Keep your comments respectful, please! 💛 EDIT: It's been 3.5 hours since this video was pushed out and I SO APPRECIATE all of the civil discourse in this comment section about your likes and dislikes and more, thank you so much everyone. Side note: I mega apologize for the one or two pixel width gap on the far right side of the screen during this entire reaction. If you're like me and notice things like that, it can be a bit distracting at times, so I'm so sorry! Of course, I only noticed it once the video was uploaded and cleared and it would be been an absolute pain to fix. 😂 Thanks for watching! ✦ KL
This is the first time I come across your channel. Loved your reaction. Its my least favourite SW film but some of my friends love it and we always have a good laugh discussing our likes and dislikes over a few beers. But it's only in jest and Im impressed with the comments here. Everyone is being so civil. Which is the way it should be. I like hearing both sides... I just subscribed...
1. The same thing happened in A New Hope. We knew really nothing about the empire but that it was in power and evil just like the first order. Then its massive base blew up and only Vader was left. So no different than The Force Awakens. In empire, suddenly we see dozens of imperial ships and they're still very much in power and chasing the alliance that seemed to just be celebrating at the end of the movie. Same with the first order. They are spread throughout the universe and have bases all over. Also no doubt many fled the base when it was breaking up in the first movie. 2. Leia's scene was epic. Out of the blue it showed she did have the force and was able to anticipate what was coming to protect herself in the force then force pull herself back to the ship. That was an epic way to reveal what we assumed was true about Luke's sister. 3. Finn had a major arc. He started off the movie still running and only thinking of Rey but by the end he realized he was part of a bigger purpose and was willing to sacrifice himself head on for it to save everyone rather than running. 4. Rey has a special connection to the force so that's why she's able to do so much. You'll learn more 5. Something to ponder before watching the last movie. During Snoke interrogating Rey, the emperor's theme is playing and for a reason. 😉 It will pay off. 6. Poe's character arc was major in realizing how important it is to lead and not just act which will pay off in the final movie 7. There is also a major reason why Rey and kylo are so conflicted about each other. It also pays off in last movie! 😎👍 Can't wait till you watch it
@@briansview2886 with all due respect, new hope and force awakens endings, that lead into sequels is completely different. In OT They were an empire scatered throughout and rulling the galaxy for twenty so years. The first order was a rogue secret army hiding out on Starkiller base. Where were the other ships hiding and how did they get funding to become so huge in secret. The new Republic capital plannets had been blown up but they, like the empire had been governing the galaxy for thirty years.. so what happened to the rest of the Republic spread out throughout the gallaxy. Why didn't they come to help. Rian just wanted it to be just like empire strikes back, a cheap reset, so the good guys are the under dogs again. JJ is to be blamed for this too. You say finn arc was brilliant as he went from a coward, who only cared about Rey and wanting to run away. To being a brave resistance fighter. That's a complete repeat beat by best of his arc in force awakens... Leia could not have possibly survived in space for that long without her eyes popping out and freezing to death. That's why the fighter pilots wear those uniforms. Plus it was filmed terribley. People laughed out loud in the cinema. And Poe should not have been demouted. Not only did he just blow up star killer base but he made the right call blowing up the Dreadnaught. It was a fleet killer. When Leia demouted him, she never knew Hux had ability to track them through lightpeed. When they appeared, if that Dreadnaught had been there, they all be dead with its long firing range. That's why Leia let's him fight. There are so many plot holes in this film. Like why, instead of that boring slow space chase didn't the first order just light speed Infront of resistance, then take them out. They also had windows on there star destroyers. Did holdo not suspect that their very last ship, as it passed the planet, the escape shuttles would not be seen... And why not just tell her people the plan, they were down to last ship. I'm surprised the whole fleet hadn't caused a mutiny sooner. To them she was acting insane. There are many things to enjoy in this film and I'm glad you loved it. But the plotholes are gigantic and can't be ignored. It's lazy writing that should have gone through several more drafts to refine it. Rian is the only writer credited.. it's lazy rushed writing for such a huge film and middle part of a trilogy.
@Ralsei Acolyte cause he is God and the Dreadnaught would have killed all of them later if Poe hasn't took it out. Plus he had just hours before blew up starkiller base, saving them all
Loved your review and agree with you 100%. About the scene where Leia survived in space; I agree it was kinda corny but it is an actual fact that Jedi can survive the vacuum of space for a short time. They actually briefly show this in clone wars. Just thought I'd share that, no negativity here! Keep up the awesome reviews!
Fun trivia fact: The porgs, those birdlike creatures on the island, were created because the island on which they shot the scenes for Luke's exile is a bird sanctuary area and it is populated with puffins. These little porgs were conceived to cover up the native birds as they could not be feasibly moved. They were then worked into the story.
luke was projecting himself using the force, the dice disappeared because he brought them, part of the projection early in the movie kylo told rey that she couldnt have bridged their minds, or projected herself to him, cause the effort would kill her. they establish that its a massive exertion of power to do so. luke sacrificed himself by overexerting his force abilities in order to let leia and the resistance escape, the ultimate jedi move
@@ARandomInternetUser08 And with Anakin's lightsaber, which was split in half just hours earlier. Kylo should have known, but he was too consumed with anger to pay attention.
My feelings are that Lucasfilm thought they could do what Kevin Feige does for the MCU in that he plans out the movies as they go along. However, Feige plans out in “phase” increments in that he plans out everything for Phase 3 before moving on to Phase 4, 5, 6, etc. Star Wars is different because you have to have the entire plot laid out in three movies, not 21 (excluding the movies/shows from Phase 4); so, you can’t really change stuff as you go along. Plus, I feel that if Disney *really* wanted to take this radically new approach, they should’ve given the reigns to Rian Johnson in the TFA and let him handle the trilogy himself. My biggest point here is that Abrams and Johnson are so diametrically opposed to each other, that it was next to impossible for Disney to get this trilogy right. Abrams really just wanted to the original trilogy again, while Johnson wanted to go outside of the box and be more “artsy.” I feel that it was a necessary for the TFA to be essentially be ANH because as Nostalgia Critic put it in his review, Disney wanted to show that they could make an actual Star Wars movie after the negative reaction towards the prequels when they were released. The one thing that Disney did plan (allegedly) was that the Jedi figure was always meant to be a woman. A couple of years ago on the RUclips channel Film Theory, the sister channel to MatPat’s Game Theory, he talked in a video about how there was some leaked document from Disney executives where they stated that they “…wanted the main character [of the sequel trilogy] to be a woman.”
It is frustrating. Kaiielle hit on this, a bit. I can’t be upset that the plots went in unexpected directions and places. New and different is great. But the storylines begun in TFA, the potential trajectories, and mysteries were cut off in unsatisfying fashion. “Didn’t see that coming?” is not a sufficient narrative strategy.
I do love that Yoda came back for one last lesson to impart on Luke. Sure it would've been awesome to have it be Obi-Wan but having Yoda do it just feels proper. Makes you wonder how many students had he seen fall and try to come to terms with it?
I don’t think you could have obi wan because you would have to use Alec Guinness and unfortunately you can’t unless you cgi him or possibly use Ewan mcgregor
I'll note that Kylo prompts Rey to say who her parents were but SHE says they were "nobody" first which I consider important. It's not him revealing something to her that may or not be a lie. it's literally what she already knows but has told HERSELF couldn't be true because she's lived alone for so long and longs for family and community. Prior to the end of the movie she hasn't even met Poe and at the start only really knew Finn who was in coma, Chewie and Leia so the Resistance is hardly that community at this point. I know some folks see Kylo's "you come from nothing, join me" as manipulation but to me reads more similarly to say Mr. Darcy's initial proposal to Elizabeth in Pride and Predjudice. He's not trying to coerce or trick her, he's just a dummy who doesn't know how to talk to a pretty girl from a polar opposite upbringing. He's grown up burdened with all the legacies of being the son of THE Han Solo, THE Leia Organa, and nephew of THE Luke Skywalker and feeling completely isolated in that (something snoke latches onto while he's young.) They both see the possibility of connection with each other. To him it's a way out of the weight of bloodlines and dynasties, he wants it all gone but burning the past entirely means not learning from it. (like how yoda goes ahead and burns the tree cause luke needed to move and then we see the texts in a drawer in the Falcon because as yoda says cleverly "Wisdom they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess" cause she literally took them. ) She sees who he could be but again like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy can't in good conscience take his hand while he's on the path he's on
Keep in mind most of the comments explaining things came from the books and comics written after, and those writers had to figure things out on their own.
@@magicconchshell Difference being Clone Wars was still created by Lucas. The books and comic writers for the sequels had to figure things out on their own because JJ and RJ didn't explain them anything.
Anakin: "Took me over a decade of training to be strong in the force." Luke: "Took me 4 years to just barely be skilled." Rey: "I became a god in 2 days."
I still have trouble understanding how Luke thought he could save Darth Vader and didn't want to kill him, but wanted to murder his own nephew, because of the "darkness inside of him?" Makes ZERO sense. You're telling me Kylo is more in touch with the dark side than Darth Vader? Nonsense. Laughable even. I really wanted to like these movies, but I can't. Rogue One was the ONLY new Star Wars film I actually enjoyed. This trilogy is lazy.
Luke spends one day traveling with Ben and can then use the force to destroy the Death Star. Luke spends a few days with Yoda and then leaves to challenge Darth Vader and ends up holding his own. Anakin has never been in space but jumps in a star fighter and wrecks an entire droid fleet including a battleship as a child. To complain about time compression is to fail to understand the difference between reality and myth. Mythic quests and journeys typically ignore time constraints.
@@vandalhooch9773 You don't think Luke being an exceptional pilot had ANYTHING to do with him destroying the Death Star? It was ALL the force? Luke held his own with Vader? Really? One hand severed and resorting to throwing yourself off a tall structure, just to escape is "holding your own?" Or could it be that Darth/Anakin knowing that Luke was all he had left of his love for Padme, went easier on him? Think Luke would fare well with end of Rogue One Vader? Mythic quests are but a part of the allure of Star Wars, but what makes it endure is the STORYTELLING. And as with most, if not all great stories, the most satisfying element is the consistency of the narrative. An arc is one thing, but for things to exist almost in opposition to how they existed before is off-putting and distracts from the overall story. THAT'S why so many people dislike these movies. Luke throws his lightsaber over his shoulder flippantly after it's handed to him by Rey? Really? I doubt it.
@@vandalhooch9773 -Luke actually trained with Ben, and used that same training to time the firing of the torpedoes at the correct moment, just like he times when to swing his saber to block. Next time he used the force to grab his saber, he struggled for a minute just to do it. -Luke barely held his own against Vader, and lost his hand, and was covered in bruises and broken bones the moment Vader decided to no longer play around. -Anakin tried podracing and lost each time, improving each time as well. And still crashed his fighter once auto pilot was removed. Then flew out using the same strategy he used in podracing. DId Rey have a trial and error moment? No. She prefectly flew the falcon, a ship that requires two pilots against first order tie fighters. She suddenly used the force to resist Kylo, and ran around Starkiller base using the force like a pro, defeating someone with 20 years of training from Luke and Snoke, the first two she held a saber.
I love this movie. The opening is very engaging, but it does dwindle once the different storylines happen at the same time. I like the Rose/Finn and Poe stuff and while it does enforce the themes of hope and all that, it suffers when put against all the stuff with Luke, Rey, Kylo, and Snoke which all of that is fantastic. I find DJ an interesting character and how he brings up how things aren’t black and white in the galaxy. Holdo gets better with each watch I think because her approach to things make sense if you consider the disorganization of the resistance, and if she announced her plan, some traitor would inform the first order or something, and Poe wasn’t making himself to be trustworthy. The second half of the movie is perfect imo. The way everything comes together, the holdo ship crash, the throne room fight, phasma vs Finn. It’s great. Then the Crait battle is visually gorgeous, and also how Poe and Finn’s arcs cross paths. Poe goes from recklessly sacrificing everyone to playing it smart and being a leader influenced by Leia and Holdo. And Finn goes from being cowardly to willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Luke’s arc was fantastic, excellent acting from Mark Hamill and the way he plays the shame and pain is great. I think him even considering and beginning to act on killing his own nephew and then prompting all the pain and death he feared is more than enough to beget his exile. Then Rey and Yoda make him realize he can learn from that failure and return as a true Jedi. His confrontation with Kylo is probably the most “Jedi” thing anyone has ever done in the franchise based on how Yoda explained it in Empire “a Jedi uses the force for defense, never for attack” and Luke sacrificing himself, and him dying made sense because Kylo said earlier that Rey couldn’t be projecting herself because “the effort would kill you”. Rey and Ben’s progression was my favorite part of the movie. The way Rey starts off hating him but then after being rejected by Luke and not finding the answers she is looking for she feels alone. They are both alone and are disappointed by the people they thought they could look up to. They find their similarities and both try to convince each other to join the other, but ultimately their interests come into conflict with each other. Rey choosing to help the resistance brings her back to her friends, while Kylo choosing to become Supreme Leader for power leaves him alone again. The writing is fantastic in this movie not to mention the gorgeous visuals, it’s all very well directed imo I love it.
I can't disagree more. Johnson was more worried about visuals rather than story telling and developing characters. As she said, it's the longest movie and we don't know who Holdo is (no backstory whatsoever), Snoke was a wasted character, Phasma was a wasted character, Hux was a wasted character, but we got mirror Rey, we got red salt, we got casino world, we got red room. Finn and Rose were able to leave the fight and comeback while before it's over. And Johnson destroyed every plot that the Force Awakens started. Who's Rey's parents? They're nobody. Who's Snoke? Doesn't matter, kill him. Who's Phasma? Doesn't matter, kill her. What is Luke going to do? Throws the lightsaber over his shoulder. Overall, I actually hate this movie.
I actually like Kylo Ren's outbursts, it really hammers home that this is a man who left home and parent's at 10 years old to become a Jedi, and never went home again. He acts like a moody teenager, because he has the emotional maturity of one.
Finn definitely gets let down by TLJ, but he does have an arc, it's just not especially well conveyed. He goes from not wanting to join the resistance, just wanting to escape and make sure Rey's safe, to understanding that he can't just run and hide, that the First Order needs to be stopped, that the Resistance is important, and that freedom is a cause worth fighting, sacrificing, and even dying for. Unfortunately, the movie does not spend enough time clearly showing us Finn's journey. A lot of people assume that Finn is just fully on board with the Resistance at the beginning of the movie because of his role in taking out Starkiller base, and because that's how it worked with Luke. But he was only there for Rey. There is a deleted scene where he clearly reiterates that he's not with the resistance that would have been near the beginning of the film, but it got cut for time sadly. Personally, I think there were better cuts to make, that scene would have served Finn and the movie much better. I would argue that Finn's suicide run makes more sense for his arc than Poe's, because Poes arc is about learning the difference between wasteful acts of heroism and the true heroism of putting the needs of the resistance ahead of acts of glory. For Finn though, committing to that run, even though it was a dumb idea that wouldn't actually help anything, is symbolic of his realization of the importance of defeating the First Order. I'm not crazy about *how* Rose saved Finn, as it was just as likely to kill them both as it was to save him. I do love her message to him though, we aren't going to win by destroying what we hate, but by saving what we love. I think that would have worked better if she had talked him out of it over the radio with that line instead. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I truly did not read the kiss as romantic. It was barely a peck. To me it was simply a punctuation to her point, a simple acknowledgement that love is what matters, and not in a romantic sense, but in an all encompassing sense. So for me the kiss was a non issue, and I never got the impression they were being set up as a potential couple.
One thing that I don’t think a lot of people pay attention to is Finn and Rose’s respective arcs. Just like Finn, Rose actually has a very strong arc throughout TLJ. Where Finn goes from only being concerned with Rey and her safety to understanding the need for the Resistance to defeat the First Order, Rose goes from grief at losing her sister, and a desire to destroy the systems and institutions that created the situation that killed her, to realizing that even wrecking the casino or destroying the entire First Order fleet wouldn’t give her what she really wants-her sister back. In the end she resolves to stop Finn’s sacrifice and save him because it’s what she wishes she could have done for her sister. Their respective arcs put them at odds against each other the whole way through the movie, and that’s some very interesting writing. Unfortunately the end result wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.
In a way I'm really glad to hear you criticise this movie as I do wonder if most reactors just give positive feedback just because they feel its expected of them. I might be wrong though. So basically its nice to hear that you'll give your honest opinion no matter what. personally I really really don't like what Disney have done with the franchise at all. However I still decided to watch your reactions to their movies as I really enjoyed your reactions to the other movies. I was pleased to hear your opinions on this one and I thought you had some great insights. Plus I really like your editing. I think you've pretty much got everything nailed. Keep up the good work.
Instant like for asking the haters to exit! Star Wars belongs to everyone. While the sequel trilogy is at the bottom of the trilogies for me I still enjoy them. I LOVE the cinematography in the sequels.
In the Force Awakens, the First Order controls a whole section of the outer rim. They have multiple planets aside from Starkiller Base and a large fleet. They are stymied from reconquering the galaxy because the Republic has a larger fleet. However, with the destruction of the Republic capitol system, the Republic fleet was also wiped out, removing the final obstacle for the First Order's return.
I might not like a lot of stuff in these movies, but I can absolutely say bullying people for liking this movie or the next one is just unnecessary. I agree with the CinemaWins philosophy of any movie can be someones fav, and theres no need to hate for that.
Just some responses that will hopefully clarify things: Starkiller Base was destroyed, but the entire group of planets housing the New Republic were blown up by Starkiller Base in the last film. So yes, the Republic is decimated, and that's consistent with the events of the last film. It was a pretty major plot point. Meanwhile, the First Order has an entire fleet of ships outside of what was on Starkiller. Just like how after the Death Star was destroyed in A New Hope, the Empire still ruled with the majority of its fleet of officers existing on other ships. If you're going to criticize this film for not spelling that out, you must give the same scrutiny to The Empire Strikes Back, in my opinion. The dice disappearing was because they were part of the projection illusion Luke created. He was never physically there on Cait, so therefore, neither were the dice. Leia realizes this as soon as Luke's projection puts them in her hand. She doesn't feel it. She gives him a shocked look, and he gives a mischievous grin in return. :) Finn definitely has wasted potential throughout these movies, but I wouldn't say this film completely fails in adding to his character arc. In the last film, and for a good portion of this one, everything Finn does against the First Order is just to get back to Rey, and not to serve a more selfless greater good. By this film's end, that has changed. He faces and defeats his former captain, declaring himself a "Rebel" for the first time, and yes, he attempts a selfless act against the cannon at the end, perhaps in vein, but at least the action shows his character growth. The reason why I *don't* think it should have been Poe is because Poe's character arc makes sense for him to now be *against* foolhearty sacrifices when it ends up just dwindling allied numbers at little gain. Poe becomes the wiser, Leia figure in that situation telling the brash pilot, now Finn, to stop, think, and live to fight another day. In my opinion, both characters end up exactly where they they needed to. Poe was acting like a toxic, entitled man who deserved to know all of Holdo's plans despite the fact that she outranked him, and she was likely worried about spies and wasn't sure who to trust among those she didn't know well--especially Poe, who has just been demoted by Leia for mishandling information and acting brashly without thinking. Leia exhales and braces herself before she is blown into space, she created a shield around herself (you can see particles floating in place around her), age she used the Force pull ability to literally pull herself toward the ship to safety. It might look weird to some people, but there is precedent for each of these abilities elsewhere in the movies and shows. Luke continued to research the Jedi after failing with Ben Solo, and he ultimately became convinced that the Jedi Order itself was a misinterpretation of the Force and therefore should end ("that Force does not belong to the Jedi," he says in the film). His exile to the island was about much more than just Ben Solo; that initial failure sent him off on his quest to learn more in hopes of improving the Jedi way, but it was the subsequent information he learned that ultimately convinced him to close himself off to the Force and let the legacy die off. He felt he was doing right by the Force. He wasn't merely sulking. Yes, his way was ultimately misguided, but once he taps into the Force again, Yoda's spirit is able to contact him and help him see that. And ultimately, Luke changes his mind and does help salvage the Jedi by protecting Rey and the Resistance. Also, a particularly nice touch: at the end of the last film, Luke simply stood there and didn't take his old saber. At the start of this one when Rey walks right up to him and puts it in his hand, Luke tosses it aside. Before she leaves the island, she holds it out one last time and Luke still refuses to take it if his own accord. This symbolizes his unwillingness to join the fight. But at the end, when he projects himself onto Cait, he gives his projection that same exact lightsaber--not the green one that he built himself, but the exact same Skywalker legacy saber that Rey wanted him to take the entire time. It's his way of visually showing those watching that he finally does support Rey's cause. Just some food for thought.
Appreciate this breakdown a lot, thank you. I think a lot of this stuff I will pick up more in future watches, where a camera isn't on, and am not doing this for RUclips. Kinda one of the downsides of doing this for YT, tbh. I also think my opinions on bits and pieces of this film will change over time.
@@kaiielle And hey, if your views on it never change, that's fine too. Yours were critiques of genuine desire for the film to be more coherent, and that's much different from most people who hate on this film because it simply didn't give them what they personally wanted. Without spoiling anything specific, I will say this: if you're wanting a more gradual transition into the sequel trilogy that makes their events and character arcs feel more organic, then watch the shows. All of them. They're leading into that, slowly, and I have no idea how it's all going to fit together, but I'm excited!!
You pretty much nailed most people's criticism of the movie. A big problem was the change in writing and directing. There is such a tonal difference it can be distracting. It becomes even more awkward in the next one. Either way excellent review/reaction .
I love what you said in your intro because it's just spot on. I have been a *huge* Star Wars fan ever since my dad took me to see The Empire Strikes back in the theater (yeah, I'm old as dirt). These movies have had more of an impact on my life that I could possibly explain so it makes me very sad to say this - the Star Wars fandom is one of the most toxic out there and I will never understand why. I get that people are extremely passionate about these movies. So am I, but that does not give them a free pass to be a-holes. I am one of those people that absolutely loathes these last two movies (for a number of reasons) but there are a lot of people who really like them, and that's totally fine. I'm sure there are movies I like that those people think are pieces of crap. So what?! People like what they like and that is their right. They should not be made to feel they have to explain, defend, or justify it to anyone. Some folks just need to chill the hell out.
I don't agree with you on star wars fans being the most toxic fans. Every community has toxic people. SW is a very big franchise with the biggest fanbase. Of course they are loud, even when they split by different opinions. I'm 100% against almost everything Disney did with SW so far (the exception being Rogue One). I was furious after I saw The Last Jedi for months, but made my peace since then, and now i can let go of any expectations when watching new SW content. I think what most people misundertood about the TLJ backlash, is that fans who not just love the movies, but were deep into the Expanded Universe stuff have a pretty massive understanding of what FEELS or does NOT feel Star Wars. It's really hard to explain. But lots of us feels this movie and the next lacks the soul a SW movie should possess. I'm totally OK with people enjoying these movies, but i think it's unfair to label fans with more passion than them "toxic", just because they disagree.
@@NordWinter87 I think you misunderstood me. Let me clarify. I agree with pretty much everything you said, particularly about the sequel trilogy lacking any soul like the previous trilogies had. I can't even talk about TLJ. I prefer to pretend it never existed. When I said the SW fan base is the most toxic, it's not because people disagree. That's going to happen in any franchise in any medium. Being passionate is one thing, but being mean-spirited, insulting and condescending is quite another. I see that kind of bullying behavior far more in the SW fan base than I do any other fandom. As I said in my original comment, I have loved this franchise since I was 8 years old when my dad took me to the theater to see Empire so I *completely* understand people's emotional attachment. I really do. But that does not give anyone the right to be vicious and cruel to someone who has a different viewpoint or enjoys content that they don't. I suppose you're right in that every community will have toxic people but it just seems a disproportionately large percentage with SW fans.
Disney screwed Star Wars up with the sequels so what you call toxicity is just the anger of passionate fans (who also got attacked by Disney itself and the bought off media). That is what created the anger. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Over the years I appreciate this just like the prequels.. but giving control of the story to someone new each time, makes a difference. Can't wait for the next.
@@kaiielle but the same director didn't do the original trilogy. Lucas directed episode IV, Kershner directed episode V, and Marquand directed episode VI.
@@havok6280 True but Lucas was the glue that kept all three of the original trilogy coherent. You did not have one person's consistent vision to glue Episodes 7-9 together.
The lightspeed kamikaze is cool...but it unfortunately can't happen in Star Wars. It's one of those "they thought it was cool and didn't think about it beyond that." Fun fact: Hyperdrives will not activate if there's an obstacle. It's also why you need to punch in coordinates, so the computer can determine which path won't slam you into a planet. They'll also deactivate once you near anything with a field of gravity. It ultimately brings up a flaw that asks, "During the Clone Wars, why didn't the Separatists just use hyperspace capable kamikaze ships with droids if it's THIS effective?"
Even more impressive about Mark's performance is seeing the documentary about making this film where they show Rian Johnson breaking mark's psychological limits causing Mark to go down to the ground cutled into a ball crying and as he pats mark on the back in a comforting gesture he gives the camera a smirk of absolute gleeful joy at Mark's suffering.
For many of those that didn't care for this movie I think the character assassination of Luke is the biggest factor. They took a character who inspired hope and always looked for the light in people and made him see darkness in his nephew and the thought that crossed his mind was to kill him? He couldn't even consider killing his father knowing that he was the second most evil being in the galaxy but Ben with a lot of conflict was too much? It didn't make sense from who he was to who he became.
Someone might have already said it, but we first saw a ‘Force communication’ in ESB when Vader and Luke were talking to each other from different starships at the end of the movie
The sequel trilogy is the only era of Star Wars that I unequivocally love. The 3 Lego specials so far (Holiday Special, Terrifying Tales, and Summer Vacation) are great character studies into the main trio of Rey, Poe, and Finn post trilogy, while also being just generally enjoyable.
What sucks is that theses movies have some of the most beautiful shots out of all the Star Wars movies. But in my opinion, they did a lot of things wrong in terms of writing, which ruins the movies for me
34:05 You'll notice this was the same music in the scene in Return of The Jedi where Luke tells Leia she is his sister. Was so awesome to see in the theater.
Kaiielle, you may have known in the years that you have been alive people who can do "everything", but how did they come to be able to accomplish those things? What did it took? How much time did they dedicate to dominate those things they do well? This is a situation of nature vs nurture and Jedi training is the nurture that allows for Jedi-like things to be accomplished by Force-sensitive people. If you don't need Jedi training to do Jedi things, then what is the point of Jedi training? Jedi training is turned into a joke, the Jedi are a joke, and the whole story is a joke, and that is precisely what the people behind these movies did to Star Wars. What did Yoda, in his last of moments of deathbed lucidity, say to Luke? He literally lamented that his training was not complete. THAT is how important Jedi training is to a Jedi. And how do these people treat Jedi training in The Last Jedi? They make that green puppet pretending to be Yoda say that someone with NO training can be let go because "She has everything she needs". She took the Jedi books? How many pages you think she read before she got to Snoke? Is that how much of a joke Jedi training is? To the point it can be substituted with the reading of some books? These people took Star Wars and turned it into another dumb Marvel movie where people defecate superpowers out of thin air. Biology is potential, experience realizes that potential. The Jedi Council in Episode 1 was willing to let young Anakin go without training because they knew that without training something in him would not realize. "It's too dangerous" - Mace Windu. Too dangerous = the absence of training doesn't give Anakin the Jedi tools that could be used for evil. The Cloners in Kamino couldn't just make do with Jango Fett's genes and make soldiers, NO, they trained the clones to turn them into soldiers because just having Fett's genes doesn't show you how to shoot a gun. There are precedents in the real Star Wars lore that points to the necessity of mentorship in order to realize your potential as a Jedi. Mentorship is such a key and inescapable element of the mythology (which mirrors reality) that not even the Sith can escape it: "Always two, there are. No more. No less. A Master and an apprentice." But what about Wonder Rey? What was her training? You yourself pointed out how the events between these two movies take place back to back, with no passage of time. Can Jedi training be exchanged with a solo internship in a junkyard? Is that how much of a joke the Jedi and the Jedi training are to the point that fighting scrubs and scavenging broken ships make you an equal and even superior to a trained Force user (Kylo) and wise enough to lecture a Jedi Master (Luke)?
@@kaiielle Thank you for taking the time to read all that. lol There is a lot of conflict in the comment section now because of these movies but once you get to the Mandalorian, if you eventually do, things will take a turn and people will calm dawn, I bet. lol Not much war going on because of The Mandalorian.
I originally liked the movie in theater but after thinking about what i actually saw… i started to hate it. Specifically what they did with luke. There is no way in hell anyone can convince me this is what luke would have done after return of the jedi.
My main issue with how he was in this movie was just the lack of explaining why. People can change DRASTICALLY in 30 years. I would have liked more of a showing as to why he was this way. Ideally a whole movie set sometime between ROTJ and TFA would be perfect.
@@kaiielle yeah i agree people can change especially over three decades but… doing this wrecked luke’s standing as the most hopeful hero in the star wars universe. He saw good in vader when no one else did and now he did a 180. Even with a proper explanation why, it doesnt change the fact that lukes character is ruined. All in solely my opinion, of course. Not trying to be argumentative in any way, just explaining why i have a problem with the movie.
@@kaiielle thanks, looking forward to your next star wars reaction! Im happy to see that you genuinely analyze the movies unlike other reactors who are pretty superficial.
@@Brandon_501 Thank you! Recording the end of my videos is the most fun for me. As soon as the movie is over, I open up a document on my PC and start dumping out my thoughts. I think this video took an hour of writing my talking points out before I started recording it. It's a really enjoyable part of this experience for me, so I'm glad that there are people who enjoy it.
Hey kaiielle, great reaction! I really appreciate your honest review here. As a standalone movie, it's a perfectly competent film with cool sets and visuals, but the writing really does a huge disservice. Since I don't want to repeat anything anyone else has said, I'll provide my input from a Navy veteran's perspective and as a long-time fan of the written novels. As a submariner (keeping mind that we're talking space navies, warships, and people in isolated metal tubes), Holdo is an infuriating character because TLJ goes out of its way to glorify loathsome characteristics that would be unbecoming of an officer in any professional military where people have to work together to perform highly technical tasks (aka not your normal "grunts"). Leadership *isn't* about telling people _what_ to do, it's about _convincing_ people to do the things that are needed by the larger organization by (1) telling them about the mission (2) telling them why the mission is necessary and (3) explaining what the individual's role is in the performance of that mission. And you can do all that without sacrificing operational security whatsoever. I knew what my role was on my boat: keep the nuclear power plant in good running condition and handle any changes in boat speed (aka "shut up and push" as the non-engineering folk are wont to say). I knew that we, as a crew, served the purpose of nuclear deterrence -- preventing countries like Russia from firing nukes at us. That didn't mean I (personally) needed to know the boat's location or when we were going to turn left, but they generally had answers when we had questions. They also didn't treat us like we were complete children who could be abused at any time. Watching Leia slap Po in the face, in public, to show maternal dominance is extremely unprofessional, demoralizing, and immature. If the captain of a submarine ever slapped a junior officer over a disagreement in tactics, he'd face harsh scrutiny thereafter. Like Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, Leia's actions didn't speak to her stability, but rather it demonstrated the opposite. She sets a poor example for Holdo, who repeats the same error. Like Chris Rock, Po demonstrates better composure by not responding in kind. When you join the military, you get a lot of reading material. For the Navy, one of the most crucial books is called "The Bluejacket's Manual", which describes all kinds of things about military life and the expectations that are placed on sailors. They have sections specifically about leadership, and what you should expect from your superiors (and what people should expect from you, as you raise in ranks and become a leader yourself). I still have this book 20 years later and will quote it for you now: The Bluejacket's Manual (22nd edition, Chapter 4, page 79): " _Good leaders are concerned with more than simply getting a job done. _*_How_*_ the job gets done is also important. What good is a leader who gets a job done but loses the respect of his or her crew in the process? What good is a leader whose methods result in dissention, disorganization, ineffectiveness, or poor morale? ... Good leaders find ways to cause individuals to carry out an assignment willingly rather than out of fear of reprisal._ _... Reverse roles. This is a form of the so-called Golden Rule that appears in the culture of all civilized societies. Whenever you are dealing with subordinates, always treat them the way you would want to be treated if your roles were reversed._ _... Praise in public; correct in private. ... When you have to correct a subordinate, do it in privacy. Embarrassing an individual adds nothing to the learning experience, and learning is the intended purpose of correcting someone who has done something wrong._ _... Keep your subordinates informed. No one likes to be kept in the dark. And a person is usually better able to do a job if he or she understands why that job needs to be done and how it fits into the "big picture". For these reasons, you should keep your subordinates informed as much as possible. Sometimes, for security or other reasons, there will be things you cannot share with your subordinates. But unless these conditions exist, you should make it a common practice to give your subordinates as much information as you can about what they are doing and why they are doing it. This will improve morale and will often help them do a better job._ " Everything Holdo does in this movie is frankly gross. The unprofessionalism, the snide immaturity, the teenager's snarls she beams at Po, it all reeks. I won't say the U.S. Navy doesn't have a lot of "bad" leaders at different commands, but if anyone really acted like Holdo in a life-or-death situation, you'd 100% have a real life mutiny on your hands. Her behavior should not be glorified, and anyone who's served in the armed forces should be quick to clarify this is not how real militaries operate. (Yes, it's fiction, but the writer's ability to create empathetic characters and convey meaningful tales of morality is strictly based on the relatability of the psychology of the characters -- who are decidedly human)
As far as the lore problem, Rian Johnson fully misunderstands George Lucas' meaning of "light" and "dark". To Lucas, "light" is where there is symbiosis between the Force and the force user; "dark" is when the user takes too much, like a cancer or a parasite. When Snoke speaks of light and dark "rising" to "meet" each other, and being opposite sides of the same thing -- that's all wrong. Completely wrong. Rian is thinking of light and dark in a literal interpretation of shadows, whereas Lucas literally had a whole prequel trilogy about the boy who was supposed to bring "balance" to the force by ending the *entire* Sith menace. Meaning NO Sith. All Jedi. No "darkness". "Balance", to Lucas, is when there is only light. "Balance" to Johnson, is when there is only turmoil... from the presence of both light and dark. In Rian's interpretation, the Force intentionally created the Emperor so he could kill all the Jedi, so that there would only be two Sith and only two Jedi. That's NOT the prophecy that the Jedi were excited about (ask Lucas!). Rian's movie also basically says that the Force gives its power to people not by lineage (the way Lucas did), but rather by the Force itself knowing ahead of time which side a user will fall on -- like picking a conservative or liberal judge to be on a court. TLJ fans incorrectly think this is an "optimistic" portrayal of force power acquisition -- proof of freedom! -- but it's literally the opposite. The fact that we got a black woman on the Supreme Court isn't because SHE willed herself to be there -- she's there because of the will of THE PEOPLE (Remember guys? Democracy?). It's the total inverse of individual agency. To be sure, her individual determination resulted in credentials that made her a viable candidate, but there is a big difference between saying, "You can increase your chances of being *selected* by the Force to wield force powers" and saying *"Anyone* can be a force user". Like being a Supreme Court judge, the "anyone" is only rhetorical -- you have to meet certain criteria first, and then the final choice still isn't yours! The philosophical ramifications of these misinterpretations aren't trivial: Rian's take is darkly nihilistic. What's the point of curing cancer if the Force itself will kill people through a different disease (a different "darkness") to counteract the "light" you bring to the universe? Why do anything good, if bad is literally created as a direct consequence of your goodness? This is literally what the movie said about Luke's motivation to go to a distant planet "to die". That is nihilism, not optimism. It's depressing that the optimistic Luke of the original trilogy was warped into a nihilistic character who awaited only death. And Rey didn't change his mind, in my view, as others have argued. He didn't kill Kylo Ren, he didn't stop him in any meaningful way... all he did was delay Kylo and kill himself. Which was his goal at the beginning of the movie.
My experience with Star Wars is always so weird. I really don't like going to theaters so I always have to wait till these movies come to streaming or Blu-ray. But I also am a huge star wars nerd who loves reading all the tie-in books and comics. So I learned about Holdo WAYYYY before seeing this, in the book Leia: Princess of Alderaan. So I actually ended up getting super emotional about her sacrifice, of which I feel like I am the only one. 😆
Unpopular opinion but I actually like the sequel trilogy. It’s not perfect and not without problems but none of the three trilogies are perfect and I enjoyed watching all of these immensely when they first came out. I like the characters and there are some pretty good ideas behind it.
I, like many hate this movie or more importantly it's director for how he impacted the whole franchise AND wasted this movies potential AND how it meant Ep 9 was arguably doomed to fail. *However* this has always been the most funny SW film for me, despite the hate, I cannot watch this without having a huge grin during the Kylo Luke fight, as well as the confrontation with Snoke. I've had a blast re living with everyone all the good and the bad SW has to offer, and this movie was no different!
@@willfanofmanyii3751 the duel of the fates script was so much better. Was a great conclusion to the entire saga and it Had great scenes with r2 and 3po together again like they should. Just because JJ created bb8 doesn't mean be has to keep replacing R2. The guy has such an ego. Despite Carrie passing, with some adjustments in Script, the could ve still used it .
You right about Sith's Rule of two, when Master dead (usually by his apprentice's hands), the apprentice become a master, but in sequels there are not a Sith for now, last of Sith order was Darth Sidious, Kylo Ren and Snoke are not the Sith, Kylo is a member of new order (Knight of Ren, which not explored so much in canon) and about Snoke you will know later
Imagine if you will that you had a project that was your baby. You worked on it everyday for years. You invested your money and time into it. It meant EVERYTHING to you. Then in a blink of an eye, it was taken from you. And it would take you many years to get back what you lost. I don't know about you, but I would feel deflated, depressed, etc. That was Luke in this situation. The worst part is that he blamed himself because he briefly gave into weakness because of it.
One thing all Star Wars fans CAN agree on with this film: The scene with shirtless Kylo Ren is holy and must be preserved at all costs. Also gave rise to great meme 'Ben Swolo' 😂
Luke never knew his father, only knew him as Darth Vader, but believed there was still good in him and could be saved. Luke has a bad dream about Ben Solo who he's known his entire life and goes "imma kill this kid" Guess the kid slaying urge is genetic
Mark Hamill was low key dissing this movie constantly - even going so far as to call the character he was meant to portray here "Jake Skywalker". The problem is that Rian Johnson is a budget M Night Shyamalan and his entire deal here was to subvert expectations for the sake of it. Everyone expected Rey's parentage to be a big deal and so he had her parents be nobodies. The Emperor was powerful and could have easily killed Luke when he refused to fight, so Snoke dies in the most pathetic way possible. Finn was about to sacrifice himself in truly heroic exit, so he was denied that. Leia looks like she's dead, so she has a Mary Poppins moment that looks ridiculous. Luke looks like he's coming around, but then it's just a force projection and he dies from exertion. The movie is the ultimate troll for the sake of being a troll and it was so effective that Colin Trevarow had to ditch his entire script for Episode 9 (which is because there was no grand unifying plan between all 3 movies here) and wound up quitting over creative differences. This movie divided and alienated the fans so much that Solo wound up losing money at the box office, because people deserted it in droves. This wound up causing so much of a mess with no loos ends properly being left open, that Episode 9 is a bit of a mess that doesn't really make anyone happy. Mind you the writing was on the wall with Rogue One. One of LucasArts' earliest Star Wars video games that wasn't a video game retelling of the original trilogy, was Dark Forces. It told the story of not only how the Rebels got the Death Star plans, but a major side story between Episodes 4 and 5. The main character, Kyle Katarn, took on a life of their own when in the sequel game, they learned they were Force sensitive and eventually became an instructor at Luke Skywalker's reformed Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. That was just tossed aside, like the rest of the Expanded Universe, by Kathleen Kennedy, who lied and claimed that the failures of the Sequel Trilogy were because they had nothing to work with. In reality, there are hundreds of books which were written covering more than 40 years after Return of the Jedi. There was no Ben Solo, but Ben Skywalker, who was the child of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade - a former force sensitive operative of the Emperor's. Han and Leia had 3 children - twins Jacen and Jaina and their younger brother Anakin - with Jacen's story arc taking a very tragic and dark turn - one which paralleled that of his grandfather, but was even more tragic. Most fans regard the Thrawn Trilogy, written in 1991 by Timothy Zahn and set 5 years after ROTJ, as the unofficial episodes 7-9, while the Jedi Academy Trilogy, written in 1994 by Kevin J Anderson and set 2 years after the Thrawn Trilogy, is regarded as the unofficial episodes 10-12. I don't know if you like audio books, but if you're loving Star Wars as much as you sound like you are, you really should check out those stories. It will be another reason why you come to understand the ire which many fans hold towards the Sequel Trilogy.
I've had a bunch of folks recommend SW books to me now and I'll def add them to the list. I have so many series on my list and working through two at the moment (one of them being The Expanse book series... one of my favourite TV shows of all time). One day I will get to them. Thanks for your comment!
One other thing I'll add. Rey being perfect at everything is a problem when her story is supposed to be a hero's journey. We're meant to see someone with talent struggle and show promise: everything looks great for them in the 1st act, in the 2nd act they struggle and wind up in a dark valley where they're at their lowest point by its end and then they rise up to their true peak in the 3rd act. The OT did this well with all of Luke's strengths being weaknesses in the 2nd act and leading to a downfall which culminated in the loss of his hand. None of that happened with Rey, which is why she's rightly criticised as a Mary Sue, which is ultimately a criticism of how the character was written and directed, rather than of the idea of Rey or of Daisy Ridley's portrayal of her per se.
Hello Miss beautiful Kaiielle. 38:22 I agree with you 100% on your thoughts and opinions on this movie. It could have been better. We saw this opening night in the theater and groups of people were badmouthing it in the lobby afterwards and everyone was pissed that they killed Luke off and that there was not actually a real lightsaber fight. I did like how they went outside the box unlike other Star Wars movies but I felt they went too far outside the box. Maybe in the future they can make a director's cut of this movie to improve most of the flaws.
The Resistance in the books and comics is pretty messy at times too. A lot of them are children of former Rebels, including Poe. So your criticism of them isn't wrong, even in universe. lol
Leah had force ability, it was just something she hid. If you watch closely she holds her breath. I think she knew they were coming because she felt Ben/Kylos distress when the troopers fired. She does take a breath and hold it. But it’s very discreet
Here’s my two cents and feelings about this film. I think for me personally the second rewatch is where I I think I fell in love with this movie. Ultimately this movie is a deconstruction of what Star Wars is all while celebrating it. “Failure” is the theme of this movie and what it means for every character. For example Poe is a hotshot pilot who wants to be a hero without the responsibility of that means. At beginning he’s willing to sacrifice the bombers if it means destroying a Dreadnaught, but then when Leia comes back, he’s reminded of what’s important: The people he’s fighting for and with. That’s why he tells everyone to pull back in Crait, he’s learned his place. As for Finn, right off the bat we’re reminded of his motivation: Rey. It’s not fighting for whats right or the resistance, it’s saving himself and Rey. Rose and the Codebreaker act as the Devil and Angel on his shoulders, leading Finn to see his place in all this. Through Rose he finds that everyone is suffering in this war, and with the Codebreaker not everything is clear. Unfortunately Finn takes the two extremes and hyper focuses on the wrong thing. When he finds purpose to fight, he’s doing it to hurt the First Order, not save the Resistance. That’s why Rose stops him(still cringe) but it’s to show him why purpose matters. His sacrifice is supposed to be an inverse of Rose’s sister but corrected. Now for my favorite: Rey. Rey’s journey first begins with identity and finding her place in the greater world, but she’s reserved to let the Legend of Luke Skywalker do the work, and I mean who wouldn’t? And here’s where the deconstruction is most obvious. The point of the prequels is to show us how the Jedi slowly fell. They were not peacemakers, they were soldiers fighting for a corrupt government. Resorting to war or violence and ignoring the basic tenets. Yeah the lightsaber fights are sick in the Prequels, but that’s NOT what a Jedi is. Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back said it best. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” Yoda sees his failure with the Jedi Order, that’s why he’s hesitant to train Luke and reminds him not to resort to violence. That’s why Luke focused on the legacy of the Jedi, because the legacy is failure but again remember this is a deconstruction and a celebration so Luke is ultimately wrong. The true legacy of the Jedi is failure and redemption through righting their mistakes. But more on that later. Luke is my favorite character in this movie, because he’s a commentary on our idealization for the Jedi AND him. Luke cannot fail, Luke has to win, because he’s Luke Skywalker…A Legend. He’s burdened by his legacy to the point that he’s overwhelmed by it. I mean this Luke Skywalker, he destroyed the Death Star, defeated Vader and brought peace. How dare he fail? So imagine how he feels coupled with his ultimate failure: Ben. As SW fans we have this preconceived notion that once you conquer the dark side, you’ll never be tempted or suffer from it. That’s far from the truth. The dark side will be there forever, tempting you to turn or act out. Which is why Luke turned his lightsaber on. He never fell, but he experienced it like a fleeting shadow. At that moment under the weight of his legacy and his hubris, he failed Kylo. And now standing as his opposite is Rey, the girl with no legacy asking for help. She has no greater place is this story but she has something to lose, the need to belong. That’s why she attaches herself to Luke. To create an identity, to find meaning in herself. Which is why the truth hurts when she finds that she comes from nothing. She always knew but ran away. Now Kylo wants to use her insecurity so he too can find his place in all this. As Luke is burdened by his legend, Kylo is under pressure into becoming a dark side master, or an heir to Vader. Kylo in his conflict decides to end the cycle and begin his own. He wants to destroy the past because it’s standing in the way of his future, of what he wants. So he’s trying to destroy everything that represents it. The republic, the resistance, Luke, Leia(tried) and Snoke. He sees Rey as an ally, something that isn’t held back by legacy or the past, something he can mold. Which is why he’s mad when Rey won’t join him, she’s holding unto everything he’s tried to destroyed. And you know how he’s over it? He let Rey hold Anakin’s lightsaber. He doesn’t want it anymore. He holds it back from her because she wants to go back to the past. That’s what that tension between the two is. The pull of the lightsaber as all 3 stories begin to converge, all their failures stacked, their belief’s challenged, all crashes together. Because everyone is unbalanced. There’s too much deconstruction but not for the right reasons. Which is why the Yoda scene rings true and feels enlightening. You have to learn from the past, from your mistakes. It’s the only way to move on. Crait is the culmination of all their lessons. Rey embracing the truth and making her purpose. Finn fighting for more than Rey and himself, but most importantly for the right reasons, and Poe becoming the leader instead of a cool hero. Kylo is the force deconstruction at their heels, while Luke is the embodiment of celebration. So Luke uses his failure; his own legend to distract and rile Kylo up. That’s why he looks younger, why he had Anakin’s lightsaber(despite being destroyed), he was using the past to trick him. Because he’s obsessed with destroying it that he can’t see past it. Anyways I’ll end with this. What I like about the ending is that again, this movie is a deconstruction that reminds us why we love SW. That boy at the end represents us as children when we watched the movies and fell in love with the legend of Luke Skywalker.
I really love and appreciate this comment a lot, thank you for breaking down how you feel about it! Definitely seeing it in another perspective and can't wait to watch it again with this in mind.
I just love your content, i saw almost all your reactions of the previous movies, and this is the first time watching this. I just want to say, i just loved your words you said in the intro. So much respect, serious mind (in a lovely way of course), you just enjoy and feel the movies like music makes you feeling things, you know what i mean. You just have a beautiful heart and you're so chill and funny! Loved your channel Cheers and hugs 🖤🖤🖤
Phasma was criminally underused in both films, and it's a shame she got killed off in this one. Her original final battle with Finn is worlds better than what they went with in the final cut, and I'm kinda boggled that they chose this version over that much stronger one. Definitely worth seeking out the deleted scene for that. If they had used that scene in this movie, it not only would have made Finn's arc considerably stronger, but also been a much more satisfying end for Phasma as well.
@@kaiielle Right? Like it is clearly superior in every respect. I honestly can't imagine the thought process behind cutting it in favour of what we got instead :p
If i had to Rank all of the movies i would go like this 1. Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back ( 99% ) 2. Episode 6: Return Of The Jedi ( 97% ) 3. Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith ( 95% ) 4. Episode 4: A New Hope ( 91% ) 5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ( 86% ) 6. Episode 7: The Force Awakens ( 72% ) 7. Episode 9: The Rise Of Skywalker ( 65% ) 8. Solo: A Star Wars Story ( 56% ) 9. Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones ( 49% ) 10. Episode 8: The Last Jedi ( 46% ) 11. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace ( 43% ) 12. The Clone Wars Movie ( 30% )
I'm not too sure where I'd put the spin off's, but for the main 9 I'd go: 1) Revenge of the Sith (10/10) 2) The Empire Strikes Back (10/10) 3) Return of the Jedi (9/10) 4) A New Hope (8/10) 5) The Phantom Menace (8/10) 6) Attack of the Clones (7/10) 7) The Last Jedi (6/10) 8) The Force Awakens (5/10) 9) The Rise of Skywalker (4/10) :)
@@onemoreminute0543 Yeah i used to Really Hate Episode 9 with a burning passion if you ask me to rank the movies a month ago it would be below TcW movie but over the time after rewatching it i thought it was a great movie just not a great star wars movie Same Goes for TfA
Another one of my favorite scenes is when Rey is about to leave the Falcon to face Kylo Ren and Snoke. She wants Chewie to pass a message to Finn. Chewie makes a suggestion (which we don’t understand) and she agrees. It’s just a little bit of Rey recognizing and respecting Chewie. It gives him agency like Han used to.
You say that but it also feels lazy "Chewy tell Finn...." "RAAGGHHSG" "Yeah tell him that" It leaves the message up to the audience, like the "I have a bad feeling about this" being said by BB8 and Poe says "happy beeps buddy"
Another wonderful reaction! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker after your first watch. I agree with your criticisms of the film but am glad you're able to find things to enjoy as well.
I didn't think the movie was bad. I had a problem that J.J. didn't do all three or that it didn't feel like a shared vision between the two directors. When The Mandalorian switches directors, you still feel continuity. When J.J. handed it over to Rian, it felt like two different francises. Dave Feloni is going to have to do a whole new animated series like The Clone Wars to clean up this story! That said, I love Rey as a character regardless of what other people think.
@@SDfan2002yes they did but George Lucas for the most part had the story mapped out and he was involved during the OT. Changing directors in the sequel trilogy without a coherent direction was a mistake.
@@P.HATHCOX The only problem is The Rise of Skywalker. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi flow together and tell a cohesive story, but then that final movie dropped the ball. It’s the same for me with the ORIGINAL trilogy. Love the first 2 films… hate the 3rd one. As for the Prequels, I just hate all 3 of them.
I would be honest, I love this movie, after Ep III it is my second favorite SW movie. I know for many it can be “stupid” or “bad” movie, but I just love it. It has without any question the best visuals and cinematography, new point of view on the Force and the story (even if it’s not the best) is at least original (unlike Ep VII). Yeah some characters aren’t my favorite (like Rose or Finn) but I really love Snoke here as a villain (his design, voice and powers are so cool + his guards at least do something unlike Palpatine’s), Kylo Ren is amazing, Rey is good character but I just don’t like how good she is in everything and of course Luke. Luke is for me believable character here, becose we change our opinions and personality as we get old so even tho they could do his decisions better I feel his character was done pretty good on those circumstances (plus I love the redemtion arc at the end and Yoda’s lesson about failure), and if someone says he doesn’t make any sence, Obi-Wan and Yoda did the same thing (“failed” and went into exile and Yoda even didn’t want to teach Luke). As for Holdo, I disliked her at first but at the end I liked her redemtion (also love her character in Jurassic Park so…). Overall I must say I just don’t understand the hate, but I respect if someone dislike this movie even if I love it (becose I for example didn’t enjoy New Hope, Return of the Jedi, Phantom Menace, Rogue One and SOLO but that doesn’t mean someone else don’t love them). I just so respect people like you who even if they didn’t enjoy this movie as much as me, still doesn’t want any toxic haters here and respect others opinion, great reaction as well.
I love Snoke too, but to be fair to Palpatine's Royal Guards, they were of comparable strength and skill to Snoke's Praetorian Guards, the only difference is that the Emperor sent them away in Return of the Jedi when the big confrontation went down so we never got to see them jump into a fight, whereas Snoke kept his guards with him in his throne room, so they were able to jump into the fight. So I wouldn't downplay Palpatine's Royal Guards that much, as they get lots of time to shine in other Star Wars media.
@@TheGreater-ScopeVillain I agree but I will always remember them for that 1 second in Ep III (when Yoda just waves them out of the way like socks). Sad but we don’t have much of them as badass guards in the movies.
Also, thank you for recognizing Rey as a capable person. She is a survivor. She can take care of herself. She has very little fear except when it comes to the lack of guidance she’s had in life. She does know good from evil which is why she couldn’t go with Ben.
This movie ultimately killed the sequels for me. The Force Awakens was already quite disappointing to me, so I went into The Last Jedi with rock-bottom expectations and it _still_ manged to disappoint. As you point out, there are good aspects to it, but it lacked almost everything good that the previous six films had. It's such a forgettable film that I barely remember anything when I go to watch a reaction to it. I wasn't particularly enthused to watch The Rise of Skywalker and, when all the reviews about it were suggesting it was bad, I lost any desire to see it merely for completeness' sake. The original trilogy was supposed to depict the Rebellion gaining the upper hand through their new hope in Luke who allowed Anakin to return to the light and bring balance to the Force by destroying the remaining two Sith (Palpatine and himself). The finale was supposed to be triumphant and the future hopeful and free of fascism. Instead of just bulldozing over that accomplishment the sequels should have started from there, with the Empire mostly defeated and only remnants remaining, the Rebels having to form a government and discover that it's probably even harder than waging a guerilla war against a fascist dictatorship with in-fighting between former allies. Start with the New Republic on rocky ground, still trying to prove to the Galaxy that it's better than the Empire was, then introduce some new threat, not just the same threat copied with a new skin. Maybe there's a sect of Dark Jedi who had been kept in check by the Sith but have now been unleashed, they operate more like the original Jedi Order but Dark, with several members, instead of the Sith with just two. Or maybe there's a threat to the Force itself, maybe there's a disease that causes living things to come apart from the Force and what this means to Luke's New Jedi Order, maybe even having to ally with Dark force users to fight the new threat. Make the story something new, something interesting, something that expands on the Universe and lore. With callbacks and recurring themes, sure, but not just the same story tweaked a bit. Unfortunately, we didn't get that. I'd much rather go back and read more of the Extended Universe (I refuse to call it "Legends") than continue with the main series. That said, I am _perfectly_ happy for other people to like them, I can certainly see the appeal to some just, unfortunately, not for me.
There are a lot of details in this movie that can be easily missed. Even more so if you have expectations that ultimately didn’t come true. I personally love this movie. I happen to love a lot of things people hate. For starters the main theme of this movie is failure. It highlights Poe’s failure as a commander. Luke’s failure as a Jedi master, uncle, brother, and friend. Which is kind of a lot if you think about it. Just because he was confident in his 20’s doesn’t mean he will always be confident 30 some years later. Shame and regret can be powerful and destructive forces on one’s life. Finn is not yet a rebel. He’s still terrified of the First Order. I liked Rose because she’s smart and not special but she’s part of the resistance. Plus she’s there to teach Finn why they’re fighting. I liked Holdo too because she’s a strong leader. Poe expecting to know everything about their plans is unrealistic. Grunts are the last people to know the big plan. Twice he fails to respect his superiors and it costs them lives. It wasn’t until the end that he understood and learned not every battle can be won. I loved Leia in space because it is the second time we see her use the force. All she did was pull herself towards the ship. And yes Star Wars is more fantasy than true Sci-fi so I’m ok with it. I just loved it! But I’ve also been a fan from the beginning. Probably the biggest complaint is for the Canto Bight planet. But I liked that it highlighted the true enemies to peace: the wealthy people who profit from the war. Through Rose you also understand how so many throughout the galaxy are taken advantage of and used as pawns. DJ is not so much evil as he is an opportunist taking advantage of Finn and Rose’s naïveté. Kylo Ren starts with failing to bring Rey to Snoke. Only after building somewhat of a relationship with Rey does he see a different path. But despite his claims of having moved on he still struggles with his own power and what it’s all for. Snoke showed him the power of the dark side but power by itself is empty. This is why he’s drawn to Rey. She fills the hole in him in a way nobody else can. Both Ben and Rey see the future through the force but only what they want to see. Rey’s dark side cave was similar to the test that Luke went through on Dagobah. Fear is the dark side. For Luke it was the one who killed his father. For Rey it was being abandoned. She was looking for someone to show her the way forward but ultimately she needed to learn to lead her own life. In the end Rey stays true to herself and the resistance. (And the Jedi in case you missed what happened to the Jedi texts) Luke redeems himself with one final glorious act of self-sacrifice. And the resistance lives on to fight another day.
Love this comment, thank you for explaining how you feel about the movie and everything within it. Definitely keeping this in mind with the second watch.
Love your insight that the theme is failure. From that perspective I can Agree with many of your points. The big thing I disagree with is Holdo is not a strong leader , she is abrasive. She made her friction with Poe personal. Bad writing if she was meant to be the character in the right. Which the movie seem to imply. Audiences rightly felt that dissonance. For comparison, I can easily envision Captain Janeway of Star Trek setting Poe straight without having to explain herself; no problemo.
@@LLLLLL-wp9bz As someone who served in the military, questioning an Admiral the way Poe did is a good way to get guard duty. Your expectation doesn’t match a military culture. Poe was not a good leader in the beginning of the movie. He absolutely deserved his demotion for not following orders and losing their entire bomber fleet. Holdo called him out for his failure. She doesn’t have to answer to pilots. An abrasive Admiral would have had him sent to the brig for openly disrespecting a superior officer. Your Star Trek example is apples to oranges. They aren’t fighting the same kind of enemy nor under the same kind of duress.
@@Corndog642 I’ll start off agreeing that Poe did need to learn leadership and teamwork skills. That is his story arc. … But I very much doubt you’ll ever convince me that Holdo was a strong leader. Having to fall back on military culture and rank to effect action or change is adequate leadership at best. True leadership inspires trust and loyalty such that subordinates do follow your commands unquestioned (and awesome leaders have subordinates that know when they themselves are in a better position to make the call and make the right call.). The fact that Holdo failed to communicate as a good leader so much so that she effectively had a mutiny on her hands makes her a subpar leader.
Kylo and Rey's relationship and Luke's final shot were the best parts of the movie... Thankfully, in my opinion, Rise of Skywalker redeems this trilogy in many ways and Its Definitely my favorite of the 3 despite it not being a perfect film.
Wow you are one of the few people I’ve seen with this point of view that I mostly agree with. Why do you think some people attack The Rise of Skywalker so much?
@@ralfuz777 honestly I'm not sure.. obviously no spoilers but I think they were unhappy with the direction they took certain characters... It's not perfect like I said but it had essentially all the payoffs I wanted and expected to get... I knew I wouldn't get them all but what I got I was satisfied with... I'll comment more once the video is posted haha
The island Luke's on was filmed on the island of Skellig Michael just off the south east coast of Ireland. It's a nature reserve for Puffins, hence the Porgs (it was cheaper to change their appearance digitally than it was to outright remove them.)
@@kaiielle Oh important side note, it has the ruins of the first monks who brought Christianity to Ireland just like in the film you see the ruins of the first monks to create the Jedi order.
i think the start of your criticisms segment sums up the sequel trilogy 'so much potential that just didn't happen'. there's definitely stuff to like in each movie, but unfortunately i think the negatives out way the positives overall. at least for me anyway ;-;
One thing a lot of people miss. The boy at the end with the broom, rewind back to the moment when he grabs the broom. The foreshadowing is strong with this one.
I actually liked the GENERAL IDEA of this movie, like Knights of the Old Republic, you can see how Luke sees that the Jedi are kind of bad at being a beacon of goodness and it is not as easy as one might think. He sees that the Jedi do need to change and that he couldn't just remake the Jedi. Yoda confirms and says that traditions need to change. But the problem is that he already knew that at the end of ROTJ. Luke didn't kill his father. Light rejected smiting Dark and chose love for the Dark, a choice that Yoda didn't see then. It would be amazing to see Luke actually show what is different between the Mace Windus and Yodas of the Old Jedi Order and the New Jedi Order. I think that the reason older Star Wars fans find it so hard to grasp is that we already got this story in arguably a better told telling of events through books and some games so in our heads we have a misfire trigger and feel gaslit that this is the real story which is a more problematic story. Why is it problematic? This story creates such a mess regarding IRL minorities by directly attacking them (as opposed to just offhand really really insensitive stereotypes of the prequels, yeah that that also sucked but that wasn't so pointedly an aimed attack). Luke's character being completely out of character was a slap to the face to amputees. Finn was a baited slap to the black community, Poe Dameron (a Guatemalan) was talked down to by a (white-savior) woman in power and Rose Tico (played by a Vietnamese) fulfilled all the stereotypes of an Asian woman driver and that black men still can't have a relationship with a white woman (or a a handsome male pilot). Kathleen Kennedy while attempting to build up white women power instead created a quasi-feminists empowerment movement through the suppression of other minorities. Feminists need better leaders.
I'm going to post replies as I go through the thoughts section because it's easier that way, so do forgive the multiple posts. It's important to remember that Starkiller base was just a weapon, and not the home of the First Order. The majority of the First Order were not on or at Starkiller base. It was a secret weapons project, so the majority of the First Order wouldn't even have been aware of it. It had enough personnel to operate the weapon and defend the base, but it was not the main repository of their military forces. The First Order is made up of the remnants of the Empire. Systems that either remained loyal, or where Imperial rule endured. The First Order isn't a small faction, but a sizeable government that controls a significant percentage of the Galaxy. For ease of understanding, and these numbers are in no way official, but think of the First Order as ruling maybe 20% of the galaxy.
One thing I liked about this movie is there’s no time skip. The Republic capital (Hosnian Prime) was just destroyed. They were evacuating the base, and here comes the First Order rolling up and ambushing them.
Phasma was a great character. I'm disappointed in the way they took her out. When I watched it the first time I was thinking something like "um, ok I guess that just happened". It felt kind of meh.
The movie wants you to side with Holdo because Holdo is right. She's in command. With Leia incapacitated, as senior-most officer, Holdo doesn't have to answer to anyone. Poe is questioning her orders in public, scheming behind her back, and pulls a mutiny... In what world is he in the right?
To me the best parts are with the original characters because there is history there and characters people know and love. Like people rag on the actors, actors can only do what is written. This movie suffers from bad writing. Like for instance when they go on and on about how the animals are treated and Rose goes out of the way to free the animals. On first watch I’m like cool they freed them, but then when you watch it again they go on and on about the animals and free them….. yet they leave the slave children behind.
I get what you mean with the disorganized Resistance, but they did make a pretty big point about all of their high command but Leia dying on the bridge. Probably the high command was the only group of people who were actually experienced and once they got wiped out it was just hotshot rookies like Poe trying to take control.
All of your criticisms are very well said and I almost totally agree. There are great moments in the Sequels but as a whole the story falls apart SO much for me. Like all the actors and actresses are great! But like Admiral Ackbar could have just taken Holdo’s role in this film and they needed to give Luke better reasons for hiding. This one is my favorite Sequel tho still somehow 😅
For me still the best Star Wars movie. Easily a 10/10. Second place would be Episode 5. When it first released I was mixed about it and my feeling turned back and forth all the time for the first 1,5 years. But after that I started to permanently love this movie. Back then I also had times where I hated it. I thought it was the worst Star Wars movie and thought that everything Disney did with Star Wars is bad. So I think it's interesting how much my opinions changed towards it. Definitely something that doesn't happen often.
Thank you for sharing! I have a feeling that my opinions will adjust over time too. It's natural that happens as personal circumstances and experiences change. I'm going to be releasing an "overall thoughts about Star Wars" video on May 4th, that will be recorded after I complete a second watch through of all 11 movies, without the camera on, in silence. Just me and a notepad. I am also going to watch my first reactions back and note anything that my opinion may have already changed on. I'm super excited to do this.
@@kaiielle Very excited for that. Yeah, The Last Jedi is one of these movies that people change their minds on after watching it a second time. Most people have mixed feelings after finishing it. And after the second viewing the opinion goes into one direction in a very clear way. The ones who give it a 1/10 and say it's the worst movie ever made and the ones who give it a 9-10/10 and say it's a masterpiece. There are some people who are in between that but when you look at the reactions online, most people are very clear about their feelings towards it. With The Force Awakens or The Rise of Skywalker it's pretty clear after watching it the first time. If you loved it, you'll still love it in the future and if you hated it, you'll still hate it in the future. But The Last Jedi is such an ambitious movie that challenges the audience and especially the hardcore fans. It's not an easy pill to swallow for most people.
@@RamielDerLinke It's fascinating to me that these two movies seriously divided the fan base into two. I dunno if that's happened with any other franchise?
@@kaiielle It definitely happened with The Last of Us when Part 2 came out in 2020. The first game was loved by everyone and everyone was excited for the second part. When that one came out, people said that it is a brilliant continuation of the first game and others said that it completely ruins the first game and its characters. The debates were very comparable to the ones on The Last Jedi. Only difference is that Star Wars was a 40 year old movie franchise when The Last Jedi came out and The Last of Us has only been 7 years old when Part 2 released. And of course Star Wars is much bigger than The Last of Us. But it was very similar.
@@RamielDerLinke Great comparison. While I haven't played TLOU games (don't own a PS), I watched full playthroughs of both games here on RUclips. I am definitely in the camp of people who really enjoyed TLOU2. I honestly really enjoy how the story was portrayed through the eyes of two different people connected to the situation in two very heartbreaking ways.
I'm always interested in seeing new reactions to this movie in particular, and I can respect the opinions of those who enjoy it, even though I don't enjoy it myself. You and I had similar first reactions to the movie overall, with one initial difference: I had seen the trailer before the movie came out where Luke says, "It's time for the Jedi to end," and that had already rubbed me the wrong way. I was worried they would even go as far as having Luke fall to the dark side (also since the title text for TLJ is colored red rather than yellow), which I would've hated. So I was actually more willing to accept his real failure with Kylo, especially once it seemed like Luke was going to rejoin the fight, fix his mistakes, and fulfill his duty of restoring the jedi order. But Luke's death was too much for me to accept, because it made his failures permanent. He left the galaxy alone and didn't offer any meaningful help once he briefly returned, he didn't do anything to help redeem Ben, and he didn't play any role in restoring the jedi order. I know that isn't a problem for everyone, but as someone who watched the original trilogy over and over as a kid, I never had any interest in seeing Luke broken down to that extent, especially when the justification for his cynicism was as thin as it was. I don't begrudge anyone liking the movies, and even though I had preferences about the sequels focusing on a new jedi order, I was ready to go along with their direction until the choices they made with Luke became incompatible with my enjoyment of his character in the originals.
Another example of the cemented version of characters due to repeated viewings over decades in dissonance with the story in front of them. There’s a reason Rogue One is generally the most well received of the new movies by older fans. None of the primary characters existed in anyone’s memory before the movie premiered. No one was experiencing wave after wave of dissonance between memory and what was on screen on premiere night.
@@vandalhooch9773 Rogue One is over-rated. One thing Rogue One got right, unlike Solo, was the droids. Droids are the best part about the original. Edit: remove the Droid from Rogue One and movie sucks. Remove the Droid from Solo and it's much better.
Regarding Luke's mindset in this movie, the galaxy see's him as the saviour of the galaxy, the man who stopped darth vader and the last of the jedi But in reality Luke went to rescue his father and that was his only mission in ROTJ He said himself "I'm a jedi like my father before me" meaning Luke never saw himself like the original jedi that protected the republic for thousands of years So fast forward to learning about Ben's possible future and all Luke has to guide him are the horrible teachings of the old jedi which is: dont talk about the dark side / kill the dark side. So he takes it upon himself to be like Mace Windu and stop the darkness before it happens but because he is a good person like his father he stops there and is left with consequence The failures of Luke in the movie are actually the failures of the Jedi as a whole. Which is why Yoda was the one to remove the burden from him as the Jedi's downfall was his fault
So I am a 40+ year old Star Wars fan and I really REALLY liked The Force Awakens and was super hyped to see this one. I sat down in the theater opening night excited for some answers and left very very confused as to what I had just watched. My confusion however turned into absolutely hating it the more I thought about it. You hit a lot of the same issues I had with this movie in your criticism of it, but just to expand upon some of it from my point of view: The worst part of this movie by far is the way Luke is handled. It felt like an absolute character assassination and there is no reason given why he has changed that much. As you said people change, but if you are going to go this wild you better explain it and they don't. It just feels kinda gross to do that to the character and the fans who they had hyped up "Omg Luke Skywalker is going to be in these movies!" to. Mark Hamill himself won't come out directly and say it but he does not seem happy about it either. Right behind Luke is Rey. I know you said you didn't mind it but at least you recognize Rey is pretty much the Omega Mary Sue character in this movie. The best at everything, everyone loves her, everything goes her way and doesn't experience any real hardships. The funny part is I rolled my eyes at the people who called her a Mary Sue in the first movie cause I was like ok well come on its the first movie surely they are going to explain this and throw some hardships in her wa... no... nope she's uh a total Mary Sue. WOW. Last one I will really get into is the whole space chase/hyperspace track plot that takes up a huge part of the movie. It is nonsensical. First of all, tracking through hyperspace was shown to be possible in the very first movie. They tracked the Falcon back to the Rebel base. Their first thought should have been omg we have a traitor who has a tracker on the ship but they acted like it shouldn't be possible at all. But THEN Finn also agrees it's impossible to track through hyperspace only to minutes later say he not only mopped the floor in the tracker room but knows exactly how it works and that every ship has one. WAT. Oh and capital ships running out of fuel had never been a thing till just now. So that was weird that it was suddenly a big plot device. Also Holdo just explaining to people what is going on as more and more panic sets in would have helped a lot as opposed to telling Poe to just go away and obey without question. I could keep going but uh yeah I didn't like it. lol
To claim that Luke’s character was assassinated seems to say more about your expectations than it does about the movie itself. From his last appearance in 1983, fans that grew up with the original trilogies have had decades to imagine what Luke has gone on to do and become. Supplement those imaginings with the dozens of books and games from numerous different authors and our brains are filled with an idea of who Luke is now and anything that doesn’t fit those visions is immediately rejected as “wrong.” That’s why TFW tends to go down better with original fans. Han and Leia are portrayed as nearly unchanged from their last appearance in 1983. There is no dissonance with our memories. You may have noticed that most reactors who have come to the saga recently don’t tend to see Luke’s attitude as “assassination” of the character. They haven’t had decades of rewatches of the original trilogy to cement the characters in their minds. They don’t tend to see the mind bridge as BS because for them they are still learning what the force is and how it works. Older fans tend to dislike it and my own initial reaction was rejection because my own countless rewatches never allowed that such a thing was possible. This all reminds me of how much I initially disliked the prequels because it added so much stuff that wasn’t there in the originals . . . midichlorians, space diners, threepio’s origin, Jango. But the kids who only saw the originals once or twice before growing up with the prequels tend to not have a problem with those things. Now that they are older though, a lot of them seem to be going through the same initial rejection of the sequels that I had for the prequels. For many of us, there seems to be a sweet spot in age that allows the particular trilogy current for the time to become cemented in our memories as the “real” Star Wars. Just watch, the kids growing up with the current movies will invariably hate the next set of films released 10-15 years from now even as their own children love them. That is, if Disney allows enough time to pass for the sequels to become cemented. Now the nitpicks, tracking through hyperspace in ANH and TPM was only possibly because a transmitter was physically placed aboard the Falcon and Slave-1. This tracking was different. No homing beacon. Finn did not say anything about knowing where the tracking room was. Rose, as an engineer, deduced that the tracking would have to be done in conjunction with certain equipment that all starships possess already. Finn simply possessed the knowledge of where that particular equipment would be located. The mirroring of his dialogue to Rose’s explanation of how the tracking works is a common script tool used in many films to allow the audience to more easily accept what is really utter nonsense dialogue. Having multiple characters agree that this gibberish makes sense gives the viewer’s brain permission to ignore the hard task of trying to actually reason out what it all means. If the second character doesn’t mirror or seems to express doubt or confusion then the viewer will also feel the same way. If that isn’t what the writer or director wants the audience to feel then they have to take steps to prevent it. You will find this technique used all the time. It isn’t a plot hole it’s the storyteller telling you what the important pieces of information are and what dialogue can be safely ignored. My biggest problem with the chase is that the First Order should be more than capable of projecting the Resistance fleet’s course and send one Destroyer ahead through hyperspace to cut them off. I may of disliked the chase plot mechanic but it’s no worse than the Falcon fleeing the Imperial Fleet in the Hoth system and somehow ending up in the Noad system despite having never gotten its light speed engines to work.
People complained about The Force Awakens being too much like the original trilogy, then people complained about this movie being too different from other Star Wars movies. Other than a few elements of this one I think this and Rogue One are the best of the Disney Star Wars movies.
@@kaiielle there’s kinda a saying that nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans. It has a real toxic side of the fandom. Some people have been complaining that “that’s not my Star Wars” since Return of the Jedi. To me Star Wars is like pizza, where even when it isn’t very good it’s still better than most other things I could eat.
@@PrinceIMC Love that analogy. And yes, I've learned that nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans... some of the comments on previous videos and on other people's reaction videos have showed me that.
Starkiller base was just a weapon/battle station and not all of the First Order was there (like what happened with the Death Star). The New Republic was destroyed in TFA, when the Starkiller base weapon destroyed several planets at once.
I think when I watch all the movies again, this is the one I'm most excited to revisit, I actually haven't watched it since seeing it in theaters. Was great hanging in the premiere for this, and great video as always
The boldest thing this movie put forward was that the Jedi ideology (and Sith) were false layers on a greater power that didn't take sides. Luke (and Kylo) were on the right path to truly bringing balance to the Force by "killing the past", but the fans didn't like the sharp turn away from the old "good versus evil" theme of Star Wars, so it died on the vine. The best thing about this movie was that it was thought provoking and made people think outside the box about Star Wars. People complained that Ep 7 was "more of the same" so Rian Johnson turned the story on its head and the other half of the fanbase complained. The worst thing about this movie (which is about the sequel trilogy as a whole) was that each movie was written independent of an overarching storyline. They just winged it as it went and it shows but the abrupt plot changes from movie to movie. It was approached more like an anthology than a true story that spanned 3 movies. LucasFilm dropped the ball hard with the lack of story continuity.
So I ended up loving this film in theaters. However I am 100% behind you on the criticism. I wanted to see Leia use the Force since she has it due to being a Skywalker. So I loved seeing it in this film. The problem I have though is I think flying Space Leia could have been done better, I felt it was very, out of not character for her persay but out of character story telling? If that made sense? Luke’s arch I think is SO large and I do believe that the film did good for what it was. Meaning they had to write others arch’s too, I think if we focused too much on Luke it would take away from the rest of the rest of the film. I would love to learn more about Luke over the last 30 years.
I promise nothing I say here is meant to be hateful or disrespectful toward anyone 🙏🏻 Boy have I been waiting for this though! I’m not going to touch on every little thing because that would break the RUclips comment character limit (get it, there is no limit lolololol 🙃). I do agree with almost every criticism you had, with exception to admiral Holdo. I’m not exactly sure where your dislike (or lack of positive feeling) toward her comes from, but that’s okay, we don’t have to agree on each character. I think that Poe was lacking in leadership, Leia demoted him, Holdo had begun evacuating to the small planet, Poe didn’t need to know as he was demoted and their butting heads began. In the end she made the noble sacrifice as any good leader would, and here we are. Let’s talk about the bridge being blown up scene. First and foremost, they did admiral Akbar very dirty. I don’t think we even saw his death, just heard about it later when they mention ‘all of our leaders died on the bridge’. As a fan favorite and meme star, I was very disappointed to see him go out like a unimportant character. That’s obviously not my biggest gripe with that scene though. Leia. Here’s the thing. I don’t need to explain how much we (the Star Wars fandom) loved Leia, so when Carrie Fisher died, it was obviously a sad and emotional time. There was a fear among people that she’d be killed off in the opening crawl (which would’ve been the worst thing they could’ve done) so when we saw her, there was much excitement. Seeing the movie for the first time, seeing the bridge get blown up, I remember thinking ‘what a beautiful way to send the princess off’ and then they pull whatever the heck you wanna call that and keep her alive. I’ve never heard of the force keeping someone alive in space, where there’s no oxygen, or heat. Not to mention the ship should’ve started going down due to pressure destabilizing. Leia should’ve died there, it would’ve been the right thing to do. Secondly, Luke. Even Mark Hamill said he didn’t like how Luke had become. You’re right, he shouldn’t have closed himself off to the entire galaxy because of what happened with Ben. That’s an overreaction and a cowards way out. If Ben truly did turn evil and Luke ran to hide, he was letting evil win. That’s not the Luke we know. The force projection was very cool and I appreciated the whit and sarcasm he showed in goading Ben into a fight in order to stall and let his friends escape. However, it killed him? He used up so much energy that it killed him? I don’t know, that seems a little whack to me. Finn and Rose, why were they in the movie? They set off on a mission to find this master code breaker who you said (and I agree) was very cool, and they end up meeting this guy who acts hella sus and then kinda wins our hearts over by giving Rose back he necklace but then turns them into the first order? I get it, he was looking out for himself but what did they accomplish? Nothing. The only thing that happened as a result of their hour ish time on screen was the line from Finn where he responds to Phasma saying ‘rebel scum’ showing that he’s no longer running from the first order and will fight them. Please, give me back my hour of time 😩 Speaking of wasted screen time, why did Snoke exist? He had such a small role in episode 7 but set himself up as the big baddy. We got to see him in 8 and he was badasssssss. Then he just, dies? He wasn’t able to sense Ben’s motivation? I thought it was whack then, and after seeing 9 I really think it’s whack 😂 When this movie first came out, I hatedddddddd it but you’ve got to understand something, I don’t feel this way about any movie. I consider myself a fan, not a critic. I enjoy whatever they put out because it’s their universe, their story, I’m just here to soak it in and enjoy it. Holy hell though, what the heck was this film. My position has softened over the years, probably because time heals all wounds or something but I can now say some of the stuff I liked about the movie because when it came out that list was zero 😂 The action scenes are really good. The room where Snoke sat, as you said, looked amazing. That battle scene between Rey, Ben and those red guards, *chefs kiss* very cool. The visual of seeing Holdo ship fly into the first order ship, very cool and chilling. The salt planet with the red lines, very cool. Just about anything positive I’ve got to say will be about visuals because the writing was 💩 I admire anyone who actually liked the movie because as much as I pride myself as being someone who can put myself in other peoples shoes well, I cannot for the life of me understand why this movie was created. This question is so interesting in fact that after you watch some more stuff I’ll reveal a fan theory that might blow your mind 😳, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you at this point. Appreciate the reactions and your perspective, I think it’s unique and in depth which I value. I know you’ve only recently started watching them so you aren’t carrying around 20+ years of a love of Star Wars with you. This film just makes me *shakes fist* wanna yell at Dinkleberg! Excited to see what you think of 9, I actually rather enjoyed it ☺️
This was not hateful or disrespectful at all. This is exactly how I want comments about disliking something to be. About Holdo: I think part of it may just be because we don't have any background on her at all, she wasn't in previous movies and we don't know who she is. So to me it felt like she was storming in and kind of "taking over" much to the disagreements of folks that had been around a bit. That being said, I totally understand what you're saying and perhaps with future watches, my opinion about her will change.
I'm really not sold on the new trilogy and on this film in particular. My biggest gripe was: why bring back characters I love to just give them minimal screentime (R2/Threepio) or to kill them (Han/Luke). I also find the "slow space chase" to be unbelievable. Apart from that, you've raised every issue I had with the film and you've made it more acceptable to me (I promise I wasn't a rabid fan who hated on anyone, just a "disliker" of the film). So thanks for that. Your perspective made it better for me.
Yep, totally agree on pretty much the entire reaction! I'm still 50/50 on the whole film after multiple watches. I will say tho, i really appreciated Holdo as a character, and will forever wish they'd got a droid to pilot the ship. Laura Dern is far too good to waste! Can't wait for the next reaction vid :)
Hi KL! I reckon you would love The Mandalorian! Especially when you touched on a film about Luke set between ROTJ and TFA! Oh dear! I think I may have said too much!👍🤘
@@kaiiellewatching the scene with Leia Really got me me though because of Carrie Fischer's passing....hit hard considering the fact I had met her in real life.
Love your review! So Starkiller base had a TON of First Order troops onboard, but not all of them! The First Order is suggested to be just as vast as the Empire was (though I agree that doesn’t make much sense)! I also agree that all the Luke, Rey, Kylo, and Snoke scenes were the best parts! Snoke COULD sense what Kylo was doing with the saber, but he misinterpreted it as Kylo planning to kill Rey! Force users can’t read minds, but they can feel emotions and intentions! So Kylo was careful to reveal only what could be interpreted as him attacking Rey! Snoke sensed him “turning the lightsaber to strike true, igniting it, and killing his true enemy,” and that COULD have meant Rey, but it really meant Snoke!
I do have some problems with this movie, not remotely as many as with the next one but as time went on I was kinda disillusioned with this film. Some of the things I like is how Luke returned from his hermit life and his death scene I think is still quite touching. After watching the movie, I had high hopes for Kylo, because to me it always seemed like he was destined to become the main villain, mirroring Luke's arc in the OT in a lot of ways and I still hold it to this movie (positively) for setting this up in the way it did. And Poe is always a joy to watch, because Oscar Isaac is amazing as always. Some of the things I didn't like. The Throne Room fight was horribly choreographed, no two ways of going about it. I know some might say it isn't supposed to be looked at in such detail and I think that is so incredibly false. A good choreography will be even more appreciated when under scrutiny because a good choreography will think of even the little things. For anyone interested, the youtuber Shadiversity actually analyzed a couple different Star Wars fight choreographies and makes it pretty clear how below par this one in TLJ is. I also don't quite like how they got Luke to the point of being a hermit. Always seemed like that was so counter to his core character to just give up on everything for several years. I'm also not the biggest fan of the jokes undercutting alot of the tension mid scene but that's only a small gripe I have. The lightspeed ramming is obviously kinda controversial but I don't mind how it is handled in this film at least. Seemed very much like a last resort attempt. I absolutely do not like the story revolving around Holdo, it like the 30 minutes in Canto Bite were a bit of a waste, when the screen time could've been used to better flesh out Luke and Kylo Ren's story, which is still the highlight of the movie for me. The "saving what we love" line is really kinda weird, cause Finn was trying to save the Resistance but again only a minor gripe overall. Personally not quite my wavelength but I still get what others see in the film. The next one not so much, won't say why tho, for spoilerific reasons.
I know this is an older reaction, but I’m gonna comment anyway. If leia had died but not ackbar, and ackbar took over instead of holdo, I think it would’ve been a much better film. That would’ve also opened it up for ackbar to sacrifice himself at the end, which would’ve been way more impactful. It also would’ve actually given us closure with leia unlike the mess they gave us in the next film.
I'm 56, I saw the original 11 times when I was a kid. I got advanced tickets for the premier of this film. We waited in line with cosplayers and there were cheers in the crowd just like when I saw the movie the first time. I Loved it!
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Keep your comments respectful, please! 💛 EDIT: It's been 3.5 hours since this video was pushed out and I SO APPRECIATE all of the civil discourse in this comment section about your likes and dislikes and more, thank you so much everyone.
Side note: I mega apologize for the one or two pixel width gap on the far right side of the screen during this entire reaction. If you're like me and notice things like that, it can be a bit distracting at times, so I'm so sorry! Of course, I only noticed it once the video was uploaded and cleared and it would be been an absolute pain to fix. 😂 Thanks for watching! ✦ KL
This is the first time I come across your channel. Loved your reaction. Its my least favourite SW film but some of my friends love it and we always have a good laugh discussing our likes and dislikes over a few beers. But it's only in jest and Im impressed with the comments here. Everyone is being so civil. Which is the way it should be. I like hearing both sides... I just subscribed...
1. The same thing happened in A New Hope. We knew really nothing about the empire but that it was in power and evil just like the first order. Then its massive base blew up and only Vader was left. So no different than The Force Awakens. In empire, suddenly we see dozens of imperial ships and they're still very much in power and chasing the alliance that seemed to just be celebrating at the end of the movie. Same with the first order. They are spread throughout the universe and have bases all over. Also no doubt many fled the base when it was breaking up in the first movie.
2. Leia's scene was epic. Out of the blue it showed she did have the force and was able to anticipate what was coming to protect herself in the force then force pull herself back to the ship. That was an epic way to reveal what we assumed was true about Luke's sister.
3. Finn had a major arc. He started off the movie still running and only thinking of Rey but by the end he realized he was part of a bigger purpose and was willing to sacrifice himself head on for it to save everyone rather than running.
4. Rey has a special connection to the force so that's why she's able to do so much. You'll learn more
5. Something to ponder before watching the last movie. During Snoke interrogating Rey, the emperor's theme is playing and for a reason. 😉 It will pay off.
6. Poe's character arc was major in realizing how important it is to lead and not just act which will pay off in the final movie
7. There is also a major reason why Rey and kylo are so conflicted about each other. It also pays off in last movie! 😎👍 Can't wait till you watch it
@@briansview2886 with all due respect, new hope and force awakens endings, that lead into sequels is completely different. In OT They were an empire scatered throughout and rulling the galaxy for twenty so years. The first order was a rogue secret army hiding out on Starkiller base. Where were the other ships hiding and how did they get funding to become so huge in secret. The new Republic capital plannets had been blown up but they, like the empire had been governing the galaxy for thirty years.. so what happened to the rest of the Republic spread out throughout the gallaxy. Why didn't they come to help. Rian just wanted it to be just like empire strikes back, a cheap reset, so the good guys are the under dogs again. JJ is to be blamed for this too. You say finn arc was brilliant as he went from a coward, who only cared about Rey and wanting to run away. To being a brave resistance fighter. That's a complete repeat beat by best of his arc in force awakens... Leia could not have possibly survived in space for that long without her eyes popping out and freezing to death. That's why the fighter pilots wear those uniforms. Plus it was filmed terribley. People laughed out loud in the cinema. And Poe should not have been demouted. Not only did he just blow up star killer base but he made the right call blowing up the Dreadnaught. It was a fleet killer. When Leia demouted him, she never knew Hux had ability to track them through lightpeed. When they appeared, if that Dreadnaught had been there, they all be dead with its long firing range. That's why Leia let's him fight. There are so many plot holes in this film. Like why, instead of that boring slow space chase didn't the first order just light speed Infront of resistance, then take them out. They also had windows on there star destroyers. Did holdo not suspect that their very last ship, as it passed the planet, the escape shuttles would not be seen... And why not just tell her people the plan, they were down to last ship. I'm surprised the whole fleet hadn't caused a mutiny sooner. To them she was acting insane. There are many things to enjoy in this film and I'm glad you loved it. But the plotholes are gigantic and can't be ignored. It's lazy writing that should have gone through several more drafts to refine it. Rian is the only writer credited.. it's lazy rushed writing for such a huge film and middle part of a trilogy.
@Ralsei Acolyte cause he is God and the Dreadnaught would have killed all of them later if Poe hasn't took it out. Plus he had just hours before blew up starkiller base, saving them all
Loved your review and agree with you 100%. About the scene where Leia survived in space; I agree it was kinda corny but it is an actual fact that Jedi can survive the vacuum of space for a short time. They actually briefly show this in clone wars. Just thought I'd share that, no negativity here! Keep up the awesome reviews!
Fun trivia fact: The porgs, those birdlike creatures on the island, were created because the island on which they shot the scenes for Luke's exile is a bird sanctuary area and it is populated with puffins. These little porgs were conceived to cover up the native birds as they could not be feasibly moved. They were then worked into the story.
And it was both easier and cheaper for them to CGI something (Porgs) over the puffins than it was to digitally erase them.
@@loganessex699 I wouldn't have minded if they just kept the puffins. They already look otherworldly, and they're absolutely adorable.
luke was projecting himself using the force, the dice disappeared because he brought them, part of the projection
early in the movie kylo told rey that she couldnt have bridged their minds, or projected herself to him, cause the effort would kill her. they establish that its a massive exertion of power to do so. luke sacrificed himself by overexerting his force abilities in order to let leia and the resistance escape, the ultimate jedi move
Truly a badass way to go out.
And Luke was projecting himself as the last look Kylo Ren remembered him as: a younger self.
@@ARandomInternetUser08 And with Anakin's lightsaber, which was split in half just hours earlier. Kylo should have known, but he was too consumed with anger to pay attention.
It's just amazing to me that they had no clear path how the story will unfold. Its crazy. All three sequels retconned each other 🤣
My feelings are that Lucasfilm thought they could do what Kevin Feige does for the MCU in that he plans out the movies as they go along. However, Feige plans out in “phase” increments in that he plans out everything for Phase 3 before moving on to Phase 4, 5, 6, etc. Star Wars is different because you have to have the entire plot laid out in three movies, not 21 (excluding the movies/shows from Phase 4); so, you can’t really change stuff as you go along.
Plus, I feel that if Disney *really* wanted to take this radically new approach, they should’ve given the reigns to Rian Johnson in the TFA and let him handle the trilogy himself. My biggest point here is that Abrams and Johnson are so diametrically opposed to each other, that it was next to impossible for Disney to get this trilogy right. Abrams really just wanted to the original trilogy again, while Johnson wanted to go outside of the box and be more “artsy.” I feel that it was a necessary for the TFA to be essentially be ANH because as Nostalgia Critic put it in his review, Disney wanted to show that they could make an actual Star Wars movie after the negative reaction towards the prequels when they were released.
The one thing that Disney did plan (allegedly) was that the Jedi figure was always meant to be a woman. A couple of years ago on the RUclips channel Film Theory, the sister channel to MatPat’s Game Theory, he talked in a video about how there was some leaked document from Disney executives where they stated that they “…wanted the main character [of the sequel trilogy] to be a woman.”
JJ did create a rough outline for the 3 movies to follow when he did Force Awakens. Johnson ignored it.
@@Gundam944 He didn't even know Reys heritage when they were SHOOTING the Rise of Skywalker 😏
@@Small-Chap That doesn't honestly surprise me.
It is frustrating. Kaiielle hit on this, a bit. I can’t be upset that the plots went in unexpected directions and places. New and different is great. But the storylines begun in TFA, the potential trajectories, and mysteries were cut off in unsatisfying fashion. “Didn’t see that coming?” is not a sufficient narrative strategy.
I do love that Yoda came back for one last lesson to impart on Luke. Sure it would've been awesome to have it be Obi-Wan but having Yoda do it just feels proper. Makes you wonder how many students had he seen fall and try to come to terms with it?
I don’t think you could have obi wan because you would have to use Alec Guinness and unfortunately you can’t unless you cgi him or possibly use Ewan mcgregor
Then again Ewan mcgregor doesn’t look old
@@leach9622 They could have used Alec Guinness's likeness like Tarkin in Rougue One.
I love how your dog was staring you down like you stole her food! 😂
Haha she's a beauty
I'll note that Kylo prompts Rey to say who her parents were but SHE says they were "nobody" first which I consider important. It's not him revealing something to her that may or not be a lie. it's literally what she already knows but has told HERSELF couldn't be true because she's lived alone for so long and longs for family and community. Prior to the end of the movie she hasn't even met Poe and at the start only really knew Finn who was in coma, Chewie and Leia so the Resistance is hardly that community at this point.
I know some folks see Kylo's "you come from nothing, join me" as manipulation but to me reads more similarly to say Mr. Darcy's initial proposal to Elizabeth in Pride and Predjudice. He's not trying to coerce or trick her, he's just a dummy who doesn't know how to talk to a pretty girl from a polar opposite upbringing. He's grown up burdened with all the legacies of being the son of THE Han Solo, THE Leia Organa, and nephew of THE Luke Skywalker and feeling completely isolated in that (something snoke latches onto while he's young.)
They both see the possibility of connection with each other. To him it's a way out of the weight of bloodlines and dynasties, he wants it all gone but burning the past entirely means not learning from it. (like how yoda goes ahead and burns the tree cause luke needed to move and then we see the texts in a drawer in the Falcon because as yoda says cleverly "Wisdom they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess" cause she literally took them. ) She sees who he could be but again like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy can't in good conscience take his hand while he's on the path he's on
Calm down
i love that your dog is just staring at you when you talk about how cute the "horses" are on Canto Byte
LOL🤣 THAT moment at around 19mins when u look at your doggy n then zoom into him lookin at you cracks me up... 😆😆✌🏼
She's great lol
Keep in mind most of the comments explaining things came from the books and comics written after, and those writers had to figure things out on their own.
To be fair, clone wars fixed a lot of prequel problems, which also came later.
@@magicconchshell Difference being Clone Wars was still created by Lucas. The books and comic writers for the sequels had to figure things out on their own because JJ and RJ didn't explain them anything.
Anakin: "Took me over a decade of training to be strong in the force."
Luke: "Took me 4 years to just barely be skilled."
Rey: "I became a god in 2 days."
I still have trouble understanding how Luke thought he could save Darth Vader and didn't want to kill him, but wanted to murder his own nephew, because of the "darkness inside of him?" Makes ZERO sense. You're telling me Kylo is more in touch with the dark side than Darth Vader? Nonsense. Laughable even. I really wanted to like these movies, but I can't. Rogue One was the ONLY new Star Wars film I actually enjoyed. This trilogy is lazy.
@@ethanvilla4418 you summed it up 👌🏽 😔
Luke spends one day traveling with Ben and can then use the force to destroy the Death Star.
Luke spends a few days with Yoda and then leaves to challenge Darth Vader and ends up holding his own.
Anakin has never been in space but jumps in a star fighter and wrecks an entire droid fleet including a battleship as a child.
To complain about time compression is to fail to understand the difference between reality and myth. Mythic quests and journeys typically ignore time constraints.
@@vandalhooch9773 You don't think Luke being an exceptional pilot had ANYTHING to do with him destroying the Death Star? It was ALL the force?
Luke held his own with Vader? Really?
One hand severed and resorting to throwing yourself off a tall structure, just to escape is "holding your own?" Or could it be that Darth/Anakin knowing that Luke was all he had left of his love for Padme, went easier on him? Think Luke would fare well with end of Rogue One Vader? Mythic quests are but a part of the allure of Star Wars, but what makes it endure is the STORYTELLING. And as with most, if not all great stories, the most satisfying element is the consistency of the narrative. An arc is one thing, but for things to exist almost in opposition to how they existed before is off-putting and distracts from the overall story. THAT'S why so many people dislike these movies. Luke throws his lightsaber over his shoulder flippantly after it's handed to him by Rey? Really? I doubt it.
@@vandalhooch9773 -Luke actually trained with Ben, and used that same training to time the firing of the torpedoes at the correct moment, just like he times when to swing his saber to block. Next time he used the force to grab his saber, he struggled for a minute just to do it.
-Luke barely held his own against Vader, and lost his hand, and was covered in bruises and broken bones the moment Vader decided to no longer play around.
-Anakin tried podracing and lost each time, improving each time as well. And still crashed his fighter once auto pilot was removed. Then flew out using the same strategy he used in podracing.
DId Rey have a trial and error moment? No.
She prefectly flew the falcon, a ship that requires two pilots against first order tie fighters. She suddenly used the force to resist Kylo, and ran around Starkiller base using the force like a pro, defeating someone with 20 years of training from Luke and Snoke, the first two she held a saber.
I want to mention that Carrie actually passed away after filming was completed. Also her daughter, Billie Lourd is in the film also.
Yeah I think I was told incorrect information. It happens! 😂
I love this movie. The opening is very engaging, but it does dwindle once the different storylines happen at the same time.
I like the Rose/Finn and Poe stuff and while it does enforce the themes of hope and all that, it suffers when put against all the stuff with Luke, Rey, Kylo, and Snoke which all of that is fantastic.
I find DJ an interesting character and how he brings up how things aren’t black and white in the galaxy.
Holdo gets better with each watch I think because her approach to things make sense if you consider the disorganization of the resistance, and if she announced her plan, some traitor would inform the first order or something, and Poe wasn’t making himself to be trustworthy.
The second half of the movie is perfect imo. The way everything comes together, the holdo ship crash, the throne room fight, phasma vs Finn. It’s great.
Then the Crait battle is visually gorgeous, and also how Poe and Finn’s arcs cross paths. Poe goes from recklessly sacrificing everyone to playing it smart and being a leader influenced by Leia and Holdo. And Finn goes from being cowardly to willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
Luke’s arc was fantastic, excellent acting from Mark Hamill and the way he plays the shame and pain is great. I think him even considering and beginning to act on killing his own nephew and then prompting all the pain and death he feared is more than enough to beget his exile. Then Rey and Yoda make him realize he can learn from that failure and return as a true Jedi. His confrontation with Kylo is probably the most “Jedi” thing anyone has ever done in the franchise based on how Yoda explained it in Empire “a Jedi uses the force for defense, never for attack” and Luke sacrificing himself, and him dying made sense because Kylo said earlier that Rey couldn’t be projecting herself because “the effort would kill you”.
Rey and Ben’s progression was my favorite part of the movie. The way Rey starts off hating him but then after being rejected by Luke and not finding the answers she is looking for she feels alone. They are both alone and are disappointed by the people they thought they could look up to. They find their similarities and both try to convince each other to join the other, but ultimately their interests come into conflict with each other. Rey choosing to help the resistance brings her back to her friends, while Kylo choosing to become Supreme Leader for power leaves him alone again.
The writing is fantastic in this movie not to mention the gorgeous visuals, it’s all very well directed imo I love it.
I enjoy this comment a lot! Thank you for breaking your opinions down like this. 😊
@@kaiielle thanks I really enjoyed your view on the movie as well and am exited for the next one
@@bombird8813 Thanks so much!
I can't disagree more. Johnson was more worried about visuals rather than story telling and developing characters. As she said, it's the longest movie and we don't know who Holdo is (no backstory whatsoever), Snoke was a wasted character, Phasma was a wasted character, Hux was a wasted character, but we got mirror Rey, we got red salt, we got casino world, we got red room. Finn and Rose were able to leave the fight and comeback while before it's over. And Johnson destroyed every plot that the Force Awakens started. Who's Rey's parents? They're nobody. Who's Snoke? Doesn't matter, kill him. Who's Phasma? Doesn't matter, kill her. What is Luke going to do? Throws the lightsaber over his shoulder. Overall, I actually hate this movie.
I actually like Kylo Ren's outbursts, it really hammers home that this is a man who left home and parent's at 10 years old to become a Jedi, and never went home again. He acts like a moody teenager, because he has the emotional maturity of one.
Finn definitely gets let down by TLJ, but he does have an arc, it's just not especially well conveyed. He goes from not wanting to join the resistance, just wanting to escape and make sure Rey's safe, to understanding that he can't just run and hide, that the First Order needs to be stopped, that the Resistance is important, and that freedom is a cause worth fighting, sacrificing, and even dying for. Unfortunately, the movie does not spend enough time clearly showing us Finn's journey.
A lot of people assume that Finn is just fully on board with the Resistance at the beginning of the movie because of his role in taking out Starkiller base, and because that's how it worked with Luke. But he was only there for Rey. There is a deleted scene where he clearly reiterates that he's not with the resistance that would have been near the beginning of the film, but it got cut for time sadly. Personally, I think there were better cuts to make, that scene would have served Finn and the movie much better.
I would argue that Finn's suicide run makes more sense for his arc than Poe's, because Poes arc is about learning the difference between wasteful acts of heroism and the true heroism of putting the needs of the resistance ahead of acts of glory. For Finn though, committing to that run, even though it was a dumb idea that wouldn't actually help anything, is symbolic of his realization of the importance of defeating the First Order.
I'm not crazy about *how* Rose saved Finn, as it was just as likely to kill them both as it was to save him. I do love her message to him though, we aren't going to win by destroying what we hate, but by saving what we love. I think that would have worked better if she had talked him out of it over the radio with that line instead.
I know I'm in the minority on this, but I truly did not read the kiss as romantic. It was barely a peck. To me it was simply a punctuation to her point, a simple acknowledgement that love is what matters, and not in a romantic sense, but in an all encompassing sense. So for me the kiss was a non issue, and I never got the impression they were being set up as a potential couple.
I appreciate this perspective a lot.
One thing that I don’t think a lot of people pay attention to is Finn and Rose’s respective arcs. Just like Finn, Rose actually has a very strong arc throughout TLJ. Where Finn goes from only being concerned with Rey and her safety to understanding the need for the Resistance to defeat the First Order, Rose goes from grief at losing her sister, and a desire to destroy the systems and institutions that created the situation that killed her, to realizing that even wrecking the casino or destroying the entire First Order fleet wouldn’t give her what she really wants-her sister back. In the end she resolves to stop Finn’s sacrifice and save him because it’s what she wishes she could have done for her sister. Their respective arcs put them at odds against each other the whole way through the movie, and that’s some very interesting writing. Unfortunately the end result wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.
@@kaiielle I believe finn was originally going to sacrifice himself but then plans changed but I could be wrong
@@greenjr06 that's the exact same arc he had in tfa though.
In a way I'm really glad to hear you criticise this movie as I do wonder if most reactors just give positive feedback just because they feel its expected of them. I might be wrong though. So basically its nice to hear that you'll give your honest opinion no matter what.
personally I really really don't like what Disney have done with the franchise at all. However I still decided to watch your reactions to their movies as I really enjoyed your reactions to the other movies. I was pleased to hear your opinions on this one and I thought you had some great insights. Plus I really like your editing. I think you've pretty much got everything nailed. Keep up the good work.
Instant like for asking the haters to exit! Star Wars belongs to everyone. While the sequel trilogy is at the bottom of the trilogies for me I still enjoy them. I LOVE the cinematography in the sequels.
In the Force Awakens, the First Order controls a whole section of the outer rim. They have multiple planets aside from Starkiller Base and a large fleet. They are stymied from reconquering the galaxy because the Republic has a larger fleet. However, with the destruction of the Republic capitol system, the Republic fleet was also wiped out, removing the final obstacle for the First Order's return.
I might not like a lot of stuff in these movies, but I can absolutely say bullying people for liking this movie or the next one is just unnecessary. I agree with the CinemaWins philosophy of any movie can be someones fav, and theres no need to hate for that.
Just some responses that will hopefully clarify things:
Starkiller Base was destroyed, but the entire group of planets housing the New Republic were blown up by Starkiller Base in the last film. So yes, the Republic is decimated, and that's consistent with the events of the last film. It was a pretty major plot point. Meanwhile, the First Order has an entire fleet of ships outside of what was on Starkiller. Just like how after the Death Star was destroyed in A New Hope, the Empire still ruled with the majority of its fleet of officers existing on other ships. If you're going to criticize this film for not spelling that out, you must give the same scrutiny to The Empire Strikes Back, in my opinion.
The dice disappearing was because they were part of the projection illusion Luke created. He was never physically there on Cait, so therefore, neither were the dice. Leia realizes this as soon as Luke's projection puts them in her hand. She doesn't feel it. She gives him a shocked look, and he gives a mischievous grin in return. :)
Finn definitely has wasted potential throughout these movies, but I wouldn't say this film completely fails in adding to his character arc. In the last film, and for a good portion of this one, everything Finn does against the First Order is just to get back to Rey, and not to serve a more selfless greater good. By this film's end, that has changed. He faces and defeats his former captain, declaring himself a "Rebel" for the first time, and yes, he attempts a selfless act against the cannon at the end, perhaps in vein, but at least the action shows his character growth. The reason why I *don't* think it should have been Poe is because Poe's character arc makes sense for him to now be *against* foolhearty sacrifices when it ends up just dwindling allied numbers at little gain. Poe becomes the wiser, Leia figure in that situation telling the brash pilot, now Finn, to stop, think, and live to fight another day. In my opinion, both characters end up exactly where they they needed to.
Poe was acting like a toxic, entitled man who deserved to know all of Holdo's plans despite the fact that she outranked him, and she was likely worried about spies and wasn't sure who to trust among those she didn't know well--especially Poe, who has just been demoted by Leia for mishandling information and acting brashly without thinking.
Leia exhales and braces herself before she is blown into space, she created a shield around herself (you can see particles floating in place around her), age she used the Force pull ability to literally pull herself toward the ship to safety. It might look weird to some people, but there is precedent for each of these abilities elsewhere in the movies and shows.
Luke continued to research the Jedi after failing with Ben Solo, and he ultimately became convinced that the Jedi Order itself was a misinterpretation of the Force and therefore should end ("that Force does not belong to the Jedi," he says in the film). His exile to the island was about much more than just Ben Solo; that initial failure sent him off on his quest to learn more in hopes of improving the Jedi way, but it was the subsequent information he learned that ultimately convinced him to close himself off to the Force and let the legacy die off. He felt he was doing right by the Force. He wasn't merely sulking. Yes, his way was ultimately misguided, but once he taps into the Force again, Yoda's spirit is able to contact him and help him see that. And ultimately, Luke changes his mind and does help salvage the Jedi by protecting Rey and the Resistance.
Also, a particularly nice touch: at the end of the last film, Luke simply stood there and didn't take his old saber. At the start of this one when Rey walks right up to him and puts it in his hand, Luke tosses it aside. Before she leaves the island, she holds it out one last time and Luke still refuses to take it if his own accord. This symbolizes his unwillingness to join the fight. But at the end, when he projects himself onto Cait, he gives his projection that same exact lightsaber--not the green one that he built himself, but the exact same Skywalker legacy saber that Rey wanted him to take the entire time. It's his way of visually showing those watching that he finally does support Rey's cause.
Just some food for thought.
Appreciate this breakdown a lot, thank you. I think a lot of this stuff I will pick up more in future watches, where a camera isn't on, and am not doing this for RUclips. Kinda one of the downsides of doing this for YT, tbh. I also think my opinions on bits and pieces of this film will change over time.
@@kaiielle And hey, if your views on it never change, that's fine too. Yours were critiques of genuine desire for the film to be more coherent, and that's much different from most people who hate on this film because it simply didn't give them what they personally wanted.
Without spoiling anything specific, I will say this: if you're wanting a more gradual transition into the sequel trilogy that makes their events and character arcs feel more organic, then watch the shows. All of them. They're leading into that, slowly, and I have no idea how it's all going to fit together, but I'm excited!!
You pretty much nailed most people's criticism of the movie. A big problem was the change in writing and directing. There is such a tonal difference it can be distracting. It becomes even more awkward in the next one. Either way excellent review/reaction .
I love what you said in your intro because it's just spot on. I have been a *huge* Star Wars fan ever since my dad took me to see The Empire Strikes back in the theater (yeah, I'm old as dirt). These movies have had more of an impact on my life that I could possibly explain so it makes me very sad to say this - the Star Wars fandom is one of the most toxic out there and I will never understand why. I get that people are extremely passionate about these movies. So am I, but that does not give them a free pass to be a-holes. I am one of those people that absolutely loathes these last two movies (for a number of reasons) but there are a lot of people who really like them, and that's totally fine. I'm sure there are movies I like that those people think are pieces of crap. So what?! People like what they like and that is their right. They should not be made to feel they have to explain, defend, or justify it to anyone. Some folks just need to chill the hell out.
I don't agree with you on star wars fans being the most toxic fans. Every community has toxic people. SW is a very big franchise with the biggest fanbase. Of course they are loud, even when they split by different opinions. I'm 100% against almost everything Disney did with SW so far (the exception being Rogue One). I was furious after I saw The Last Jedi for months, but made my peace since then, and now i can let go of any expectations when watching new SW content. I think what most people misundertood about the TLJ backlash, is that fans who not just love the movies, but were deep into the Expanded Universe stuff have a pretty massive understanding of what FEELS or does NOT feel Star Wars. It's really hard to explain. But lots of us feels this movie and the next lacks the soul a SW movie should possess. I'm totally OK with people enjoying these movies, but i think it's unfair to label fans with more passion than them "toxic", just because they disagree.
@@NordWinter87 I think you misunderstood me. Let me clarify. I agree with pretty much everything you said, particularly about the sequel trilogy lacking any soul like the previous trilogies had. I can't even talk about TLJ. I prefer to pretend it never existed. When I said the SW fan base is the most toxic, it's not because people disagree. That's going to happen in any franchise in any medium. Being passionate is one thing, but being mean-spirited, insulting and condescending is quite another. I see that kind of bullying behavior far more in the SW fan base than I do any other fandom. As I said in my original comment, I have loved this franchise since I was 8 years old when my dad took me to the theater to see Empire so I *completely* understand people's emotional attachment. I really do. But that does not give anyone the right to be vicious and cruel to someone who has a different viewpoint or enjoys content that they don't. I suppose you're right in that every community will have toxic people but it just seems a disproportionately large percentage with SW fans.
Disney screwed Star Wars up with the sequels so what you call toxicity is just the anger of passionate fans (who also got attacked by Disney itself and the bought off media). That is what created the anger. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Over the years I appreciate this just like the prequels.. but giving control of the story to someone new each time, makes a difference. Can't wait for the next.
Yeah, I think the same director for all three movies (either Rian or JJ, I don't care which) would have been ideal.
It was a truly weird decision.
JJ
@@kaiielle but the same director didn't do the original trilogy. Lucas directed episode IV, Kershner directed episode V, and Marquand directed episode VI.
@@havok6280 True but Lucas was the glue that kept all three of the original trilogy coherent. You did not have one person's consistent vision to glue Episodes 7-9 together.
The lightspeed kamikaze is cool...but it unfortunately can't happen in Star Wars. It's one of those "they thought it was cool and didn't think about it beyond that."
Fun fact: Hyperdrives will not activate if there's an obstacle. It's also why you need to punch in coordinates, so the computer can determine which path won't slam you into a planet. They'll also deactivate once you near anything with a field of gravity.
It ultimately brings up a flaw that asks, "During the Clone Wars, why didn't the Separatists just use hyperspace capable kamikaze ships with droids if it's THIS effective?"
the best one of the entire trilogy for sure
Even more impressive about Mark's performance is seeing the documentary about making this film where they show Rian Johnson breaking mark's psychological limits causing Mark to go down to the ground cutled into a ball crying and as he pats mark on the back in a comforting gesture he gives the camera a smirk of absolute gleeful joy at Mark's suffering.
That...that just makes me hate Johnson and this movie even more.
Someone's trying to channel Kubrick.
For many of those that didn't care for this movie I think the character assassination of Luke is the biggest factor. They took a character who inspired hope and always looked for the light in people and made him see darkness in his nephew and the thought that crossed his mind was to kill him? He couldn't even consider killing his father knowing that he was the second most evil being in the galaxy but Ben with a lot of conflict was too much? It didn't make sense from who he was to who he became.
I agree with all of that. It's one of the bigger problems I had with the sequel trilogy.
Someone might have already said it, but we first saw a ‘Force communication’ in ESB when Vader and Luke were talking to each other from different starships at the end of the movie
The sequel trilogy is the only era of Star Wars that I unequivocally love. The 3 Lego specials so far (Holiday Special, Terrifying Tales, and Summer Vacation) are great character studies into the main trio of Rey, Poe, and Finn post trilogy, while also being just generally enjoyable.
You… are the best Star Wars fan I’ve ever met.
What sucks is that theses movies have some of the most beautiful shots out of all the Star Wars movies. But in my opinion, they did a lot of things wrong in terms of writing, which ruins the movies for me
34:05 You'll notice this was the same music in the scene in Return of The Jedi where Luke tells Leia she is his sister. Was so awesome to see in the theater.
Kaiielle, you may have known in the years that you have been alive people who can do "everything", but how did they come to be able to accomplish those things? What did it took? How much time did they dedicate to dominate those things they do well?
This is a situation of nature vs nurture and Jedi training is the nurture that allows for Jedi-like things to be accomplished by Force-sensitive people. If you don't need Jedi training to do Jedi things, then what is the point of Jedi training? Jedi training is turned into a joke, the Jedi are a joke, and the whole story is a joke, and that is precisely what the people behind these movies did to Star Wars.
What did Yoda, in his last of moments of deathbed lucidity, say to Luke? He literally lamented that his training was not complete. THAT is how important Jedi training is to a Jedi. And how do these people treat Jedi training in The Last Jedi? They make that green puppet pretending to be Yoda say that someone with NO training can be let go because "She has everything she needs". She took the Jedi books? How many pages you think she read before she got to Snoke? Is that how much of a joke Jedi training is? To the point it can be substituted with the reading of some books?
These people took Star Wars and turned it into another dumb Marvel movie where people defecate superpowers out of thin air.
Biology is potential, experience realizes that potential.
The Jedi Council in Episode 1 was willing to let young Anakin go without training because they knew that without training something in him would not realize. "It's too dangerous" - Mace Windu. Too dangerous = the absence of training doesn't give Anakin the Jedi tools that could be used for evil.
The Cloners in Kamino couldn't just make do with Jango Fett's genes and make soldiers, NO, they trained the clones to turn them into soldiers because just having Fett's genes doesn't show you how to shoot a gun.
There are precedents in the real Star Wars lore that points to the necessity of mentorship in order to realize your potential as a Jedi. Mentorship is such a key and inescapable element of the mythology (which mirrors reality) that not even the Sith can escape it: "Always two, there are. No more. No less. A Master and an apprentice."
But what about Wonder Rey? What was her training? You yourself pointed out how the events between these two movies take place back to back, with no passage of time. Can Jedi training be exchanged with a solo internship in a junkyard? Is that how much of a joke the Jedi and the Jedi training are to the point that fighting scrubs and scavenging broken ships make you an equal and even superior to a trained Force user (Kylo) and wise enough to lecture a Jedi Master (Luke)?
These are all valid points and thank you for sharing them.
@@kaiielle
Thank you for taking the time to read all that. lol There is a lot of conflict in the comment section now because of these movies but once you get to the Mandalorian, if you eventually do, things will take a turn and people will calm dawn, I bet. lol Not much war going on because of The Mandalorian.
@@shadymodnation5781 People have been pretty respectful here, which is what I asked for. So super happy about that.
I originally liked the movie in theater but after thinking about what i actually saw… i started to hate it. Specifically what they did with luke. There is no way in hell anyone can convince me this is what luke would have done after return of the jedi.
My main issue with how he was in this movie was just the lack of explaining why. People can change DRASTICALLY in 30 years. I would have liked more of a showing as to why he was this way. Ideally a whole movie set sometime between ROTJ and TFA would be perfect.
@@kaiielle yeah i agree people can change especially over three decades but… doing this wrecked luke’s standing as the most hopeful hero in the star wars universe. He saw good in vader when no one else did and now he did a 180. Even with a proper explanation why, it doesnt change the fact that lukes character is ruined. All in solely my opinion, of course. Not trying to be argumentative in any way, just explaining why i have a problem with the movie.
Your comments are good, and doesn't feel argumentative at all. I appreciate your perspective and opinion. 😊
@@kaiielle thanks, looking forward to your next star wars reaction! Im happy to see that you genuinely analyze the movies unlike other reactors who are pretty superficial.
@@Brandon_501 Thank you! Recording the end of my videos is the most fun for me. As soon as the movie is over, I open up a document on my PC and start dumping out my thoughts. I think this video took an hour of writing my talking points out before I started recording it. It's a really enjoyable part of this experience for me, so I'm glad that there are people who enjoy it.
Watching Ella not get hugs with her little puppy dog eyes was so difficult for my heart.
Ella gets plenty of love over on my Twitch stream! clips.twitch.tv/AbnegateModernFiddleheadsCoolCat-arF3Caxr2pB7DBGW
Hey kaiielle, great reaction! I really appreciate your honest review here. As a standalone movie, it's a perfectly competent film with cool sets and visuals, but the writing really does a huge disservice. Since I don't want to repeat anything anyone else has said, I'll provide my input from a Navy veteran's perspective and as a long-time fan of the written novels.
As a submariner (keeping mind that we're talking space navies, warships, and people in isolated metal tubes), Holdo is an infuriating character because TLJ goes out of its way to glorify loathsome characteristics that would be unbecoming of an officer in any professional military where people have to work together to perform highly technical tasks (aka not your normal "grunts"). Leadership *isn't* about telling people _what_ to do, it's about _convincing_ people to do the things that are needed by the larger organization by (1) telling them about the mission (2) telling them why the mission is necessary and (3) explaining what the individual's role is in the performance of that mission. And you can do all that without sacrificing operational security whatsoever.
I knew what my role was on my boat: keep the nuclear power plant in good running condition and handle any changes in boat speed (aka "shut up and push" as the non-engineering folk are wont to say). I knew that we, as a crew, served the purpose of nuclear deterrence -- preventing countries like Russia from firing nukes at us. That didn't mean I (personally) needed to know the boat's location or when we were going to turn left, but they generally had answers when we had questions. They also didn't treat us like we were complete children who could be abused at any time. Watching Leia slap Po in the face, in public, to show maternal dominance is extremely unprofessional, demoralizing, and immature. If the captain of a submarine ever slapped a junior officer over a disagreement in tactics, he'd face harsh scrutiny thereafter. Like Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, Leia's actions didn't speak to her stability, but rather it demonstrated the opposite. She sets a poor example for Holdo, who repeats the same error. Like Chris Rock, Po demonstrates better composure by not responding in kind.
When you join the military, you get a lot of reading material. For the Navy, one of the most crucial books is called "The Bluejacket's Manual", which describes all kinds of things about military life and the expectations that are placed on sailors. They have sections specifically about leadership, and what you should expect from your superiors (and what people should expect from you, as you raise in ranks and become a leader yourself). I still have this book 20 years later and will quote it for you now:
The Bluejacket's Manual (22nd edition, Chapter 4, page 79):
"
_Good leaders are concerned with more than simply getting a job done. _*_How_*_ the job gets done is also important. What good is a leader who gets a job done but loses the respect of his or her crew in the process? What good is a leader whose methods result in dissention, disorganization, ineffectiveness, or poor morale? ... Good leaders find ways to cause individuals to carry out an assignment willingly rather than out of fear of reprisal._
_... Reverse roles. This is a form of the so-called Golden Rule that appears in the culture of all civilized societies. Whenever you are dealing with subordinates, always treat them the way you would want to be treated if your roles were reversed._
_... Praise in public; correct in private. ... When you have to correct a subordinate, do it in privacy. Embarrassing an individual adds nothing to the learning experience, and learning is the intended purpose of correcting someone who has done something wrong._
_... Keep your subordinates informed. No one likes to be kept in the dark. And a person is usually better able to do a job if he or she understands why that job needs to be done and how it fits into the "big picture". For these reasons, you should keep your subordinates informed as much as possible. Sometimes, for security or other reasons, there will be things you cannot share with your subordinates. But unless these conditions exist, you should make it a common practice to give your subordinates as much information as you can about what they are doing and why they are doing it. This will improve morale and will often help them do a better job._
"
Everything Holdo does in this movie is frankly gross. The unprofessionalism, the snide immaturity, the teenager's snarls she beams at Po, it all reeks. I won't say the U.S. Navy doesn't have a lot of "bad" leaders at different commands, but if anyone really acted like Holdo in a life-or-death situation, you'd 100% have a real life mutiny on your hands. Her behavior should not be glorified, and anyone who's served in the armed forces should be quick to clarify this is not how real militaries operate.
(Yes, it's fiction, but the writer's ability to create empathetic characters and convey meaningful tales of morality is strictly based on the relatability of the psychology of the characters -- who are decidedly human)
As far as the lore problem, Rian Johnson fully misunderstands George Lucas' meaning of "light" and "dark". To Lucas, "light" is where there is symbiosis between the Force and the force user; "dark" is when the user takes too much, like a cancer or a parasite. When Snoke speaks of light and dark "rising" to "meet" each other, and being opposite sides of the same thing -- that's all wrong. Completely wrong. Rian is thinking of light and dark in a literal interpretation of shadows, whereas Lucas literally had a whole prequel trilogy about the boy who was supposed to bring "balance" to the force by ending the *entire* Sith menace. Meaning NO Sith. All Jedi. No "darkness".
"Balance", to Lucas, is when there is only light. "Balance" to Johnson, is when there is only turmoil... from the presence of both light and dark.
In Rian's interpretation, the Force intentionally created the Emperor so he could kill all the Jedi, so that there would only be two Sith and only two Jedi. That's NOT the prophecy that the Jedi were excited about (ask Lucas!). Rian's movie also basically says that the Force gives its power to people not by lineage (the way Lucas did), but rather by the Force itself knowing ahead of time which side a user will fall on -- like picking a conservative or liberal judge to be on a court.
TLJ fans incorrectly think this is an "optimistic" portrayal of force power acquisition -- proof of freedom! -- but it's literally the opposite. The fact that we got a black woman on the Supreme Court isn't because SHE willed herself to be there -- she's there because of the will of THE PEOPLE (Remember guys? Democracy?). It's the total inverse of individual agency. To be sure, her individual determination resulted in credentials that made her a viable candidate, but there is a big difference between saying, "You can increase your chances of being *selected* by the Force to wield force powers" and saying *"Anyone* can be a force user". Like being a Supreme Court judge, the "anyone" is only rhetorical -- you have to meet certain criteria first, and then the final choice still isn't yours!
The philosophical ramifications of these misinterpretations aren't trivial: Rian's take is darkly nihilistic. What's the point of curing cancer if the Force itself will kill people through a different disease (a different "darkness") to counteract the "light" you bring to the universe? Why do anything good, if bad is literally created as a direct consequence of your goodness? This is literally what the movie said about Luke's motivation to go to a distant planet "to die".
That is nihilism, not optimism. It's depressing that the optimistic Luke of the original trilogy was warped into a nihilistic character who awaited only death. And Rey didn't change his mind, in my view, as others have argued. He didn't kill Kylo Ren, he didn't stop him in any meaningful way... all he did was delay Kylo and kill himself. Which was his goal at the beginning of the movie.
My experience with Star Wars is always so weird. I really don't like going to theaters so I always have to wait till these movies come to streaming or Blu-ray. But I also am a huge star wars nerd who loves reading all the tie-in books and comics. So I learned about Holdo WAYYYY before seeing this, in the book Leia: Princess of Alderaan. So I actually ended up getting super emotional about her sacrifice, of which I feel like I am the only one. 😆
Unpopular opinion but I actually like the sequel trilogy. It’s not perfect and not without problems but none of the three trilogies are perfect and I enjoyed watching all of these immensely when they first came out. I like the characters and there are some pretty good ideas behind it.
SAME
I, like many hate this movie or more importantly it's director for how he impacted the whole franchise AND wasted this movies potential AND how it meant Ep 9 was arguably doomed to fail.
*However* this has always been the most funny SW film for me, despite the hate, I cannot watch this without having a huge grin during the Kylo Luke fight, as well as the confrontation with Snoke.
I've had a blast re living with everyone all the good and the bad SW has to offer, and this movie was no different!
EP 9 still could have succeeded had JJ not been a hack.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 the duel of the fates script was so much better. Was a great conclusion to the entire saga and it Had great scenes with r2 and 3po together again like they should. Just because JJ created bb8 doesn't mean be has to keep replacing R2. The guy has such an ego. Despite Carrie passing, with some adjustments in Script, the could ve still used it .
You right about Sith's Rule of two, when Master dead (usually by his apprentice's hands), the apprentice become a master, but in sequels there are not a Sith for now, last of Sith order was Darth Sidious, Kylo Ren and Snoke are not the Sith, Kylo is a member of new order (Knight of Ren, which not explored so much in canon) and about Snoke you will know later
I actually love this film. It's in my top three star wars films, along with empire strikes back and rogue one.
I love the Kylo and Rey stuff especially.
Imagine if you will that you had a project that was your baby. You worked on it everyday for years. You invested your money and time into it. It meant EVERYTHING to you. Then in a blink of an eye, it was taken from you. And it would take you many years to get back what you lost. I don't know about you, but I would feel deflated, depressed, etc. That was Luke in this situation. The worst part is that he blamed himself because he briefly gave into weakness because of it.
Exactly
One criticism I have overall is it shouldn't be the First Order vs the Resistance. It should be the First Order vs the New Republic.
Blame that on JJ.
This whole trilogy is just Empire 2.0 vs Rebellion 2.0
One thing all Star Wars fans CAN agree on with this film:
The scene with shirtless Kylo Ren is holy and must be preserved at all costs. Also gave rise to great meme 'Ben Swolo' 😂
I 💙 Ben Swolo.
I second this 😂
25:18
The "PEW" she does with her mouth is *GOLD*
Never noticed that!
Luke never knew his father, only knew him as Darth Vader, but believed there was still good in him and could be saved.
Luke has a bad dream about Ben Solo who he's known his entire life and goes "imma kill this kid"
Guess the kid slaying urge is genetic
Best comment 😂
Mark Hamill was low key dissing this movie constantly - even going so far as to call the character he was meant to portray here "Jake Skywalker". The problem is that Rian Johnson is a budget M Night Shyamalan and his entire deal here was to subvert expectations for the sake of it. Everyone expected Rey's parentage to be a big deal and so he had her parents be nobodies.
The Emperor was powerful and could have easily killed Luke when he refused to fight, so Snoke dies in the most pathetic way possible. Finn was about to sacrifice himself in truly heroic exit, so he was denied that. Leia looks like she's dead, so she has a Mary Poppins moment that looks ridiculous. Luke looks like he's coming around, but then it's just a force projection and he dies from exertion. The movie is the ultimate troll for the sake of being a troll and it was so effective that Colin Trevarow had to ditch his entire script for Episode 9 (which is because there was no grand unifying plan between all 3 movies here) and wound up quitting over creative differences. This movie divided and alienated the fans so much that Solo wound up losing money at the box office, because people deserted it in droves.
This wound up causing so much of a mess with no loos ends properly being left open, that Episode 9 is a bit of a mess that doesn't really make anyone happy.
Mind you the writing was on the wall with Rogue One. One of LucasArts' earliest Star Wars video games that wasn't a video game retelling of the original trilogy, was Dark Forces. It told the story of not only how the Rebels got the Death Star plans, but a major side story between Episodes 4 and 5. The main character, Kyle Katarn, took on a life of their own when in the sequel game, they learned they were Force sensitive and eventually became an instructor at Luke Skywalker's reformed Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.
That was just tossed aside, like the rest of the Expanded Universe, by Kathleen Kennedy, who lied and claimed that the failures of the Sequel Trilogy were because they had nothing to work with. In reality, there are hundreds of books which were written covering more than 40 years after Return of the Jedi. There was no Ben Solo, but Ben Skywalker, who was the child of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade - a former force sensitive operative of the Emperor's. Han and Leia had 3 children - twins Jacen and Jaina and their younger brother Anakin - with Jacen's story arc taking a very tragic and dark turn - one which paralleled that of his grandfather, but was even more tragic.
Most fans regard the Thrawn Trilogy, written in 1991 by Timothy Zahn and set 5 years after ROTJ, as the unofficial episodes 7-9, while the Jedi Academy Trilogy, written in 1994 by Kevin J Anderson and set 2 years after the Thrawn Trilogy, is regarded as the unofficial episodes 10-12. I don't know if you like audio books, but if you're loving Star Wars as much as you sound like you are, you really should check out those stories. It will be another reason why you come to understand the ire which many fans hold towards the Sequel Trilogy.
I've had a bunch of folks recommend SW books to me now and I'll def add them to the list. I have so many series on my list and working through two at the moment (one of them being The Expanse book series... one of my favourite TV shows of all time). One day I will get to them. Thanks for your comment!
One other thing I'll add. Rey being perfect at everything is a problem when her story is supposed to be a hero's journey. We're meant to see someone with talent struggle and show promise: everything looks great for them in the 1st act, in the 2nd act they struggle and wind up in a dark valley where they're at their lowest point by its end and then they rise up to their true peak in the 3rd act. The OT did this well with all of Luke's strengths being weaknesses in the 2nd act and leading to a downfall which culminated in the loss of his hand. None of that happened with Rey, which is why she's rightly criticised as a Mary Sue, which is ultimately a criticism of how the character was written and directed, rather than of the idea of Rey or of Daisy Ridley's portrayal of her per se.
Hello Miss beautiful Kaiielle. 38:22 I agree with you 100% on your thoughts and opinions on this movie. It could have been better. We saw this opening night in the theater and groups of people were badmouthing it in the lobby afterwards and everyone was pissed that they killed Luke off and that there was not actually a real lightsaber fight. I did like how they went outside the box unlike other Star Wars movies but I felt they went too far outside the box. Maybe in the future they can make a director's cut of this movie to improve most of the flaws.
The Resistance in the books and comics is pretty messy at times too. A lot of them are children of former Rebels, including Poe. So your criticism of them isn't wrong, even in universe. lol
Good to know LOL.
I don't care, what everybody says. I like all star wars movies 🙌🏼
Leah had force ability, it was just something she hid. If you watch closely she holds her breath. I think she knew they were coming because she felt Ben/Kylos distress when the troopers fired. She does take a breath and hold it. But it’s very discreet
When you spend an extended time in the vacuum of space, holding your breath is the least of your problems
Here’s my two cents and feelings about this film.
I think for me personally the second rewatch is where I I think I fell in love with this movie. Ultimately this movie is a deconstruction of what Star Wars is all while celebrating it.
“Failure” is the theme of this movie and what it means for every character. For example Poe is a hotshot pilot who wants to be a hero without the responsibility of that means. At beginning he’s willing to sacrifice the bombers if it means destroying a Dreadnaught, but then when Leia comes back, he’s reminded of what’s important: The people he’s fighting for and with. That’s why he tells everyone to pull back in Crait, he’s learned his place. As for Finn, right off the bat we’re reminded of his motivation: Rey. It’s not fighting for whats right or the resistance, it’s saving himself and Rey. Rose and the Codebreaker act as the Devil and Angel on his shoulders, leading Finn to see his place in all this. Through Rose he finds that everyone is suffering in this war, and with the Codebreaker not everything is clear.
Unfortunately Finn takes the two extremes and hyper focuses on the wrong thing. When he finds purpose to fight, he’s doing it to hurt the First Order, not save the Resistance. That’s why Rose stops him(still cringe) but it’s to show him why purpose matters. His sacrifice is supposed to be an inverse of Rose’s sister but corrected.
Now for my favorite: Rey. Rey’s journey first begins with identity and finding her place in the greater world, but she’s reserved to let the Legend of Luke Skywalker do the work, and I mean who wouldn’t? And here’s where the deconstruction is most obvious. The point of the prequels is to show us how the Jedi slowly fell. They were not peacemakers, they were soldiers fighting for a corrupt government. Resorting to war or violence and ignoring the basic tenets. Yeah the lightsaber fights are sick in the Prequels, but that’s NOT what a Jedi is. Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back said it best. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.”
Yoda sees his failure with the Jedi Order, that’s why he’s hesitant to train Luke and reminds him not to resort to violence. That’s why Luke focused on the legacy of the Jedi, because the legacy is failure but again remember this is a deconstruction and a celebration so Luke is ultimately wrong. The true legacy of the Jedi is failure and redemption through righting their mistakes. But more on that later.
Luke is my favorite character in this movie, because he’s a commentary on our idealization for the Jedi AND him. Luke cannot fail, Luke has to win, because he’s Luke Skywalker…A Legend. He’s burdened by his legacy to the point that he’s overwhelmed by it. I mean this Luke Skywalker, he destroyed the Death Star, defeated Vader and brought peace. How dare he fail? So imagine how he feels coupled with his ultimate failure: Ben.
As SW fans we have this preconceived notion that once you conquer the dark side, you’ll never be tempted or suffer from it. That’s far from the truth. The dark side will be there forever, tempting you to turn or act out.
Which is why Luke turned his lightsaber on. He never fell, but he experienced it like a fleeting shadow. At that moment under the weight of his legacy and his hubris, he failed Kylo.
And now standing as his opposite is Rey, the girl with no legacy asking for help. She has no greater place is this story but she has something to lose, the need to belong. That’s why she attaches herself to Luke. To create an identity, to find meaning in herself. Which is why the truth hurts when she finds that she comes from nothing. She always knew but ran away. Now Kylo wants to use her insecurity so he too can find his place in all this. As Luke is burdened by his legend, Kylo is under pressure into becoming a dark side master, or an heir to Vader. Kylo in his conflict decides to end the cycle and begin his own. He wants to destroy the past because it’s standing in the way of his future, of what he wants. So he’s trying to destroy everything that represents it. The republic, the resistance, Luke, Leia(tried) and Snoke. He sees Rey as an ally, something that isn’t held back by legacy or the past, something he can mold. Which is why he’s mad when Rey won’t join him, she’s holding unto everything he’s tried to destroyed.
And you know how he’s over it? He let Rey hold Anakin’s lightsaber. He doesn’t want it anymore. He holds it back from her because she wants to go back to the past. That’s what that tension between the two is. The pull of the lightsaber as all 3 stories begin to converge, all their failures stacked, their belief’s challenged, all crashes together.
Because everyone is unbalanced. There’s too much deconstruction but not for the right reasons. Which is why the Yoda scene rings true and feels enlightening. You have to learn from the past, from your mistakes. It’s the only way to move on.
Crait is the culmination of all their lessons. Rey embracing the truth and making her purpose. Finn fighting for more than Rey and himself, but most importantly for the right reasons, and Poe becoming the leader instead of a cool hero.
Kylo is the force deconstruction at their heels, while Luke is the embodiment of celebration. So Luke uses his failure; his own legend to distract and rile Kylo up. That’s why he looks younger, why he had Anakin’s lightsaber(despite being destroyed), he was using the past to trick him. Because he’s obsessed with destroying it that he can’t see past it. Anyways I’ll end with this.
What I like about the ending is that again, this movie is a deconstruction that reminds us why we love SW. That boy at the end represents us as children when we watched the movies and fell in love with the legend of Luke Skywalker.
I really love and appreciate this comment a lot, thank you for breaking down how you feel about it! Definitely seeing it in another perspective and can't wait to watch it again with this in mind.
I just love your content, i saw almost all your reactions of the previous movies, and this is the first time watching this. I just want to say, i just loved your words you said in the intro. So much respect, serious mind (in a lovely way of course), you just enjoy and feel the movies like music makes you feeling things, you know what i mean. You just have a beautiful heart and you're so chill and funny! Loved your channel Cheers and hugs 🖤🖤🖤
Your dog though 😂. Dogs have this trick. That look that says "You don't you love me anymore?" 😂😂😒
Phasma was criminally underused in both films, and it's a shame she got killed off in this one. Her original final battle with Finn is worlds better than what they went with in the final cut, and I'm kinda boggled that they chose this version over that much stronger one. Definitely worth seeking out the deleted scene for that. If they had used that scene in this movie, it not only would have made Finn's arc considerably stronger, but also been a much more satisfying end for Phasma as well.
Am immediately searching for that scene, thank you.
Okay I just watched it and I am so sad that wasn't included. They did both Finn and Phasma dirty by leaving that out of the film, wtf.
@@kaiielle Right? Like it is clearly superior in every respect. I honestly can't imagine the thought process behind cutting it in favour of what we got instead :p
If i had to Rank all of the movies i would go like this
1. Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back ( 99% )
2. Episode 6: Return Of The Jedi ( 97% )
3. Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith ( 95% )
4. Episode 4: A New Hope ( 91% )
5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ( 86% )
6. Episode 7: The Force Awakens ( 72% )
7. Episode 9: The Rise Of Skywalker ( 65% )
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story ( 56% )
9. Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones ( 49% )
10. Episode 8: The Last Jedi ( 46% )
11. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace ( 43% )
12. The Clone Wars Movie ( 30% )
I'm not too sure where I'd put the spin off's, but for the main 9 I'd go:
1) Revenge of the Sith (10/10)
2) The Empire Strikes Back (10/10)
3) Return of the Jedi (9/10)
4) A New Hope (8/10)
5) The Phantom Menace (8/10)
6) Attack of the Clones (7/10)
7) The Last Jedi (6/10)
8) The Force Awakens (5/10)
9) The Rise of Skywalker (4/10)
:)
@@onemoreminute0543 Yeah i used to Really Hate Episode 9 with a burning passion if you ask me to rank the movies a month ago it would be below TcW movie but over the time after rewatching it i thought it was a great movie just not a great star wars movie
Same Goes for TfA
Another one of my favorite scenes is when Rey is about to leave the Falcon to face Kylo Ren and Snoke. She wants Chewie to pass a message to Finn. Chewie makes a suggestion (which we don’t understand) and she agrees. It’s just a little bit of Rey recognizing and respecting Chewie. It gives him agency like Han used to.
You say that but it also feels lazy
"Chewy tell Finn...."
"RAAGGHHSG"
"Yeah tell him that"
It leaves the message up to the audience, like the "I have a bad feeling about this" being said by BB8 and Poe says "happy beeps buddy"
Another wonderful reaction! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker after your first watch. I agree with your criticisms of the film but am glad you're able to find things to enjoy as well.
Very excited for the final movie! Thank you Bree.
I didn't think the movie was bad. I had a problem that J.J. didn't do all three or that it didn't feel like a shared vision between the two directors. When The Mandalorian switches directors, you still feel continuity. When J.J. handed it over to Rian, it felt like two different francises. Dave Feloni is going to have to do a whole new animated series like The Clone Wars to clean up this story! That said, I love Rey as a character regardless of what other people think.
Def agree with this. I think that having one director across all three would have made a big difference.
@@kaiielleThey had 3 directors for the Original Trilogy though.
@@SDfan2002yes they did but George Lucas for the most part had the story mapped out and he was involved during the OT. Changing directors in the sequel trilogy without a coherent direction was a mistake.
@@P.HATHCOX The only problem is The Rise of Skywalker.
The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi flow together and tell a cohesive story, but then that final movie dropped the ball.
It’s the same for me with the ORIGINAL trilogy. Love the first 2 films… hate the 3rd one.
As for the Prequels, I just hate all 3 of them.
I would be honest, I love this movie, after Ep III it is my second favorite SW movie. I know for many it can be “stupid” or “bad” movie, but I just love it. It has without any question the best visuals and cinematography, new point of view on the Force and the story (even if it’s not the best) is at least original (unlike Ep VII). Yeah some characters aren’t my favorite (like Rose or Finn) but I really love Snoke here as a villain (his design, voice and powers are so cool + his guards at least do something unlike Palpatine’s), Kylo Ren is amazing, Rey is good character but I just don’t like how good she is in everything and of course Luke. Luke is for me believable character here, becose we change our opinions and personality as we get old so even tho they could do his decisions better I feel his character was done pretty good on those circumstances (plus I love the redemtion arc at the end and Yoda’s lesson about failure), and if someone says he doesn’t make any sence, Obi-Wan and Yoda did the same thing (“failed” and went into exile and Yoda even didn’t want to teach Luke). As for Holdo, I disliked her at first but at the end I liked her redemtion (also love her character in Jurassic Park so…). Overall I must say I just don’t understand the hate, but I respect if someone dislike this movie even if I love it (becose I for example didn’t enjoy New Hope, Return of the Jedi, Phantom Menace, Rogue One and SOLO but that doesn’t mean someone else don’t love them). I just so respect people like you who even if they didn’t enjoy this movie as much as me, still doesn’t want any toxic haters here and respect others opinion, great reaction as well.
I love Snoke too, but to be fair to Palpatine's Royal Guards, they were of comparable strength and skill to Snoke's Praetorian Guards, the only difference is that the Emperor sent them away in Return of the Jedi when the big confrontation went down so we never got to see them jump into a fight, whereas Snoke kept his guards with him in his throne room, so they were able to jump into the fight. So I wouldn't downplay Palpatine's Royal Guards that much, as they get lots of time to shine in other Star Wars media.
@@TheGreater-ScopeVillain I agree but I will always remember them for that 1 second in Ep III (when Yoda just waves them out of the way like socks). Sad but we don’t have much of them as badass guards in the movies.
I always thought this was the best description of the force ever given
Also, thank you for recognizing Rey as a capable person. She is a survivor. She can take care of herself. She has very little fear except when it comes to the lack of guidance she’s had in life. She does know good from evil which is why she couldn’t go with Ben.
Thanks for saying this.
People were mixed as some people loved Rey and others hated her. But I myself thought Daisy Ridley was excellent in these movies as was Adam Driver
This movie ultimately killed the sequels for me. The Force Awakens was already quite disappointing to me, so I went into The Last Jedi with rock-bottom expectations and it _still_ manged to disappoint. As you point out, there are good aspects to it, but it lacked almost everything good that the previous six films had. It's such a forgettable film that I barely remember anything when I go to watch a reaction to it. I wasn't particularly enthused to watch The Rise of Skywalker and, when all the reviews about it were suggesting it was bad, I lost any desire to see it merely for completeness' sake.
The original trilogy was supposed to depict the Rebellion gaining the upper hand through their new hope in Luke who allowed Anakin to return to the light and bring balance to the Force by destroying the remaining two Sith (Palpatine and himself). The finale was supposed to be triumphant and the future hopeful and free of fascism. Instead of just bulldozing over that accomplishment the sequels should have started from there, with the Empire mostly defeated and only remnants remaining, the Rebels having to form a government and discover that it's probably even harder than waging a guerilla war against a fascist dictatorship with in-fighting between former allies. Start with the New Republic on rocky ground, still trying to prove to the Galaxy that it's better than the Empire was, then introduce some new threat, not just the same threat copied with a new skin. Maybe there's a sect of Dark Jedi who had been kept in check by the Sith but have now been unleashed, they operate more like the original Jedi Order but Dark, with several members, instead of the Sith with just two. Or maybe there's a threat to the Force itself, maybe there's a disease that causes living things to come apart from the Force and what this means to Luke's New Jedi Order, maybe even having to ally with Dark force users to fight the new threat. Make the story something new, something interesting, something that expands on the Universe and lore. With callbacks and recurring themes, sure, but not just the same story tweaked a bit. Unfortunately, we didn't get that. I'd much rather go back and read more of the Extended Universe (I refuse to call it "Legends") than continue with the main series.
That said, I am _perfectly_ happy for other people to like them, I can certainly see the appeal to some just, unfortunately, not for me.
There are a lot of details in this movie that can be easily missed. Even more so if you have expectations that ultimately didn’t come true.
I personally love this movie. I happen to love a lot of things people hate.
For starters the main theme of this movie is failure. It highlights Poe’s failure as a commander. Luke’s failure as a Jedi master, uncle, brother, and friend. Which is kind of a lot if you think about it. Just because he was confident in his 20’s doesn’t mean he will always be confident 30 some years later. Shame and regret can be powerful and destructive forces on one’s life.
Finn is not yet a rebel. He’s still terrified of the First Order. I liked Rose because she’s smart and not special but she’s part of the resistance. Plus she’s there to teach Finn why they’re fighting.
I liked Holdo too because she’s a strong leader. Poe expecting to know everything about their plans is unrealistic. Grunts are the last people to know the big plan. Twice he fails to respect his superiors and it costs them lives. It wasn’t until the end that he understood and learned not every battle can be won.
I loved Leia in space because it is the second time we see her use the force. All she did was pull herself towards the ship. And yes Star Wars is more fantasy than true Sci-fi so I’m ok with it. I just loved it! But I’ve also been a fan from the beginning.
Probably the biggest complaint is for the Canto Bight planet. But I liked that it highlighted the true enemies to peace: the wealthy people who profit from the war. Through Rose you also understand how so many throughout the galaxy are taken advantage of and used as pawns.
DJ is not so much evil as he is an opportunist taking advantage of Finn and Rose’s naïveté.
Kylo Ren starts with failing to bring Rey to Snoke. Only after building somewhat of a relationship with Rey does he see a different path. But despite his claims of having moved on he still struggles with his own power and what it’s all for. Snoke showed him the power of the dark side but power by itself is empty. This is why he’s drawn to Rey. She fills the hole in him in a way nobody else can. Both Ben and Rey see the future through the force but only what they want to see.
Rey’s dark side cave was similar to the test that Luke went through on Dagobah. Fear is the dark side. For Luke it was the one who killed his father. For Rey it was being abandoned. She was looking for someone to show her the way forward but ultimately she needed to learn to lead her own life.
In the end Rey stays true to herself and the resistance. (And the Jedi in case you missed what happened to the Jedi texts) Luke redeems himself with one final glorious act of self-sacrifice.
And the resistance lives on to fight another day.
Love this comment, thank you for explaining how you feel about the movie and everything within it. Definitely keeping this in mind with the second watch.
Love your insight that the theme is failure. From that perspective I can Agree with many of your points.
The big thing I disagree with is Holdo is not a strong leader , she is abrasive. She made her friction with Poe personal. Bad writing if she was meant to be the character in the right. Which the movie seem to imply. Audiences rightly felt that dissonance. For comparison, I can easily envision Captain Janeway of Star Trek setting Poe straight without having to explain herself; no problemo.
@@LLLLLL-wp9bz As someone who served in the military, questioning an Admiral the way Poe did is a good way to get guard duty. Your expectation doesn’t match a military culture. Poe was not a good leader in the beginning of the movie. He absolutely deserved his demotion for not following orders and losing their entire bomber fleet. Holdo called him out for his failure. She doesn’t have to answer to pilots. An abrasive Admiral would have had him sent to the brig for openly disrespecting a superior officer.
Your Star Trek example is apples to oranges. They aren’t fighting the same kind of enemy nor under the same kind of duress.
@@Corndog642
I’ll start off agreeing that Poe did need to learn leadership and teamwork skills. That is his story arc.
… But I very much doubt you’ll ever convince me that Holdo was a strong leader. Having to fall back on military culture and rank to effect action or change is adequate leadership at best. True leadership inspires trust and loyalty such that subordinates do follow your commands unquestioned (and awesome leaders have subordinates that know when they themselves are in a better position to make the call and make the right call.). The fact that Holdo failed to communicate as a good leader so much so that she effectively had a mutiny on her hands makes her a subpar leader.
Kylo and Rey's relationship and Luke's final shot were the best parts of the movie... Thankfully, in my opinion, Rise of Skywalker redeems this trilogy in many ways and Its Definitely my favorite of the 3 despite it not being a perfect film.
Excited to get that reaction out later this week.
@@kaiielle good stuff!
Wow you are one of the few people I’ve seen with this point of view that I mostly agree with. Why do you think some people attack The Rise of Skywalker so much?
@@ralfuz777 honestly I'm not sure.. obviously no spoilers but I think they were unhappy with the direction they took certain characters... It's not perfect like I said but it had essentially all the payoffs I wanted and expected to get... I knew I wouldn't get them all but what I got I was satisfied with... I'll comment more once the video is posted haha
@@ajrwyfu Thank you for keeping your response spoiler-free. 😊
The island Luke's on was filmed on the island of Skellig Michael just off the south east coast of Ireland. It's a nature reserve for Puffins, hence the Porgs (it was cheaper to change their appearance digitally than it was to outright remove them.)
LOL that's awesome! Ireland is beautiful. Must go there one day.
@@kaiielle Oh important side note, it has the ruins of the first monks who brought Christianity to Ireland just like in the film you see the ruins of the first monks to create the Jedi order.
@@zavierfrost Neat!
i think the start of your criticisms segment sums up the sequel trilogy 'so much potential that just didn't happen'. there's definitely stuff to like in each movie, but unfortunately i think the negatives out way the positives overall. at least for me anyway ;-;
One thing a lot of people miss. The boy at the end with the broom, rewind back to the moment when he grabs the broom.
The foreshadowing is strong with this one.
I actually liked the GENERAL IDEA of this movie, like Knights of the Old Republic, you can see how Luke sees that the Jedi are kind of bad at being a beacon of goodness and it is not as easy as one might think. He sees that the Jedi do need to change and that he couldn't just remake the Jedi. Yoda confirms and says that traditions need to change. But the problem is that he already knew that at the end of ROTJ. Luke didn't kill his father. Light rejected smiting Dark and chose love for the Dark, a choice that Yoda didn't see then. It would be amazing to see Luke actually show what is different between the Mace Windus and Yodas of the Old Jedi Order and the New Jedi Order. I think that the reason older Star Wars fans find it so hard to grasp is that we already got this story in arguably a better told telling of events through books and some games so in our heads we have a misfire trigger and feel gaslit that this is the real story which is a more problematic story.
Why is it problematic? This story creates such a mess regarding IRL minorities by directly attacking them (as opposed to just offhand really really insensitive stereotypes of the prequels, yeah that that also sucked but that wasn't so pointedly an aimed attack). Luke's character being completely out of character was a slap to the face to amputees. Finn was a baited slap to the black community, Poe Dameron (a Guatemalan) was talked down to by a (white-savior) woman in power and Rose Tico (played by a Vietnamese) fulfilled all the stereotypes of an Asian woman driver and that black men still can't have a relationship with a white woman (or a a handsome male pilot). Kathleen Kennedy while attempting to build up white women power instead created a quasi-feminists empowerment movement through the suppression of other minorities. Feminists need better leaders.
For those people who still might be wondering what manufactured hate looks like, I present to you . . . Exhibit A.
I'm going to post replies as I go through the thoughts section because it's easier that way, so do forgive the multiple posts.
It's important to remember that Starkiller base was just a weapon, and not the home of the First Order. The majority of the First Order were not on or at Starkiller base. It was a secret weapons project, so the majority of the First Order wouldn't even have been aware of it. It had enough personnel to operate the weapon and defend the base, but it was not the main repository of their military forces. The First Order is made up of the remnants of the Empire. Systems that either remained loyal, or where Imperial rule endured. The First Order isn't a small faction, but a sizeable government that controls a significant percentage of the Galaxy. For ease of understanding, and these numbers are in no way official, but think of the First Order as ruling maybe 20% of the galaxy.
One thing I liked about this movie is there’s no time skip. The Republic capital (Hosnian Prime) was just destroyed. They were evacuating the base, and here comes the First Order rolling up and ambushing them.
Everyone loves BB-8, and I do too, but Phasma is my fav!
Phasma was a great character. I'm disappointed in the way they took her out. When I watched it the first time I was thinking something like "um, ok I guess that just happened". It felt kind of meh.
@@P.HATHCOX 100%
The movie wants you to side with Holdo because Holdo is right. She's in command. With Leia incapacitated, as senior-most officer, Holdo doesn't have to answer to anyone.
Poe is questioning her orders in public, scheming behind her back, and pulls a mutiny... In what world is he in the right?
To me the best parts are with the original characters because there is history there and characters people know and love. Like people rag on the actors, actors can only do what is written. This movie suffers from bad writing. Like for instance when they go on and on about how the animals are treated and Rose goes out of the way to free the animals. On first watch I’m like cool they freed them, but then when you watch it again they go on and on about the animals and free them….. yet they leave the slave children behind.
I get what you mean with the disorganized Resistance, but they did make a pretty big point about all of their high command but Leia dying on the bridge. Probably the high command was the only group of people who were actually experienced and once they got wiped out it was just hotshot rookies like Poe trying to take control.
I am a PROUD lover of the sequels and all the movies, Great reaction. Been watching all your star wars videos :D
Actually, one minor correction that I’m sure someone else beat me to: Carrie Fischer passed away shortly after completing filming on this movie.
All of your criticisms are very well said and I almost totally agree. There are great moments in the Sequels but as a whole the story falls apart SO much for me. Like all the actors and actresses are great! But like Admiral Ackbar could have just taken Holdo’s role in this film and they needed to give Luke better reasons for hiding. This one is my favorite Sequel tho still somehow 😅
For me still the best Star Wars movie. Easily a 10/10.
Second place would be Episode 5.
When it first released I was mixed about it and my feeling turned back and forth all the time for the first 1,5 years. But after that I started to permanently love this movie. Back then I also had times where I hated it. I thought it was the worst Star Wars movie and thought that everything Disney did with Star Wars is bad. So I think it's interesting how much my opinions changed towards it. Definitely something that doesn't happen often.
Thank you for sharing! I have a feeling that my opinions will adjust over time too. It's natural that happens as personal circumstances and experiences change. I'm going to be releasing an "overall thoughts about Star Wars" video on May 4th, that will be recorded after I complete a second watch through of all 11 movies, without the camera on, in silence. Just me and a notepad. I am also going to watch my first reactions back and note anything that my opinion may have already changed on. I'm super excited to do this.
@@kaiielle Very excited for that. Yeah, The Last Jedi is one of these movies that people change their minds on after watching it a second time. Most people have mixed feelings after finishing it. And after the second viewing the opinion goes into one direction in a very clear way. The ones who give it a 1/10 and say it's the worst movie ever made and the ones who give it a 9-10/10 and say it's a masterpiece. There are some people who are in between that but when you look at the reactions online, most people are very clear about their feelings towards it. With The Force Awakens or The Rise of Skywalker it's pretty clear after watching it the first time. If you loved it, you'll still love it in the future and if you hated it, you'll still hate it in the future. But The Last Jedi is such an ambitious movie that challenges the audience and especially the hardcore fans. It's not an easy pill to swallow for most people.
@@RamielDerLinke It's fascinating to me that these two movies seriously divided the fan base into two. I dunno if that's happened with any other franchise?
@@kaiielle It definitely happened with The Last of Us when Part 2 came out in 2020. The first game was loved by everyone and everyone was excited for the second part. When that one came out, people said that it is a brilliant continuation of the first game and others said that it completely ruins the first game and its characters. The debates were very comparable to the ones on The Last Jedi. Only difference is that Star Wars was a 40 year old movie franchise when The Last Jedi came out and The Last of Us has only been 7 years old when Part 2 released. And of course Star Wars is much bigger than The Last of Us. But it was very similar.
@@RamielDerLinke Great comparison. While I haven't played TLOU games (don't own a PS), I watched full playthroughs of both games here on RUclips. I am definitely in the camp of people who really enjoyed TLOU2. I honestly really enjoy how the story was portrayed through the eyes of two different people connected to the situation in two very heartbreaking ways.
I really wish Rey and Kylo joined to create a third faction. The Rey and Kylo scenes are the best part
I'm always interested in seeing new reactions to this movie in particular, and I can respect the opinions of those who enjoy it, even though I don't enjoy it myself. You and I had similar first reactions to the movie overall, with one initial difference: I had seen the trailer before the movie came out where Luke says, "It's time for the Jedi to end," and that had already rubbed me the wrong way. I was worried they would even go as far as having Luke fall to the dark side (also since the title text for TLJ is colored red rather than yellow), which I would've hated. So I was actually more willing to accept his real failure with Kylo, especially once it seemed like Luke was going to rejoin the fight, fix his mistakes, and fulfill his duty of restoring the jedi order.
But Luke's death was too much for me to accept, because it made his failures permanent. He left the galaxy alone and didn't offer any meaningful help once he briefly returned, he didn't do anything to help redeem Ben, and he didn't play any role in restoring the jedi order. I know that isn't a problem for everyone, but as someone who watched the original trilogy over and over as a kid, I never had any interest in seeing Luke broken down to that extent, especially when the justification for his cynicism was as thin as it was. I don't begrudge anyone liking the movies, and even though I had preferences about the sequels focusing on a new jedi order, I was ready to go along with their direction until the choices they made with Luke became incompatible with my enjoyment of his character in the originals.
That's exactly why I don't watch trailers anymore. Too much spoiling!
Another example of the cemented version of characters due to repeated viewings over decades in dissonance with the story in front of them. There’s a reason Rogue One is generally the most well received of the new movies by older fans. None of the primary characters existed in anyone’s memory before the movie premiered. No one was experiencing wave after wave of dissonance between memory and what was on screen on premiere night.
@@vandalhooch9773 Rogue One is over-rated. One thing Rogue One got right, unlike Solo, was the droids. Droids are the best part about the original.
Edit: remove the Droid from Rogue One and movie sucks. Remove the Droid from Solo and it's much better.
Regarding Luke's mindset in this movie, the galaxy see's him as the saviour of the galaxy, the man who stopped darth vader and the last of the jedi
But in reality Luke went to rescue his father and that was his only mission in ROTJ
He said himself "I'm a jedi like my father before me" meaning Luke never saw himself like the original jedi that protected the republic for thousands of years
So fast forward to learning about Ben's possible future and all Luke has to guide him are the horrible teachings of the old jedi which is: dont talk about the dark side / kill the dark side.
So he takes it upon himself to be like Mace Windu and stop the darkness before it happens but because he is a good person like his father he stops there and is left with consequence
The failures of Luke in the movie are actually the failures of the Jedi as a whole. Which is why Yoda was the one to remove the burden from him as the Jedi's downfall was his fault
So I am a 40+ year old Star Wars fan and I really REALLY liked The Force Awakens and was super hyped to see this one. I sat down in the theater opening night excited for some answers and left very very confused as to what I had just watched. My confusion however turned into absolutely hating it the more I thought about it.
You hit a lot of the same issues I had with this movie in your criticism of it, but just to expand upon some of it from my point of view:
The worst part of this movie by far is the way Luke is handled. It felt like an absolute character assassination and there is no reason given why he has changed that much. As you said people change, but if you are going to go this wild you better explain it and they don't. It just feels kinda gross to do that to the character and the fans who they had hyped up "Omg Luke Skywalker is going to be in these movies!" to. Mark Hamill himself won't come out directly and say it but he does not seem happy about it either.
Right behind Luke is Rey. I know you said you didn't mind it but at least you recognize Rey is pretty much the Omega Mary Sue character in this movie. The best at everything, everyone loves her, everything goes her way and doesn't experience any real hardships. The funny part is I rolled my eyes at the people who called her a Mary Sue in the first movie cause I was like ok well come on its the first movie surely they are going to explain this and throw some hardships in her wa... no... nope she's uh a total Mary Sue. WOW.
Last one I will really get into is the whole space chase/hyperspace track plot that takes up a huge part of the movie. It is nonsensical. First of all, tracking through hyperspace was shown to be possible in the very first movie. They tracked the Falcon back to the Rebel base. Their first thought should have been omg we have a traitor who has a tracker on the ship but they acted like it shouldn't be possible at all. But THEN Finn also agrees it's impossible to track through hyperspace only to minutes later say he not only mopped the floor in the tracker room but knows exactly how it works and that every ship has one. WAT. Oh and capital ships running out of fuel had never been a thing till just now. So that was weird that it was suddenly a big plot device. Also Holdo just explaining to people what is going on as more and more panic sets in would have helped a lot as opposed to telling Poe to just go away and obey without question.
I could keep going but uh yeah I didn't like it. lol
To claim that Luke’s character was assassinated seems to say more about your expectations than it does about the movie itself. From his last appearance in 1983, fans that grew up with the original trilogies have had decades to imagine what Luke has gone on to do and become. Supplement those imaginings with the dozens of books and games from numerous different authors and our brains are filled with an idea of who Luke is now and anything that doesn’t fit those visions is immediately rejected as “wrong.” That’s why TFW tends to go down better with original fans. Han and Leia are portrayed as nearly unchanged from their last appearance in 1983. There is no dissonance with our memories.
You may have noticed that most reactors who have come to the saga recently don’t tend to see Luke’s attitude as “assassination” of the character. They haven’t had decades of rewatches of the original trilogy to cement the characters in their minds. They don’t tend to see the mind bridge as BS because for them they are still learning what the force is and how it works. Older fans tend to dislike it and my own initial reaction was rejection because my own countless rewatches never allowed that such a thing was possible.
This all reminds me of how much I initially disliked the prequels because it added so much stuff that wasn’t there in the originals . . . midichlorians, space diners, threepio’s origin, Jango. But the kids who only saw the originals once or twice before growing up with the prequels tend to not have a problem with those things. Now that they are older though, a lot of them seem to be going through the same initial rejection of the sequels that I had for the prequels.
For many of us, there seems to be a sweet spot in age that allows the particular trilogy current for the time to become cemented in our memories as the “real” Star Wars. Just watch, the kids growing up with the current movies will invariably hate the next set of films released 10-15 years from now even as their own children love them. That is, if Disney allows enough time to pass for the sequels to become cemented.
Now the nitpicks, tracking through hyperspace in ANH and TPM was only possibly because a transmitter was physically placed aboard the Falcon and Slave-1. This tracking was different. No homing beacon. Finn did not say anything about knowing where the tracking room was. Rose, as an engineer, deduced that the tracking would have to be done in conjunction with certain equipment that all starships possess already. Finn simply possessed the knowledge of where that particular equipment would be located. The mirroring of his dialogue to Rose’s explanation of how the tracking works is a common script tool used in many films to allow the audience to more easily accept what is really utter nonsense dialogue. Having multiple characters agree that this gibberish makes sense gives the viewer’s brain permission to ignore the hard task of trying to actually reason out what it all means. If the second character doesn’t mirror or seems to express doubt or confusion then the viewer will also feel the same way. If that isn’t what the writer or director wants the audience to feel then they have to take steps to prevent it. You will find this technique used all the time. It isn’t a plot hole it’s the storyteller telling you what the important pieces of information are and what dialogue can be safely ignored.
My biggest problem with the chase is that the First Order should be more than capable of projecting the Resistance fleet’s course and send one Destroyer ahead through hyperspace to cut them off. I may of disliked the chase plot mechanic but it’s no worse than the Falcon fleeing the Imperial Fleet in the Hoth system and somehow ending up in the Noad system despite having never gotten its light speed engines to work.
People complained about The Force Awakens being too much like the original trilogy, then people complained about this movie being too different from other Star Wars movies. Other than a few elements of this one I think this and Rogue One are the best of the Disney Star Wars movies.
TL;DR: People LOVE to complain and be negative, woooooo. I think people forget that you can be critical of something and still, idk, enjoy it? 😂
@@kaiielle there’s kinda a saying that nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans. It has a real toxic side of the fandom. Some people have been complaining that “that’s not my Star Wars” since Return of the Jedi. To me Star Wars is like pizza, where even when it isn’t very good it’s still better than most other things I could eat.
@@PrinceIMC Love that analogy. And yes, I've learned that nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans... some of the comments on previous videos and on other people's reaction videos have showed me that.
There's some canon comics/books and a particular Disney+ show that delve more into what Luke was doing between EP 6 and Ep 7/8.
I may have to add those to the never ending "to-read" list.
Starkiller base was just a weapon/battle station and not all of the First Order was there (like what happened with the Death Star).
The New Republic was destroyed in TFA, when the Starkiller base weapon destroyed several planets at once.
I think when I watch all the movies again, this is the one I'm most excited to revisit, I actually haven't watched it since seeing it in theaters.
Was great hanging in the premiere for this, and great video as always
Thanks for being there Jake! 💛
The boldest thing this movie put forward was that the Jedi ideology (and Sith) were false layers on a greater power that didn't take sides. Luke (and Kylo) were on the right path to truly bringing balance to the Force by "killing the past", but the fans didn't like the sharp turn away from the old "good versus evil" theme of Star Wars, so it died on the vine.
The best thing about this movie was that it was thought provoking and made people think outside the box about Star Wars. People complained that Ep 7 was "more of the same" so Rian Johnson turned the story on its head and the other half of the fanbase complained.
The worst thing about this movie (which is about the sequel trilogy as a whole) was that each movie was written independent of an overarching storyline. They just winged it as it went and it shows but the abrupt plot changes from movie to movie. It was approached more like an anthology than a true story that spanned 3 movies. LucasFilm dropped the ball hard with the lack of story continuity.
So I ended up loving this film in theaters. However I am 100% behind you on the criticism. I wanted to see Leia use the Force since she has it due to being a Skywalker. So I loved seeing it in this film. The problem I have though is I think flying Space Leia could have been done better, I felt it was very, out of not character for her persay but out of character story telling? If that made sense?
Luke’s arch I think is SO large and I do believe that the film did good for what it was. Meaning they had to write others arch’s too, I think if we focused too much on Luke it would take away from the rest of the rest of the film. I would love to learn more about Luke over the last 30 years.
I promise nothing I say here is meant to be hateful or disrespectful toward anyone 🙏🏻
Boy have I been waiting for this though! I’m not going to touch on every little thing because that would break the RUclips comment character limit (get it, there is no limit lolololol 🙃).
I do agree with almost every criticism you had, with exception to admiral Holdo. I’m not exactly sure where your dislike (or lack of positive feeling) toward her comes from, but that’s okay, we don’t have to agree on each character. I think that Poe was lacking in leadership, Leia demoted him, Holdo had begun evacuating to the small planet, Poe didn’t need to know as he was demoted and their butting heads began. In the end she made the noble sacrifice as any good leader would, and here we are.
Let’s talk about the bridge being blown up scene. First and foremost, they did admiral Akbar very dirty. I don’t think we even saw his death, just heard about it later when they mention ‘all of our leaders died on the bridge’. As a fan favorite and meme star, I was very disappointed to see him go out like a unimportant character. That’s obviously not my biggest gripe with that scene though. Leia. Here’s the thing. I don’t need to explain how much we (the Star Wars fandom) loved Leia, so when Carrie Fisher died, it was obviously a sad and emotional time. There was a fear among people that she’d be killed off in the opening crawl (which would’ve been the worst thing they could’ve done) so when we saw her, there was much excitement. Seeing the movie for the first time, seeing the bridge get blown up, I remember thinking ‘what a beautiful way to send the princess off’ and then they pull whatever the heck you wanna call that and keep her alive. I’ve never heard of the force keeping someone alive in space, where there’s no oxygen, or heat. Not to mention the ship should’ve started going down due to pressure destabilizing. Leia should’ve died there, it would’ve been the right thing to do.
Secondly, Luke. Even Mark Hamill said he didn’t like how Luke had become. You’re right, he shouldn’t have closed himself off to the entire galaxy because of what happened with Ben. That’s an overreaction and a cowards way out. If Ben truly did turn evil and Luke ran to hide, he was letting evil win. That’s not the Luke we know. The force projection was very cool and I appreciated the whit and sarcasm he showed in goading Ben into a fight in order to stall and let his friends escape. However, it killed him? He used up so much energy that it killed him? I don’t know, that seems a little whack to me.
Finn and Rose, why were they in the movie? They set off on a mission to find this master code breaker who you said (and I agree) was very cool, and they end up meeting this guy who acts hella sus and then kinda wins our hearts over by giving Rose back he necklace but then turns them into the first order? I get it, he was looking out for himself but what did they accomplish? Nothing. The only thing that happened as a result of their hour ish time on screen was the line from Finn where he responds to Phasma saying ‘rebel scum’ showing that he’s no longer running from the first order and will fight them. Please, give me back my hour of time 😩
Speaking of wasted screen time, why did Snoke exist? He had such a small role in episode 7 but set himself up as the big baddy. We got to see him in 8 and he was badasssssss. Then he just, dies? He wasn’t able to sense Ben’s motivation? I thought it was whack then, and after seeing 9 I really think it’s whack 😂
When this movie first came out, I hatedddddddd it but you’ve got to understand something, I don’t feel this way about any movie. I consider myself a fan, not a critic. I enjoy whatever they put out because it’s their universe, their story, I’m just here to soak it in and enjoy it. Holy hell though, what the heck was this film. My position has softened over the years, probably because time heals all wounds or something but I can now say some of the stuff I liked about the movie because when it came out that list was zero 😂
The action scenes are really good. The room where Snoke sat, as you said, looked amazing. That battle scene between Rey, Ben and those red guards, *chefs kiss* very cool. The visual of seeing Holdo ship fly into the first order ship, very cool and chilling. The salt planet with the red lines, very cool. Just about anything positive I’ve got to say will be about visuals because the writing was 💩
I admire anyone who actually liked the movie because as much as I pride myself as being someone who can put myself in other peoples shoes well, I cannot for the life of me understand why this movie was created. This question is so interesting in fact that after you watch some more stuff I’ll reveal a fan theory that might blow your mind 😳, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you at this point.
Appreciate the reactions and your perspective, I think it’s unique and in depth which I value. I know you’ve only recently started watching them so you aren’t carrying around 20+ years of a love of Star Wars with you. This film just makes me *shakes fist* wanna yell at Dinkleberg! Excited to see what you think of 9, I actually rather enjoyed it ☺️
This was not hateful or disrespectful at all. This is exactly how I want comments about disliking something to be.
About Holdo: I think part of it may just be because we don't have any background on her at all, she wasn't in previous movies and we don't know who she is. So to me it felt like she was storming in and kind of "taking over" much to the disagreements of folks that had been around a bit. That being said, I totally understand what you're saying and perhaps with future watches, my opinion about her will change.
I'm really not sold on the new trilogy and on this film in particular. My biggest gripe was: why bring back characters I love to just give them minimal screentime (R2/Threepio) or to kill them (Han/Luke). I also find the "slow space chase" to be unbelievable.
Apart from that, you've raised every issue I had with the film and you've made it more acceptable to me (I promise I wasn't a rabid fan who hated on anyone, just a "disliker" of the film).
So thanks for that. Your perspective made it better for me.
Epic!
My only gripe is with the leia in space scene that woulda been a great send off but I do love the story in the next part so it’s hard.
Yep, totally agree on pretty much the entire reaction! I'm still 50/50 on the whole film after multiple watches. I will say tho, i really appreciated Holdo as a character, and will forever wish they'd got a droid to pilot the ship. Laura Dern is far too good to waste! Can't wait for the next reaction vid :)
Laura Dern is a wonderful actress! Glad you enjoyed it.
Hi KL! I reckon you would love The Mandalorian! Especially when you touched on a film about Luke set between ROTJ and TFA! Oh dear! I think I may have said too much!👍🤘
It's on the list!
I was conflicted when I first watched this movie in theaters . But Re Watches made me like it more and more. I excited to hear your thoughts.
I'm also excited to rewatch it and see how my opinions change over time! (I feel that way about all the movies, tbh.)
@@kaiiellewatching the scene with Leia Really got me me though because of Carrie Fischer's passing....hit hard considering the fact I had met her in real life.
Love your review! So Starkiller base had a TON of First Order troops onboard, but not all of them! The First Order is suggested to be just as vast as the Empire was (though I agree that doesn’t make much sense)! I also agree that all the Luke, Rey, Kylo, and Snoke scenes were the best parts! Snoke COULD sense what Kylo was doing with the saber, but he misinterpreted it as Kylo planning to kill Rey! Force users can’t read minds, but they can feel emotions and intentions! So Kylo was careful to reveal only what could be interpreted as him attacking Rey! Snoke sensed him “turning the lightsaber to strike true, igniting it, and killing his true enemy,” and that COULD have meant Rey, but it really meant Snoke!
I’m here for the thumbnail 😂🤙🏾
I do have some problems with this movie, not remotely as many as with the next one but as time went on I was kinda disillusioned with this film.
Some of the things I like is how Luke returned from his hermit life and his death scene I think is still quite touching. After watching the movie, I had high hopes for Kylo, because to me it always seemed like he was destined to become the main villain, mirroring Luke's arc in the OT in a lot of ways and I still hold it to this movie (positively) for setting this up in the way it did. And Poe is always a joy to watch, because Oscar Isaac is amazing as always.
Some of the things I didn't like. The Throne Room fight was horribly choreographed, no two ways of going about it. I know some might say it isn't supposed to be looked at in such detail and I think that is so incredibly false. A good choreography will be even more appreciated when under scrutiny because a good choreography will think of even the little things. For anyone interested, the youtuber Shadiversity actually analyzed a couple different Star Wars fight choreographies and makes it pretty clear how below par this one in TLJ is.
I also don't quite like how they got Luke to the point of being a hermit. Always seemed like that was so counter to his core character to just give up on everything for several years. I'm also not the biggest fan of the jokes undercutting alot of the tension mid scene but that's only a small gripe I have.
The lightspeed ramming is obviously kinda controversial but I don't mind how it is handled in this film at least. Seemed very much like a last resort attempt. I absolutely do not like the story revolving around Holdo, it like the 30 minutes in Canto Bite were a bit of a waste, when the screen time could've been used to better flesh out Luke and Kylo Ren's story, which is still the highlight of the movie for me.
The "saving what we love" line is really kinda weird, cause Finn was trying to save the Resistance but again only a minor gripe overall.
Personally not quite my wavelength but I still get what others see in the film. The next one not so much, won't say why tho, for spoilerific reasons.
I know this is an older reaction, but I’m gonna comment anyway. If leia had died but not ackbar, and ackbar took over instead of holdo, I think it would’ve been a much better film. That would’ve also opened it up for ackbar to sacrifice himself at the end, which would’ve been way more impactful. It also would’ve actually given us closure with leia unlike the mess they gave us in the next film.
I'm 56, I saw the original 11 times when I was a kid. I got advanced tickets for the premier of this film. We waited in line with cosplayers and there were cheers in the crowd just like when I saw the movie the first time. I Loved it!
"This is when the fun begins"