ST It wasn't All Bad

Googles Res Ipsa Loquitur.
I still don't know what it means.

 

Yes, I agree that the 1st two movies cancel each other out. After my several negative posts regarding the sequel trilogy, i was trying to post something positive. If you want to see my criticism of the sequel trilogy you should check out my post why we should all lothe the sequel trilogy.

 

I think their mistake was that so much happened offscreen. Not everyone is interested in reading supplementary material.

 

I like the ST overall - it just should and could have been a lot better cause there was no ST outline so RJ did what he did with TLJ :

1. TFA, great start to the ST left you hanging and wanting more - Han Solo was outstanding.
2. TLJ, failed to deliver what JJ started, great visuals, awesome battle on Crait , epic throne room scene but failed with Luke Skywalker - Mark Hamill's performance was outstanding though and yes Luke Skywalker should have died in the flesh in a far more epic light saber duel with Kylo Ren.
3. TROS, probably the best ST movie considering what JJ had to play with after TLJ he did a good job , great cameo's from all the old guard and good send offs to them.

So all in all as Mark Hamill said " a missed opportunity "

 

The Han Kylo interaction were my favorite scenes.

 

the Lando scenes are still some of my favorites

 

The pacing issues (I find the movie moves too fast) annoy me as much as the plot decisions. But there's still things to enjoy, and the Han/Ben scene is one of them.

 

I loved TFA and really I don't have any issues with it. I will say that I don't mind the overall plot for TLJ and TROS, and the action sequences as a superficial minimum are entertaining-in each of the ST films. But the main issue I have with TLJ and TROS are simply things I find annoying about the writing, and the way the characters were handled.

In TLJ: Luke being portrayed the opposite of how it would've made sense to see him, based on what we saw throughout the whole OT. Rey being told she's nobody, only to have it cheaply elaborated on and clarified/retconned in TROS. Having to see the same flashback three times before we see it the true way. No real lightsaber duel, cos Luke wasn't really on Crait.

I did have things I liked though; like the Snoke scenes, Yoda, and the entire Crait sequence.

In TROS: All the fake-outs, like Chewie dying but not really, 3PO losing his memory but not really, Hux helping the Resistance but not really. By a certain point the constant "gotchas" in leiu of running with what would've been truly emotional moments just became frustrating. Otherwise it was just little things, like Finn never actually getting to tell Rey he was Force sensitive, the use of hyperspace as a connection from scene to scene with utter abandon, and the out-of-nowhere kiss (we all know the one)!

Otherwise I actually did enjoy TROS; I liked the return of Palpatine, everything on Exegol, the fact that Rey was a daughter of a clone of Palpatine, the lightsaber duels, all moments with Luke Leia and Han, the final battle over exegol and speaking with the "jedi who came before." There was still lots to enjoy. Perhaps seeing the positive more clearly is something that has emerged with time.

 

Out of the 3 ST movies. i actually prefer TROS. its the one that oddly feels the most comfortable within the universe. even if its abit of a mess in places.

 

I have issues with TFA and TLJ but on the whole I was on board with the ST’s trajectory. TROS is the only thing in the live action canon that I really struggle to enjoy. Embracing the direction of TLJ would’ve been the better decision. It doesn’t feel like a natural continuation of that story.

 

I think the ST would be better as a standalone trilogy instead of it being slapped on the end of the Skywalker Saga, since it had very little to do with the actual Skywalkers. Although the three individual movies really weren't cohesive enough to be in a trilogy together either, other than having the same characters in all three of them (Rey, Finn, Poe, ect).

 

honestly i loved most parts of ST. It felt like star wars again and stuff.

 

You think so? I think it was pretty skywalkery. Luke, Leia, Ben...even this old immortality arc of Palpatine (and Anakin) was brought back on the table again. I even think it couldn't have been more digging into this intertwined relationship of the name Skywalker and the name Palpatine.

This "standalone feeling" I only have in certain moments of distanced feeling world building or certain humour which kicks me out of the immersion. Because then it didn't feel like "the saga I was used to". But all in all and especially since Episode IX I think the sequel trilogy feels pretty skywalkery.

 

@godisawesome
Interesting thoughts! We can resume that "Rey Skywalker" isn't a problem per se for a lot of people who criticized the execution. I for myself can only say that in the end I find the twist of making Rey a Palpatine joining the Skywalkers more interesting and creative than just revealing her to be Luke's abandoned daughter and supposed to hero who carries on the legacy of the family. Would have been a bit too straight for my taste, a bit too linear. So all in all I am fine with the actual decisions. And regarding the "real Skywalkers": well...their fate was a bit sad, indeed. But meanwhile I feel this family is too doomed to have sucess or longterm-luck and maybe they had to go after by after.

 

Hmm...I see your point. But does that mean that Lucasfilm should listen to the less benevolent ones? Like following the sensitive expectations of a certain group of fans ("...because the other ones can stand it as a 'tolerable disappointment' in worst case")? Or do you just speak for your very own perspective?

And if it's about the question which desicision would have been the "biggest crowdpleaser" in the end....well...I think it would have been the "Luke's daughter"-version, to be honest. But for me that would have been a bit lazy/uncreative. I go for the more controversial one in this case - also from a very own perspective, not an egoistic one towards the fandom!

 

@godisawesome
If I understand you correctly, the essence of your words is that "Rey Palpatine -> Adoptive-Skywalker" has no artistic value for you, because nothing new and not well executed. Am I right here?

Because for me it's mainly about: Do I see emotional weight for me? Is it logical for me? Is it still within reach for a standard audience? Does it still hold a fair amount of surprise in store without obviously (!) just looking for provocation? I answer yes to all of these questions. Would there have been other variations where I would have answered all of these questions in the affirmative? Possible. But all in all, it was one of the very good paths that I could walk.

But as you say: we have different expectations on this topic. And although you try to present your argument very objectively, the core of your statement seems actually to be: "Rey should be a blood Skywalker or not at all and actually nothing would be new and it is the great challenge to make me like it." Or do I understand your posting completely wrong? (I am not a native english speaker.) For me in your text is a certain degree of sovereignty to interpret what is good for the story and what is not. Also I believe to see some negative TLJ-bias in your comments meanwhile. I think to understand what your problem with the ST is and what causes this bias for the previous and next certain movie (TFA & TROS). But what would have actually been your desired execution?