#Also am I meant to feel bad that the new SW Solo is making the MCU look bad... Because I am not

[thl-vrmr]

That one girl from Beyond the Trailer saying she had problems with the new Scarlet Witch comic because 'It focused on the twin's Roma heritage and thus made the MCU version look bad' and also because 'It has nothing to do with the MCU's Scarlet Witch who is popular'... Some people just shouldn't have opinions

[oldadastra]

Letter to Lucasfilm

So, I’ve written a letter to Lucasfilm. It could be better, but this is what came out this afternoon. I hope others who are writing will share what they are putting into the mail. I was trying to be concise, but it still ran to several pages. Find it in its entirety below the cut:

***

Lucasfilm, Ltd. Attn: Fan Mail PO Box 29901 San Francisco, CA 94129-0901

December 30, 2019

Lucasfilm/Disney:

I am writing to express my anger, shock, disappointment and deep sadness with the final installment of the Star Wars saga, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

I was ten in 1977 when the original film was released and have loved Star Wars ever since. I was thrilled by the reopening of the saga in The Force Awakens, and delighted by the excellent script, rich visual storytelling, nuanced character development, and thematic direction of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi.

Disney took on a sacred trust when it acquired Lucasfilm. Star Wars is deeply important to many people, and if you couldn’t do justice to the characters and themes of the saga, I’d argue that you had no business being involved in these stories. There is so much Disney/Lucasfilm got wrong in Rise of Skywalker, I’m struggling to gather my thoughts or express them coherently, but here goes:

Ben Solo. You created the most compelling character in the new trilogy by destroying the happy ending of the original trilogy. I was willing to go along on the ride Abrams and Kasdan began in The Force Awakens, because the fate of Ben Solo felt like it mattered. The questions raised in the new films: the nature of good and evil, the degree to which one’s family legacy defines a person, whether a one can atone for past sins; all of it felt alive and urgent in the person of Ben, a character I loved like one of my own children from the moment we so traumatically met him in The Force Awakens. His story was the beating heart of the new trilogy. His story is the one that mattered. His life was the one to be saved.

Ben solo was never an exposition device, cool villain, or disposable baddie to me. He was Han and Leia’s only child; loved, targeted, broken, lost.

The Rise of Skywalker redeems Ben Solo in the final act of the film, only to destroy him. Was it always your plan to kill the last Skywalker in the final installment of this story, to render the overarching message of all nine films as tragedy? If so, I wish I’d known this was your intent; I would never have engaged with these stories and made an emotional investment in them. If tragedy was your goal, that was certainly your choice to make, but I’d argue that you owed it to the audience and the cast to do a better job of it.

For example: You give us evidence that Han and Leia’s child was targeted by evil old men from before his birth. It’s a disturbingly explicit allegory of grooming and child abuse.

You give Ben Solo a backstory which implies he is guilty of vile, Anakin-style crimes against other young people, coding him as a school shooter, and then chose to exonerate him of this crime in a comic book, where the general audience will never know he was innocent. It’s a form of character assassination.

You consigned Ben Solo to the darkness for almost the entirety of three films, then denied him his voice in the final acts of his own story. “Ow?” The only words the redeemed Ben Solo will ever speak. Apalling.

You brought back Palpatine for this film (arguably rendering the message of the first six films meaningless), identified the Emperor as Ben’s tormentor all along, then denied Ben the opportunity to fight his enemy in the final act of the film.  Rise of Skywalker literally throws Ben Solo into a pit, and forces him to climb out alone and unaided while Rey is whispered to by “all the jedi,” offering her words of encouragement. It’s grotesque.

I’m getting lost in rage and sadness again here, so let me just say that even if you inexplicably didn’t care about the last Skywalker in the Skywalker saga, you have done a grave disservice to Adam Driver in your treatment of his character in this these films.  Perhaps you’ve heard of Driver’s non-profit organization, Arts in the Armed Forces? He’s deeply committed to the importance of stories as a way to make meaning out of the inexpressible. Did he really sign on to this project thinking that the final message of his character would be to say that even if you are able to come back from the darkness, your final act must be to die? That imperfect children don’t deserve compassion, forgiveness, life? You owe Mr. Driver an apology, but you can never really atone for what you’ve done to him.  

You ended a nine-film, forty-two year saga with all the Skywalkers dead, and a Palpatine the last one standing. You spent three films tormenting Han and Leia’s child, only to kill him in the final act.  What you did to Ben Solo (and frankly to us, who loved him) feels more like a horror story than anything else. In my dreams, I walk right into your offices and flip over tables.

There’s a lot more I could accuse Rise of Skywalker of bungling, but I assume you are hearing this feedback from others besides me, so I will summarize:

Rey Palpatine. Was is all about the midiclorians after all? By making her Palpatine’s granddaughter, you deny Rey everything that made her special; you deny her agency, and you negate the beautiful message I thought you were trying to communicate in the first two films with Rey Nobody: that the force belongs to us all, and that anyone can be a hero

The erasure of Rose Tico. It’s difficult to interpret this as anything but a capitulation to a loud, racist, and misogynist element of the fandom. It’s a very bad look, Disney. Please pay attention to the message you are sending.

Character development in general and a truly horrible ending: Rey goes back into her child-like costume, Ben Solo spent much of the film forced back into his stupid mask. Ben disappears at the end with no one to mourn him. Rey ends the film alone in a desert wasteland.

Rise of Skywalker is the most bleak, hopeless, and depressing Star Wars film ever made. As days go by, it’s becoming clear that it was also poorly written and edited. These stories matter to us, and we pay close attention to them. Disrespect us at your peril.

I don’t expect anyone will ever read this missive, or care at all about what an old shepherd on a mountainside thought about the execution of your multi-billion dollar movies. This is a personal exercise in catharsis as much as anything.

But here are a few notes in a language you might understand. I made some quick calculations about how much money I’ve spent on Star Wars over the past four years, and I’m sharing that with you now.

Movie tickets:  I’m one of those people who sees movies I love more than once (I saw Empire Strikes Back eighty-one times in the theater!). I saw The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi at least ten times each. I’m not counting the cost of tickets for my extended family, whom I brought along to a number of screenings, or tickets for birthday party guests we treated to these movies. My teenaged daughter came along for all the screenings I am including, so I calculate I spent about $360 on tickets. We also bought tickets to Rogue One and Solo, so it was actually more, but you get the idea.

Books, tie-ins, DVDs, merchandise: I invested in The Art of the Force Awakens and The Art of the Last Jedi books, as well as at least one SW Visual Dictionary. I bought DVDs of the films of course, and CDs of John Williams’ beautiful scores. I bought and read a number of books; Boodline and the Leia novel, The Force Awakens novelization and Junior novelization, Aftermath, and a couple others whose titles escape me. At least seven action figures. Toy light sabers for me and my daughter. Posters. T Shirts. I know I’m not remembering everything, but it adds up to an expenditure of at least $347 in books and other Star Wars merchandise.

Star Wars Celebration: I splurged on passes for my daughter and I to attend Star Wars Celebration in Chicago this past spring. It cost me about $400, and a last-minute family emergency meant we were unable to attend, but the tickets were non-refundable, so it was money I spent on Star Wars nonetheless.

Total: $1,107

A laughably small amount to you guys, I’m sure. Perhaps a contrast is useful:

Total amount I have spent (tickets for my daughter and I on opening night) on Rise of Skywalker: $22.

Total amount I plan to spend on Disney Lucasfilm merchandise in the future: $0

I invested quite a lot of my time in Star Wars over the past four years. I’ve written thousands of words in essays, appreciations and analyses (mostly on Tumblr), where I amassed a modest following of just over a thousand people. I’m sure I occasionally bored my friends and family by going on and on about Star Wars. This kind of ‘work’ has no dollar value of course. I will say that it was great fun while it lasted, though I feel foolish in retrospect, remembering all the times I came to your defense, arguing that the saga was in good hands, that you had a plan; that you were going to tell a good story.

Sadly, I don’t think you can fix the damage you’ve done to the Galaxy Far Far Away with The Rise of Skywalker. You made this film, made your choices, and put it out into the world. I have no control over where you go from here, but as a person who has loved Star Wars since I was a child, I beg you to take some time to reflect before making another Star Wars film.

You’ve broken so many hearts. Mine was one.

Andrea ____

...my full name and address, blah blah, I live in Vermont

[lightaroundthecorner]

TROS - What did I even watch? Or how I lived to see the day Disney murdered a prince, left Cinderella alone in the desert, and hoped for the world to rejoice because it was “fun”?

Dear friends, I’ve been here for the spoilers and I’ve even talked with some of you. I went to watch the movie today, with 0 hope of anything except of seeing my baby Ben Solo and Adam’s fenomenal acting (and listening to some good John Williams). 

I knew it would be horrible, but as @nevernerdenoughblog said seeing it makes it even more. Like @clairen45 it felt so wrong. Should I rejoice with a Reylo kiss that Rey gave but seconds later didn’t even cry over Ben’s dead body? I refuse to acknowledge this characterization of Rey. She was the only one that ever believed in Ben Solo, she shipped herself to make him know he was loved and wanted and to help him. Where was this Rey in this movie?

I am sorry guys (especially for the tagging) but I need to write this out or it will eat me and you guys are the few ones that relate to my pain. You know what really hurt me the most in all this? Toxic masculinity disguised as feminism.

1) FAREWELL HEROINE’S JOURNEY

They trashed the Heroine’s Journey. They murdered it and spit in its face. JJ Abrams simply decided that the Heroine’s Journey (done in act 1/ep. VII and act 2/ep. VIII) was not cutting anymore and decided to send Rey on a Hero’s Journey (ep. IX only, new 1st, 2nd and 3rd act altogether), where she has become this almost toxic masculine fighter under Leia’s training  — Badass girl? Yes. Full of anger? Yes. Logical? Yes. Connected to anything? No, not even herself, she kept on the run, afraid. In search of the Jedi detachment? Yes. —, only to send her happilly off to a desert planet in the end of her journey and finishing with her alone talking with an old lady.

Which remind us of the start of TFA, meaning she has comeback to what? Luke didn’t even comeback to that “home” in Tatooine the end of his Hero’s Journey? So she went to a place of death to what? This is a slap on the face of the Heroine’s Journey. This is how toxic masculinity corrupts and interrupts the most uncomfortable (to psychologically unhealthy bystanders) and fundamental (to the woman herself) phase of Heroine’s Journey: You want love, family, a partnership, connection, nurturing or progeny? That is weak, it is foolish. You need to fight, to conquer, to take, take and take. Otherwise you won’t be strong or independent.

REALLY???????????

I AM CRYING! WHY? WHY? WHY? Daisy, are you really seriously satisfied with this ending? Because REY DESERVED BETTER. 

BTW, BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! The true feminist of this story DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! ADAM DRIVER DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER! He always respect the director’s view, does his best to accomplish it and brings his best acting to the table. The only saving grace in the whole movie to me was Ben’s arc because 1) Adam was doing it and 2) He honored his character. Man he deserved so much better!!!!!

I’m not even going to repeat what everyone already said about where is George Lucas’ Fairytale Story, because you guys said it all. But I have a beef with Disney executive decisions:

2) WALT DISNEY - HOW I WISH WALT WAS ALIVE

Walt Disney. Much have been criticized concerning his choices to make HEA in fairytales. But what now? We find balance by wanting our children to grow up to be cynic and seeing the feminine as weak? Unhelpful? Bad? 

“Yo independent women! You need no prince even if you have one. He can compassionately and selfelessly die to save you because he loves you and you can go off, happily, to celebrate with your friends! You don’t mourn his body, oh no. You don’t tell him you love him. You forget him. You go be that cool lonely warrior.”

Excuse me but I can kick ass and have the romantic love life and children I want! I can have both! Because I am a human being and I deserve it. This is not a matter of being a men or women. This is a matter of balancing the feminine and masculine within.

But that is not just it. BEN SOLO DESERVED BETTER! WALT WOULD NEVER, EVER LET A CHARACTER THAT WENT THROUGH ABUSE AND SO MUCH PAIN DIE THE WAY BEN SOLO DID! Is that a Disney movie??????? I mean, what did I just watch????

Walt Disney, the man who promised P.L. Travers, upon knowing who Mr. Banks was to her (her deceased alcoholic father) and what Mary Poppins, her work, meant to her, said:

“George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination. Because that is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

THAT IS WHAT STORYTELLERS DO! Like so many fanfic writers in this fandom @nite0wl29, @stargazer1116, @intp-slytherin97, @eleanor-writes-stuff, @postedbygaslight, @raven-maiden, and so many others!! Btw, thank you all!! My vacation starts tomorrow and I’m going to read again all your amazing fics to regain exactly that: HOPE!

What was TROS? Leia and Luke believing in the good in Rey? The whole Jedi Order believing in her? I have nothing against that but why didn’t they believe or help Ben too? Ben didn’t receive any of that love, WHY? What was wrong with him? What did he do?! He was the most selfless of souls, just like his Father and Grandmother. Is this vicntim blaming??? WHY DISNEY, LUCAS FILM and JJ ABRAMS, WHY?!

I used to think people were wrong when they said Disney was only doing SW for money. Because Walt Disney also said and lived by this rule:

“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that is what we hope to do.”

SW is about family and I refuse to accept ep. IX as SW. It has all the make up of SW, but it lacks the heart and very essence of it.

As dear @eleanor-writes-stuff said, so much for criticizing Rian Johnson, only to consagrate his work. That man honored the storytelling art and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his touch in SW and for how his writing touched and changed my life. And I know Waltz would have approved too because he also said:

“I prefer to entertain people in the hope that they learn, rather than teach people in the hope they are entertained.”

3) PLOT? WHAT PLOT?

Leia’s feelings for Ben have remained ambiguous, you can both read her as someone who wants her baby boy dead (because her death allows Rey to stab Ben to death if she wants to, when Ben was never going to harm Rey) or not. Actions speak louder than words, and this was the movie when Leia would have the chance to assume the responsability for her mistakes and take action, instead of only claiming she believed her son was alive.

If she clearly wanted to reach Ben, was Maz’s words needed? No, they weren’t. It was exactly because Maz needed to voice it that proved Leia’s actions could be read as ambiguous. Again, actions speak louder than words. Her body only disappeared after Ben’s did too because what? She was expecting him to die so she could collect his soul?

I dearly love Leia’s character but LEIA DESERVED BETTER! CARRIE DESERVED BETTER! In the end I’m not sure what to make of the ST Leia. She could have helped Ben but clearly sent him away to Luke because? What?

Ben Solo get his redemption from his own 2 hands + his father’s memory (not force ghost) + Rey’s confession. In the end he becomes the bride of the monster, only to die right after, in a what? Plot twist?

Finn, who? That was so messed up! Rose? Poor Rose!!! Hux? Oh Hux deserved better too. I was glad to see that Poe matured though and grew in his arc.

I’m also mad and confused about other plot points:

Ben throws his bleeded kyber krystal away because of his father. Okay. Why did no one help him when he cried on the Force to crack his kyber and soul, but Luke Force Ghost appears to catch Rey throwing a lightsaber in an on fire tie fighter?

Rey would turn to the Dark side if she killed Palpatine, right? 5 minutes later she won’t turn to the Dark Side anymore even if she still kills him in anger? Just because the self righteous jedi chose to let Ben get thrown down the abysm by himself but Rey was the Chosen One?

Still on this topic, so she choses to give up her soul so Palpatine uses her body as the vessel of his soul and the legion of siths, in order to save her friends, but she won’t take Ben Solo’s hand, even if she claims she wants to + retaining her body, to do the same?

I think force bonds don’t make much of a difference anymore when one of the parts dies. Ben can die and Rey seems pretty okay?

INTERESTING FACT: Beside me there was a father with his 6 or 7 year old son. The child kept asking what was going on everytime the movie introduced any plot twists or too much information too quickly. When the Reylo kiss came on screen, you know what the kid said? “I told ya!” I wanted to cry when seconds later the boy was claiming now was Rey’s turn to bring Ben back. Children understand the Heroine’s Journey and it doesn’t scare them. It is beautiful like that. The father then had to try and explain to the boy that other things were going on and that no, “that guy was gone”. What have you done people?

4) EPISODE X

I must have a clown face. They lied to us about this movie being “The Rise of Skywalker”. Maybe they lied to us about this being the end of the saga? Considering JJ claims this is fun, happy and hopeful, yeah, I doubt they are making an episode X or ressurecting Ben Solo after throwing in the garbage the Heroine’s Journey. I vaguely remember Adam also said he wasn’t going to appear in another SW.

IF they do announce an ep. X, I’m not watching it unless Ryan or someone like him directs the movie.

I loved to see Han Solo’s memory helping his son. That man trully loved him and it is tragic that he screwed up as a father only because he thought he wasn’t enough to be a good one and that Leia and Luke would know better.

I also loved to see Ben Solo as his father son and grandchild to his grandmother and great grandmother. He was beautiful and I love him and he’ll be forever with me.

I liked the Reylo kiss... but Rey’s actions in this movie have affected me so that it doesn’t feel like they scrapped the surface of making justice to this that could have been the happiest and most balanced of all SW couples.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN EPIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. But it wasn’t.

I’ll forget TROS. YBTOTT is now canon to me, because it is a perfect 3rd act in this trilogy, and @postedbygaslight honors the Heroine’s Journey like few writers have the gut and courage to do. Thank you so much Wayne!

And if anyone had the patience to read this to the end, thank you. I feel it too guys, this was awful and horrible.

[alistairs-raven]

My ranking of all 11 Star Wars films in order.

Disclaimer: I actually like all the SW films in some way except my least favorite. But there are definitely some that have more that I dislike about them. Also my opinions are 100% the only opinions one can have, and if this list offends you, it was meant to offend you personally.

11: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I have watched this movie twice, once in the theater and once during a marathon. I also have never seen this movie in it's entirety because I cannot focus on it. It bores me so much that I keep blanking out and daydreaming. I cannot tell you anyone's name except the main character and the main imperial officer. I just could not get into this movie, but I will say if nothing else, it had the best Darth Vader scene ever.

10: Star Wars 9: Rise of Skywalker

It took me days to figure out if I liked this movie or not. There are actually a lot of things that I like, but the things I didn't like I REALLY didn't like. So much so, that this movie actually really hurt me to think about. And apart from a movie being boring, it shouldn't feel like personal stab to what matters to you. I liked Palpatine (pointless as that plot was), Kylo Ren and Rey's amazing acting, and seeing old friends again. This movie also had good humor. The bad things are too many to count, but mainly this film was poorly directed, full of 3 films worth of plot that make no sense, and the worst offender is that it felt like the director (JJ Abrams) did not care about these characters at all. I had fallen so in love with pretty much everyone in the ST, and to see almost all of them sidelined, stereotyped, and departing from any previous character development just hurt. This film made me cry, and not in a good way.

9: Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace

I don't hate this movie. In fact when it first came out, I enjoyed it. Sure I was a dumb little kid, but I rewatched it a lot. Sadly, as an adult I see now all the issues with it, none I have to really get into since everyone knows at this point. The parts I enjoy are Darth Maul (hell yea), the podrace, and this film also probably has the best score of the entire series.

8: Solo: A Star Wars story

This one was good, it just wasn't great. The actor's portrayal of Han Solo was perfect, Lando was perfect, I loved seeing places that you only hear about in passing in the films. Freakin Darth Maul (hell yea). The not so good was this movie had a very generic heist plot, it felt incomplete, and I didn't really connect with anyone besides Han and Lando.

7: Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi

This one also falls into the 'just okay' category. There's no real plot except a recycled one from episode 4, Luke has no personality in it, Leia is sidelined. The goods are that Vader's sacrifice to save his son was so unexpected and beautifully done (at least in the original cut), the Jabba Palace scene is one of my favorite parts of the entire series, and the rebel characters in this movie are super fun (Ackbar, Lando, ect). Also the ghosts at the end was a very nice touch.

6: Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones

I HATED this movie when it first came out. I only saw it once and not again until last year when my friend insisted we marathon the SW movies. Now I love this movie, because it's the good kind of bad. The whole thing is just a meme, with some of the worst dialogue of the entire series. However, the characters are all super fun. Rewatching it years later, I was pleasantly surprised that I now love Hayden's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. His character is by far the best part of the movie. He brought so much energy to the character, and I actually really connected and felt for him. I always loved Kamino, and I think it's very creative. The effects were also a lot better. The bad is the poor directing, horrible dialogue (sand), and that this movie killed Boba Fett for me.

5: Star Wars 4: A New Hope

These next three are hard for me to rank. Episode 4 is fun, creative, makes you feel like a kid again, has effects that were so groundbreaking that they held up for 40 years, changed filmmaking itself, introduced us all to a universe that has touched so many lives around the world. I am convinced that the Lightsaber sound is the best sound design in history. All the characters are likeable, the score is the best in all of cinema, and there is such a sense of satisfaction when this movie ends. It's hard to find faults with this movie, but of course our dear Mr. Lucas had to change this movie that was perfect, so now it's full of ugly cgi. That added Jabba scene is so dumb.

4: Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith

I loved this movie when it came out and I am still very fond of it. When it came out we all thought it was going to be the last SW (lol) and I was determined to enjoy it as much as I could. It has the best effects of the prequels, all the characters are well acted, there's so much emotion and heart in it, and it has some of the coolest planets and settings in it. I LOVE the opening scene, I still can't watch it without my jaw dropping a little. There was a lot of hype leading up to it, and I grew really fond of General Grievous and was disappointed to see him barely used. It also suffered from the bad dialogue issues that plague Lucas films. Despite the good acting, there were awkward moments that I feel were a case of bad directing. Padme dying from a 'broken heart' despite now having babies makes me feel that Lucas doesn't understand people.

3: Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens

This movie is very special to me for personal reasons - I almost didn't live to see it. But it was well worth staying alive for and gave me a new reason to live. It introduced me to Rey, a nobody who has had to deal with being alone for so long. Something that I can relate to. And it also introduced me to Kylo Ren, the angry and also very alone character that quickly became my favorite character of all time. I even legally changed my name to Ren. Finn, Poe, BB-8, Hux, Phasma... so many characters that I all love and have spent hours talking about, roleplaying, reading about, drawing, and just enjoying. My complaint is the plot, which is simply a remake of episode 4. I also am not the biggest fan of JJ Abrams directing style, as I feel he can make movies very well, but he's not a very creative storyteller and is infamous for simply repolishing things other people have done. Also Rey's theme is my favorite song in the entire SW score.

2: Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back

Before the ST, I had watched this one more than all the others. Hoth, the battles, Yoda, the asteroid field, cloud city, Vader, Lando, I am your father moment, Leia being force sensitive, the list goes on. Also this movie gave us the BEST bad guy theme (until dual of the fates that is). This movie felt a lot cleaner than the one before it and the one after it. It also had good dialogue, character development, and depth that's missing when Lucas is directing. It was less fanservice and more just a good film. However I never understood the tree scene (wtf was that). And it always bothered me that Lando allowed them to hurt his friend, granted it wasn't what he originally thought was going to happen.

1: Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi

I went to this movie 10 times in the theater and have seen it countless times since it came out. I LOVE everything about this movie. It's creative, full of new ideas and concepts, has so many emotions, beautiful art direction, and deepened every single character in it. Rarely does a movie come along where every character develops and is different at the end. Rarely do we get a movie in a huge series that focuses on being a good movie rather than fanservice. I could not predict this movie, and was on the edge of my seat for the whole thing wondering what in the world was going to happen next. The director, Rian, is clearly a fantastic storyteller who can also do subtlety. The first 4-5 times I saw this movie I was still seeing new things. It revived a love of Star Wars in me and I dreaded what would come after because I doubt anything will ever be this good again. I certainly hope we get something as good or maybe better one day. This movie solidified Rey as my favorite SW protagonist.

[janiedean]

What did you like best about Solo?

everything ;)

no okay, honestly:

the cinematography - I mean man I was sold the moment I realized corellia had the blade runner aesthetics going on. CORELLIA HAD THE BLADE RUNNER AESTHETIC GOING ON. HOW COOL WAS THAT??? but other than that I just loved how it fit perfectly to everything they meant to do - western in space? the last half was all a conglomerate of good western aesthetic, I was gonna die. the train heist in the snow? EXCELLENT HEIST AESTHETIC. AND THE EMPIRE FIGHTS IN WWI-ERA UNIFORMS? EXCUSE ME I’M HERE DYING. BOTH THE SABACC GAMES ALSO LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE OUT OF A WESTERN. this movie had amazing sets/cinematography okay, I was so happy ;_; and it felt like the OT because it wasn’t extra polished and the CGI wasn’t invasive and I just - visually it was a delight okay?

alden. guys I mean I’ve been saying he could own that role since I saw him in hail caesar and man I loved him. he nailed it so hard I cannot even, he got the mannerism of the character down, he obviously put so much love into it I cannot even and he he gave an amazing performance especially because it was obvious he wasn’t trying at all costs to be harrison ford but at the same time he had studied the mannerisms and everything either and god guys I just - he was everything I could have wanted out of a young han and like han’s my fave SW character I wasn’t gonna settle. but he blew it out of the water and I just hope he goes on to amazing things and that if they do more pre-OT movies that they bring him back because I absolutely want more, all right?

the fact that it was obvious they studied it - like, they did a few things but did them right instead of putting too much meat on the fire as we say here and try to jumble fifteen different things at once the way they did with the prequels

CONTINUITY! I mean, WE SAW THE KESSEL RUN! WE KNOW WHY THE FALCON SPEAKS A PECULIAR DIALECT! WE KNOW LANDO’S ALWAYS MISPRONOUNCED HAN’S NAME! WE KNOW WHERE THE DICE COME FROM! okay I WAS EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF THAT! and none of that was a disappointment!

HAN’S SURNAME BEING SOLO BECAUSE OF *THAT THING* ABOUT BROKE ME IN THE BEST WAYS

everyone else! I mean it was one of those movies where I liked all the other characters and it was obvious everyone was having fun and enjoying being in there - I loved glover as lando, I thought emilia clarke was miles better than she usually is in got and she got a really lovely role (I loved qi’ra okay and I loved how they framed her story with han without making her evil per-se and without having her backstabbing him tbqh it was refreshing), I always like woody harrelson playing criminals on my screen even if it fucked up with my adoption papers hc but eh ;)

HAN SHOT FIRST !!!!!!!

HAN AND CHEWIE GOD IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE WANTED OUT OF THE HAN AND CHEWIE FIRST MEETING GUYS HAN ACTUALLY SPEAKS WOOKIE I CANNOT EVEN THEY WERE SO PRECIOUS I WANT ANOTHER FIVE MOVIES OF YOUNG HAN AND CHEWIE BEING PRECIOUS TOGETHER ALL RIGHT???????

the kessel run was honestly a threat to my well-being in all the good senses

the last poker game was as well no guys the second time I saw it I was about to cry in happiness or smth that movie does weird things to me and i’m 100% down with it

it was obviously done with so much love I mean okay obviously the entire thing is a disney cash grab I’m not that bad off to not get it, but it was an extremely lovingly made one and it was obvious everyone involved wanted to make justice of the character and flkgjsdklg I love it when people love han okay

I HATE YOU / I KNOW

the falcon is a female communist droid who wanted equal rights and droid liberation and honestly I didn’t expect that but I am delighted

you know that conversation han and qi’ra have before she lets him go and tells him that when she imagined being with him on adventures across space (MY HEART) it always made her smile? THAT’S WHAT THIS ENTIRE DAMNED MOVIE DID TO ME, IT PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE 90% OF THE TIME WHEN I WASN’T TOO BUSY BEING ATTACKED BY FEELS and it just was like OH HELLO REMEMBER ALL THE REASONS WHY YOU’RE INTO SW? HERE HAVE THEM and honestly I hadn’t had such a good time seeing a SW movie in cinemas since forever, and I mean I saw the last two prequels and everything else in cinemas and while I absolutely love all the new ones (we don’t talk about the prequels) this just was an entire other level you know? like there was nothing in this one I had quibbles with or that I didn’t really like and while rogue one was objectively probably a better movie it didn’t leave me with palpitations or SMILING THE ENTIRE GODDAMNED TIME. this one did.

tldr: ngl I liked it probably better than rotj or at least as much which means it’s in my top 3 sw movies and I’m not going back on it idec it was a delight of a movie and I loved every minute of it ;__;

[saranel]

The Last Jedi review, sorta

I don’t think I’ve talked enough (if at all) about what a huge Star Wars nerd I am on this blog, mostly because I didn’t love TFA as much as most people seemed to and I just never joined in the renewed fandom frenzy.

TL;DR on my views on TFA: It was fun enough, some interesting new characters, beautiful visuals, but I’d seen that movie before.  It came out in ‘77 and it was much better then.  Homage is one thing, rip off is completely another.  Mostly, I guess I was just disappointed that they didn’t dare to try and move the universe forward a bit, beyond the already trodden path.

Say what you will about the prequels, but I will always, always maintain there’s nothing wrong with them a better script and director couldn’t fix.  George tries, bless him, but he can’t write dialogue worth a damn.  Not even Meryl Streep could’ve made the line “So love has blinded you” any better than Natalie Portman did, and both she and Hayden have proven themselves to be much better actors than they were in Star Wars.  I’m not bothering with Ewan because he was one of the few really great things about the Prequels. 

That having been said, what George can do is weave a decent background story, and the Prequel Trilogy’s story is much, much richer than the OT’s.  Taking off our nostalgia-colored glasses for a moment, let us be honest: the OT was so successful because it did a very simple thing, and did it well, and had a cast with wonderful chemistry. The story itself is nothing to rave about: just your simple Evil Empire vs Plucky Rebels story.  But the Prequels actually got political and much darker than the OT did, they just did it clumsily.  Still, it was something new in the Star Wars universe and George always tried to expand the known worlds by giving us even small glimpses of other cultures and planets.  Don’t forget that Star Wars was never meant to be high-brow Science Fiction a la Philip Dick, but a space adventure.  This doesn’t mean that the story can’t have nuance, but the point of Star Wars was always to be a fairytale exploration of a fictional galaxy.

Compared to that, the new trilogy seemed extremely lacking to me.  And seeing The Last Jedi a few days ago really cemented that.  Never before have I seen so many things happening in one movie while nothing really happens at all.  It makes Attack of the Clones look interesting in comparison, and that’s saying a lot.  ALSO LUKE, WTF HAS THE MOUSE DONE TO MY SPACE SON, THE FUCKING GALL.

So yes, surprise-surprise, TLJ manages to rip off Empire (with a dash of Battlestar Galactica thrown in for good measure) and does so poorly.  It was not a terrible film by any means, but I honestly thought it was no better than Phantom Menace. And Phantom Menace had the Duel of Fates.  So. 

(okay, to be fair, TLJ didn’t have Jar Jar so that’s one point in its favor)

In a nutshell:

(cut for spoilers)

THE GOOD

- Poe.  Poe was good. Moar Poe, there was a serious lack of Poe in TFA and it has been rectified, this was a very good decision. 

- The silent scene.  Y’all know the one.  People in my theater literally gasped in unison.  I was bored outta my skull up until then and as soon as I realized what Holdo was about to do, I sat up, all ‘oshit’ and it was amazing.  Beautifully shot, beautifully clever, and the most badass hero death in the SW universe.  Only comes in second in terms of best scene in the movie because the other one involved a more established and beloved character.

- MY SON LUKE KICKING HIS NEPHEW’S ASS LIKE IT AIN’T NO BIG THANG.  In full disagreement over how shit went down between them in the past, but Luke showing Kylo who’s the most goddamn powerful Jedi in the galaxy (which Luke did canonically become in later years btw) was such a rewarding scene.  Also, he was dressed in black.  Like in ROTJ. Because fuck yeah.

- Rey’s parentage.  Most people probably hated that she’s not a Skywalker but I just... kinda loved the suggestion that she was the Force’s answer to Kylo?  It’s happened before with Anakin, so this isn’t exactly new, and Anakin, too, came from ‘nothing.’ I liked it.  She doesn’t have to have illustrious parentage to be important in the series, and as much as I love my Space Drama Queen clan, it’s time the universe moves on from the Kardashians of the galaxy.

- Luke’s death.  I don’t agree with 99% of what went down with Luke in this trilogy, I think it was deeply out of character, but his ending?  That was spot on.  Did I want more out of his storyline? Obviously, but examined in a vacuum, his ending was beautiful to me.  Especially that last scene.  Best scene in the movie from start to end.

- Yoda manipulating the goddamn heavens to rain thunder upon the ancient tree.  Ilu Yoda

- Leia and Holdo discussing Poe.  This was an A+++ short scene. Get it, ladies.

- Snoke is gone, thank the heavens.  Worst-named villain in movie history, I couldn’t stop laughing every time someone said SUPREME LEADER snoke.

- CRYSTAL FOXES OMG

- Luke getting his kicks in that boring-ass island via EXTREME ROD FISHING, lmao the nerd

THE MEH

- So, um... Kylo and Rey?  ....ew? (did they not think Finn and Rey were super cute or)

- So, um... Finn and Rose?  ....ookaaaay? (did they not see Poe biting down on his lip when he saw Finn in his jacket or)

- I don’t really care for ships in this trilogy tbh, whatever.  Guess I’m steering clear from attachment until I know who’s related to whom (THIS IS A DANGEROUS UNIVERSE TO SHIP IN OKAY).  Plus, not really feeling particularly strong toward any couple, just... not Kylo and Rey, ew.

- Rose.  I liked her, but... they hardly gave her anything to do.  That casino storyline was such a mess, made it seem like she was there just to be there.

- Finn’s storyline. Snoozefest.  I like him, but... see above.

- lol wtf happened to Chewie...? He was just... there?

THE BAD

- SPACE-WALKING LEIA.  I’M SORRY, OKAY, I know this scene will be big with many people, and lord knows I wanted to see Space Mom use the Force beyond that Spidey Sense shit, but this was just so dumb. 

- All the ‘humor.’ My god, just... no.  Not every scene needs to be steeped in Whedon-speak, please stahp.  I will admit the first scene got a chuckle out of me, but the rest...

- The ‘plot.’  This was literally an extended car chase scene in space with some Sense8 type shit thrown in. Rey hardly even did any training, ffs.  

- so the force-sensitive member of the trio goes on to be trained by a wise, isolated mentor and finds herself drawn to a place steeped in the dark side and ends up seeing only herself reflected in there, meanwhile the rest of the characters are involved in a chase across the galaxy, running away from the evil empire, and at some point decide to ask for help form a well-known swindler who betrays them and in the end everything seems bleak with just a tiny glimmer of hope. HMMMMMM. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. 

- quite frankly, I’m still in shock Rey finished the film with two fully biological arms

- O hei, look, it’s The Salty planet Hoth.  With pod-racing.

- Really? Rey blushing at shirtless Kylo? Really

- WHERE IS FORCE GHOST ANAKIN TO GO “BINCH I REDEEMED MYSELF IN THE END STOP THIS SHIT, ALSO I DID THIS FIRST AND I DID IT BETTER” TO HIS WANNABE GRANDSON

- The whole damn Casino storyline.  I don’t care if it’s meant to set up something for the last movie (probably not) but it was long, boring, and a clumsily written attempt at a storyline that could’ve been more nuanced and a good addition.

- why did we have to see Luke milk that alien Y

- NOT ONE DECENT LIGHTSABER FIGHT THE FUQ.  

- Leia (and Han in TFA) giving up on her son instead of beating some sense into his ass with a space slipper. Y’ALL KNOW SHE WOULD.  Baaaaad characterization. Space Mom would never.

- Also, fuck whoever decided that Leia, who canonically has the exact same force potential as Luke because they’re twins, never developed her powers beyond Force Sense or whatever.  If you’re not gonna give the woman a lightsaber, at least have her Force Push fools out of her way. 

- Wtf Rey you obliterated that nice alien’s cart and didn’t even apologize they work hard every day you should be ashamed

- why was it meant to be funny when porgs were slapped around wtf

- “what’s that canon?”  “Basically a small death star” kjashKLAFJSHSAJKDFSADFHSAK 

- Kylo. Can he just die, plz, the expanded universe did the Evil Solo son storyline so much better.  Yet another way in which this trilogy is totes an ~*homage*~  No shade on the actor though, he did a great job.  It’s just the violent manchild character I cannot stand.

- So like... we’re never gonna learn what Snoke’s deal was...? Or how he got to Kylo...? ....Okay then.

- This movie was 2 and a half hours long.

[the-wavesinger]

Okay, so I watched TLJ last night, and I need to write my thoughts down ASAP. (Yuletide comments are coming, dearest authors, I just need to get this out first :D.)

(The Last Jedi spoilers under the cut)

Okay, so I really, really loved this. I was kind of worried based on the spoilers I read (I spoiled myself very very thoroughly before watching the film) but I loved it. I actually spent the entire time after the intermission either sobbing or holding back tears.

That being said, the story felt very...condensed? It felt like there were three different movies in there, honestly, and I would’ve liked it if there was more time and space given for the characters to grow. Even just like ‘and then time passed’ time, because the entire Poe + Finn + Rose storyline happened in, what, less than two days? The timelines felt way compressed.

First: Luke. LUKE. I cried so much I literally blurred up my glasses and couldn’t see the screen at his death (and I'd spoiled myself like crazy and was expecting it too). And I cried at almost everything Leia did, because Carrie Fisher ):. (And I was such a mess at Leia’s line--no-one is truly gone or something like that. I know she meant Kylo, but then the Luke thing happened and he’s probably going to be a Yoda-style Force ghost and I couldn’t stop thinking about Carrie help I’m crying again.) Luke Skywalker is dead and I just...I can’t even imagine. And I’m 99% sure Leia is going to die in the next film and it is going to break my heart. And just...Luke. Oh Luke.

Also, has anyone made a ‘Wait For It’ vid for Leia yet? Because if that song ever fit a person it would fit her. 'I've lost too much', 'I can't take another loss'. BREAK MY HEART WHY DON'T YOU.

Speaking of which, Leia/Holdo. God I ship Leia/Holdo, and honestly their last scene together is  just heartbreaking and wonderful and all the shipfuel. I want a lot of words on their relationship and backstory and the two of them working together for the Rebellion, please.

And Luke and Leia! I love the two of them sensing each other from across the galaxy (and in Leia’s case when she’s in a coma), and their reunion is everything, with Leia finally losing hope and giving up and Luke making a choice to stop giving up and appearing just as Leia needs him. Aaargh, that reunion was so beautiful and I’m glad they got their time together. And tbh I ship Luke/Leia even more now. (Forehead kisses! Sensing each other and each others’ deaths in the Force!)

I love Luke and I love his storyline, and as much as it breaks my heart to see how he falls and breaks and makes mistakes, I love his bitterness and his guilt and self-recrimination, and I love that he’s tied to the idea of the Jedi even if it’s the idea that Jedi fail, and he has to let go of that so that he can help Rey.

Also, Han/Luke ship has fuel added to the fire, because yeah. Yeah. Break my heart why don’t you Rian Johnson, with Luke’s grief for Han being so obvious.

Finn! Okay, I loved Finn a ridiculous amount in this and it was my favourite of the character arcs. I love how he goes from staying with the Resistance for the people he loves to being completely, utterly dedicated to the Resistance, to the point that he’s willing to die for it, and I love that he has to see more of the galaxy and see more of what is truly wrong with the First Order to commit so firmly to the Resistance. 

Phasma is...ehh. I like her cool armour, but she’s wasted potential. I’m sad the movie didn’t do more with her (less Hux more Phasma please, because I was completely and utterly bored to death by Hux, he's such a non-entity).

I love the role Rose plays in Finn’s growth and I love how Finn believes in Rose and gives her room to do her thing, and I love that they just both somehow...find each other (and Finn being stunned by Rose is pure love). They’re both people who, like Rey, come from nothing, but they’re still important because they’re the lifeblood of the Resistance, and because they’re people, and I lovelovelove that message. Their kiss at the end was very very sweet and I love Rose crashing into Finn to stop his suicide mission. I want to know all the things about Rose now, about them working their way out of the casino planet, about her childhood and making her way into the Resistance. I am a sucker for angsty backstory and the new trilogy is delivering very well so far.

(Also, I ship Rose/her sister. Just saying. That pendant...)

And speaking of Finn, I didn’t expect to like Finn/Rose, but I do. It’s so so adorable, and I love it. I like it as shippyness and I like it as friendship and I just love the two of them ridiculously. Please no Rose/Finn/Rey love triangle, though, that would ruin a lot of things for me. I love Finn/Rey, I love Finn/Rose, but I don’t love a love triangle.

And I love that Finn and Rey care for each other so much, and I love their reunion, which was ridiculously sweet and adorable and I love the two of them so so much okay.

Poe! Yeah, I’m getting definite Hamilton and Washington vibes from Poe and Leia, and I love it. History Has Its Eyes On You and Right-Hand Man for the two of them, Y/Y?

Anyway, I ship it. I didn’t before but I do now. I love that he’s reckless and young and impatient and that he’s wrong. And I love that he’s wrong and he learns, and he learns because Leia gives him the chance to learn. (I’d like to think that Leia sees something of herself in him :D.) I basically love everything about their relationship, how there’s clear affection between them but Leia isn’t afraid to dress Poe down if necessary. Gen or ship, I am here with bells on.

Poe/Finn: I swear Oscar Isaac doesn’t play this guy as heterosexual. They have crazy chemistry (Finn, naked? Oh, Poe), and they didn’t really interact much onscreen but Poe was basically eyefucking Finn whenever they did, and I love how much trust they have in each other.

Also, yes I loved Poe meeting Rey and now I ship Poe/Finn/Rey.

Holdo! Okay, I loved her character, and I love her look, and I wish she wasn’t dead. (Her dedication to the Light, her willingness to sacrifice herself. Gah.) I also love that the Rebellion’s top command is made up of three women in this movie, and older women too!

Some of her choices were...baffling. Like, the entire crew of the ship was discontent and close to mutiny, why didn’t she give them at least the outlines of a plan? But also Poe was wrong and wrong in a bigger way than her (I love you Poe but boy you fucked up), and I am very firmly Team Nobody on this wank. (Or rather, Team Poe/Holdo, because I came out of this film with lots of shipping needs.)

I saved Rey for last because, well, I love how Daisy Ridley plays her and I love her Rey very very much, but I found her plot to be the weakest of the film. Maybe that’s because I want an entire film of Rey learning and training, but I would’ve loved more of her storyline, more room for her to grow, and I’m disappointed she didn’t get it.

That being said, I do like how she’s earnest and determined and feels the call of the Dark, and I love that she says no. Even when it’s tempting, even when she’s being offered everything she says no.

And I love her idealism and her belief that Kylo can be saved (pet peeve: I’m annoyed that the movies canonized Ben SOLO it’s Ben Organa dammit) despite everything, even despite the fact that he’s killed Han. Kylo himself is one big blob of blah to me (whiny manchildren with temper issues aren’t my favourite thing), but I love Rey’s compassion for him despite him killing Han.

Also, I love the subversion of the ‘heroine saves bad boy’ trope. It would have hit a lot of nopes for me if Rey had actually managed to save him, . I do think he’s going to be redeemed in the next film (he didn’t, couldn’t, shoot Leia! I love that despite how he was able to kill Han face-to-face he wasn’t able to kill Leia from afar, and I’m very interested in seeing more of that relationship! And also the gold dice), but I also think that’s going to be from him than because Rey’s doing the emotional work for him, and I will be here for that very, very much. 

(And I get why people saw Reylo in this film. For me, Rey’s rejection of him was too utterly, completely final for me to ship it, but boy do I get why people saw this, and I’m v. sad I’m not into Kylo, because if I wasn’t so blah on him this would have the makings of My Kind Of Ship. Although if there’s Force  pregnancy for Rey in the next film I will actually kill someone.)

(Also, the criticisms that Rey is overpowered are stupid. The fight scene after Kylo kills Snoke, for examples, shows how much raw power she has but how much finesse she lacks compared to Kylo. They’ve actually done a really good job of making her power as realistic as it can be in the SW verse.)

And I love alllll the OT throwbacks, and more than that, I love how they used them to turn the narrative on its head. Seriously, I want to watch the film again just to catch the multiple times they’ve used OT callbacks to change the narrative (like, the entire capture/throne room scene which doesn’t lead to Kylo’s redemption? The shots of Poe clearly staged like the first Death Star shots with Luke but not leading to Poe being a big damn hero but to him being stupid? The attack on the mineral planet which is basically Hoth 2.0 minus snow, but it doesn’t end the way Hoth ends at all, but in a much worse shape? Luke and Yoda and everything about that, and how Luke was actually better than Yoda at teaching and it was his fear of failure that made him suck?

And I love the message of the film, that your blood isn’t important, that it doesn’t matter if you come from nowhere, you’re still someone. And that it’s people who matter, not winning the day (and I love that it’s Leia who’s ultimately the main carrier of this message). And I also love how what looks like a fruitless mission--Finn’s and Rose’s--is implied to cause the best hope they have for the future. And I love that it looks like we’re coming a full circle right back to the beginning again.

Also, for once, someone has done their research. I love Star Wars, but in the PT especially the Jedi were frankly offensive stereotypes. Someone’s done their research to make this less of a fuck-you to Buddhism, and I appreciate that very much. I adore that they went down the ‘Jedi cling too much to tradition instead of people’ route rather than the ‘BURN THE JEDI DOWN’ route. (And honestly are my exact opinions on the current state of Theravada Buddhism.)

Overall, I liked this film. It’s not perfect filmmaking, but it hit all the notes I love and I am here with bells on for the characterization and stories of this film. Tbh, I liked this better than TFA and I’m sad Rian Johnson isn’t directing Episode IX. (Also, I ship basically everything now. Help.)

[hide-the-cutlery]

It feels like yesterday that my ex and I were making jokes about J.J. Abrams directing the new, not-yet-titled Star Wars movie because of his overboard usage of the lense flare effect. I didn’t understand how he could do Star Wars AND Star Trek and make two “similar” stories (I guess “similar” just means they’re both space-themed) different enough that people would want to see both. At the time, I didn’t even like Star Wars, but he did take me to see at least one of the new Star Trek movies, and I think another we watched at his place. I loved them both. He didn’t get how I could like Star Trek and not Star Wars, especially since I know a good deal (compared to the average person) about space and love expanding my knowledge on the subject. (I think it should go without saying that both are just works of fiction and surely not scientifically accurate.) Truthfully, when I was little, some of the aliens in SW scared me (hello bar scene), so I refused to watch them for a long time. I was in high school when the prequels came out, so even though I “saw” them, I didn’t really see them. I probably just made out with someone the whole time or was being obnoxious with my friends — throwing popcorn and candy and being loud, young, and dumb.

My ex and I broke up a little while after mocking J.J. and his lense flares, and I never saw the movie. I didn’t care to see it, because after the breakup, seeing the film would have made me too emotional. I seem to assign sentimental value and memories to everything, even intangible things like music, books, movies, etc.. (and most of the memories are not positive and the sentiments would sound ludicrous to anyone not in my head.) I even kept a wad of gum my high school boyfriend was chewing the night I lost my virginity. Plus, I still didn’t care for SW, so it was no great loss.

Years later, my family and I watched The Force Awakens. I was so confused (“Princess Leia and Han Solo got married?! They have a son?! Who? Why is he evil?”) that we had to turn the movie off and finish it the next day. (In my defense, I had recently been in the hospital, was still very sick, and had to take a lot of medication that caused me to be pretty out of it.) After we finished it, ultimately I really enjoyed it. (And thus began the Adam Driver obsession.) I saw The Last Jedi a day or so later, and thus began the Reylo obsession. I loved the movie, regardless of Reylo. One thing I will say is that it’s THE epitome of toxic fandoms. I’m even unsure I should post that I liked TLJ or ship Reylo, and that’s terribly sad. What’s worse is that two year have gone by and people are still crying over it. I think it’s time to move on.

The last time I saw my ex, TLJ had just come out. I remember asking him if he liked it, and he said “it’s different. It’s about family”. I also asked if “Jedi” was singular or plural, and if I recall correctly, he told me “it depends on how you look at it”. Cheeky bastard. He was always reading plots/leaks to movies and then telling me about them, like Luke tossing the lightsaber Rey brought to him over his shoulder and Kylo slicing Snoke in half. I didn’t get it — why he wanted to know plot points before something was released. I guess I get it now. JediPaxis, Jason Ward, everyone and their mother on YouTube.. it’s addicting, and you get sucked in. I did stop looking things up when it was reported there were last minute “changes” to the ending. I just wanted to be surprised by something I didn’t see coming. Even if the leaks are true, I suppose that in and of itself would be a surprise.

The ex and I were supposed to watch the originals and prequels together, but after trying to make plans with him and being shot down every time, it became crystal clear to me that I wasn’t wanted, again. I even remember the feeling I got when he hugged me that night while we braved the (Florida) cold. He even came over just to give me a hug. It felt — well, whenever we would hug before, it was like he was holding on for dear life. I didn’t feel it that time. It’s been 2 years now. I need some lessons and direction on how to let go. We may have no contact at this point, but I still think about him every single day. Several times a day. I even still talk about him like he’s still in my life. Recently, I’ve been trying to refer to him as “my ex” instead of his name. It’s pathetic, really. Plenty of things about me are pretty pathetic.

Earlier this year, in March or April, when info about The Rise of Skywalker started to come out, I remember thinking December? That’s such a long way away; I’ll never make it that long. And I don’t mean I didn’t have the patience, I meant if I lasted that long, it would be a miracle. Somewhere along the way, my attitude shifted from me doubting that I’d last til December to me thinking if I could just hang on long enough to see TROS, I’d be happy. Well, that’s tomorrow (technically today). So what else am I going to have to look forward to? I’ve written about this several times, but I just can’t see anything right now. Maybe that will change. I hope it does. I was talking to a friend I met through one of my meetings, and she told me “I feel bad for you. I really do. It’s sad that the only thing you’re looking forward to is a movie”. My sister is taking me tomorrow as a late birthday present, which is awesome, because I didn’t want to go alone, and it’ll be great to send time with her.

I guess my new dilemma is What in the hell do I do now?

[lostinpagesblog]

Hello, everyone! I have a special post today – I convinced one of my good friends, Mariah, to guest post! She’s a giant Star Wars fan and recently finished reading The Rise of Skywalker, so I asked her if she’d like to review it for the blog. If you have any questions/comments, she’ll be in the comments to talk!

Hi, everyone! My name is Mariah, and Katie asked me to collaborate with her on my own book review. I currently work with Katie at Books-A-Million, and I’m an avid reader – my choice of genre being sci-fi. That being said, this is my first ever book review or blog post for that matter, so I am a little nervous. I think Katie is absolutely crazy for asking me to do this, so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy! 

Not only am I a lover of books, but I’m also an avid Star Wars Fangirl! What is a fangirl?! Well, it is just what is sound like: girls that are fans! Growing up I was always told Star Wars, comic books, or even video games were meant for boys. I was called a nerd or geek for even liking such things – words that were meant to make us feel bad for liking things that made us happy. Which is simply NOT true. Fandom is not reserved for just one gender, being a geek/nerd is okay. Being different is okay, as long as you have confidence in yourself! That’s what being a fan/fangirl is all about! And in stressful times like we are in now, we need things to help us destress. During my COVID-19 quarantine, I have been using Star Wars as my escape from reality – something I have avidly been doing since 1997. So, Katie thought since the DVD of Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker is now available to everyone, it would be fun do a review on the book in comparison to the movie. Since Katie doesn’t know a damn thing about Star Wars, that’s where I come in! If I haven’t completely lost you yet, hold on tight and get ready to light speed ahead to a Galaxy far, far away!

Your enjoyment of the book is going to be reflected by the your enjoyment of the movie. Therefore, because I really enjoyed the film, I really enjoyed the book. With TROS being the final establishment in the Skywalker Saga, nine movies in total, it was a bittersweet moment for me. Twenty-five years of my life had finally come to a close, and it was a beautiful experience. After the movie had ended, I knew I had to get the movie novelization. I have read Star Wars novels that were side stories and adventures of fan favorite characters, but this was my first time reading a movie novelization. Rae Carson was not given easy task, but she executed it very well! It doesn’t fix the problems some “fans” had with the movie – which is OKAY because it wasn’t Carson’s job to do so. She does however add MORE: more context, more internal monologue, more dialogue between characters to scenes that could’ve really used them in the film. But her biggest strength is the ability to SLOW things down! If you are someone that hasn’t seen the movie since it was out in theaters, I would suggest watching the movie again, and then dive into the book. Let the book guide you, surround you.

The Rise of Skywalker is an end to a forty year saga, and you can feel those final lines by the end of the story. But like I said, it takes care of pacing issues that the film had. You really get a sense of Rey’s struggle with the Darkside more when you get a glimpse of what is really going on inside her head. Like with Rey, the book gives us more of Kylo Ren’s struggle with his past, too. We get an insight of his life as Ben Solo, something a lot of fans wanted to see more of on film. We also get more Babu Frik, who happened to be one of the breakout characters from TROS.

(Harry Potter fans may enjoy this: Babu Frik is voiced by Shirley Henderson, who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films, RANDOM RIGHT?!!) 

The home DVD release doesn’t include any deleted scenes, which is upsetting because I was hoping some of them were scenes that were in the book that I really enjoyed. Every time a new scene would happened, I would be focused. The book included extra moments with Zorii Bliss and Lando, as well as adding a new character, Chesille Sabrond captain of the Star Destroyer Derriphan on Exegol. We also got a better understanding of how Emperor Palpatine survived and why he was still alive. (I won’t spoil why right now, I’ll add those to a spoilers section.) But my over all favorite moment, is a scene shared by Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. Without spoiling too much we get a sweet “Uncle Chewie” moment with a flashback from Kylo as young Ben Solo. It’s a scene I wish we could’ve gotten in the movie. If you were someone that wanted more Ben Solo out of the film, you will get it from the book. Not as much as you might like, but enough! When he sacrifices himself to save Rey, it will make any Reylo fans’ (Rey & Kylo fan-shippers) hearts break even more. Princess Leia’s (Sorry General Leia) role works a lot better in the novelization. That’s no fault to be creators of the TROS film, for the late Carrie Fisher died in late 2016 – a year before Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (TLJ). When originally planning the new trilogy, Lucas Films originally stated that the first movie, The Force Awakens (TFA), would be Han Solo’s film. The second (TLJ) would be Luke’s, and the third would be Leia’s. Carson wasn’t limited to only unused footage from the first two films. She gives Leia more scenes, and they were an overall highlight! We were given more details about her training with Luke and her experiences with the Force. 

I will say I understand why a lot of fans did not like The Rise Of Skywalker or the sequel trilogy entirely. Even though Star Wars has released novelizations of each feature film since 1977, fans didn’t have to read extra content to understand the movies of the same title. The novels didn’t add anything, and they also never took anything away either. We understand what was happening in the films, and George Lucas (original creator of Star Wars) answered those questions we were asking onscreen. The sequel trilogy lacked those elements on film, and that’s probably why fans didn’t love them as much. Star Wars was different! Unlike how most films are book adaptations, SW is a complete screenplay, and the novels and comics were extra. We shouldn’t have to go to extra source material to understand the film better, but that is the marketing world we live in. That being said, Rae Carson doesn’t get enough praise as she should for her work on the novelization of TROS. Overall she brought more in depth understanding of the characters and made them more personal than what is played out on film. I feel like you will find the novel to be a good companion, or should I say Dyad, despite how you feel about the movie itself. 

Now, after all that, this is when I start getting into the SPOILERS. So, if you don’t want the book elements to be spoiled, this is your stop. Now you Rebel scums that stuck around this long with me, thank you! Assuming you have watched The Rise of Skywalker, read the novel yourself, or you don’t mind spoilers (SHAME!!!), this next part I’m going to talk about has some spoilers from the book and scenes the movie left out. Hopefully I can give you a better explanation of why things happened in The Rise of Skywalker. I’m not going to give them all away, just some of the ones I feel are important and were my favorite. So last warning… God Speed Rebels! 

The novel starts off with Rey versus the film starting off at the scene of Kylo Ren. About a year has passed between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and not much is different between the first time we see Rey in the film versus the first time we see her in the book. We do you get more of an exchange with Leia as a Jedi master. We get a longer version of Leia’s flashback scene of her Jedi training, and we get to see her Skywalker side. We get to see how powerful Leia really is with the Force – something sadly we did not get to experience in the film. Leia knows she’s at the end of her life, and she hears Luke calling to her telling her “It’s time.” Leia being classic Leia doesn’t take orders from anyone when she knows she can do more to help others, so she lets Luke know she had “one more thing to do”. We also get a Rey and Rose exchange, which is a missed opportunity in the movie. It is very rare you see female-female interactions/friendships in a Star Wars film. It’s a scene like that I would have really liked to see play out in the movie. 

Now on to Adam… I mean Kylo Ren! Kylo’s introduction is much like in the movie, VERY INTENSE! Carson was able to add more intensity than what played out on film. We learn Kylo is on the planet Mustafar, which already brings more depth into the scene because this was the same planet the final battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker occurred in Episode III. Anakin had turned to the Darkside, becoming Darth Vader. We didn’t know where he was until after the movie had already come out, and Lucas Films  informed us that Kylo was in fact on Mustafar. Knowing would’ve made the scene even more intense because he was battling on the ruins of Vader’s Castle, where his grandfather called home. Kylo is met by an oracle named the Eye of Webbish Bog, a creepy spider-like creature, and Force Whill, a creature that really makes you feel uncomfortable. The oracle reveals to Kylo something called the Wayfinder, an ancient pieces of technology created by both the Jedi and Sith. Kylo does state how easy it was for him to obtain the Wayfinder, he then concludes it’s because he was Vader’s heir and it belonged to him. Knowing this gives you a better understanding on the point made in the movie on why “only two were made” – one for the Master and for the Apprentice. Vader kept his Wayfinder on Mustafar, revealing itself to his grandson. And The Emperor kept his on the Death Star, later revealing itself to his granddaughter… Rey! 

Okay, now the major question… HOW DID PALPATINE SURVIVE? Well SPOILER… Palpatine is a CLONE! Palpatine is living in a clone body, and his son, Rey’s father, was also a clone. More specifically an imperfectclone, not an identical copy of Palpatine. Rey’s father had no force-willing capabilities, therefore he was deemed useless.We learn that Palpatine’s clone body was unnatural and not powerful enough to hold Palpatine’s full spirit/power. He was able to cheat death by sending his spirit to a clone body on Exegol, as he was falling to his death in Episode VI. We also learn when the Clone Son conceived Rey the natural way, it created a perfect vessel to hold Palpatine’s spirit. If you are new to the Star Wars universe and your only experience to the movies is just the sequels trilogies, the whole Emperor coming back is a bit confusing.  

The last thing I want to talk about is Kylo/Ben Solo and Rey’s connection, and that the book shows the importance of the Dyad in the Force. A dyad in the Force is a phenomenon that occurs when two Force-sensitive individuals share a unique Force-bond, connecting their minds across space and time… soulmates!! This power is very rare. Palpatine thinks he is able to use this against Rey, but he misses the key components: love and empathy. You are bonded with someone. The book explains the dyad to be a soulmate connection without actually using the word “soulmate”. If you are a Reylo shipper, that will make you happy.  It doesn’t necessarily mean a romantic soulmate, but maybe it could. In theory, maybe there used to be a way that Jedi used to teach the force with a dyad, but we don’t know for sure. With all of that, let’s talk about THE KISS. I will start by saying that I am a sucker for happy endings and love wins all, therefore I am a Reylo supporter. I believe in the Ben Solo redemption. I was disappointed in the fact that the author didn’t come out and say the kiss between Ben and Rey was a romantic one. I believe it was something that needed to be clarified in the book, but, once again, you are left to interpret whether it was or wasn’t. On film that was a romantic kiss to me. In the books, Carson writes it for Rey as being a “kiss of gratitude”, but for Ben it was more “endearment”. So, what? He was friend zoned?! While reading the scene I still interpreted it as an act of love. I feel like why we never got a clear explanation is because of Hollywood. For some reason, Hollywood movies and shows don’t like to show powerful women in a happy relationship or in one at all. Either she is isolated and doesn’t have a love interest at all, or she is at odds with the other person who typically is played out as her equal. My favorite thing (sarcasm, definitely) is when they kill off a loved one/s, and in her pain/loss, she gains her strength – which is bullshit! I’m not wanting a damsel in distress, but I also don’t want a total “I don’t need anybody.” I’d like a happy medium. Powerful woman can have a love interest. A partner doesn’t take that power away from them. 

No more spoilers! In conclusion, my overall thoughts of the book were positive. In many ways, the Skywalker saga is about love and family, the inner conflict between the Lightside and the Darkside, and the Force that connects one another into a balance. At the end of the film, we see a parallel moment between Rey and Luke watching the twin sunsets, which is a nice way to connect the stories.

Thank you for reading, I do hope you enjoyed my first ever book review! Thank you, Katie, for asking me to do this collaboration with you. I look forward to hearing your comments and questions! May The Force Be With You! 

Mariah D Carley

Like she said, comments/questions are welcomed below! Make sure to follow Mariah on her socials listed below, and go leave her some love!

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Until next time,

Guest Post Book Review – The Rise of Skywalker #starwars #riseofskywalker Hello, everyone! I have a special post today – I convinced one of my good friends, Mariah, to guest post!