#why did they pick a voice actor who sounds more like han than poe who also has to slowly sound out

[poelya]

there's a lot wrong with this lego special but damn if it doesn't nail high command's dynamic with poe

[romana73]

REYLO FANFIC: YIN AND YAN. PART 5

WRITER: Romana73 TIME: One year after Star Wars. Episode VIII. The Last Jedi THEME AND FANDOM: Star Wars RATING: Explicit TITLE: Yin and Yan CATEGORIES: M/F COUPLES: Kylo Ren / Ben Solo and Rey CHARACTERS: Rey, Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, Anakin Skywalker (nominated), BB - 8, Knights of Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader (nominated), Finn, General Hux, Han Solo (nominated), Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, boys from Canto Bright, Snoke (nominated), various Resistance and First Order fighters WARNINGS: Star Wars characters, world and stories AREN’T MINE AND DON’T BELONG TO ME, but they are created and owned by George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Disney, J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson and the actors who play the Star Wars characters and their stories. I’M NOT IN ANY WAY LINKED TO THESE PEOPLE AND CINEMATOGRAPHIC HOUSES. I DON’T KNOW NO ONE OF THEM and I’M IN NO WAY IN CONTACT WITH THEM

WARNINGS 2: violence, also in terms of language. The starting idea of ​​this story derives from a leaks I read last year and which struck my imagination CHAPTER I can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189784450126/reylo-fanfiction-yin-e-yan CHAPTER II can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189959876431/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-part-2 CHAPTER III can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/190301208881/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-3-part CHAPTER IV can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/190662591396/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-chapter-iv

CHAPTER V (PART I )

- Thanks ... nothing ... yes, I know. No ... don't bother me - Rey heard distant, muffled voices breaking through sleep blanket enveloped her, until one voice became stronger and more distinct than others, managing to shake her completely. Kylo Ren had ordered someone don’t disturb him. His voice and footsteps seemed terribly close. She snapped her eyes open, tensing herself like a violin string. Sweating cold and standing still, Rey tried to focus on situation. Praying he wouldn’t notice her awakening, simulating sleeping breathing, Rey narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what condition she was in. First thing she noticed were her wrists free of anti-Force handcuffs. Under soft, shiny sheets, her feet were bare. Her body was stretched out on a hard but comfortable mattress. Rey wasted no time wondering who could have arranged her in that way, her memory worked all too well. By time Kylo had picked her up, frustration in her from situation had grown, causing her to rant slowly against him. She didn’t want to make scenes and show, giving satisfaction to new Supreme Leader and his men. Nonetheless, Rey could barely contain growing irritation animated her. After insults, she had changed tactics, also trying to kick and make sudden and sudden movements with her body, but nothing had seemed to scratch Kylo’s calm, ​​who had limited himself to absorbing her blows and tantrums, continuing to walk undeterred and in hush. Glancing behind boy's shoulders, Rey was startled when she noticed dirt road stretching endlessly. Rebel base had disappeared and landscape had lost its well-known outlines. Rey had felt tears burn her eyes once more. Memory of desperate expressions of Finn, Poe, Milo and Cleena as she gave them one last look, before Kylo took her away from them, Leia’s eyes full of love and tenderness... that time she hadn't been able to restrain herself. Before she could notice, loud sobs had come out of her mouth , filling her ears. Tears ran freely over her face. Her head had given way, touching Kylo's wide chest, sinking her face, until crying turned into deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kylo Ren had laid Rey on his bed, pulling her shoes off and throwing them on the ground. Angry, he had raised a hand, using Force to slide covers from under girl's body and place them on top of her, without touching her. Kylo had snorted, touching his torn shirt, still wet with tears. At a firm pace, he had reached his private bathroom, nervously taking off his clothes and throwing himself in shower, washing himself frantically, as if an acid was burning his skin, ending up hitting wall in front of him with a punch. Panting, Kylo had stood watching wall pieces fallen at his feet. If there had been no Rey and intruders who had followed them since they left Resistance base, Kylo would have vented, destroying something and, perhaps, blowing some heads of those fanatics in his service, but he had imposed himself not to lose brackets, at least for moment. He had a plan and goals and was determined to carry them out, going all way, at any cost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Vicrul, get ready. Let's go to Canto Bright. You have to hunt down some Force-sensitive kids. Scare them, exhaust them, but don't kill them. - Kylo had instructed succinctly three days earlier, entering quarters of one of his Knights. Blond man, with cold gray eyes and a square face, furrowed by various scars, had opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again, merely nodding. It wasn’t up to him to investigate why their Leader had decided to show up in person, asking don’t to kill any more brats, while until recently he was wandering intolerantly for Finalizer, barely looking at them, ordering through Hux or sitting on throne to kill all Force-sensitive kids and anyone else who went against him. Ever since Jedi girl and Resistance escaped him, Kylo seemed to be swinging between being an efficient and cold God of Death and looking like a volcano ready to erupt. Vicrul had watched Kylo's tall and powerful figure on his back as he walked out of room. For sure, characteristic their leader wouldn’t have lost was gloomy. Vicrul shrugged and, reaching out, grabbed his shining vibrating scythe leaning against wall near his bed, started to fix it. Few vibrations of his weapon was enough to scared worst of monsters, let alone immature and inexperienced children...

Kylo had continued to walk down corridor, thowards Cardo's quarters, when he had met General Hux from opposite side. Pale, tall and thin, red hair combed back, small and pale eyes, he proceeded stiff, tight in his black military uniform, with puffy pants and high leather boots. While crossing Kylo, he stopped, snapping to attention and beating his boots heels together quickly. Kylo had folded his mouth in an annoyed grimace, irritated by sound of soldier's shoes. To tell the truth, he detested Hux and only man's dedication to cause made Kylo leave him alive. That feeling could come in handy. - Supreme Leader, excuse me for bothering you, sir - Hux had apostrophized Kylo, ​​holding one hand out to his temple and looking at an invisible distant point in front of him. Supreme Leader had stopped, turning only his head to look at his interlocutor, waiting for him to continue. -I heard you was ordering to head to Canto Bright planet ... - Hux had made a cautious debut. -Did you hear? Did you eavesdrop as usual, General Hux? - Kylo had cut short, frowning. Man’s embarrassed expression, mixed with irritation and anger he felt for what he considered pure insolence on part of young man amused Kylo, ​​although he didn’t let him shine through. -It wasn’t my intention, sir, I assure you... - Hux had swallowed strong desire to whip that attractive young face, despite oblique scar marked left side, starting from forehead and crossing cheek, neck and disappearing under shirt. Only power Kylo Ren had over him was sensitivity to what everyone called Force. If he had been a normal person, situation would have been very different and, perhaps, he would have considered boy just one of many ants to be subdued or killed with which universe seemed populated. Kylo kept his stoic expression, although he had sensed Hux's thoughts. Young Leader had felt itchy hands from desire to lift one his hand in Hux direction and strangle him using Force, without even touching him, as after Snoke’s killing, when General had tried to oppose his seizure of power and he had raised one hand towards him, bending thumb and forefinger as if he were really tightening his carotid artery. Hux's face had been tinged with a red similar to his hair and he had bulged his eyes, gasping and holding his hands to his throat in search of air. Kylo had released his grip suddenly and General had returned to breathe, following him in silence, like an angry dog, but too hungry to abandon master from whom he received brutal kicks, but also a decent and safe meal. Kylo had shrugged, giving up on suffocating Hux and had approached him, arranging stiff collar of his uniform with his hands. For second time in ten minutes, Hux had swallowed empty, looking straight in front of him, avoiding direct contact with Kylo Ren's dark brown eyes, at that moment animated by a sinister and amused light. -We will go to Canto Bright for a mission, let's say...crucial - Kylo had sighed, anticipating officer's questions. - Whatever happens, what you have to do, is send a handful of Stormtroopers to scare and confuse and, in my absence, follow Cardo and Vicrul's instructions - Kylo was done, leaving collar of Hux's jacket and peering at him, face with stern eyes. -Yes, but ... in Canto Bright there is a handful of children sensitive to Force and if Resistance came to save them? - Hux had insisted attentively. "I hope so," Kylo thought to himself. He had shrugged. -I don't see problem. I'll take care of it - he replied, walking away abruptly. Hux had remained motionless, moving only when Kylo Ren was at a safe distance. Soldier had cast a murderous look in boy's direction, gritting his small white teeth. Being unnatural, that's what Jedi, Sith and other Force-sensitive people were to him. They believed themselves superior to others, awarded with who knows what mission only because they possessed special faculties. He had always wondered what such individuals would do if they lost their precious skills. He doubted they would be able to combine something good and useful. Kylo Ren was one of worst specimens in that category. Not only he have great sensitivity to Force, but he was a direct descendant of one of the most important families, whose members had always enjoyed playing chess with life and destiny of galaxy, indelibly marking its history, but this seemed not enough for young man. Kylo had considered himself a victim of who knows what wrongs and stepped on his feet, until he became Snoke's pupil, stealing his power and bending entire First Order to his personal purposes. No. True superior being was common people like him who, without need of strange powers, were able to conquer, build and destroy. Normal people were natural, those with strength weren’t. Not for him, at least. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vicrul had only needed to appear in stables under Canto Bright Casino, face covered with his shiny helmet of mineral pastillion and long black coat of monstrous reptile skin, vibrating his shiny silver scythe a couple of times to make Force - sensitive children run away on all sides. Stormtrooper had invaded Casino itself, causing panic and confusion, so no one would notice boys'escape. Kylo had observed scene in a serious and shady way, flanked by a displeased and upright Hux who didn’t understand meaning of all that and seemed to tremble with the desire to intervene in first person. A smile shadow had appeared and immediately disappeared on Kylo's face when he felt Rey and Resistance arrival. He had extended his senses, letting her feel his presence, guiding her to where he was. Kylo had watched Rey use Force to throw Vicrul busy chasing a girl, then he intervened before she threw herself on his Knight. - Stay here, General - he had ordered Hux amused, before reaching Rey and starting to duel with her. Vicrul had taken opportunity to reach Hux on Finalizer, where he had exchanged a nod of agreement with Cardo who had immediately got off ship using a secondary exit. Cardo had hidden in forest beside battlefield, where he had remained silent and motionless, waiting. Kylo was blocking Rey's blows, when his head had been invaded by pain. He had breathed deeply, extinguishing lightsaber, planting his feet on the ground and stiffening his legs, in an attempt not to fall, but pain had been stronger. Taking his head in his hands, Kylo Ren had flown to ground, rolling in excruciating pangs, gritting his teeth. With narrowed eyes, Kylo had seen Rey stirring on ground, in equal condition. Kylo had tried to control, if not overcome, pain just enough to look around, until his fatigued gaze settled on an intense white glow. Supreme Leader had stretched out an arm in an attempt to use Force against annoying light, when a cold ring had closed around his wrist with a dull click, suddenly blocking his faculties. Kylo had folded his arm and, with a tug, had thrown his assailant away. He was fumbling with the cuff around his wrist when one foot had planted himself in center of his back, locking him on the ground. Kylo had folded her lips in a sarcastic smile...he could have blown them, but it wasn't his intention. Kylo had moved as if to shake off his limb when other rebels had landed on him. Someone had kicked him, others had hit him with blaster’s handle. One person out of all had pulled his arms firmly behind his back, finishing locking his wrists in anti-Force handcuffs. Kylo had spied out of corner of his eye to find out who had handcuffed him. Poe Dameron. Quite right. He had captured and tortured pilot, now Poe was returning favor. His smile had gone wild. Apparently, Resistance had lost some hesitation, taking hasty and less elegant methods, at least with him. Wandering around, sensing his darkening gaze and hearing a soft growl coming out of his closed lips, Kylo had had time to see FN-2187, who was carrying Rey suffering in his arms, away from him, when a kind of shiny, black and technological eye mask had descended on him, obscuring his sight. -Really?- He had grinned provocatively as they dragged him away. - Do you think I don't know where you're taking me? I know all your bases and tricks ... ouch! - A strong blame in abdomen had cut his breath in his throat. Kylo had coughed, without ceasing to smile. -Where did you get it? - Kylo had heard Rey's faint voice asking in vain. "Rey!" He had tried to call her telepathically with her, but she had already passed out.

[runningfromrealitytoanime]

Rise of skywalker review (contains SPOILERS!)

I watched this on 20th December at 5.30pm in a pretty decent cinema but just going to post it later so not to spoil for other moviegoers.

IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPOILERS, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE YOURSELF AND RUN FROM THIS! A LOT OF SPOILERS ARE GOING TO BE DISCUSSED IN THIS.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Alrighty. On to the review!

First thing: Reylo was a thing. For a freaking minute!!! I swear I was screaming so bad when they kissed and was like the ship sails and yep. It died just a moment later and ding. He dies. She lives. She takes the name of Skywalker. Okokokok. Know it is to honor her masters but ok bro... what??

Also, thought it was weird that Kylo went to the light side once more and while I thought it fit the title Rise of Skywalker, thought it was odd that he spends two and a half movies turning her and bam, he joins her side. Adam Driver was amazing though and had to say his performance was one of the few saving graces of the film. Gonna miss his character: he was the main reason I stuck to the film.

Was pretty pissed with how they handled the Knights of Ren. Zero dialogue, not much work done, more like side characters. So why make them sound like a troop of fearsome Dark Side warriors who fell to Ben so quickly? I have read some amazing fanfiction about the Knights and how the saga could have ended and some portrayed the knights so well. I was anticipating how they would contribute to the story and been wanting some good Knights of Ren combat scenes and possibly show of faces and what not but no, that didn’t happen. At all!

Palpatine. I swear,he is an amazing bad guy but whats with the whole he being Rey's grandad and having an army of hooded people? While he was essential to the plot, I feel that he is to be left as part of another story but it worked out. Somehow. Figures Rey had to be his granddaughter and what not.

Plot wasn't great. Felt like they were jumping places, things seemed rushed and the whole thing with the resistance going Kamikaze was pretty stupid on Poe's end (dude did you forget what happened in the last Jedi?). Action scenes just felt thrown out there and didnt really fit to the story.

Actors were ok, loved how they brought in old voices from the movies and animated series like Kanan Jarrus and Ahsoka. Could barely pick them out but managed to hear Obiwan, Yoda and Qui Gonn. And Hayden Christensen yay! (Was hoping to see a Force Ghost Anakin but we can't win all the time right?)

One thing that really pissed me off was how the characters seemed so disconnected form one another. Rose got pushed to the background, Finn has a crush on Rey and never told her, Poe likes some girl and wants to get together with her and even though I ship Reylo to the ends of the earth, I was a bit like eh, did they really kiss? I was super surprised when they kissed to be fair but other than that, I felt they were throwing random actors together in scenes and just trying to make them work. The humour can be pretty bad : sorry but Star wars isn’t supposed to be a comedy. Don’t turn it into a comedy like the way you did Marvel Disney!

One of my favourite scenes was the whole reenactment of Kylo facing Han and going through the exact same words he had told his father back in the Force Awakens and this time, throwing away the Dark Side and coming back to the light. And although I found it a bit odd that he decided to do it all of a sudden after all the shit that happened in the past movies, it was nice to see him redeem himself and while I knew there was no possible way for him to be able to live and tell the tale after what happened, seriously wished he was the one who lived instead of Rey... no offence, not a Rey fan. And with the whole becoming one with the Force, wished we got to see Ben standing next to Leia, Han and Luke once more... now the Skywalker family has truly ended and its so sad...

Music was on point. Loved how they used music from all the films past and CGI, nothing to comment.

Conclusion : Pissed Reylo sank after shipping them so hard for four years, Adam Driver rocks and the plot, not gonna miss it. Gonna give it a 6/10 for the Reylo moment.

Now gonna cry myself to sleep and drown in fanfiction.

[echobasegazette]

Star Wars: A New Adventure

Two new Star Wars movies have been released since the last time that I wrote an article on my all-time favorite franchise, and I’ve decided that it is finally time to take a long hard look at the newest entries to the franchise and see if they really hold water.  

Several people have asked me why I never did a review on the two new films, and for those wondering here is the answer: I did not feel that I could provide an unbiased review of any film in this franchise because I just love it too much! In any review I’d write, I would either fawn all over the film or pick at things that the average viewer wouldn’t have noticed. And if I read a review that was overly picky, I know it would color my judgment of an otherwise watchable movie. So, I have saved my praise and condemnations for this article, where I can profess my love for the new films and pick them apart.

For those of you who haven’t seen these movies, I will warn you that you will find spoilers, but I will properly label each section, so if you’ve only seen one of the two films you can still read half of the article. Additionally, if you haven’t seen one or both of these two films, go see them now.

This is my official Star Wars Ranking: (First to worst)

1.       Empire Strikes Back

2.       Star Wars (A New Hope)

3.       Rogue One

4.       Return of the Jedi

5.       The Force Awakens

6.       Revenge of the Sith

7.       Attack of the Clones

8.       The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens

I of course saw this film as a midnight release (well it was at 10pm on a Thursday but I’m going to call it a midnight release). My four-man group arrived at the movie theater two hours early to ensure that we would get good seats, and we ended up being the first four people inside. I remember having a combination of both high and low expectations; low because the prequels were bad and high because the trailers looked great. I was pretty sure that J.J. Abrams (who is a huge fan of the franchise) wouldn’t mess it up after his successful Star Trek films. Overall, I thought The Force Awakens was a solid, watchable film that had lot of solid aspects.

Things I liked:

·         The lightsaber fights – the scenes felt like traditional Star Wars lightsaber scenes. The flipping and fast action of the prequels was pretty cool but it felt too frantic and almost draining to watch.

·         The movie had light-hearted humor that was a lot more natural than in the prequels.

·         Tension – I was actually worried about the fate of the characters, whether they’d live or die, and what would happen to them in the future. The prequels lacked this same tension because the fate of the characters was already predetermined.

·         I really liked the new characters. Rey is a multi-faceted character, and her parentage promises to be the next big Star Wars reveal. Finn also has potential and held my interest throughout the film, even though it looks like he will be starting Episode VIII in a coma. I also enjoyed Poe Dameron, the newer version of Wedge Antilles (Wedge is an X-Wing pilot that is in all three movies and a major character in the expended universe and it would be cool for Disney to bring him and Lando into the new movies) and I hope they really develop this character.

·         The sets for The Force Awakens were grittier and darker than prequels. Episodes I, II and III seemed too perfect and neat, almost less “real” when compared with the atmosphere of the new films.

Things I didn’t like:

Derivative

This is the best way to describe the plot of the Episode VII: If I saw Star Wars: A New hope, as an 11-year-old and then imagined what my Star Wars adventure would be like, it would be the plot of The Force Awakens. I’m stranded on a deserted planet, and I steal the Millennium Falcon to escape. Along the way I shoot down some TIE Fighters and bump into Han Solo, who offers to make me his second mate. Together we travel to a seedy bar where we meet some crazy looking aliens and get tangled up with the Empire. I learn about the Force and wield a lightsaber against a poor man’s Darth Vader. Afterwards I travel to a new world to start my force training with the ultimate, Luke Skywalker. So yes, the movie was good but it was basically a remake of Episode IV, without being a remake.

New Planets & Aliens

When Disney purchased Lucas Arts, one of the first things they did was remove the Expanded Universe (EU) from the Star Wars cannon. For those of you who aren’t Star Wars nerds, the EU made up the stories and characters that were created in the Star Wars books, comic books, and video games. Disney essentially eliminated these stories and made all of them irrelevant. I completely understand why they did this, and if you just paid $4.2 billion for a franchise, you probably wouldn’t want to be bound by the countless stories that already existed either. But why do they have to create entirely new planets and aliens too? Can’t they at least use some of the old ones that Star Wars fans are familiar with?

Humor

While some of the scenes in the movie possessed a natural humor that played well with the story line, other scenes seemed to force humor when there wasn’t really a need for it. One of the scenes that I felt was really well done involved Han Solo and Finn. Upon landing on Star Killer Base, Han asks Finn about the “plan”, and Finn responds, “We’ll use the Force.” Han Solo, now angry to find out that Finn made up the plan says, “That’s not how the Force works.” For me this scene was perfect, it had the quick relatable humor that seemed and the dialog seemed to flow naturally. One of the scenes I didn’t like was when the new rebels are discussing the plan to blow up Star Killer base and Han says, “There is got to be a way to blow it up, there always is.” To me this seemed like forced humor and really removed the seriousness of the situation.

Lightspeed

In the Star Wars books, lightspeed had specific rules. You couldn’t go into lightspeed if you were inside of a star or planet’s gravity well, and you couldn’t jump to lightspeed from inside of a star ships hanger bay. But apparently in this film, those rules no longer apply. This kind of has an effect on how space battles might be fought. Wouldn’t the rebels just run away any time they couldn’t win, and wouldn’t the First Order do the same thing? I am probably a huge nerd for even caring about this, and I am sure the Star Wars movies will always still have space battles, but I must admit that I was annoyed about this because it contradicted a cool quote from Han Solo in a New Hope, “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops boy, without precise calculations we could fly right through a super nova or too close to a black hole and that would injure something real quick.”

Star Killer Base

Star Killer Base is really lame and was probably one of things that bothered me most.  It’s essentially a planet killing weapon that’s built into a planet and uses the power of a star, draining that star in the process? So, what happens when the star is completely drained? Is Star Killer now useless? Does it even have the ability to move? A lot of details are never really explained, and let’s be serious, it’s a complete rip off of the Death Star.

 Star Wars: Rogue One

I am not old enough to have seen the original trilogy in theaters, but I was around when the prequel trilogy was released, and waiting three years for the next installment is not a fun wait. Disney decided to fix this problem when they bought the franchise with a plan to release new Episodes every two years with standalone stories in between. This means that every year for the foreseeable future, we get to experience a new Star Wars adventure!  But exactly what stories were they going to tell? The first one that was released was the story of how the rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans, essentially serving as a prequel to A New Hope.

I will admit that I really enjoyed this movie and thought that it was a much better film than The Force Awakens. As I said earlier the thing that I liked most about the original trilogy was the grittiness, and this film had it in spades.  Rogue One was also much better with the comic relief than Episode VII, and overall felt like a more natural flowing storyline. Because I liked this film more, I’ll switch it up and quickly list the points I didn’t like and expand on my favorite parts.

Things I didn’t like:

·         The use of lightspeed is just as bothersome in this movie as it was in The Force Awakens

·         More new aliens, including that crazy Bor Gullet thing that reads your thoughts – creepy!

·         I am not sure if I like or don’t like that the new movies put a small label in the corner every time a new planet is introduced…I will get back to you on this one.

·         There was no opening scene story crawl? What the hell?! This is one of the things that make Star Wars movies, Star Wars movies. Why did they get rid of it?

·         The Guardians of the Whills. For those who aren’t crazy fans, the Whills were part of the original concept of the Force. Lucas got rid of this aspect early in the development of Episode IV, and they haven’t appeared in any of the other films…until now. I wish they would have just kept them out of the story.

·         As I stated earlier, I don’t like that Disney is creating new planets, and the worst of all is Jedha. According to Rogue One, Jedha is a major planet for the Jedi but it doesn’t show up until this movie? It just doesn’t make sense and isn’t necessary.

Things I liked:

Old Characters Return

One of the main villains of this film is Grand Moff Tarkin, who is played by Peter Cushing in both this film and A New Hope. Peter Cushing died in 1994, and because this film takes place directly before A New Hope it wouldn’t have really worked to have a different actor play this character. Disney recreated him using digital technology, and for the most part this was generally well done. The voice worked sounded great and most of the time his character looked very realistic.

On top of bringing back Grand Moff Tarkin, they also brought back some of the more obscure characters. During the final space battle, the rebels show up to battle in X-Wings and Y-Wings to take on the Empire, and Disney used the pilots from A New Hope. If you look closely, you will recognize the pilots of the Red and Gold Squadron. However, the same technique was used for a final scene involving Princess Leia, and that felt too cheesy. Leia was only really used to show that the next scene would be the opening of A New Hope and they didn’t really need to show her face to get that message across.

Space Battle

The final space battle was freaking awesome! There were Rebel capitol ships duking it out with Star Destroyers. TIE fighters, X-Wings and Y-Wings were dogfighting for control of the sky. Finally, Vader and the Devastator show up to mop up the pesky rebels. Scenes like this are one of the reasons I love Star Wars films, and there have really only been two major space battles shown on screen before: the final battle in Return of the Jedi, which is epic, and the opening battle of Revenge of the Sith, which was lame because you knew there was no chance that Anakin or Obi-Wan were going to die. Hopefully future movies will have even more epic space battles!

SPOILER: Everyone Died!

Rogue One did a nice job of developing a new cast of characters for this film. Jyn Erso is the daughter of an Imperial Science officer, Cassian Andor is the Rebel Intelligence officer who is forced to do things he doesn’t like for the sake of the Rebel cause, and Saw Gerrera is a disillusioned Rebel Leader who has lost his way in his war with the Empire. Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus are guardians of the Whills who join the rebel cause, and they even added some comic relief with the presence of a rebel owned Imperial Droid, K-2SO.

Halfway through the movie I started to wonder, what is going to happen to these characters? Is Disney really going to kill everyone? None of the characters are in IV, V or VI so there really isn’t anything that they could do except kill them. But would they really spend $265 million developing characters just to kill them off? Are they going to keep them alive and develop a whole new series with these characters appearing in movies set around the original trilogy? Well I didn’t have to wonder about this for very long. By the end of the film every one of these characters was dead, and as much as I enjoyed getting to know them, it was the right way to end the movie.

Female Leads

This is really more of a “like” for both movies because they both have strong, lead female characters. The original trilogy only really has one female character, Princess Leia, and most other women are just in the background. The prequels included a few more women, but again, none of them were leads while Padme was a supporting character at best. But having no female leads won’t work in the new post 2010 world, so the new movies fixed this!  Both films have females in leading roles which helps make the film more appealing to the masses and makes the films easier to watch with girlfriends and wives.

 Overall, I am generally excited about the new direction of the Star Wars world. There are a lot of things to like in these new movies with expanded and parallel storylines and new actors and actresses. Disney has also avoided adding a Jar Jar Binks character who all Star Wars fans love to hate. There are still a handful of things that I don’t like, but I am willing to suffer through them so that I can continue enjoying the franchise that I love.  Luckily, Disney hasn’t shit the bed yet.

The Movie Guy