{Spoiler} the thing that Finn wanted to tell Rey when he thought they were both going to die was that he was Force-sensitive. Why on earth would he keep that a secret only to be revealed on his deathbed, so to speak? Most people thought he had feeling for Rey; that, while predictable and clichéd, would have made much more sense.
Speaking of porgs, I've read something online that casts them in a whole new light. Remember the scene where a flock of them surround Chewbacca as he's about to feast on one of their roasted brethren? And they look at him doe-eyed and open-mouthed? We all assumed they were aghast at the idea that he would even consider consuming them. But what if they were begging for tablescraps? Cannibalistic porgs ... I like them better already!
When I watched the "Last Jedi", I didn't know what to make of it. I'd heard about how disappointing it had been to a lot of people, but what rubbed my head was that the movie didn't really match "The Force Awakens". It was like Abrams and Johnson had different ideas of what the franchise was supposed to be, and made movies that not only don't match, but they contradict each other. The first makes a big deal out of its protagonist's origins, the second dismisses it in an anti-climatic way that maybe wouldn't be much of a problem if not for all the hype built on "Force Awakens"; and it leads to the idea that she was just a noone with a strong sensitivity for the force, and that seemed to be the last message: she did not have to be a chosen one with a noble lineage, and the hope for the galaxy could come out anywhere, out of anyone, even from that little kid who shows himself force sensitive in the last scene.
"Rise of Skywalker" throws that concept through the window by revealing that she's actually the Emperor's grandaughter. It's odd enough that she's now supposed to be related to someone important, but the Big Evil of all people? It seems clear that they didn't really have that in mind when they started the stories ofr this new trilogy, and that they didn't make much effort to put the ideas of its directors in harmony with each other. Episode 8 contradicts Episode 7, and Episode 9 contradicts Episode 8 trying to make a nod to 7, but only raising more doubts and questions than solving them.
As a result, many concepts presented here feel forced: Palpatine's beaing alive and pulling the strings all along seems to be an extremely contrived solution to the complaints that we didn't get enough of Snoke and how he ascended as leader of the First Order, as well as a way to rob Kylo Ren of his status as the main villain. Speaking of which, Leia apparently sacrifices herself in order to redeem her son, or at least distract him enough that he loses the battle with Rey or something... i don't really get what, why and how (I don't have much of a problem with her being revealed as force sensitive and having received training from Luke, though; it kinfd of makes sense, since she was the one who dealt with the politcs post-Empire while Luke struggled to create a new generation of Jedi Knights), Nor do I get his suddenly switching sides at that point. Most of his journey through redemption is fine, but his sacrifice is compromised by one othe main problems, which is the new concepts that make no sense: so now they can transfer Force to other living beings and heal them; it's one thing that Rey can do that to heal an injured creature and Ben's wound before he dies, but his using the same power to ressurect her, pretty much cheating death?! Or maybe she was just catatonic and slowly dying, I dunno, the movie clearly wanted us to think she was gone after defeating Grandpa Palpatine.
Chewie's fake-out death was odd; the it cuts from him looking for Rey and suddenly to him imprisioned by the Troopers felt too abrupt, and of course, his being alive only shows that the movie was refusing to take risks. Ditto for C3PO's losing his memories, only to get it back by R2.
C3PO was agrateful surprise, though; there's something in the way the film uses him that really shines. Its like they realized that he was the one who had the least to do in the previous films and now they decided to use him well.
There's quite a few things I liked, even loved in this film. The action and transitions feel much more dynamic than in "Last Jedi", that sometimes felt dull and slow; the interactions between Rey, Finn and Poe were good, I could buy that they were a team, even if I din't see Poe and Rey create a bond on-screen. The idea that all the deceased Jedi were with Rey when she needed most, as if she were carrying their entire legacy was genuinely powerful, and a interesting contrast with the idea that all of Palpatine's predecessors' legacies were in him and could be transfered to Rey if she took his place by killing him.
Overall, Disney's Star Wars franchise was a hot mess; the spin-offs were hit and miss and this triolgy made it clear that they didn't always know what to do, and lacked a sense of continuity between the films, unlike the Marvel movies, which however different, do connect to each other well. Hopefully, if they go on with those movies, they'll learn with their mistakes... Disney + didn't arrive in Brazil yet so I couldn't check on The Mandalorian seems to be doing great with the public. May the hope be with us.
Op; some mistake caused me to quote my own post and then delete the original.
Post by Baar Baar Jinx on Dec 29, 2019 3:20:54 GMT
I agree, the one thing that absolutely stuns me is that they didn't have the story arc all mapped out and have the directors stick to the overarching script, preventing this mess. It's clear that Lucas was making a lot of it up as he went along in the Original Trilogy, but he clearly had a plan for the Prequels. How could Disney not have laid the basic groundwork for these films at the very outset?
{Spoiler} Oh, also, I was wondering if, as Palpatine was absorbing Rey and Ben's Force essences, he would revert back to his original human form (as opposed to the shriveled-up prune face he got after his duel with Mace Windu). Sadly, he didn't. Also, it's strange that he's never referred to by his Sith name, Sidious, in this movie. It's always Palpatine. I also have no idea if my reaction to key plot points (the revelation of Rey's parentage and especially Rey dying, then getting resurrected, then Ben dying), would have been any different if it had not all been spoiled for me beforehand. I doubt it though.
I don’t think Rian Johnson’s trilogy has been cancelled.