First things first, I’m a huge Star Wars geek. I remember the first time watching the movies (I was sick in fifth grade and watch Empire Strikes Back because the AT-ATs on the cover of the VHS tape looked cool), I’ve gone to advanced screenings, and I have so many LEGO Star Wars products that I’m not even sure what to do with them. So yes, this review is a bit biased.
The Emporer
OK, look if you are concerned about spoilers the movies been out for three months now. They also had the Emperor in the Teaser so you knew this was coming. Yet if you watched The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens…you didn’t. Please, please, please, if there is some hint I missed from those movies about the Emperor’s return, please comment what it is because there’s absolutely nothing. I’m not saying I wanted a random shot or a background image of the fleet. I would be happy if a commander in the background was looking at a screen that said Exegol.
The Sith
As mentioned, I’m a huge Star Wars nerd but not that huge. I know there’s a wealth of canon material that I’ve never watched/read/heard. I know a very small amount about the Sith, probably about the same as anyone who has watched the movies. Yet in Rise we have a plot that is central to the rise of the Sith. We see their cultish appearance, the ritual the Palpatine kept referring to, and even their secret planet. If this was an earlier movie, fine. But this was THE END. The “epic conclusion”. You can’t just throw in something that massive at the eleventh hour and expect it to be great. Also the red Sith Troopers are clearly a marketing ploy. We barely see them in the movie yet they’re on every toy set.
Background Characters
Finn, Rose, the former stormtrooper squad. There’s so much potential there! Episode 8 focuses on Finn and Rose and their relationship yet in 9? Almost nothing. And that group of former stormtroopers? I want an entire movie about them. I fear I know what Disney’s doing: more movies. Now on the surface that’s not bad. But Disney knows how popular Star Wars is as a franchise. They shouldn’t make movies just to make movies. These new movies need to better explore past eras, past characters, and those in-between times of the movies (which The Mandalorian does very well). Too many new movies will lessen the impact that Star Wars has on this generation and on the generation that grew up with it, whether it be seeing it in theaters or watching it while home sick in the fifth grade.
The End
Look, I’m not going to complain about Rey naming herself a Skywalker. In fact I thought it was fitting. What I want to complain about is the lack of Force Ghosts, undeniably one of the coolest parts of these movies. Throughout the entire sequel trilogy we get Yoda, Luke, and Leia. But there was the chance to have so many more, especially on that Tatooine background. Sure, we get the voices earlier on, but that should serve as an indication that something bigger was coming. Having the Force ghosts at the end would welcome Rey into the force. We see the yellow lightsaber which alludes to the Grey Jedi, so those force ghosts could even include Vader (the Sebastian Shaw version) and even Kylo Ren. We could have Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, so many presences in the force. It would have shown the Force’s/past force users acceptance of who Rey was and that she is a proper Force user. But we just get Luka and Leia. Truly a missed opportunity.
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