So, in the end, I expected to hate it but actually I didn't hate it at all.
I would say that the movie is actually pretty good, if a little too fast-paced, until they all went to Exegol.
The ending was just so weird and you can see that the rumors of extensive reshoots and multiple endings, even not being sure of the ending until a few weeks before release, were probably true.
They copied Avengers Endgame's homework twice is those last few scenes and then the final scene on Tatooine just got a massive eyeroll from me.
It really seemed like they were trying so hard to provide a good movie after the shambles of TLJ and I feel like I have to give them credit for that. They tried to make it right. I found it very enjoyable up until the end where it seemed to really go right off the rails. So I guess I am one of those toxic fans who was happy with the "fan service".
On the trilogy as a whole I think they really blundered by jumping straight into TFA after Disney bought Lucasfilm.
I think in hindsight we should have gotten Rogue One first then a few other movies, games, TV shows, books etc to test the waters before attempting a sequel to the OT.
Following the OT with what is essentially a form of remake of the OT is just a bit poor and unimaginative.
I get why they did it. Stick with what you know and stick with what the fans responded to in the past.
The box office for TFA is hard to argue with. Plus it is well liked by both critics and audiences.
Maybe they were right in storytelling terms too as TLJ came along and the more imaginative, give them something different, approach just fell flat on it's face. ROS is then left trying to pick up the pieces and it's just too much. They were forced back into playing it safe and taking small steps and copying other already existing content.
I think anyone watching this trilogy and thinking that the prequels were better is a bit mad.
Sure, TLJ was this huge misstep but those prequels are just awful.
My main gripe with TLJ is that it seems deliberately awful. I just remember watching the movie the first time and thinking it was a pisstake. Like I showed up to see a Star Wars movie and the whole thing was an unfunny parody that was almost just saying "if you like Star Wars then fuck you because we are here to vandalize Star Wars". For me, it is the worst Star Wars movie ever made.
I can't help but feel ROS is trying really hard to put that right and I honestly give them massive credit for that.
People are moaning about the 86% user score on RT but that doesn't surprise me.
I think if you enjoy Star Wars then you probably would enjoy this to some degree.
Though the ending will probably leave you thinking "what the hell".
At the end of the day, at the very least, the movie shows that there really is the potential for good new Star Wars stuff out there.
It might be far below the heights of the OT but I ultimately left feeling like at least there is a future for Star Wars. A far cry from how I felt leaving TLJ.
Whoever is in charge of this stuff going forward needs to keep their directors and their writers under control though. It all needs to be managed better. Making a trilogy? OK, plan it out. Who are the characters and where are they going? Look at the old books and games and stuff and figure out what kind of thing has been working with your audiences.
TFA was a competent attempt to bring fans back under the wing. Real sets, real props, real Star Wars aesthetic. Good set up of potential storylines. All the while playing it safe because it HAD to be good after the prequels.
Rogue One doubles down on that. It's a cool spin off that nobody could ever mistake for anything other that Star Wars. A bit of a wasted opportunity in my personal opinion but still competent and good.
TLJ then throws all of that right out the window. Just like they asked "why do people like Star Wars" and then made a movie that said "fuck all of that hahahahahaha Star Wars is dumb and you are dumb for liking it" and then somehow managed to follow that up with frankly horrific PR.
The Rise of Skywalker at least tries to course correct. It's not as awful as many are saying and I was pleasantly surprised by that. I turned to my wife about halfway through and said "I am actually enjoying this" and she agreed. However, we both also agreed that the ending was too much. They just went too far and it was terribly cringeworthy at points.
Not exactly best Star Wars you'll see but a semi-decent ending to the trilogy anyway. With this and The Mandalorian and Fallen Order out there I think there is hope for the future of the franchise.
I would say that the movie is actually pretty good, if a little too fast-paced, until they all went to Exegol.
The ending was just so weird and you can see that the rumors of extensive reshoots and multiple endings, even not being sure of the ending until a few weeks before release, were probably true.
They copied Avengers Endgame's homework twice is those last few scenes and then the final scene on Tatooine just got a massive eyeroll from me.
It really seemed like they were trying so hard to provide a good movie after the shambles of TLJ and I feel like I have to give them credit for that. They tried to make it right. I found it very enjoyable up until the end where it seemed to really go right off the rails. So I guess I am one of those toxic fans who was happy with the "fan service".
On the trilogy as a whole I think they really blundered by jumping straight into TFA after Disney bought Lucasfilm.
I think in hindsight we should have gotten Rogue One first then a few other movies, games, TV shows, books etc to test the waters before attempting a sequel to the OT.
Following the OT with what is essentially a form of remake of the OT is just a bit poor and unimaginative.
I get why they did it. Stick with what you know and stick with what the fans responded to in the past.
The box office for TFA is hard to argue with. Plus it is well liked by both critics and audiences.
Maybe they were right in storytelling terms too as TLJ came along and the more imaginative, give them something different, approach just fell flat on it's face. ROS is then left trying to pick up the pieces and it's just too much. They were forced back into playing it safe and taking small steps and copying other already existing content.
I think anyone watching this trilogy and thinking that the prequels were better is a bit mad.
Sure, TLJ was this huge misstep but those prequels are just awful.
My main gripe with TLJ is that it seems deliberately awful. I just remember watching the movie the first time and thinking it was a pisstake. Like I showed up to see a Star Wars movie and the whole thing was an unfunny parody that was almost just saying "if you like Star Wars then fuck you because we are here to vandalize Star Wars". For me, it is the worst Star Wars movie ever made.
I can't help but feel ROS is trying really hard to put that right and I honestly give them massive credit for that.
People are moaning about the 86% user score on RT but that doesn't surprise me.
I think if you enjoy Star Wars then you probably would enjoy this to some degree.
Though the ending will probably leave you thinking "what the hell".
At the end of the day, at the very least, the movie shows that there really is the potential for good new Star Wars stuff out there.
It might be far below the heights of the OT but I ultimately left feeling like at least there is a future for Star Wars. A far cry from how I felt leaving TLJ.
Whoever is in charge of this stuff going forward needs to keep their directors and their writers under control though. It all needs to be managed better. Making a trilogy? OK, plan it out. Who are the characters and where are they going? Look at the old books and games and stuff and figure out what kind of thing has been working with your audiences.
TFA was a competent attempt to bring fans back under the wing. Real sets, real props, real Star Wars aesthetic. Good set up of potential storylines. All the while playing it safe because it HAD to be good after the prequels.
Rogue One doubles down on that. It's a cool spin off that nobody could ever mistake for anything other that Star Wars. A bit of a wasted opportunity in my personal opinion but still competent and good.
TLJ then throws all of that right out the window. Just like they asked "why do people like Star Wars" and then made a movie that said "fuck all of that hahahahahaha Star Wars is dumb and you are dumb for liking it" and then somehow managed to follow that up with frankly horrific PR.
The Rise of Skywalker at least tries to course correct. It's not as awful as many are saying and I was pleasantly surprised by that. I turned to my wife about halfway through and said "I am actually enjoying this" and she agreed. However, we both also agreed that the ending was too much. They just went too far and it was terribly cringeworthy at points.
Not exactly best Star Wars you'll see but a semi-decent ending to the trilogy anyway. With this and The Mandalorian and Fallen Order out there I think there is hope for the future of the franchise.
