few comments about the strange surface then a moment of realization before they have to race out of the "cave" before you discover they're inside a space slug.  TROS has a related scene where the heroes are in a cave and a giant snake appears. Rey instantly notices its wounded, heals it, and it slithers away showing them the way to the next scene.  Just some added seconds of "Did that rock just move?" or "Hold on, I think its injured" would have added more depth to scenes like this.   

Overall, probably an 8 or 9 out of 10, which is way better than I expected.

[Diddly]

Not sure if I hated it or liked it, but leaning towards hating it. I agree with the pacing issues, as it felt like a video game, or a 5 hour movie crammed into 2.5 hours. My biggest complaint is how the 3rd act was pretty much a direct copy of Avengers Endgame. Palpatine is Thanos, Poe is Captain America, the Rebel fleet is the snapped heroes coming back, etc. They even copied the "I am..." lines! Awful.

I need some time to digest this one. As the ending to the "Skywalker Saga" it kind of stinks.

[McMetal]

I have a few specific questions I will hold off on for now, but the main head scratcher for me was, after it’s all said and done, don’t they still have the entire First Order fleet and army still out there? Only Pryde was ordered to Exogol, not their actual forces. Kind of mutes the victory somewhat methinks.

[JediJman]

I have a few specific questions I will hold off on for now, but the main head scratcher for me was, after it’s all said and done, don’t they still have the entire First Order fleet and army still out there? Only Pryde was ordered to Exogol, not their actual forces. Kind of mutes the victory somewhat methinks.

Yeah, they didn't take out the first order, but I think that's okay to still have opposing, but somewhat equal forces in the galaxy.  The Final Order fleet was much more of a game changer based on the number of ships and the planet-destroying canons on them, so wiping out that threat was probably a big enough victory for the gang.  Plus, who's going to lead them with Kylo, Pryde, and Hux all out of the picture.

[Jeff]

I really liked the movie overall.  There were some really convenient things about Palpatine that just pop up in this, the ninth movie, that were never hinted at in any of the others.  I've always believed that Palps/Sith was/were somehow responsible for Anakin's conception.  I always saw Anakin as the son Palpatine never had... and now.  ??  I don't know about that...

Like I said though, I really liked it.  I've liked all of the Disney Star Wars movies so far though (even TLJ and Solo), so I guess I'm an easy mark. 

Also, not afraid to say I all-out man cried at like three different parts of this movie.  Knowing I was seeing certain characters on the screen for probably the last time really hit me in all the feels...  especially the big one.  SO DAMN GLAD I WAS NOT SPOILERED for that moment on the death star wreckage.   

[Scott]

Was that Last Order Destroyers falling from the sky or First Order?   I missed that detail

[GrandMoffNick]

Poe made a comment toward the end about people everywhere rising up or something to that effect. So I assume those who didn't come to the battle are battling the First Order elsewhere.

[tmanthegreat]

I’m still trying to digest TROS after seeing it on opening night.  I’m going back again to see it Friday so that will give me a chance to pick up on anything I missed and more time to process it all. I definitely didn’t hate it, but I do feel it had too quick of a pace and was way over the top special effects-wise.  At the same time, there were some really great scenes, I liked the way Leia was handled, and I liked the way it ended. 

But if you ask me, The Mandalorian feels a lot more like classic Star Wars than TROS does.

[Matt_Fury]

Just got back from my first viewing and I liked it...didn't necessarily love it.  I'm still trying to figure out Rey's lineage.  When the hell did he find a woman to knock up?  I'm guessing it was before ROTJ, but yeesh....who would look at ol' scrotum face and say, "Yeah, I gotta get me a piece of that"?

Loved how Lando showed up.  Loved the action, agree that the pacing was really fast.  I wonder what Finn was going to tell Rey.  (I thought he was going to say he felt the force....it would explain a lot about his story).  I have a feeling that ended up on the cutting room floor.

I dunno....my opinion might change after a second viewing.  Similar thing happened with me and The Last Jedi.

[GrandMoffNick]

I liked it. Need time to determine how much. It's been funny to read elsewhere some TLJ haters like TROS because it wipes out TLJ. I'd say it changes characters' views but doesn't wipe out the movie.

Couple responses to others thoughts. Way too fast paced.

I don't remember Endgame super specificically but it's a bad guy vs good guys and TLJ set up two years ago that hidden Resistance groups would save the day at the end. At worst it copies lots of movies as is Hollywood.

I imagine Sheev probably isn't (don't even like typing this) concerned with consent or sure some acolyte or someone wanting power would conceive with him.

Don't think it's fair to compare TROS and Mandalorian. Different era. Different too many things. Sorry I get a little sour on the "classic" Star Wars term.

I liked Rey as a Palpatine. Liked she chose to "become" a Skywalker.

Even if JJ and Rian hate each other it would have been nice to have had a little more Snoke info. He was just too random.

I think they could have used Rose in place of Jannah or something like that. She was just kinda there in this one. Again maybe on purpose by JJ.

Ok random thoughts over for now.

Oh and what Nicklab said on Dec 18. Beautifully put. Dead on.

[McMetal]

Poe made a comment toward the end about people everywhere rising up or something to that effect. So I assume those who didn't come to the battle are battling the First Order elsewhere.

I was thinking about this more last night and it occurred to me that the Ewoks would have no way to see ships falling on Exogol, so the Destroyers they saw exploding must have been FIrst Order ships. Good!

[Jeff]

I don't remember Endgame super specificically but it's a bad guy vs good guys and TLJ set up two years ago that hidden Resistance groups would save the day at the end. At worst it copies lots of movies as is Hollywood.

Yeah, I can see the Endgame parallels, but like Nick said - to me it's a movie trope more than Avengers rip-off.  I can think of a ton of other examples where overwhelmed good guys get last minute boost in forces - including the arrival of the Clone Army on Geonosis in AOTC.   I feel like it happens at least once (or even twice) in each of the LOTR films.   You could also call it a throw-back to the Falcon swooping in to save Luke in ANH during the death star trench run.

I was thinking about this more last night and it occurred to me that the Ewoks would have no way to see ships falling on Exogol, so the Destroyers they saw exploding must have been FIrst Order ships. Good!

Yeah, I think showing the ships on Bespin and Endor was trying to show people were rising up all over and not just on Exogol.  Sort of the same as how the end of ROTJ-SE originally tried to show a galaxy-wide ripple effect.

Looking back at the whole movie this morning, there were a lot of ROTJ parallels, but that's to be expected the way this trilogy was designed.  I'm sure there is a cluster of "TROS=ROTJ rip-off" people out there (probably the same group that was complaining TFA=ANH rip-off).  Didn't bother me though as I am on board with the "time is a flat circle" crew expecting history to repeat itself over and over through time.