Rise Of Skywalker

[MikeT156]

I don't blame anyone that continues watching and enjoying Starwars. I saw the first 6 movies, and for me, the story had run its course.

 

I strongly dislike Disney's business practices and the way they treat their employees. I will not give them one thin dime for any reason. However, I don't do facebook and don't waste my time whining about them. They don't need anyone's approval and I doubt they care.

 

Christmas is a time for JOY and celebration. I hope everyone that hangs here on the Keyboard Corner has a great Holiday season.

 

 

Mike T.

[ElmerJFudd]

Just back from the theater.

Took kids and adults age 8-65.

All had a good time. Wraps up Ep. 7,8,9 nicely for casual fans and fanatics alike.

 

[Docbop]

I strongly dislike Disney's business practices and the way they treat their employees. I will not give them one thin dime for any reason. However, I don't do facebook and don't waste my time whining about them. They don't need anyone's approval and I doubt they care.

 

It's double edge sword. Disney weird business even back to Walt's days. Worked for that big three letter computer company and was asked if I want to work on the Disney contract I said no at first because of the commute, but then talked to others on the contract. Disney has rules up the wazoo that cost them in the long run. We were contracted to do Disney server support, BUT Disney doesn't trust anyone that not a Mouse employee so anytime we worked on a server it was required a Disney IT person come with us to watch everything we do. So a whole lotta money for us and then more to pay one of their own to stand around and watch us???? The only time I had ever experienced that before was supporting secure military server rooms. So the Mouse House is strange.

 

BUT the movie theater business years back was in trouble, Netflix, large screen TVs, and cost of going out and security walking around at night make people start to stay home. But Disney buys Marvel, Star Wars franchise, and Pixar and they started making movies people wanted to see in theaters. Right now over 25% of the money ticket sales is for Disney owned products. Disney saved the movie theater industry. I don't like monopolies but Disney monopoly of the big studios is saving jobs.

[UnderGroundGr]

All three are good movies, but not great. I believe this new trilogy do not "add" things to star wars saga. Rogue One is great and fill the story but not the new trilogy...

[Bobadohshe]

Okay saw it. Still processing. Not sure how I feel.

[zephonic]

Okay saw it. Still processing. Not sure how I feel.

 

 

That was me, after I walked out of the theater:

 

I dunno, I feel conflicted about this movie ('Rise Of Skywalker').

 

Yeah, the CGI is amazing, but I cringed a lot...

 

[vonnor]

I guess the "OT" is apparent by the thread title.

[MikeT156]

I strongly dislike Disney's business practices and the way they treat their employees. I will not give them one thin dime for any reason. However, I don't do facebook and don't waste my time whining about them. They don't need anyone's approval and I doubt they care.

 

It's double edge sword. Disney weird business even back to Walt's days. Worked for that big three letter computer company and was asked if I want to work on the Disney contract I said no at first because of the commute, but then talked to others on the contract. Disney has rules up the wazoo that cost them in the long run. We were contracted to do Disney server support, BUT Disney doesn't trust anyone that not a Mouse employee so anytime we worked on a server it was required a Disney IT person come with us to watch everything we do. So a whole lotta money for us and then more to pay one of their own to stand around and watch us???? The only time I had ever experienced that before was supporting secure military server rooms. So the Mouse House is strange..

 

My beef with Disney has nothing to do with what you experienced for the company you referenced. My beef has to do with their shoddy treatment of employees. I won't go into it because it "might" be construed as Political. Nothing I can say here will make any difference, so there's no point in elaborating. I won't give anything Disney one thin dime.

 

Have a great Christmas.

 

Mike T.

[Anderton]

Thanks for the reminder about the spoiler tag!

 

 

So when Han appears to Ren/Ben on the remains of the Death Star after his fight with Rey and Leia is dead, do you think that was supposed to be Leia/Carrie that appears to him originally? I almost thought I heard that somewhere but I could be making that up. There was a lot of stuff after she passed about how they would handle it. It actually would have made a bit more sense if it was her appearing to him, not that Han/Harrison was a bad backup, but she had Force powers, he didn't (to that extent anyway).

 

That was the scene that stuck out in my mind as the best written of the whole movie - delivered by the two best actors of the whole series. That's a call back done right - taking something from a previous movie and turning it on it's head, rather than lifting whole plot points from the original series and re-purposing them.

Well, it was specified as a "memory" (which was underlined when he disappeared).

 

[Anderton]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankfully, the IMAX 3D here in Nashville showed the real movie, not the bogus one that was shown to the critics

 

I remember reading somewhere that Harrison Ford was Lucas's carpenter, and not the first choice for Han Solo. He was working on some job at a home in Southern California when he left a note, "not coming to work today, I'm auditioning for some silly space opera." To me, the charm of the original Star Wars was that it was a space opera in the tradition of Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, etc., but with a bit more mythic heft. When it became a big deal, especially because The Empire Strikes Back took such a turn into maturity, people started weighing it down with profundity and expectations. I believe trying to make Star Wars more than it was is behind some of the backlash and critiques.

 

That said, in my mind TROS is totally faithful to the 1977 Star Wars - it's a silly space opera, but updated with a gorgeous look and a natural progression. I also think that the direction coaxed out the best acting, by far, in the series.

 

Think of it this way: suppose Star Wars had never existed, and TROS came out of nowhere, with maybe a bit more background in the opening crawl so that some of the plot points made more sense. I bet people would be flipping out over it. They wouldn't have preconceptions about where it stood I relation to the 8 previous movies. Taken on its own, TROS is that 1977 silly space opera, honed to perfection in that genre.

 

J J Abrams said something very interesting. When Vanity Fair asked him whether critics and any nonplussed fans have missed something and in fact, got it wrong, here's what their article said: "Funnily enough, Abrams concedes the point: 'No, I would say they"re right.' But then he immediately adds one more crucial point, insisting that 'The people who love it more than anything are also right.'"

 

That is soooooo true. I've always known some people don't like my music, and some people do. I make it for the people who do, and don't try to alter it for the people who don't. I can totally relate to J J Abrams making the film he wanted to make, for the people who wanted to see it.

[GovernorSilver]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankfully, the IMAX 3D here in Nashville showed the real movie, not the bogus one that was shown to the critics

 

Well-stated post, sir. Left most of it out in my quote to spare everyone, but wanted to comment on the IMAX thing. While trying to decide between Real3D and IMAX, I did some Googling and it seemed that the film was not made with IMAX cameras - somebody correct if me if you have the info, so I went with Real3D, even though the Real3D glasses are a tighter fit than the IMAX ones over my regular glasses.

 

One of my former roommates had something from the Eps. 4-6 trilogy on DVD. I loved watching the audition video on that DVD. Because of that childhood emotional attachment Ford's audition tape was "obviously" superior to Kurt Russell's, as was the "obvious" superiority of Carrie Fisher's tape over Cindy Williams' in reading Leia's lines. Russell of course played other swashbuckling rogue types and probably would have been ok as Han Solo. OTOH, I've always preferred Ford as an actor, looking back at the overall careers of both men. I recall Williams being a bit too prissy - emphasizing the "princess" aspect of Leia more than the defiant, spirited aspect.

 

[Tusker]

I saw it with the kids and loved it! It's great entertainment and does a good job of balancing the interests of the "extend the star wars concept" people and the "make sure it's still a star wars movie" people. Sometimes I fall into one camp more than the other. Sure, some references were a little on the nose, but perhaps that was an indicator of scene efficiency as much as anything. Mega-props to JJ for bringing Odysseus home in a satisfying way. Fabulous director.

 

I too thought the Adam Driver/ Harrison Ford scene was fantastic. Adam Driver is a heck of a talent. Looking forward to more from him.

[TechEverlasting]

While trying to decide between Real3D and IMAX, I did some Googling and it seemed that the film was not made with IMAX cameras - somebody correct if me if you have the info, so I went with Real3D, even though the Real3D glasses are a tighter fit than the IMAX ones over my regular glasses.

 

I think it's absurd for this type of movie to proclaim what type of camera it was filmed on when the vast majority of what you see on the screen was generated by computer. The main camera used for "Rise of Skywalker" is whatever MAYA rendering system they utilized.

 

If you can find a Laser Imax 3D presentation of this film I highly recommend it. Unfortunately the polarized glasses used for 3D cut down the projected light levels, which in turn causes mediocre black levels in many "Real 3D" screens. It's like listening to a fine symphony recording on cheap earbuds. ROS has lots of gorgeous dark scenes that really benefit from the extended dynamic range and rich blacks that Laser Imax 3D makes possible. To me this movie is a gorgeous set of 3D images wrapped around a pedestrian corporate re-hash of various great moments from Episodes IV and V. Still a very enjoyable couple of hours in a theater.

[GovernorSilver]

While trying to decide between Real3D and IMAX, I did some Googling and it seemed that the film was not made with IMAX cameras - somebody correct if me if you have the info, so I went with Real3D, even though the Real3D glasses are a tighter fit than the IMAX ones over my regular glasses.

 

I think it's absurd for this type of movie to proclaim what type of camera it was filmed on when the vast majority of what you see on the screen was generated by computer. The main camera used for "Rise of Skywalker" is whatever MAYA rendering system they utilized.

 

If you can find a Laser Imax 3D presentation of this film I highly recommend it. Unfortunately the polarized glasses used for 3D cut down the projected light levels, which in turn causes mediocre black levels in many "Real 3D" screens. It's like listening to a fine symphony recording on cheap earbuds. ROS has lots of gorgeous dark scenes that really benefit from the extended dynamic range and rich blacks that Laser Imax 3D makes possible. To me this movie is a gorgeous set of 3D images wrapped around a pedestrian corporate re-hash of various great moments from Episodes IV and V. Still a very enjoyable couple of hours in a theater.

 

You might be right about the film being worth a watch in IMAX 3D.

 

OTOH your 2nd to last sentence touches on my reluctance to go back to the theater for another viewing.

[TechEverlasting]

\

You might be right about the film being worth a watch in IMAX 3D.

 

To clarify, what I'm recommending is a Laser Imax presentation. A non-laser Imax 3D showing can be worse than any Real 3D screening in terms of dynamic range and black levels. Before the Lincoln Square Imax in Manhattan got its laser projection system it was truly dismal, a huge screen with nowhere near enough lumens. (Now it's amazing!) This is all a matter of putting out enough light to illuminate a large screen and overcome the light loss from polarized 3D glasses.

[GovernorSilver]

\

You might be right about the film being worth a watch in IMAX 3D.

 

To clarify, what I'm recommending is a Laser Imax presentation. A non-laser Imax 3D showing can be worse than any Real 3D screening in terms of dynamic range and black levels. Before the Lincoln Square Imax in Manhattan got its laser projection system it was truly dismal, a huge screen with nowhere near enough lumens. (Now it's amazing!) This is all a matter of putting out enough light to illuminate a large screen and overcome the light loss from polarized 3D glasses.

 

I dunno, I will soon be visiting family and if they really want to see it with me - whether in IMAX 3D or some other format - I might not get much of a vote anyway. I could always pull the "I already saw it" card but I'm not likely to have the heart to do that, esp. if one of the votes is coming from a young nephew or something.

[Bill H.]

Here's Cinemablend's take on the 3D conversion of Rise:

 

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2487229/to-3d-or-not-to-3d-buy-the-right-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-ticket

 

As a general rule I don't spring for 3D unless the film was shot with 3D cameras (Avatar being a good example) but sometimes a well executed conversion can surprise me. In this case I just don't think there was enough time. JJ Abrams was finishing up another round of reshoots just a few weeks ago.

[Outkaster]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankfully, the IMAX 3D here in Nashville showed the real movie, not the bogus one that was shown to the critics

 

I remember reading somewhere that Harrison Ford was Lucas's carpenter, and not the first choice for Han Solo. He was working on some job at a home in Southern California when he left a note, "not coming to work today, I'm auditioning for some silly space opera." To me, the charm of the original Star Wars was that it was a space opera in the tradition of Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, etc., but with a bit more mythic heft. When it became a big deal, especially because The Empire Strikes Back took such a turn into maturity, people started weighing it down with profundity and expectations. I believe trying to make Star Wars more than it was is behind some of the backlash and critiques.

 

That said, in my mind TROS is totally faithful to the 1977 Star Wars - it's a silly space opera, but updated with a gorgeous look and a natural progression. I also think that the direction coaxed out the best acting, by far, in the series.

 

Think of it this way: suppose Star Wars had never existed, and TROS came out of nowhere, with maybe a bit more background in the opening crawl so that some of the plot points made more sense. I bet people would be flipping out over it. They wouldn't have preconceptions about where it stood I relation to the 8 previous movies. Taken on its own, TROS is that 1977 silly space opera, honed to perfection in that genre.

 

J J Abrams said something very interesting. When Vanity Fair asked him whether critics and any nonplussed fans have missed something and in fact, got it wrong, here's what their article said: "Funnily enough, Abrams concedes the point: 'No, I would say they"re right.' But then he immediately adds one more crucial point, insisting that 'The people who love it more than anything are also right.'"

 

That is soooooo true. I've always known some people don't like my music, and some people do. I make it for the people who do, and don't try to alter it for the people who don't. I can totally relate to J J Abrams making the film he wanted to make, for the people who wanted to see it.

 

Good posts especially seeing that so many fans want things as it was presented to them in the 70s. Things like the original movie happened by accident, same with Terminator. I have a serious fan in the building next door. A buddy of mine is an IT guy that loves Star Wars, has all the toys and knows all the movies. He doesn't consider any of these new movies canon. Some of these fans get really hot about this topic.

 

[Doerfler]

Going tonight to late show. After that I will read this thread, been avoiding it right after dB started it so as not to read any spoilers.

[cedar]

Yes, one of the greatest movie quotes of all time: 'so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause'

No, the greatest movie quote is 'Leave the gun...take the Cannoli!'

Sorry, but it"s 'Dos hombres??'

 

Followed closely by 'Anybody got a dime? Somebody go back and get a shitload o" dimes!'

 

Nope best line is:

 

"Oh that Barney Rubble, what an actor!"

[TechEverlasting]

One of the all-time greatest movie lines is Han Solo's "I know" in response to Leia proclaiming her love just before he gets frozen in "Empire Strikes Back". (Now that's a Star Wars movie!) From what I've read there was some predictable response in the script along the lines of "and don't you forget it because I'll be back etc." Harrison Ford came up the classic reply seen in the film.

[mate stubb]

One of the all-time greatest movie lines is Han Solo's "I know" in response to Leia proclaiming her love just before he gets frozen in "Empire Strikes Back". (Now that's a Star Wars movie!) From what I've read there was some predictable response in the script along the lines of "and don't you forget it because I'll be back etc." Harrison Ford came up the classic reply seen in the film.

 

Spoken like a man who definitely shot first.

 

Ford did the same thing in Raiders, ditching the elaborate sword vs whip fight in favor of summarily pulling his gun. He later said he felt bad for the swordsman who practiced his routine for weeks, but that it felt more in character.

[GRollins]

Ford did the same thing in Raiders, ditching the elaborate sword vs whip fight in favor of summarily pulling his gun. He later said he felt bad for the swordsman who practiced his routine for weeks, but that it felt more in character.

 

I believe I recall reading that Ford had had an intestinal virus and felt like shit (ahem) and was seeking a way to end the shot quickly as he could barely stand. He improvised, and the rest is history...

 

Grey

 

[CowboyNQ]

I've been carefully avoiding all contact with this thread (and any opinion at all) on this movie, finally got the chance to watch it today with my wife and teenage sons.

 

I had a wonderful time as did the whole family. For me it was a thrilling ride and a fitting conclusion (?) to the series. Pretty predictable denoument, but to be honest that's what made it quite satisfying for me. I walked out feeling that all was right with the [star Wars] universe.

 

In the cinema where I viewed it, it looked and sounded incredibly good. We don't do the 3D thing so can't comment in that regard.

 

FWIW, Rogue One is my favourite of all the Star Wars films outside of what is these days called Episodes IV, V, VI. That is one ripping yarn and the last act is stunning. This said, I have no hate for any of the films, and am in the somewhat exclusive club of those who really enjoyed Solo.

 

Some silly observations I made below:

 

 

1. Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter must have seriously good front and side airbags. He also has a quality insurance company as he got that bad boy back into the sky very quickly. Mind you, picking on anything to do with physics in a Star Wars flick is a pointless waste of time - disbelief is best suspended at the door, not unlike Kylo's airbags, one assumes.

 

2. I know Rey healed the snake, but I would have still been worried about getting bitten. Snakes have to eat, and are also quite willing to defend themselves if they feel threatened. My advice to those not overly familiar with snakes - in the non-Star Wars universe, best to steer them a wide berth, and they'll happily do the same for you.

 

3. If you work on a Rebel base in any rebellion ever and are named Porkins, or have a physique vaguely resembling a bloke named Porkins, refuse all opportunities to fly fighters in combat missions. While not as glamorous, disclosed evidence suggests the chances of a longer career likely rest with refuelling/operating ground radar/running around aimlessly to the sound of sirens, etc.

 

 

[xKnuckles]

 

I saw it a few days ago. I enjoyed it - it is a good film - but I felt it could have been a lot better. I kept expecting some big exciting secret about Rey to be revealed..... ie. that she was Han Solo & Leia's daughter whose identity had had to be concealed for some mysterious - but plausible & highly interesting reason.... I would have liked that a lot more than her simply being related to the

Emperor. I think it could have made for a much more cohesive and better storyline.

 

The other thing which I found was that the extreme ambiguity of the good versus evil thing - dark side vs jedi - which was always one of Star Wars' most fascinating aspects, meant that the final 'happy ' ending did not seem overly happy or final. Of course, some might argue that this is much closer to reality as we experience it, but I do not want that in such fantasy stories. I want the goodies to win and be rewarded. Far from being rewarded, Poor Leia and Han Solo were given difficult lives and then each had to die, without witnessing their son Ben experiencing any form of redemption from his chosen dark path. Surely the worst and cruellest possible fate for any parent.

 

The film was interesting and well made, but definitely not uplifting or optimistic, in my opinion.

 

[GRollins]

 

Two things:

1) Who the hell would want to marry Palpatine, anyway? Even back on Naboo, he was a slimy, yukky creature that (I would hope) no civilized woman would want to be involved with.

2) And even assuming that someone paired off with him (possibly because they're drawn to power?), it would have worked better if we had seen in an earlier movie that he had a wife. If there was such a scene and I missed it, then that's on me, but no one I've spoken with remembers anyone. As things stand, it was just kind of dropped on us...Surprise! Palpatine had a family! WTF???

 

 

Grey

[VLH]

Thought the movie was nonsense on pretty much every level, though I appreciated the use of the Alchemical philosophy in -- sort-of -- unifying the force. However, I could see that coming from the last movie and so the "conversion" scene was no surprise at all. Driver is a good actor, and did a good job prepping us for his complexity; the rest, meh, but then, the writing gave them absolutely nothing to work with.

 

And seriously, flying a herd of yak-warthog-horses across 100s of lightyears, just in case, oh, I don't know, you might need them to go thundering out onto some landbound imperial warcraft? Really? If YOU had to race across the galaxy to save civilization from permanent evil, would you take the time to round up a herd of beasts? I burst out laughing in the theater; fortunately, my 16-year old grandson, who was seated next to me, is accustomed to my sensibilities and I didn't ruin anything for him. Somehow, of all the idiotic things in the last six movies, this scene stuck out as the softest spot in a pear that had already been rendered more rotten mush than the firm golden fruit one expected from the first three. Still, it was cool to watch them. I didn't feel like I wasted my money, primarily because my son-in-law treated. He even bought popcorn, bless him.

 

And all that said, I'll admit that I still love to watch practically anything populated by cool shit speeding through space. Sci-fi is still a treat for me, even the drek, which most of it is these days. Glad I went and I encourage others too, as soon as it hits the cheap seats. Definitely a big-screen event.

[SeaGtGruff]

I saw it the other night. Unfortunately, I was dog tired and kept struggling to keep my eyes open, so it was difficult for me to form much of a reaction other than "When is it going to be OVER?" But that's my universal reaction to any movie I'm dragged to while half dead.

 

To be honest, I didn't care for the pacing. "Frenetic" is right. I don't understand why so many Hollywood directors and film editors think it's necessary to hit the audience in the face non-stop with a 2x4 of action, action, action, all so fast-paced that you can't even tell WTF's going on most of the time. It's like that's going to magically make the movie really, really exciting. The scenes of such movies are all tiny little snippets sewn together (masterfully, it's true) into a blur of color and movement-- most of it so darkly lit that even if they'd left the camera pointing at a scene long enough for you to get more than just a subliminal don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it glimpse you'd still have trouble figuring out what you're looking at.

 

Anyway, I'll have to see it again so I can watch it while I'm not half dead and safely coffeed-up. I did mostly like all of the little call-outs to the original Star Wars movies, especially the first one. You could tell it was a labor of love. And it's hard to make a final-movie-in-the-series film that pleases everyone, since the fans are always disappointed that it's the end.

[kayriss]

I had heard plenty of negative feedback before going in, so I went in with an open mind and tried really hard to not let my friends' opinions influence mine.

 

I can honestly say I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. For me personally this has been a fun trilogy â I'm enjoying rewatching TFA and TLJ now after seeing it.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

A lot of people really hated VIII, whereas it was far and away my favorite Star Wars film since the original trilogy. It's because it built its whole narrative around change, evolution, and destruction, and tried to take the Star Wars universe to a new place.

 

RoS very deliberately walked all of that back, and I thought that was not only a missed opportunity, but a cowardly storytelling decision.

 

I understand a lot of people just want to be entertained, and that's totally fine. But for me, great science fiction always comments on society. The original trilogy's story of a Rebellion against a powerful Empire, for all of its repurposing of old adventure serials and Samurai films, was a reaction to the Vietnam War. The prequels, as hamfisted and poorly executed as they were from both a visual and storytelling perspective, were a reaction to the War on Terror, and how people can be manipulated into giving up civil liberties and even their identities and ethics when threatened with violence and wooed by a leader's strength.

 

The first two sequel films were about a heroic generation reaching old age, and watching the enemies they thought they had wiped out regain power. They were about how a new generation had to combat this threat, learning what they could from their forbears, but forging a new path, not just to imitate the old guard, but to build on and refine the good they did. As much of a nostalgiafest as The Force Awakens was (all the big story beats echoed a previous film in the franchise), it worked for me because 1. the portrayal of the First Order as group of unrefined but still evil/dangerous imitators of the fascist Empire that had preceded them was so pertinent to the rise of White Nationalism in our current time, some sixty years on from the Third Reich, and 2. the follow-up film answered the nostalgia/mirroring of Force Awakens with the message that sometimes old ways must be abandoned to move forward. Every single expected story beat in Last Jedi was designed around a thesis: "you think you know what should happen in battle between Good and Evil because this is a Star Wars movie, but the universe is really much more complicated and nuanced than that."

 

I thought Rise of Skywalker, on the other hand, was a lot of cameos and callbacks. Not what I had hoped for after a film that was so committed to reinventing the series for a modern time, and opening the franchise up to new ideas. More concerned with "look, this is Star Wars, can't you tell?" than truly developing the arcs of the characters and ideas the first two films had introduced. Stilted dialogue and pacing issues aside, it seemed much more concerned with being full of things that everyone found inoffensive than trying to tell a story.

 

But then, my opinions tend to correlate with critics much more often than with audiences. :wink: