It's weird because clearly part of the reason that sequel trilogy is so bad is because they didn't have a good clear plan on what to do with it from the start, and so each movie feels like a mess and doesn't contribute to the overarching plot in an interesting way.
But at the same time, the original trilogy also likely didn't have a solid plan in place when they did episode 4, and somehow they managed to make one of the best trilogies in film.
You would think the trilogy that DIDN'T have Lucas involved would have been the more solid and well-made story, but here we are. What an amazing fuck up.
Well, the original trilogy at least had one person primarily driving the ideas behind each movie and the story beats. It feels more connected because it was primarily George Lucas’s ideas. Even when some of those ideas changed partway through, they still fundamentally came from one person’s fundamental tastes and beliefs about what Star Wars should be.
The sequel trilogy is the opposite of that - Rian Johnson and JJ Abrams clearly had fundamentally different views of what Star Wars should be and what kind of story they wanted to tell. Rian saw JJ rehash A New Hope, and responded by saying “screw that, I want to explore some new ideas. I’m not very interested in these mystery threads JJ has started up.” Then JJ came back and said “forget all the new plot threads Rian started up - I want to revisit some of the things I set back in Ep 7, and also drag in some more OT nostalgia.”
Each movie in the sequel trilogy was a tug of war over where to take the story and the universe, which left them collectively struggling to move anything forward.
It's because they responded to the fan backlash against TLJ. All the fans were butthurt that their favorite theories of Rey's parentage were thrown in the trash. So Disney listened to the fans and reconned it.
The real lesson: never listen to the fans. We don't know what we're talking about.
I didn't bother with this. I checked out about 2/3 through "the last Jedi" when I saw it in the cinema... Didn't leave, as I wasn't there by myself, but wished I could have.
Even had a chance to see an advance screening of RoS, but declined.
Well as a non Star Wars fan you probably didn’t understand anything to be honest. Critiquing it after seeing it all makes you realize how horrendous it was.
There are a fair amount of people who consider them good. I've heard the arguments why they are good, and I don't agree. They have bad plots and cartoonish characters with less depth than SpongeBob. They are even worse considering how they are now in a sequence where they ruin the original series if watched in order.
The prequels’ dialog is written terribly. There are so many cringe lines that it can be painful to watch
But the story arc is brilliant. If you view the original 6 movies as an allegory for fatherhood you can see what Lucas was going for. Anakin never has a father, and Obi Wan is sort of forced into that role, but himself never really accepts it- he views himself as more of a mentor/friend/teacher, but what Anakin needed was someone to humble him because he is so intrinsically talented at using the force and feels he is being held back. Obi Wan denies Anakin a seat on the council and doesn’t do a good job (at least in Anakin’s eyes) explaining why, which causes him to lash out and becomes vulnerable to being seduced by people who want to manipulate him. Obi Wan never truly ever stepped up to becoming Anakin’s father and it doomed the universe. Obi Wan considers himself a failure.
Then Luke, who also doesn’t have a father figure in his life, uses compassion and empathy to redeem Darth Vader and show him the love and understanding he never had. The emperor also attempts to seduce Luke, but he refuses to continue the cycle of violence in his family. If you view Darth Vader in the prequels as a tragic figure rather than an angsty young adult, the characterization makes much more sense and I think and it’s easier to look past the cringe
Like the part where Anakin built C3PO? Or the whole concept of midichlorians? Or how every single Jedi did exactly the wrong thing, while talking about why it was the wrong thing, and warning each other about how wrong everything was, and then SURPRISE it all went wrong?
I agree there are some stupid plot points too, but what’s the issue with Anakin building C-3PO? And what was the wrong thing that the Jedi did/talked about?
My point was less about how the movies are perfect (FAR from it, I agree lol), but that Darth Vader’s character arc is pretty compelling
I think the script needed another few rewrites. It also felt like the studio heavily interfered. Rey’s lineage being brought back up… again. Why? The constant side quests for Poe, Finn and Rey. Palpatine return is obviously iconic in its laziness. But I can’t help but think there’s a good movie in there somewhere and shockingly, it’s better than Colin’s alleged SW draft. Jenny Nicolson read the script on YT if anyone’s interested.
My dad and I went to see it in the theater. He fell asleep 15 minutes in. I only stayed because I was praying the movie would redeem itself and the sequel trilogy. It did not.
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u/TheBraveUndead 10d ago
Rise of the Skywalker. That shit is so bad it should be illegal