Curious about the baggage you brought into Rise of Skywalker..did you want to like it?

[Red]

I expected not to like it, but didn't want to not like it. The series was basically done for me after TLJ. That movie was as good an ending I could have hoped for, and I didn't expect Abrams to get anywhere close to the heights of it. He didn't. But I didn't hate RoS. It was fine. I liked it much more than TFA.

 

[Mansa Mufasa]

A lot of it was downhill but I remember having a visceral reaction of cringe and saying ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? when Kylo said....Rey...you're a Palpatine.


Like COME THE FUCK ON.

It felt like I was reading a bad fanfiction.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

Liked the previous two movies, have the steelbook Blu rays.
Big JJ fan.
Tuned out a lot of people that had their minds made about it already.
Avoided reviews.

Drove to a different town to see it in Dolby.
Loved the trailers.

Of course I wanted to like it.

I evem thought it was okay the first time. Then the more I thought about it ... Eventually forced myself to see it a second time several weeks later and that was a struggle after a certain point.

 

[Mansa Mufasa]

Fuck the Book of Henry. It ruined star wars

 

[Pilgrimzero]

It's better than TLJ IMO simply for not shitting on my childhood hero.

Its a fun brainless adventure film. It should have been more. It's horribly flawed but so is the whole sequel trilogy.

Disney needs to never mention the Skywalkers or Palp and evening Rey and friends ever again.

This High Republic thing is where they should have started. And even then only 200 years ago is enough to do stupid things with Yoda and possibly Palp with all that clone garbage.

 

[Phamit]

I liked both of the previous movies so I was looking forward to it, tried my best to go in blind and yeah, I got sceptical when they dropped the Imperator reveal in the Crawl and got more and more frustrated when they started to handwave his presence in like the first 10 minutes.

 

[Arc]

Why would I pay to see something I didn't want to like?

 

[SwampBastard]

For me, Star Wars movies are like the Marvel movies. I'm there for the spectacle and don't care too much about whether or not they make sense. Apart from the Jar Jar Binks bullshit, I don't really feel like there's a huge range in quality among any of the separate entries in the series.

 

[Deleted member 21339]

I liked TLJ a lot so my baggage for RoS was "please just prove that everyone who hated TLJ was hasty to judge and this sequel trilogy really is going in an exciting direction for Star Wars with a hell of a finale that picks up where TLJ left off!"

Didn't get it. Not even one bit. The way Palpatine is just inserted back into the plot via the opening scroll and opening scenes, and the way Kylo is passive to him was immediately off-putting. Like, going off of the trailers, I was willing to accept Palpatine's return with some kind of build up, but that was just instantly not my thing, mostly because it instantly subverted everything Kylo doubles down on by the end of TLJ.

Trash movie.

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Kylo's non-reaction to discovering that Palpatine is still alive is f'n something. He finds the Sith homeworld which to that point no one even knew existed, then finds Palpatine is still alive and not only that he's the man who's been inside his head since birth! And on top of that he has a gigantic fleet each ship equipped with its own Death Star laser. He doesn't ask him a single question about any of this. He's just completely blank and incurious about all of it. JJ probably didn't want to get bogged down in exposition or actually explaining his movie so he just wrote him to be as non-reactive as possible.

 

[TheXbox]

I read the story spoilers, had some serious misgivings about a few narrative choices, most to do with Palpatine. I felt there would be problems even as early as the teaser. The image of the wrecked Death Star II and the Emperor's cackling voice suggested yet another retread from JJ Abrams, a final betrayal of the OT's narrative legacy.

My skepticism would not have been an easy mountain for the film to climb, but what I did not expect is that the film would fail at its very foundations, as a film. Its technical incompetence, let alone the shoddy hack script, is staggering. The action is boring, the story is confusing, the characters are wooden, the editing is atrocious; the film is so far beneath JJ's earlier work that I sort of can't believe he made it. Whatever concerns I had about the script, I never imagined TROS would be an actual shitty movie.

 

[Einbroch]

I wanted to like it and I did kinda like it. It's Star Wars. My expectations are pew pew and slashy slash. It was fine.

 

[SquirrelSaysNuts]

Sure. But I had read reviews before going to the cinema so I was expecting the worst.
I was happy not to be surprised by its awfulness.

 

[Retromess]

I wanted to, because I LOVED The Last Jedi. TLJ is the best and most enjoyable Star Wars movie in my opinion, so I really really hoped the follow up movie would be great.

It got derailed for me the moment they announced/teased Palpatine was coming back. Then I saw the title and got a bad feeling.... then pretty much from "The dead speak!" on, it was trash.

It wasn't even the type of trash I could enjoy in a "this is so bad it's good!" kinda way, it was just sad, boring, upsetting trash.

So yeah, I didn't really give the movie a chance since it was announced what it was, and I was right for it, at least in my own opinions.

 

[Haloid1177]

Loved TLJ, found TFA bleh, haven't liked a JJ movie since Mission Impossible 3, so hopes were low, and even then it cratered for me.

 

[Good4Squat]

My friend told me it was really bad and that it wasn't even worth watching. So I went into it with low expectations. But I have to say he was completely right. What a waste of time.

 

[Deleted member 21339]

I read the story spoilers, had some serious misgivings about a few narrative choices, most to do with Palpatine. I felt there would be problems even as early as the teaser. The image of the wrecked Death Star II and the Emperor's cackling voice suggested yet another retread from JJ Abrams, a final betrayal of the OT's narrative legacy.

My skepticism would not have been an easy mountain for the film to climb, but what I did not expect is that the film would fail at its very foundations, as a film. Its technical incompetence, let alone the shoddy hack script, is staggering. The action is boring, the story is confusing, the characters are wooden, the editing is atrocious; the film is so far beneath JJ's earlier work that I sort of can't believe he made it. Whatever concerns I had about the script, I never imagined TROS would be an actual shitty movie.

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Yea, it's almost hard to believe that TFA and TROS were made by the same guy. One wonders if Kasdan had more influence over that movie in post than was previously thought

 

[Patapuf]

I liked the previous 2 and i liked rise of skywalker.

The whole trilogy is full of weaknesses and missed potential and it's certainly not what i would have wished for but i enjoyed myself well enough at the cinema.

It won't have the staying power of other parts of the franchise though. They were very "watch and forget" - level movies.

 

[caliph95]

Yea, it's almost hard to believe that TFA and TROS were made by the same guy. One wonders if Kasdan had more influence over that movie in post than was previously thought

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I wouldn't be surprised Kasdan helped the story in TFA a bit grounded but the production mess probably killed the movie more

 

[Deleted member 9932]

tfa derailed, last of the jedi was the crash and rise of the skywalker was the morbid curiosity of the passerby.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

You're not really going to get honest answers here.

 

[Bunkles]

Went in not expecting much and was still disappointed. The movie was a complete mess and solidified this SW trilogy as the worst. For all of the prequels many, many, many faults it at least felt like a legit arc.

 

[TheXbox]

Yea, it's almost hard to believe that TFA and TROS were made by the same guy. One wonders if Kasdan had more influence over that movie in post than was previously thought

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JJ also lost his longtime editor who worked on TFA. She said some unpopular things about TLJ recently, but whatever her story sensibilities are JJ's earlier films moved at a damn good clip. Too fast, sometimes, but always effective on a first viewing. That is is his brand. TROS feels like a perversion of that brand, not the genuine article.

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

It was a steady downward decline for myself. I liked Force Awakens, was pretty meh on The Last Jedi and straight up disliked TROS.

 

[Brazil]

I enjoyed TFA for what it was and really liked TLJ, even though at the time it was very clear that it'd completely failed at setting up a sequel.

The second Palpatine showed up in the trailers for TROS I knew it would be a shit movie. Read a big part of the leaked scripts. Went in expecting it to be terrible, had some fun due to how pretty it is, but it was terrible.

 

[Zukuu]

I liked TFA. It wasn't great but it showed potential.
TLJ is the worst nose-dive I've ever seen in over a decade for a trilogy. Ironically, the Clones was equally bad. They are definitively the bottom 2 SW movies for me. If that was the first movie of a new trilogy, I could see how it could work, but killing of EVERY PLOT HOOK of the previous movie as the middle entry without any new ones? Lmao.

So I went into ROTS with the mind that it had a difficult task, but it was by another director - so I was not overly excited but I was curious. A few scenes in and it felt utterly rushed. Ray + Kylo stuff and force-ghost-or-memory Han Solo later I was already annoyed by the movie.
Just like TLJ it had some cool scenes, but overall it was a dumpster fire. The ending had me eye-rolling more than anything.

 

[I am a Bird]

I just wanted to see finn become a cool jedi. Then when I saw palpatine on the cover I realized this was gonna be a shit show and lost interest in it.

 

[Peter Ian Staker]

I had mixed feelings on TLJ so I read all the spoilers to save myself more surprise disappointment.
I wouldn't have even gone to see it in theater if a friend of mine didn't insist and completely regretted my decision the moment Poe started doing the "Palpatine is alive speech".

 

[sonnyboy]

I just wanted to see finn become a cool jedi.

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This. This is what really lowered my interest in the trilogy overall. I wouldn't have had that hope if the TFA trailers didn't get my hopes up.

 

[jetpacks was yes]

I definitely wanted to like it. I hated the Rey Palpatine angle, couldn't understand at all why Kylo turned, and by the end of the movie with the kiss I was making that face from that Oz closing door gif.

 

[Deleted member 24052]

I did not care much for TLJ, so yeah I wanted to like TROS.

 

[Lord Hypnos]

I enjoyed TFA, it didn't really have any standout moments but I liked all of the new characters and seeing Han, Leia and Chewbacca again was something I'd been looking forward to for decades. A lot of the enjoyment was from nostalgia but that wears off after repeat viewings and isn't something the next two movies could really capitalise on.

TLJ was more hit-and-miss for me, much higher highs than TFA but also much lower lows... Canto Bight was worse than anything from the Prequel Trilogy and that takes some doing considering how bad they were. To this day I can't believe how much that segment ruined the rest of the movie for me, I just sat there with a sense of dread and left the cinema never wanting to see another Star Wars movie. Solo was due for release within 6 months and I skipped it despite adoring the other spinoff Rogue One.

By the time TROS was due I'd rekindled a bit of my love for the series by stumbling across ESB on TV and enjoying what is still the best Star Wars movie. I knew TROS wouldn't be anything special as we'd all heard how much of a mess production was and rumours of Palpatine being reintroduced so went in without any great expectations. It's a mess of a movie with some good moments but I'm guessing for those who really loved TLJ it was the same kick in the teeth I recieved a couple of years before.

TFA is the most consistent, TLJ has the best moments and TROS is just a mess. It is on Disney for not coming up with a plan and having the directors fit their visions within this framework.

 

[Dogstar]

I just wanted it to be better than TLJ and it was. It was fun and the kids loved it, which was all that mattered.

 

[Deleted member 19996]

No baggage. I enjoyed TLJ and I enjoyed RotS.

 

[sphagnum]

I had followed the spoilers, so I'd say about a few months before it came out is when dread started creeping in.

It was when we found out about Rey's heritage that I knew it would be bad.

 

[Sabercrusader]

Eh, I lost some interest in the first half of it not going to lie. I liked TFA enough, though I have major problems with it, and I honestly really enjoy TLJ because I loved how subversive it was and how bold some of it's choices were. I still had a couple problems with it though.

The best part of the entire Sequel Trilogy to me has been Kylo Ren. Consistently the most interesting character in all 3 films, so once it started really honing in on him and Rey in the second half, I was more into it.

I'm disappointed with Poe and with Finn. Only thing I liked about Poe was his tension with Rey.

Had a really good character moment with Chewie though so I loved that, but on the flip side, I don't feel as though Lando needed to be in this movie, and he felt kinda forced in to be honest just to hit all the main OG trilogy characters being onscreen at least once during the trilogy.

Spoiler

And this film in particular had all of them onscreen at one point or another.

Overall I think the biggest misstep was bringing Palpatine back. I understood the notion of tying the entire Skywalker saga together with Palpatine, but man was it not executed well.

 

[Deleted member 57990]

I loved both TFA and TLJ, and loved Rey, Finn and Poe, and wanted to see their story come to a satisfying conclusion worthy of these characters.

I knew something was wrong when rhe first scene started and we didn't know where we were, who Kylo Ren was fighting or why he was fighting them. It went downhill from there.

 

[Rampage]

Since I liked 7 & 8, I had no negative baggage. I heard rumblings of fan discontent over Rian, and cheers of Abrams return. But whatever. Then the trailer. Palipatine spoke. And it was over- I knew it was going to be terrible. They pulled every Hollywood schlock trick out of the bag to appease the fandom and destroyed the trilogy.

The reality is 7, 8, & 9 were made too late. Fisher, Hamil, and Ford had aged beyond any story that would have satisfied fan who have read every EU novel.

I liked old Leia, Luke, and Han. I like Rey, Finn, and Poe picking up the torch. I like crazy ass Kylo Ren. The first two movies were not perfect, but I was okay dealing with the rough edges understanding the tight rope they were walking.

Then, Disney bowed to fandom and brought out Zombie Palipatine- destroying Luke's accomplishment in Jedi. Fans got exactly what they wanted in the final film, and the act all surprised that it sucked.

 

[hidys]

I deeply wanted to like this movie. The Last Jedi is one of my favourite movies of the last decade. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. This movie was a complete mess.

 

[pxleyes]

Liked the previous two movies, have the steelbook Blu rays.
Big JJ fan.
Tuned out a lot of people that had their minds made about it already.
Avoided reviews.

Drove to a different town to see it in Dolby.
Loved the trailers.

Of course I wanted to like it.

I evem thought it was okay the first time. Then the more I thought about it ... Eventually forced myself to see it a second time several weeks later and that was a struggle after a certain point.

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This is a really good summary. I tried so hard to like it. Watching the cinema sins last night cemented my views of it as a middling prequel level SW film. Just terrible.

I don't think I'd be overstating it to say that TROS did a lot to ruin my love for the film series as a whole.

 

[RumbleHumble]

It started feeling off the moment Rey and Leia were on screen "together" for me. Off, but I could buy it. The moment they faked out killing Chewie was the moment I realized it wasn't working for me.

I did read the spoilers prior to going in, but I do that with just about every media I consume. I get more joy out of execution of concepts than out of the concepts themselves.

 

[Madrugador]

I had very low expectations and the movie still managed to disappoint me.

 

[Mansa Mufasa]

I loved The Force Awakens and I adored The Last Jedi. TROS had so much riding on it.

 

[Deleted member 21339]

JJ also lost his longtime editor who worked on TFA. She said some unpopular things about TLJ recently, but whatever her story sensibilities are JJ's earlier films moved at a damn good clip. Too fast, sometimes, but always effective on a first viewing. That is is his brand. TROS feels like a perversion of that brand, not the genuine article.

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Yea, I saw that interview. I though she actually said good things about TLJ.. it was his new editor that said the movie sought to undo everything about it

 

[Gunny T Highway]

The Dead Speak

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Yep right at moment one.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I watched and enjoyed every Star Wars movie on release, save the OT. I saw those as a kid, sometime in the 80s. Even the general crappiness of the PT was still enjoyable enough at the time that I wasn't down on them until further thought in the post-hype space.

Beyond that, I don't have huge attachment to the franchise. I played a bunch of the games and liked some a lot (KOTOR 1/2, especially), but not really because they were Star Wars, so much as good games.

I do tend to let myself get sucked into hype and get really excited with people for a big release of any sort, and it was always easy enough to do that with Star Wars. I had no problem getting into and enjoying TFA and TLJ on release, and felt like most of the hate for TLJ was built on emotional disagreement with plot developments, which I didn't really have.

I went into this last film pretty hyped. Trailers readily got me teary-eyed, music swells had me pumped. I was good to go. Even convinced my girlfriend to come with, and she's seen less than an entire Star Wars movie. I read spoilers before it hit, and some of it sounded kinda dumb, but I tried to keep the optimistic part of me alive, because god knows I've read some lists of plot points in my life that were way more exciting and fun in the context of proper story.

But it just didn't land for me at all. It felt soulless and hacky and poorly plotted and just fucking stupid at points. I don't get it, honestly. TLJ could have easily led to an epic end, rather than a safe limp to the finish line.

 

[Maxim726x]

Honestly, after TLJ I had zero expectations and was still massively let down.

It was a shit movie. If it wasn't a mainline SW release, it would be 2019's Jupiter Ascending. It was complete crap.

 

[TheXbox]

Yea, I saw that interview. I though she actually said good things about TLJ.. it was his new editor that said the movie sought to undo everything about it

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Hm, maybe got my wires crossed.

Either way, poor editing is imo the most glaring issue in TROS. Cutting dailies as they came in probably didn't help, but the film also went through a ton of structural convulsions during post, so I can't help but wonder how the film would feel if an old hand had managed the final cut. Doesn't fix the story issues, but maybe it could have been... comprehensible? Like, not actively bewildering??

 

[Serpens007]

After reading the critics before opening night, I lowered expectations but still wanted to like it. I thought "well, it's probably not very well shot or something, but they say there's a lot of fan service so it seems ok to me".

I loved TLJ, and I was really dissapointed in TROS. I had fun, but the movie was so empty, so "corporate made", with so many wtf decisions that I ended with a facepalm opening night. I think the moment was when we know that Rey is a Palpatine. That moment threw the entire ST out of the window.

And the final battle was just horrible. Why are there so many ships yet we couldn't get an actual battle between them. Both siths and rebel fleet standed there and did nothing. "I am Iron Man but jedi" moment, aargh.

Saw the movie two times in an attempt to like it. I have no desire to watch it again. Star Wars ended with TLJ for me.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I liked 3/4 of the Disney movies with Rogue One being the best and TLJ being the worst. I let go of my hate for TLJ in hopes that TROS would make the whole thing work.

I loved the way Rise of Skywalker started. The Sith Holocron (whatever), the lights speed skipping and the desert party. I was all the way in. "A pathway to many abilities..." had me hype as shit but I didn't like the way they explained who Rey was and that was the hinge that held the movie and to a lesser extent, the trilogy together.


The movie is anime as hell even down to the power of friendship. It is a mid tier star was film at best. Too on the nose in many parts.

 

[Rampage]

But it just didn't land for me at all. It felt soulless and hacky and poorly plotted and just fucking stupid at points. I don't get it, honestly. TLJ could have easily led to an epic end, rather than a safe limp to the finish line.

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Yep, far as I am concerned the series ends with TLJ. The torch was past to the new Rebel crew at the end with Luke's sacrifice.