Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - SPOILERS HERE

[Kete]

Spoiler

I was really shaken by Chewie dying. I should have seen the twist coming, but man, that affected me for the rest of the movie. I don't know if it was because it was Rey's doing?  Or if it was because he died in handcuffs? I don't know. But when he got his medal at the end, I was a puddle.

FYI there is a RECENT POSTS link on the bottom of the rifftrax page.  People who go to that to see current forum activity will TOTALLY SEE THE SPOILER you just posted!  Best to every comment in this thread!

I can spoiler tag.  I just thought our policy was that we didn't need it in the spoiler thread.

[Cyrusso]

What I loved most in this movie:

The movie starting off with Kylo Ren going to this weird planet with this huge structure in it.

Rey training, with elliptical formations of rocks orbiting her as she floated in the air... awesome.

General Hux being the spy... that was GOOD. It made SOOOOO much sense after everything that transpired in TFA and TLJ.

Rey confronting her darkness, literally facing evil Rey. That was kind of awesome. Also, Rey being so frightened that she actually did what Luke did, and Luke admitting... "I was wrong". This IMHO does not contradict TLJ at all. I think at the end of TLJ Luke changed his mind about a lot of things, otherwise he wouldn't have come back to confront Kylo Ren again.

Kylo Ren/Ben confronting his father... it was really beautiful that they got to have a do-over of the scene from TFA. It's okay for Kylo Ren to throw away his unstable lightsaber(symbolizing his unstable personality), but it's not okay for Rey to throw her lightsaber away(symbolic in her case of throwing away her life, the legacy of the Jedi, and everything. The difference is subtle and very contextual.

"Be with me"... I was so moved that all the voices of the Jedi encouraged Rey. My theory is that only a Palpatine can destroy another Palpatine. Rey being a Palpatine was an excellent twist. I suspected for a while she might be a Palpatine, and not only is that a great twist, it explains everything, and addresses one of the biggest complaints in TFA about Rey being a "Mary Sue". I thought to myself how can Rey destroy Palpatine without turning to the dark side? Of course... reflect his power back at him.

Maybe it is yet another idea aped from the movies that preceded it, but I love it when a movie can up the ante on things sometimes. Equipping each of those Star Destroyers with planet killing weapons was scary AF. i mean it was bad enough just to have a Death Star, Death Star 2 and Starkiller base, but to make those weapons more mobile and have thousands of them running around the galaxy at a time was fucking terrifying.

I loved when they're trapped in the tunnels and Poe is calling everyone except C3-PO and he says "You didn't call my name sir but I'm okay." I think C3-PO is funnier in TROS than any of the other Star Wars films, and in a way that doesn't come off as forced or awkward.

Rey kissing Ben... that was a wonderful moment. Not only did Ben earn redemption... he EARNED that kiss. It's just too bad he didn't get to be with Rey.

Oh God, Luke lifting the X-wing out of the water for Rey was... omg, a beautiful moment. To me it didn't come off as stealing from The Empire Strikes Back. It didn't feel like a rip-off so much as it felt like a love letter.

Chewie getting his medal. Oh, and Chewie finding out Leia died... my God... that was easily the most moving Chewie moment. I know he was in pain when Han died, but he seemed even more broken up about Leia.

Kylo Ren earned redemption not just by throwing away his lightsaber, he earned it by sacrificing his life so that Rey would live. That was a truly wonderful, beautiful moment, and even though Kylo Ren did horrible, terrible things, in that moment I felt that this great act of selflessness demonstrated a true change in his character through showing, not telling.

Oh God, that ending... "Who are you?" "Rey"... "Rey Who?".... "Rey SKywalker."

When it comes to Special Effects, it's easy to throw something amazing on the screen and say "Wow look at that!!!". But it's important that you have a talented writer/director like JJ Abrams at the helm, because he knows how to use Special Effects to achieve an emotional affect. In the last 20 minutes, a metric fuck ton of ships arrive, and someone in the empire says "What is that?" and somebody says "It's just people". In that moment I teared up(again), because it felt like Star Wars saying it could be any or all of us out there in the fleet attacking the Final order.

In the end, I think what I loved most is that this series of Star Wars movies had characters... people I can identify with, themes I totally can get on board with: finding courage in the face of hopelessness, self-sacrifice, confronting fear. JJ's movie here is so great and it's absolutely shameful that it has such an obscenely low Rotten Tomatoes score.

[F-Zero]

What I loved most in this movie:

The movie starting off with Kylo Ren going to this weird planet with this huge structure in it.

Rey training, with elliptical formations of rocks orbiting her as she floated in the air... awesome.

General Hux being the spy... that was GOOD. It made SOOOOO much sense after everything that transpired in TFA and TLJ.

Rey confronting her darkness, literally facing evil Rey. That was kind of awesome. Also, Rey being so frightened that she actually did what Luke did, and Luke admitting... "I was wrong". This IMHO does not contradict TLJ at all. I think at the end of TLJ Luke changed his mind about a lot of things, otherwise he wouldn't have come back to confront Kylo Ren again.

Kylo Ren/Ben confronting his father... it was really beautiful that they got to have a do-over of the scene from TFA. It's okay for Kylo Ren to throw away his unstable lightsaber(symbolizing his unstable personality), but it's not okay for Rey to throw her lightsaber away(symbolic in her case of throwing away her life, the legacy of the Jedi, and everything. The difference is subtle and very contextual.

"Be with me"... I was so moved that all the voices of the Jedi encouraged Rey. My theory is that only a Palpatine can destroy another Palpatine. Rey being a Palpatine was an excellent twist. I suspected for a while she might be a Palpatine, and not only is that a great twist, it explains everything, and addresses one of the biggest complaints in TFA about Rey being a "Mary Sue". I thought to myself how can Rey destroy Palpatine without turning to the dark side? Of course... reflect his power back at him.

Maybe it is yet another idea aped from the movies that preceded it, but I love it when a movie can up the ante on things sometimes. Equipping each of those Star Destroyers with planet killing weapons was scary AF. i mean it was bad enough just to have a Death Star, Death Star 2 and Starkiller base, but to make those weapons more mobile and have thousands of them running around the galaxy at a time was fucking terrifying.

I loved when they're trapped in the tunnels and Poe is calling everyone except C3-PO and he says "You didn't call my name sir but I'm okay." I think C3-PO is funnier in TROS than any of the other Star Wars films, and in a way that doesn't come off as forced or awkward.

Rey kissing Ben... that was a wonderful moment. Not only did Ben earn redemption... he EARNED that kiss. It's just too bad he didn't get to be with Rey.

Oh God, Luke lifting the X-wing out of the water for Rey was... omg, a beautiful moment. To me it didn't come off as stealing from The Empire Strikes Back. It didn't feel like a rip-off so much as it felt like a love letter.

Chewie getting his medal. Oh, and Chewie finding out Leia died... my God... that was easily the most moving Chewie moment. I know he was in pain when Han died, but he seemed even more broken up about Leia.

Kylo Ren earned redemption not just by throwing away his lightsaber, he earned it by sacrificing his life so that Rey would live. That was a truly wonderful, beautiful moment, and even though Kylo Ren did horrible, terrible things, in that moment I felt that this great act of selflessness demonstrated a true change in his character through showing, not telling.

Oh God, that ending... "Who are you?" "Rey"... "Rey Who?".... "Rey SKywalker."

When it comes to Special Effects, it's easy to throw something amazing on the screen and say "Wow look at that!!!". But it's important that you have a talented writer/director like JJ Abrams at the helm, because he knows how to use Special Effects to achieve an emotional affect. In the last 20 minutes, a metric fuck ton of ships arrive, and someone in the empire says "What is that?" and somebody says "It's just people". In that moment I teared up(again), because it felt like Star Wars saying it could be any or all of us out there in the fleet attacking the Final order.

In the end, I think what I loved most is that this series of Star Wars movies had characters... people I can identify with, themes I totally can get on board with: finding courage in the face of hopelessness, self-sacrifice, confronting fear. JJ's movie here is so great and it's absolutely shameful that it has such an obscenely low Rotten Tomatoes score.

Ditto!

And again I'm quite satisified with Rey's binary sunset ending.  How cool was that?

BUT, one thing that might have been cool would be to bookend the series with the last shot being R2 and 3PO walking off together ALA the Hidden Fortress. 

[Pak-Man]

I'll have more to say after some processing time, but I looooved it.

[Pak-Man]

Gonna grab a few of Russoguru's favorite moments and expound on them.

Kylo Ren/Ben confronting his father... it was really beautiful that they got to have a do-over of the scene from TFA.

I was misty-eyed more than once during this movie, but this was the scene that really got to me. Ignoring the fact that I didn't expect to see Han in this movie, and was genuinely taken by surprise, Ben was in the ultimate, "I messed up, dad" scenario, and Han was smiling and being supportive even though Ben killed him. It resonated with me as a father and as someone who lost his own father way too early in life. (Didn't hurt that Harrison Ford always kinda reminded me of my dad.) My personal fan theory was that Leia was making that little reunion possible.

I loved when they're trapped in the tunnels and Poe is calling everyone except C3-PO and he says "You didn't call my name sir but I'm okay." I think C3-PO is funnier in TROS than any of the other Star Wars films, and in a way that doesn't come off as forced or awkward.

Threepio has always been one of my low-key favorite characters, and I was thrilled that he finally had something to DO for the first time since the original trilogy. I loved him geeking out about that festival they stumbled on, and I loved the bit about him having the answer, but not being able to say it. (Side-note, couldn't he have just transcribed the untranslated Sith text? I wonder if that was his idea just before getting wiped.)

I really love the whole first third of the movie. I mean I love the rest, too, but it was good that they had a chance to go on a good ol' fashioned bit of lighthearted adventuring before moving on to the big stuff. But I've always been a sucker for a MacGuffin hunt.

Oh God, Luke lifting the X-wing out of the water for Rey was... omg, a beautiful moment. To me it didn't come off as stealing from The Empire Strikes Back. It didn't feel like a rip-off so much as it felt like a love letter.

You hit the nail on the head. A lot of what the critics have been calling Fan Service was really more of a love letter. I suppose it can be two things, but this is the end of a whole trilogy of trilogies. Letting it pass by without getting to see Lando fly the Falcon one last time, or Rey fly Luke's X-Wing would have been a waste. Is it pandering? Eh. Maybe. After 42 years, should we get to enjoy being pandered to, just a bit? I say yes!

Oh, and Chewie finding out Leia died... my God... that was easily the most moving Chewie moment. I know he was in pain when Han died, but he seemed even more broken up about Leia.

I feel like Chewie had finally hit his breaking point. He lost a lot of friends over the course of this trilogy, and Leia was just too much to take. And it's weird that all that comes through when you're watching a guy in a fur suit who only speaks in growls, but there it is.

[F-Zero]

My personal fan theory was that Leia was making that little reunion possible.

Ohh that's a good catch.  It's gotta be. 

You know, I'm actually thinking of seeing this movie again and I haven't done that since I was an idiot.

[MrTorso]

If the thread is labeled as "SPOILERS HERE" why all the spoiler tags??

[The Lurker]

If the thread is labeled as "SPOILERS HERE" why all the spoiler tags??

Probably because some people hang out in the Recent Posts section.

[goflyblind]

If the thread is labeled as "SPOILERS HERE" why all the spoiler tags??

Probably because some people hang out in the Recent Posts section.

never noticed that link before. super confusing to have all the posts in a single thread. my bookmark for this site points to http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php?action=unread;all;start=0

[F-Zero]

Most embarrassing moment ever:  I never made the connection that Palpatine was the emperor until someone standing in line for the second movie told me.  Talk about a space cadet.  Those were the drinking years I think.  Still, that's no excuse for the expert.

[F-Zero]

When you strike a Jedi down he becomes "more powerful than you can possibly imagine".  Doesn't the same thing apply to Sith? And for that matter Trump?  And would that make Nancy Pelosi Rey Skywalker? And Joe Biden Adam Driver?  And Anakin Skywalker John McCain?  And Paul Krugman Hari Seldon?  Let us not forget Trump just created the Space Force.  We MUST get those plans.

[F-Zero]

Wait.  Joe Biden is Han Solo.  Adam Schiff is Adam Driver.  That's right. 

[F-Zero]

Correction: Adam Schiff is C3PO.

[Cyrusso]

See, a lot of critics seem to love to point out that the latest trilogy here is either ripping off or borrowing from the original Star Wars trilogy(AKA the "Member Berries" syndrome). Okay... here's the thing... it's okay to use nostalgia in a movie... as long as it's for more than just plucking your heartstrings in a very, very cheap and superficial manner. Fortunately, JJ Abrams knows how to use nostalgia for actual dramatic effect... The Emperor's throne room wasn't there just for nostalgia's sake... it was there for the scene where Rey confronts Dark Rey. The X-wing on Ach-To was lifted out of the water to show two things... one, that Luke never forgot the lessons Yoda taught him, and two, for Rey to actually have a way of getting to Exigal.

Overall I felt like a lot of stuff in this movie consisted of very original, very creative ideas, the spy within the First order being Hux(a twist which I loved and made so much sense.), The Sith Wayfinder, The big-ass obelisk the Emperor was "reincarnated" in.

Another thing I loved, When the Star Wars theme starts playing towards the end and the whole huge big ass fleet of "people" arrives... that is a beautiful moment. One of the final order officers said "It's just people", and that moment was so beautiful because People... means US! Star Wars fans! In that moment none of us needed a uniform, a costume, a helmet, a light saber or a blaster to feel special, because I felt in that moment I was part of the force ready to annihilate the final order.

In another thing I absolutely loved... I felt like Kylo Ren truly earned his redemption... because he gave his life to save Rey. I have been wondering since TFA... could Kylo Ren be redeemed? What would it take for him to become Ben again? No longer possessed by the dark side?

I understand why a lot of people say TROS is overstuffed and is derivative, but again IMHO that alleged problem doesn't hurt the film whatsoever. After seeing it a second time, I get the feeling this is a movie I can enjoy watching again and again... something I can't say even about most Christopher Nolan films.

[Darth Geek]

General Hux being the spy... that was GOOD. It made SOOOOO much sense after everything that transpired in TFA and TLJ.

That was great! That he was a spy not because of a change of heart but because he was a spiteful little shit. And it made it satisfying when he got killed after it anyway. Although I didn't buy that General Pryde figured out he was the spy.

This movie felt like it was the plotline for what JJ Abrams wanted to do for the second and third films crammed into one. If you change it to Luke training Rey instead of Leia, and when Rey goes back to the Jedi planet to talk with Luke he's alive instead of being a force ghost. And then you change it so Snoke was doing everything that the Emperor did, including possibly being related to Rey. Everything else in The Last Jedi didn't really amount to anything.

That being said, I really liked that Leia was training Rey, and that Leia had trained with Luke and become a Jedi master herself.


Oh, and I felt bad for Rose. I liked her character in TLJ, even though I didn't like the pointless casino subplot she was in. So it was dissapointing that she didn't get much to do. It felt like the studio kowtowing to the racist and sexist complaints about her, or JJ Abrams didn't really care about her because she wasn't a character from his movie.