#forcing the same team for nostalgias sake is pretty funny though

[sakuramoussy]

I remember playing both Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of TIme and its updated third game Sky multiple times, so for this one I decided to draw one of the teams that most interested me since I dont remember which team specifically I used in EoT vs EoS.

I remember playing Phanpy on two different occasions, and have a note in my phone indicating Hihri (who was my Phanpy) had a partner named Martha, but I dont remember what pokemon that was so I went with Link and Zelda, my Phanpy and Vulpix duo that I found by searching my Tumblr for pokemon art.

Vulpix has since become one of my favorite pokemon and Phanpy is an odd favorite I never expected to get attached to.

[radramblog]

VGC Series 10 Restricted Pokemon

So the new series of Pokemon Sword and Shield competitive is about to launch (as in, it starts on Sunday). The rules are pretty interesting, and as a result a lot of the metagame is being thrown on its head.

-Dynamax is off. They just up and got rid of the games’ gimmick. I’m sure Smogon DOU players will be right at home.

-Each team is permitted one Restricted Pokemon, as in Series 8.

There are 24 Pokemon listed as “Restricted”, just about all of them the intentionally overpowered “cover legendaries” the series has stuck with since Gold and Silver. Each of them is extremely powerful, and would be a worthwhile addition to any team.

But, which one should you run? Find out in this entirely serious guide.

(I was going to attach funny meme images to this like but I ran out of time sorry just imagine doge memes next to Zacian and stuff you get the idea i might edit this later)

Mewtwo

There are two types of people running Mewtwo. People with nostalgia, whether it be just because it’s one of their favourite mons or because the infamy of it being the “ultimate Pokemon” stuck in their heads too long, or because they know how good it actually is but they want to try it anyway.

I mean, it’s not bad? Obviously that Sp.A don’t quit, and Terrain-boosted Expanding Force is kinda nutty. Plenty of coverage, too. But without the Megas, Mewtwo just isn’t good enough anymore, I think. And unfortunately, there’s another thing on this list that kinda just does the same thing, but better.

 Lugia

While Mewtwo is unquestionably a fast offensive threat, Lugia represents the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s faster than I had assumed, actually, but most of why you run it is for that sweet sweet chonk.

I understand wanting to use Lugia. The second movie is my favourite too. But 90/90 offenses don’t cut it these days, you don’t want your Uber/Restricted to be a supportive mon, and setup strategies are both risky and done better by other things. Sorry? Aeroblast is a lot cooler when you can turn it into Max Flying, I’m afraid.

 Ho-Oh

I actually don’t have anything bad to say about Ho-oh. It’s actually kind of great, and possibly underrated- it is able to check some of the biggest threats in the meta, and is dummy thick enough to take hits and clear out the remainder.

It is in the 90 Speed group, which a surprising number of these Restricteds are, so you might suffer from speed creeping issues. Or just run bulk, because Regenerator and Recover make it nigh-unkillable if you invest hard enough.

Look I’m biased I just built a Ho-oh team what do you want from me?

 Kyogre

One of the two Weather restricted things. Just about everyone running Rain is going to want one of these, and it’s one of the most popular mons in the format as a result. It’s not quite meta-defining, but it’s the first of what I reckon are going to be the Big Four of the format.

Water Spout and Origin Pulse hit like an absolute tank off this thing. It doesn’t need much else. This is why you run Wide Guard, people.

Kyogre is very good, which is what makes it very boring. We will be returning to this concept.

 Groudon

The Other Weather Setter, and inexplicably a way less popular one. It might be that Eruption isn’t STAB and doesn’t come off it’s superior Physical Attack- Fire Punch doesn’t quite hit as hard.

That, and there actually is another solid Sun setter in Torkoal. But why not both, though?

I ran Groudon in Series 8 and I was pretty impressed by its performance. I mean, it’s Kyogre but awkward and Physical. You could do a lot worse.

 Rayquaza

I love Rayquaza a lot, as a result of both Emerald and the anime, so it’s with a heavy heart that I must say that Rayquaza is, like, not good in this format.

The key issue Rayq faces is that it’s statline is really awkwardly distributed. It has 150 in both offenses, but that leaves it’s other stats somewhat lacking compared to the other restricteds on the list. That and it’s ability, Air Lock, implies it’d be good at beating Groudon/Kyogre, but it kind of just loses to them 1v1. They’re bulky enough to live a hit, and don’t have to go out of their way to clonk it for SE damage. And what the fuck, it only has 95 speed? It feels like it should have much more.

 Dialga

I haven’t seen much buzz about Dialga, which is actually kind of surprising. Like, Steel/Dragon is a great typing, it’s a Dragon that isn’t weak to Fairy or Ice or Dragon, and it’s statline is pretty solid- 150 Sp.A and 100/120/100 defenses. What’s not to love?

Oh it probably just dies to Zacian doesn’t it. Or Landorus, of whom both forms are super popular right now. Sigh. One day.

 Palkia

Looking at the Pikalytics data, apparently a bunch of people are running Trick Room Palkia? Which makes zero sense to me, seeing as it’s actually a bit faster than a bunch of these mons.

It’s relatively less bulky, but BEEG DRACOVISH here is probably pretty decent. I’ve heard, however, that calling something decent basically just means it’s bad. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns out to be the case. Two of the Big Four just lay this fucker flat out, so.

 Giratina

Despite being bulkier than Palkia, it’s weaker to an additional member of the Big Four, which probably just makes it unusable. Whoops.

And as cool as noodle Giratina is, it dies to even more things, isn’t any faster, and means you don’t get to run a funky item to make it runnable. Prooobably just stick to Dragapult?

 Reshiram

Reshiram presents an interesting question, because it’s typing and moveset are kinda great for the format. It’s another Fairy-neutral Dragon, which is nice and good, and Blue Flare hits like an absolute truck.

I’m convinced Reshiram has a place in the meta. I just don’t quite know what it is yet.

 Zekrom

Zekrom strikes me as like, Reshiram but it’s worse against Zacian and better against Kyogre. It’s interesting, because Fire is a type you kinda want right now, but Electric is pretty good as well? Like, Regieleki cannot fucking touch this thing.

Zekrom also has a kind of insane moveset to work with, and if you want to try a Dragon Dance set, it’s a great spot for it. So, basically, maybe?

 Kyurem

I guess you could technically run Base Kyurem as your Restricted. I don’t know why you would, it’s kind of awful. Typing sucks, moves suck, stats don’t make up for it.

 Kyurem-Black

Kyurem-Black was given it’s greatest gift since its release- actually getting Physical Ice STAB off it’s ludicrous 170 Attack. Unfortunately, this alone does not a playable mon make, and it’s still weak to frankly too many types. Ice is just so completely awful defensively! Please fix this, Game Freak.

35% of people trying this format out early are running Power Herb Freeze Shock, and I salute you crazy, crazy bastards. But also that sounds awful tbh.

 Kyurem-White

Reshiram, but you trade a great defensive type for a bad one, and gain monstrous stats in return. If you can find a way to stop Zacian from hitting it, it probably one-shots it back. Also, it gets Freeze-Dry for Kyogre, though even with 170 Sp.A I don’t know if you one-shot that thing.

 Xerneas

 We’re finally getting to member two of the Big Four. Xerneas is an old standby of restricted VGC formats, and kind of a one trick pony. Er, deer. But that one trick is very solid, so fair enough.

If I’m honest, I think that One Trick is going to make Xerneas take a hit in usability, because the moment it gets good, people instantly know how to counter it and add that into their teams. The thing barely ever runs non-Fairy attacking moves, for fuck’s sake! Put a Steel in front of it and it just cries.

 Yveltal

 Yveltal is awkward, because it’s fighting for a spot with the Very Good Moltres-Galar, which doesn’t take up the restricted slot. But Yveltal does have a space to work within, I think.

It’s got an absolutely phenomenal support moveset, which again isn’t really want you want on your Restricted, but it’s natural offenses are good enough that you can probably just get away with it. STAB Oblivion Wing and STAB/Dark Aura Snarl are incredible for bulkier builds, and it even has incredible damage with a priority Sucker Punch. Basically, it’s got some things going on.

 Zygarde

Zygarde is the most awkward ‘mon on this list, methinks. It’s entire bit is trying to get to low HP in order to trigger Power Construct and get into it’s super mode, but the statgain…isn’t incredible? It’s HP doubles and it trades 10 Speed for Special Attack. Which you might not even be using? And this is all predicated on it getting to particular HP values, which is a lot harder now that you can’t Dynamax it.

This thing is scary as hell in the Max Lair, but not so much here. Signature moves are fucking wild though.

 Cosmog/Cosmoem

I know they’re preevolutions of two restricted species, but why are these restricted? Was Z-Teleport really that good?

You have to be a serious memelord to play one of these, and a very good player to actually win with them. In other words, if I see one of these on ladder or in a tournament, I’m going to start sweating.

 Solgaleo

Solgaleo has the same problem as Yveltal, but moreso. Because just about anything it can do, Metagross can do just about as well and without taking up a restricted spot. Sure, Meteor Mash is a bit worse than Sunsteel Strike, and technically Full Metal Body and Clear Body aren’t identical (FMB is immune to ability-nullifying effects, apparently), but come onnnn. Are you really running Sun Dog when you can run funy robot man and also your choice of restricted beastie? Come on now.

 Lunala

 As much as I love Lunala’s design, it’s not particularly good. It has the same typing as Caly-Ghost, and significantly worse stats, ability, and movepool. And conveniently, due to that shared typing, Caly-Ghost just lays this fucker to waste. A shame, for such a cool design.

 Necrozma

Similar to Kyurem, you could run this, if you wanted a worse Mewtwo. I guess it is better than the Ice Dragon, but like, don’t bother.

 Necrozma-Dusk-Mane

The other reason not to run Solgaleo is because this exists. Just, the same, but way better. It’s a lot slower, but that just makes it playable in Trick Room, so.

NDM over here is competing with Zacian for the throne of Nuts Steel/X Physical Dog. Unfortunately, because Zacian is, frankly, completely fuckbusted insane, and doesn’t require setup like NDM does, it’s not going to win that fight.

 Necrozma-Dawn-Wings

Again, Lunala but slower and bulkier and hits harder. If you can get a Troom up, it’s probably kinda nuts, since then it actually can just cap Calyrex in its dressage-looking ass. Plus, you’re probably already running Indeedee, so Psychic Terrain goes off.

I wanna see someone kill things with Meteor Beam/Power Herb on this. It’s probably pretty decent. But it’s still a lot of work, and I’m not convinced the payoff is worth it.

 Zacian

 I’m not even going to bother writing about uncrowned Zacian, even if it probably will see more play than some of the other things on this list.

Let’s run it down. Patently absurd stats- 92/115/115 are average defenses for a Restricted (maybe a bit above average?) but it has 170 Attack, and unlike the Kyurems it actually has the speed to back it up at 148. To be clear, that’s the second fastest Restricted, and only 3 other Pokemon in the game (Regieleki, Ninjask, Pheromosa- Deoxys, Electrode, and some Megas are faster but aren’t in Gen 8) outspeed it. It’s got fucking bonkers typing, arguably the best two in the game, along with an ability that effectively pumps that Attack to 255. Oh, also very good STAB and coverage moves.

Zacian is almost certainly the most important Pokemon in the entire format. It’s that good. You don’t have to be smart to use it, especially as you don’t actually get the choice of item. It’s an idiot beatstick, and that’s kind of all there is to it. Every team needs to have an answer to it, and since it gets Imprison, you can even just run it as an answer to itself. What a fucking joke of a mon.

 Zamazenta

And then there’s The Other One. Zamazenta is significantly more balanced than Zacian, being surprisingly bulky even without that +1 Defense, and having solid Attack and Speed to boot. Also, Wide Guard.

I’m going to be honest, I think Zamazenta basically only takes on a supportive role. The moveset is fine, Wide Guard and Coaching and Snarl, no Body Press though for some fucking reason. It’s probably a Pretty Okay mon. But I don’t know why you’d run it over another support mon like Hitmontop, which gets similar moves and a better ability.

 Eternatus

Like Zacian and Zamazenta, Eternatus technically got worse with the Dynamax ban, seeing as their signature moves effectively ignore the HP-doubling effect. The thing is, Zacian is still insane anyway, and Zamazenta doesn’t really care, so Eternatus is really the main thing getting hit by this “nerf”.

It’s still solid, though. Good HP, Special Attack, and Speed, functional other stats, and it’s a Dragon that can kill the shit out of Xerneas. I think Eternatus is just on the cusp of being good- maybe if they gave it an actual ability instead of Pressure.

Or just release Eternamax, because fuck it, why not.

 Calyrex

It’s Kyurem and Necrozma again but somehow worse, next.

 Calyrex-Shadow

The final member of the Big Four. It actually kinda looks a lot like Zacian- slightly faster, a fair chunk weaker, but the ability lets it snowball hard and it gets incredible spread moves in Astral Barrage and Expanding Force. Because the only thing worse than them beating the shit out of your Pokemon is them doing it to both at once.

The key difference between Caly-Shadow and Zacian is it’s less immediate threat. For one, it doesn’t have that immediate +1 that Zacian does, and it has two x4 weaknesses to exploit. And since it usually is running spread moves, it can have a harder time dropping a specific counter, let alone its weakness to Wide Guard.

But it’s still fucking nuts. So.

 Calyrex-Ice

 We took the Shadow one, put all it’s speed into bulk, and made it Physical. Oh, and it hits a bit harder typically, since Ice is better offensively than Ghost. Sure?

In all seriousness, Caly-Ice is a brutal threat…under Trick Room and only there. If you can set it up, it’s a nigh-unkillable threat that steadily bulldozes through the opposition, and doesn’t have to rely on Spreads like Shadow does. Ironically, the worse defensive typing is better here, because it’s less likely to get OHKO’d without a x4 weakness. And if you get TR up, they aren’t getting a second attack.

 And that’s the lot of them. So, which one should you choose? One of the Big Four? A spicy meme pick? An underrated champion?

None of them. Play none of them, coward, you won’t.

Okay but seriously just about all of them are playable on the right team so dw about it

[redtutel]

Rewatching Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Red is this movies color...that’s why people get so aggravate about it! It makes so much sense!

I’m glad I’m a nobody, people people get bullied and shamed for their opinions on this movie. People treat their opinions as facts when discussing this movie. I admit I might get aggrieve with my opinions too.

Last time I saw it, I loved it and disagreed with every complaint I read about it online. It might’ve help that I found spoilers, so certain twists didn’t throw me as off gaurd as it did other people Will I feel the same way? And even if I do, how will I rank this film? Time to find out.

I should really watch the commentary someday. I’d love to know what was in Rian Johnson’s head. Until then, this is my own, personal analysis

It’s very unique to have a Star Wars movie take place right after the previous one. Although given the nature of Force Awaken’s cliffhanger, it was necessary.

This movie definitely borrows for Empire Strikes Back, but not to the same extent. I’d argue it’s Empire backwards. The deuteragonist is out of commission and hope is bleak at the beginning, and we end on a siege  in a white planet with walkers. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I’m sticking to that mindset.

I love Poe’s sass. Anyone who says otherwise has no joy. It’s definitely in character (remember “so who talks first?”) And it shows he’s someone cocky who will mock his enemies to their faces. Plus its not like Star Wars hasn’t had humor like this before.

I like how the opening action sequence starts as a typical feel good action, but then casualties occur which are taken very seriously. And Poe gets chewed out for it too. 

Poe stars out the movie as scrappy, and will disobey orders in order to defeat the enemy. And then he ends it wiser, knowing that sometimes, it’s important to retreat and live to fight another day.

Much like Revenge of the Sith, this is a very dialogue and character driven movie, with not much action. And both movies make the action sequences they do have count.

The scene with Rose’s sister is fantastic. Like any good action sequence, it's all about reverals. She has a squad, but they all died and she’s by herself. She has to bomb the ship, but she crashes and falls, and can’t get up. The remotes to high to reach, so she kicks it down. But the remote lands too far away from her. But at the last second she manages to catch it, and scarifies herself to bomb the ship. It’s a fantastic mini showcase of this one of this movie’s biggest motifs: That no matter how bleak things get, there is still hope, and you have to fight in order to reach that hope.

The juxtaposition of the Resistance cheering and Leia sitting down in relief, only to get a look at the casualties is very clever. It shows that victory bought with lives is no true victory.

Snoke can drag Hux though the floor from a large distance. Classic sequel escalation. How clever.

Finn awakens after two years, yay! And his first words are “Rey!” How sweet. He doesn’t even care he’s still naked covered in medical equipment. All he care about is “Where’s Rey?” And for good reason. Last time he saw her, she was knocked out by Kylo Ren.

And we get the resolution of one of the greatest Star Wars cliffhangers of all time. Fans spent two years imagining what Luke would do next What he would say next. And he tosses the Lightsaber aside and walks away, creating a mystery as to how this once noble hero ended up a jaded old man milking disgusting manatee alien things.

Mark Hamill is a fantastic actor, and this is no exeaption. He’s equal parts funny and aggravating as a bitter old man, but there are moments where the classic Luke comes out, like when he sees R2-D2 and Yoda, or when he asks about Han.

I love how creative the creatures are in this movie. The Porgs are the merchandising stand-out sure, but there’s that ugly milk creature, those beasts of burden in Canto Bight and the Ice foxes. They’re all such creative designs.

“Where’s Han?” Oh how heartbreaking. Apparently there was a brief shot of him mourning that got cut, which is a major shame. I feel like the movie did a good enough job without it, but keeping it back in would’ve added so much. Ah, well.

Snoke really is the main villain of this movie. I think he has about as much screentime as the Emperor did in Return of the Jedi. So I’d say he fufilled his role well enough. He has nothing on Palpatine though, and in my eyes he’s the only character who I like less then their inspiration.

Kylo is maskless the whole movie. I feel like this symbolizes how we spend this movie getting to know the real him. The man behind the Vader impersonator. Kylo killed his father thinking it would fully turn him to the dark side, but he’s more regretful then every before.  And Snoke has lost his faith in him. Snoke’s lack of faith in Klyo is a nice way to differenciate him from Paltapinte by the way. 

...Wait, was the feelings of regret one of the reasons he lost the dual to Rey? I think Snoke is implying that. I also like how this is treated as an abnormality in-universe. Rey was unusually strong, and Kylo was unusually weak in that moment, and everybody acknowledges that fact and questions why.

Snoke sees Luke as the First Order’s greatest enemy, and Rey as “just a girl with a lightsaber.”

Luke on the other hand, no longer sees himself as a hero. “You think I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy for no reason at all.” That is a good point, and something both Rey and the audience didn’t think though. 

Luke takes an interest in Rey after learning she’s force sensitive. Luke may have a hatred of the Jedi, but he still respects the Force.

“Where are you from?” “Nowhere” “Nobody’s from nowhere” “Jakku” “That is pretty much nowhere. Why are you here Rey from nowhere?” I love mentors that mix humor with wisdom. And Luke fills that role very well. Rey’s arc is about self discovery and introspection, and I love how Luke furthers it.

Rey is still a bit afraid of the Force, and doesn’t know what to make of it.

Is Leia reacting to the aftermath of the battle? Or can she see and Luke and Rey’s meeting isn’t going well. Probably both.

The First Order has a way to track the resistance no matter where they go, even at lightspeed. And they don’t have the fuel to make another jump. I think that’s a good new take on Star Wars space chases.

Although Leia wants to show Poe true military wisdom, she still has a soft spot for him, and for rouge tactics. I wonder if there’s any kind of work out there that depicts Leia seeing Poe as a replacement son. At least a fanfic would be nice.

Leia and Kylo sense each other. And although Kylo killed his father, he can’t bring himself to do the same to his mother. Another fantastic scene.

I used the word siege too soon. The Poe plot is one big medieval siege in space. The First Order is on the offensive, but can’t actually destroy the ship, and the Resistance is stuck in the defensive, with the crew having no choice but to stay inside and wait it out until the reach the new base. Again, a very creative concept.

After years and year of waiting, and subtly hinting at it with certain shots, Leia finally, finally, uses the Force. And she does so in a logical way, to push herself though the vacuum of space to safely get to a ship. And we even get her theme playing as she does that. Sure she looks like Mary Poppins, but a couple of months before the movie came out another science fantasy movie did that too, and we all agree Mary Poppins was cool. So I say, “She’s Mary Poppins Ya’ll!” And again, IT’S LEIA USING THE FORCE AFTER YEARS OF THAT DETAIL BEING POINTLESS! AND SHE USES IT TO SAVE HER LIFE! And after the death of Carrie Fisher, we need to savor what few awesome Leia moments we have left.

I love the scene of Chewbaca trying to eat a Porg but not being able to because they’ll looking at him. It’s hilarious.

Luke seeing R2 again is so adorable. And him using the classic Leia recording is such an effective use of nostalgia. Luke is in the same position Obi Wan all those years ago. And that finally convinces him to at least give the mentor thing a try, it not to convince Rey that the Jedi religion isn’t worth it.

Poor Ackbar was killed for the sake of Poe’s character development. Hondo serves her role as a hatable leader very well. She’s a stranger to both the audience and Poe, so we sympathies with Poe’s disobedience. And she’s an aggrieve purple haired woman, which would put any man on the defensive. But alas, she put too many real life men on the defensive, so they have a hard time accepting the fact she was right all along. I personally think it’s very clever to have the naysaying military leader actually be in the right. It’s a good way to teach Poe wisdom.

She said “We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic” first. I didn’t remember that. That’s so cool!

Once again, Finn is a deserter, albit a regretful one. But he still doesn’t believe the First Order can be stopped, and to be fair, not much happened in the fist movie to convince him otherwise.

Rose is an endearing character. She’s a maintenance person and not a fighter, so she looks up to heros like Finn. Finn doesn’t see himself as a hero, but to Rose, he’s someone who stood up to the first order, and without his information, they would’ve never been able to destroy Star Killer base. So the fact he wasn’t being a hero greatly upsets her, especially since this is a cause her sister died believing in.

Rose’s maintenance person background and Finn’s low ranking Stormtrooper background makes them the perfect team for their plan to stop the tracker. But Poe’s too proud to get Hondo’s input, so it’s a secret plan.

...Why do people call this plan a sidequest? Sure it fails, but it’s still a logical plan (considering the fact they don’t know the real plan). On the subject, why did Hodo not tell them the real plan? Because she doesn’t trust Poe to follow though with it. Was that a mistake? Seeing how she dies, it might have been. Plus knowing Poe, he probably would’ve preferred Finn’s plan anyway. And we the audience actually did know that the plan was to get to a new base and contact help earlier in the movie

I wish Maz had more screentime in this movie. Although given its set-up, there isn’t really a reason for her to do so. I hope she appears more in Rise of Skywalker

I LOVE the Force connection scene. It starts as a simple look at our hero and villain in the morning, cutting back and forth between them. Simple movie magic. But then...they both notice something at the same time...wait, they notice EACHOTHER! They’re seeing the cuts like we’re seeing the cuts, and then it’s cut as if they’re facing each other directly, even though they’ve obviously not, again playing with the medium of film and ah, it’s so awesome and clever!

I didn’t notice until the second time around (this is my third time watching this movie), Luke never gives the third lesson. Although to be fair, Star Wars protagonists have a history of leaving before their lessons are finished. Will Rise of Skywalker provide that third lesson.

I’m too lazy to quantify this, but I think Force Awakens had more jokes per minute. I don’t get why people act like it has Marvel movie comedy.

Out of all the Star Wars movies, this is the one I feel has the best Force lessons. Probably some of the best Force lessons in the series. We start off with way Rey (and the layman) know: It’s a power Jedi have that lets them control people and makes things float. And after little goofiness (which serve a purpose: Don’t physically reach out, emotionally and spiritually reach out), Luke shows how the Force isn’t a power people have, it’s the energy that binds the universe together. And I love how shots of nature from the island are used to depict the Force, and the nature of Life and Death and the Circle of Life and balance and darkness and light. And how the temptation of the Dark Side is showed as a pit, but a pit that has...something that draws you to it, even though you may never escape if you do.

The Force does not belong to the Jedi. The Jedi kind of sucked in the prequels, so Luke’s new philosophy is actually pretty awesome. 

“It offered you somthing you needed, and you didn’t even try and stop yourself” Did Rey use the Dark Side to win the fight? Does the Dark Side provide an attack buff? It make sense. The Dark Side does get all the good force powers, after all.

Both Rey and Ben Solo were naturally very gifted in the Force. And Luke fears Rey could be the next Kylo Ren if he trains her. How rational is that fear....to this day people aren’t sure. Maybe Rise of Skywalker will finally settle things

Oh, that how Finn and Rose made it. Poe convinced a look out to pull a “no signs of organic life,” but on purpose. And the Resistance does like Poe more then they do Hondo.

Ah, Rey’s curious about Finn too. Maybe I do ship it. But Finn and Rose and Rey might have Ben. Well, strong male/female friendships are rare, so the more the merrier.

Kylo wants to be a monster, and although Rey thinks so, seeing him call himself that makes her realize there’s more to him than he lets on.

Canto Bight. Although I agree the set design could use more Star Wars, there’s still a ton of great alien designs, and it is creative to show a “Hive of Scum and Villainy” for the Galaxy’s 1%. And I love how the music reflects that. Plus the rest of the movie has plenty of creativity to spare.

I forgot how long it took get to Canto Bight.

People also find the tone of the scene off putting, but I don’t mind. Probably because I’ve seen quit a bit of Clone Wars, which is found of mixing Star Wars with...whatever genre it feels like. Political Drama, Film Noir, Kaiju movies. This subplot is Star Wars meets heist movie.

The alien putting coins in BB-8 is voiced by Mark Hamill by the way. Once again proving himself to be a great voice actor.

Behind the glim and glammer of the rich, there’s cruelty and oppression. Finn was already aware of what Stormtroopers are capable of, but here he sees firsthand how even a beautiful part of the galaxy is tainted by it, even in a moment of peace. Rose believes in the cause and wants to fight for it, and seeing her determination makes Finn think that maybe he can too.

I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without talking about expectation subversion. I honestly think the movie does it right. Luke being old and bitter creates a mystery which leads to a fantastic character arc, for example. Finn and Rose find the codebreaker, but then they get arrested for parking violations (which yeah, is a bit silly, but so were the Ewoks)

Although Finn’s subplot is a bit weaker, it still provides some good thematic consistency, and provides a very good arc for Finn.

Since Luke is unhelpful, Rey uses the time to train herself in Lightsaber combat. And as always, she’s a fast learner when it comes to weaponry. 

Lesson two is Luke’s video essay on the prequels. And it’s a pretty good one. Luke followed the way of the Jedi and trained Ben from an early age, and like the Jedi he didn’t notice Ben’s fall to the dark side and Snoke’s corrupting influence until it was too late, and that lead to the creation of the next great darkside user.

Despite this, Rey still needs a mentor, and still believes in Luke, although that’s because Luke didn’t tell the whole truth.

The Resistance is loosing sip after ship, and tensions are rising. Why do people not like the Poe subplot? It’s also a great way to bring the stakes back to the Finn subplot, which admittedly got a bit silly

Once again, when things are bleak, Hope arrives in the form of a new master thief, in the form of DJ. Although DJ proves to be a false hope.

I love with mascot droids get to actually fight.

I admit my opinions aren’t entirely my own anymore, as I remember a video essay pointed out that the main trio all have characters pulling them to the light and to the dark this movie. Rey has Luke and Kylo, Finn and Rose and DJ. I don’t remember what they said about Poe, but I’d say he’s pulled to the light by Leia and Hondo, and pulled to the dark by his pride.

Rose and Finn’s interaction with the slave children help show how the Resistance is a spark, rather then just telling us like most Star Wars movies do.

I do wonder why they freed the horses and not the kids. I guess it’s because horses can actually run fast. Plus they need to create chaos to escape. The kids are cheering them on, though, so I guess its fine.

But more importantly, Finn gets a taste of what its like to save rescue something that’s not a close friend, and to tear down an oppressive system. He has his first inspiration to be a true selfless hero hero, rather than just someone trying to protect his friend. And Rose reminds him that the freedom gained in more important than the havok wreaked. It’s not worth it until people are actually saved, no matter how much damage the enemy sustained.

Luke is called to help by his sister, and ones to reach out to her.

Ah Ben Swolo. Equality after Slave Leia. And also a good showcase in how Rey and Kylo can’t control when they force bond, and it can even happen in awkward situations. And its funny.

Rey wishes she had a father like Han, and Ben just threw him away. Meanwhile Kylo remakes how Rey is always looking for her parents, even surrogate parents. I’ve noticed Kylo dodged the question about killing Han

And we get the shocking twist: Luke tired to kill his nephew to prevent the dark side.

“Let the past die, it’s the only way to become who you’re meant to be.” This is not the main theme of the movie, but Kylo is half right. Rey shouldn’t kill the past, but she should let it go, move on from her parents, and embrace the new family she has in the Resistance. Meanwhile Kylo keeps saying he’ll killing the past, but he’s working with people trying to bring it back, and he just gets more and more caught up in it, even after killing his father and trying to distance himself from his Vader aesthetic. 

I love the force case scene. As a kid I was in love with the endless mirror effect, and seeing it messed with, by having Rey’s reflection be out of synch, is such a cool moment. She’s trying to self reflect, but she hasn’t come to terms with herself. It also shows the vastness and confusing okay the Force. She tryes to find her parents, and sees...nothing. They’re truly gone, and all that’s left is herself. Which is her worst fear. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. She wants a family.

And after Luke’s uncorperation and description, Chewbacca busy trying to contact the resistance, and Finn being far away, the only person she has to share her troubles with is Kylo. 

During all this time Force bonding, the two of them have gotten to know eachother’s struggles and insecurities. They truly sympathize and care about each other now. The are now friends and confidants. And with this newfound relationship, they truly believe that can turn the other to their side. This is one of my favorite Hero/Villain relationships ever. Dare I say, I like it even more the Luke and Darth Vader. Being father is son is fantastic of course, but the fact that Rey and Kylo formed this sort of bound without blood ties makes it also the more fascinating. Sure it was a part of Snoke’s plan, but it the relationship they built because of it was still genuine. 

They’re force bound has gotten so powerful, they can literally touch each other now. Seeing Kylo’s hand in Rey’s hut is such a strange and powerful image. And then Luke sees them together, which is even more shocking. And Luke is afraid Rey’s turn is inevitable.

And now we know the full story. Luke feared the darkness in Ben. And in a brief moment, he saw Kylo the same way he once saw Vader and Palpatine, and drew his blade. He realizes his mistake just as quickly, but it was still too late. Ben saw his master trying to kill him, and his turn to the darkside was complete. And it was all Luke’s fault. History repeated himself, and Luke was too full of shame to do anything about it. Sure he saved Vader’s soul, but he didn’t create Vader like he did Kylo. So it’s not like seeing his Uncle would stir conflict in Ben or anything. 

And Rey has now lost hope in Luke, for failed to even try to do what he did with his father. Although again, given the circumstances, I don’t like Luke can be the one to save Kylo. But neither is Rey. Maybe in the future?

I LOVE Yoda’s scene It’s probably the greatest Yoda moment of all time. Yoda actually agrees with Luke that the Jedi made mistakes, but he’s here to provide the true takeaway. Don’t run from failure, or try to kill the past. Instead, you should learn from the past failure, and with the knowledge, move on with your life. Remember both the glory of the past and the shame, and use them both as you move to the future. And I love how grumpy old Luke is 19 all over again when Yoda shows up. 

DJ provides a very fascinating perspective of the Star Wars universe. History repeats itself, so why bother carry which way the pendulum swings? After all, the people who financially succeeds are the ones you play both sides. He gives Finn the temptation to be apathetic to the fight against good and evil. “Live Free, don’t join.” That’s what Finn wanted at the beginning of the movie

I love Finn is defensive of Rose having to give up her sister’s keepsake. He’s a good person.

“Hope is like the Sun, if you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it though the night.” Another great message of this movie is the importance of having Faith.

And turns out, Poe actually does hate Hondo’s plan, and since he talked smack, she’s not inclined to listen to him either.

“If you see Finn before I do tell him...” I love their friendship.

And finally, Kylo and Rey meet in the flesh. But as Luke says, things don’t go the way they think.

It’s pretty clever and Finn and Rey spend the climax in the same place, 

And when Poe does tell Hondo the plan, she hates it.

The iron gag is a pretty silly fake out, as well as an homage to the modelwork of the old films.

The evil BB-8 was in a lot of merch. But he’s barely in the movie.

Kylo and Rey are both right about what they’re about to do. But they did it a lot sooner than expected, and didn’t realize that their team up would be short lived.

DJ is a snake, but I love that he gives Rose her trinket back. It shows that he’s not heartless

After do so well, the plan suddenly all falls apart. It’s Reversal, which as fall as I know, is an element of good storytelling. The plan goes awry, and the characters have to deal with what to do now.

Leia is here to set Poe straight. 

After losses should be avoided, Hondo’s sacrifice shows that  sometimes they’re necessary. The import thing is having the discretion to tell.

Maybe Rey’s strong in the Force because the Force needed a champion of Light to combat the rising darkness.

Snoke was behind the mind meld the whole time. His plan is kind of sexist come to think of it. He doesn’t think it’ll work because of human empathy, but because Kylo is a handsome, tortured bad boy. Seems fitting given his appearance and a disgusting old man. Or maybe I’m overthinking it. Anyway, he’s swinging Rey like a ragdoll using the force, showing that she’s not all powerful like the haters think

And unlike most rouges, DJ is selfish ‘till the end. Things are bleaker and bleaker. The plan not only failed, it cost more lives that it would’ve otherwise if Poe had just had faith in his commanders.

I love how Rey trying to get her lightsaber, only for Snoke to just bring it back and humiliate her. 

Snoke’s plan is pretty okay, but he’s not nothing on Palpatine’s chessmasterness, even ignoring the prequels. For one thing, no matter who one Luke vs Vader, Palpatine still wins.

“He ignites to and kills his true enemy.” How very true. I got spoiled that Snoke would die in this movie, and my first thought was “Woah, that’s cool.”

Seeing Kylo and Rey fight side by side is just awesome.

Finn sees DJ’s  desire for self preservation (and in turn his old desire for such), and disgusting, and shows just how much he’s grown.

I think Snoke dying is a good example of subverting expectations. Darth Vader always said “I’m going to overthrow the empire and rule with my family.” But Kylo Ren actually does it. But he still doesn’t turn to the light side. He’s now the man in charge, Kylo Ren, the villain we truly care about is now the main villain (well, until Palpatine pulled a Ganon), and I am excited to see where that goes

Rey’s parents were nobodies who sold her off. Rewatching Force Awakening, that makes perfect sense. It’s a great reveal of “I am your father.” It’s equally as devastating while being something different

Seeing Kylo and Rey fighting over the Skywalker lightsaber and then it breaking is such a cool moment. It shows that the Star Wars legacy is breaking, but the future is all the more exciting for it.

Destroying a ship with a smaller hyperspace ship. Awesome. Why don’t they do it more often? Because no writer thought to. Not to mention suicide bombing is wrong so good guys won’t do it, and it’s expensive so bad guys won’t do that.

Finn vs Phasma is short but a very satisfying moment for Finn. He stood up to his old boss, he’s using the TR-8R weapon, and has one of my favorite Star Wars lines “You were always scum.” “Rebel scum.”

Hux definitely doesn’t approve of Kylo the same way he does of Snoke. The’s bound to be tension in the First Order’s chain of command, and I’m excited to see that unfold.

The climax at the Star Wars Fanbase (Salt) Plant is so fantastic. Hope leaves are constantly rising and falling, but the Heroes maintain faith despite that. The Resistance is corned, and they have no choice but to fight with outdate equipment. The Red and white is so lovely, it’s no wonder it was in the source material.

The Resistance are completely overwhelmed, but the Millennium Falcon is here! With Rey, Chewbacca and a Porg

The canon scene is a great showcase of character development. Poe now has the wisdom to know when the pull back and live to fight another day. And Finn now has the selflessness to try and sacrifice his life for the sack of the Resistance. But at the same time, Finn still needs to know that it’s not all about killing the bad guys no matter the cost. It’s about trying you best to save what you love as well.

Finn and Rose have a good friendship, but the kiss kind of comes out of nowhere. They not exactly Han and Leia, but hey, at least they’re not Anakin and Padme

Hope is diminished. The battle is lost (but thankfully not every life). And there’s not getting rescued. But then out of nowhere, comes the New Hope himself.

I can’t help but hear My Hero Academia music when Luke appears in this scene. He’s is the Galaxy’s Symbol of Peace!

“No one’s every really gone.” I forgot that line was in this movie. It’s so sweet to see Luke and Leia reunited after so long.

Seeing Luke fills the heros with awe, the villains with dread, and Kylo with irrational fury.

Comparing Kylo’s reaction to Han vs Luke, and you can see why Luke can’t be the one to save him.

Luke just brushing it off. Awesome.

Luke holds back the entire First Order without striking even once. A Jedi uses the Force for defence after all.

When back into the cave, Poe noticed that some foxes are getting in or out. When all hope seems lost, have faith and keep looking and sometimes you can find it.

Hope is found with the exist, but its lost when the opening’s too small. But then Rey uses the force and create an exist. She created hope. She has become the Galaxy’s New Hope (or the Awakening of the Force)

“Every word you just said was wrong.” I love that line, and how it took on a brand new meaning.

Finn and Rey’s reunion is so touching. The duo’s back together again after all this time.

“Strike me down in angry and I’ll always be with you, just like your father.” An amazing twist on a classic Star Wars moment. Luke’s death will just make Kylo less and less stable in his conviction to the darkness.

And Luke has committed his final act of heroism, and his final sacrifice. Protecting what he loved instead of fighting what he hated. Making sure that hope and rebellion remained in the galaxy. But astral projection comes at a great cost. And Leia and Rey can sense it.

Ending Luke’s life with the moment that introduced him. With him looking toward twin suns, dreaming about the future. But as a Force Ghost, I doubt this is the end of his story.

Rey and Kylo having one last Force bound moment before going their separate ways. Kylo is the Suprime Leader, and Rey is off to be the galaxy’s New Hope (or Awakening of the Force).

It’s nice for Poe and Rey to finally meet

All that’s left of the Resistance fits on just one ship. The Star Wars ship. Rey has lightsaber parts and the sacred texts. All she needs to be the next force using hero.

Although Luke is dead, his legend lives on, continuing to spread hope throughout the galaxy. And the Force is still very much alive, for there will always be dreamers connected to it. And we get shown proof that the Resistance is a spark.

Overall, I still love this movie. I disagree with every complaint people have about it. And while not every joke lands, it’s far from the first movie to make that mistake. Plus the ones that do land really land. I love the character development and philosophy, and although it’s slower, every action sequence is amazing and entertaining.