The Star Wars Cinematic Universe

[Tobal]

sequels just boil down not having 1 person with vision to plan out a rough plot for 3 films and the injustice of not having the old characters together for a send off, passing the batten to the new, instead we have to have a deconstruction and embarrassment of the old heroes for no good reason which still continues on into the TV shows, the current generations of writers just can not let Heroes be Heroes while shoving in original 'do no steal' amateur web comic level characters.

Obi ep4 - started ok... but then the silly came in like

->Open Spoiler<-

Reva thinking 10 year old child would know everything about the rebels secret bases, at most she overheard talk about 1 planet between the lady rebel and ben, then the escape was very stupid from Leia hiding in the jacket to the not-a-wings flying right up to the hanger, the terrible CGI with the spaceships seemingly changing size every scene and predictable death of the idiot flying a ranged spaceship right up to a sith. When all is finished with this series just how will they explain the empire not exploring the very, very clear link between the Organa and the rebels/jedi for the next 5/10 years

I enjoyed the infiltration, lady rebel doing some fun stuff, Ben really should have put on a stormtrooper outfit as fun nod to the new hope and a smart way to walk around the building till the rescue, and i liked them just completely stealing water tunnel escape from Fallen jedi in the same base .

[Dogg Thang]

I suppose with the Tatooine bit they're resting heavily on it being the closest thing the saga has to a Skywalker home and as Leia is a Skywalker it does give them that final shot.

This is a typical problem with Abrams though. He falls into a trap of leaning heavily on what an audience knows or cares about rather than ever thinking about what the characters know or care about, which is how the Khan reveal moment in Star Trek Into Darkness became a source of laughs rather than anything that came with actual weight. This is apparent all over Rise of Skywalker and the ending a prime example of that. Nothing there really makes sense in the movie. It's just to show fans something they remember.

[Asura]

I suppose with the Tatooine bit they're resting heavily on it being the closest thing the saga has to a Skywalker home and as Leia is a Skywalker it does give them that final shot. Though not introduced by Rise I think I struggled more with the Death Star McGuffin room and the weird connection between Kylo and Rey that makes little sense.

Yeah; the weird double-lightsaber Rey stank of "oh this'll look awesome in the trailer"

[Neon Ignition]

I think that's why Rise buckles, Abrams does lean into that reuse of fan baiting easily as a somewhat lazy way of doing sequels because it works so well for him in the initial entry. Flip side is I think Rise was always destined to it to a large extent simply out of Lucasfilm and Disney wanting to course correct for the unnecessary drama Last Jedi experienced.

It's really hard to think of how Rise could have had a satisfying ending. Star Wars never does have a satisfying ending to be fair, but my issue lies more with how the Palpatine arc isn't earnt by the trilogy. In context of the prior trilogy it makes perfect sense.

[Dogg Thang]

I think Rise was always destined to it to a large extent simply out of Lucasfilm and Disney wanting to course correct for the unnecessary drama Last Jedi experienced.

I guess we’ll never know but my suspicion is that this was much more Abrams than Lucasfilm. Some of Rise felt like it was written by Reddit and I think Abrams panders to fans way, way to much generally, often getting it completely wrong when he does so.

[Neon Ignition]

I recall something from the time of Rise where Abrams suggested the loose arc of the film was what he envisioned from Awakens but I guess that just ties more into how he and Disney should have planned and seen the trilogy through.

[Dogg Thang]

I recall something from the time of Rise where Abrams suggested the loose arc of the film was what he envisioned from Awakens but I guess that just ties more into how he and Disney should have planned and seen the trilogy through.

I'm also not sure I believe he had an arc. Abrams was more than willing to drop stuff even from his own first movie. Plot points went nowhere (the story of the lightsaber being for another time) and he barely made use of characters he had set up in Force Awakens even when he threw in new plot points (General Hux, for example) and yet spent time chucking in a bunch of new characters and making up a bunch of new stuff. And there isn't the slightest barest most-subtle nod to the Emperor in The Force Awakens. Not a hint.

[Asura]

I'm also not sure I believe he had an arc. Abrams was more than willing to drop stuff even from his own first movie. Plot points went nowhere (the story of the lightsaber being for another time) and he barely made use of characters he had set up in Force Awakens even when he threw in new plot points (General Hux, for example) and yet spent time chucking in a bunch of new characters and making up a bunch of new stuff. And there isn't the slightest barest most-subtle nod to the Emperor in The Force Awakens. Not a hint.

Yep.

Admittedly, one thing about the new trilogy that I absolutely love came right out of this.

I love the idea that Kylo Ren, a character who is a pale imitation of Darth Vader, is actually a character who both knows this and is furious about it/afraid of it.

Like there's something metatextual about that; like realising the movie needed a Vader-like presence (or maybe that was at the studio's insistence) but knowing that you'll never match Vader, who is less of a character and more of a pop-culture icon - so a solution is to have a character who actually knows they'll never compare, and folding that into the narrative.

[Dogg Thang]

Out of all the things in the new trilogy, I think Kylo Ren is one of the biggest contributions to Star Wars, in my opinion. I think he's a fantastic character and Adam Driver played him brilliantly. Even in the messiness in Rise where I don't think he was really given the material, he carried every scene he was in.

[Neon Ignition]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Duel_of_the_Fates

I just read the original plot for Ep9 before Abrams was brought in, interesting to see how much Disney brought to the table

[Asura]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star...l_of_the_Fates
I just read the original plot for Ep9 before Abrams was brought in, interesting to see how much Disney brought to the table

Wow, not perfect but that seems a lot better, and probably would've had some revisions before being made.

[Neon Ignition]

You then have to couple in that that version fell apart because of yet another 'creative differences' issue between Trevorrow and Lucasfilm. Despite how much was reheated for Rise of Skywalker it gives that vibe again that after the issues with Rise, Solo and Rogue that a change in oversight at the top in terms of direction of the films is needed.


Watched Obi-Wan Episode 2:
Decent, preferred it to the first episode with the same highlight character proving to be a good injection into proceedings.

[Neon Ignition]

Waititi's "Star Wars" To Explore New Places - Dark Horizons
Waititi confirms his film won't be using established characters and locations as he feels the franchise needs to grow beyond the established canon

[prinnysquad]

I’ve been rewatching the prequel trilogy for the first time in about 15 years.

It’s… not as bad as I remember. Nowhere near as bad as I remember. I think the fanboy late teen/early twentisomething in me really couldn’t handle anything that wasn’t on par with the original trilogy.

I’m up to halfway through Episode 3 and I’ve quite enjoyed them. Just a few thoughts, I guess…

- Jar Jar is a terrible character and thoroughly annoying, but I tolerated him a lot better this time round. Maybe I’ve just mellowed with age.
- Liam Neeson’s turn in Ep1 is massively under-appreciated (by me). He adds a lot of gravitas and weight to his role.
- Some of the effects have dated horribly. Like The Hobbit, too much CGI really grates. You need practical effects, man. Jurassic Park proved this nearly 30 years ago. When the CGI complements the practical models, it’s near-timeless. The long-shot stuff involving CGI actors is particularly awful (like riding the creatures in the arena in Ep2). The movements are snappy and totally unrealistic.
- Other effects still look decent. The battle at the end of Ep2 still looked smart.
- The entire trilogy is based around the conversion of Anakin to Darth. You have to get that casting right. It’s all wrong. The kid is Ep1 is pretty poor (though oddly not as bad as I remember). The lad in episodes 2 and 3 is a very mixed bag. He’s awful at anything expressive and emotional in Ep2. So far, he’s improved a bit in Ep3, but surely there were better options out there?
- Natalie Portman’s character is so flat throughout. Ewan McGregor from the new crowd carries the three films, but he’s unremarkable for the most part. Existing characters from the original trilogy gobble up every scene they’re in.
- I’m enjoying the stories far more than I remember. The dialogue is rank, but the creeping insurrection isn’t bad at all.

I’m glad I gave them another shot.

[Neon Ignition]

I fell the opposite, finding they're almost entirely bad films badly made that draw weak performance from an impressively talented line up of actors. Almost entirely carried by the franchise logo being branded to the box, had they come out without the OT existing I can't imagine they'd have been a success at all. I'm definitely more forgiving of them in the act of watching because they form part of the overall arc. Like watching Thor: The Dark World because the rest of the entries are better