Thoughts on the New Star Wars

Since May the 4th was a few days ago, I've planned a couple of Star Wars themed posts for this month, as is tradition now. Today I want to talk about the new Star Wars movies and maybe a bit about the upcoming shows. If you really like the sequels, or if you haven't seen them, probably don't read this, because I have some ✨thoughts✨.

The Force Awakens

Obviously, I was excited when this was announced. It had been years since any new Star Wars films came out, and while I was alive when the prequels came out, I wasn't old enough to have even seen the originals. As more information came out about the movie, and how they were ditching the pre-established future canon (Google it if you don't know), I was suspicious.

I know people fault this film for being too similar to A New Hope (which it is), but after seeing the later films, I'm almost glad for that. It didn't stray too far from what we knew and loved about Star Wars. I thought the new characters were cool and I especially adore BB-8.

However, I'm still mad about Han. It felt like a cheap death, only there to get Harrison Ford to come back again (until Episode 9, that is). There are some unrealistic things, but overall it's not a terrible film.

The Last Jedi

I know there are mixed opinions on this movie. Some of you love it, and if that's you, great. Some of us hate it, and that's where I fall. If you love it, maybe skip ahead to the next one.

What even is this movie? The parts with Rey, Luke, and Ben are the best parts, even if I'm not a fan of Ben/Kylo (I think he's whiny and immature). But like the other stuff with Poe and Finn? It's pretty pointless. And Rose. I hate Rose. Why did they add her?

Plus, there's a big false climax before we get to the whole "totally not Hoth" planet fight. Although I do like the part where Luke gets to show off. Plus the supposed big baddie of the whole series is killed at the end of this movie, so where does that leave us for movie 3?

Sure, I think porgs are as adorable as the next person. But then they go and kill off Luke too? There's also all the Jedi powers they show us, such as long distance calls, force projection, and calling down lightning that we've never seen before and felt unrealistic. If they introduced one, maybe it would have worked, but all of them? It's too much.

After seeing Knives Out, it's even more frustrating because apparently Rian Johnson can make a good movie. So what happened with this one?

Rise of Skywalker

If you liked TFW, you hate this movie. If you liked TLJ, you hate this movie. I think it's now the most universally hated Star Wars film of all time. Just thinking about it triggers me, and I've only seen it once. Where even to begin?

How about the biggest reveal in Star Wars, that Emperor Palpatine was somehow still alive (negotiating everything we did in the last eight movies), gets put in five minutes into the movie? Oh yeah, and somehow he had a son, who was the father of Rey. Like, who even came up with this plot?

The rest of the plot was all over the place, and the whole thing was so, so long. J. J. Abrams spent most of the run time undoing everything Rian Johnson did in The Last Jedi, leaving very little time to tell the story he wanted. I could probably go on for a while, but I'll spare you.

Was there anything I liked about this movie? D-0 was kinda cute. I like the Bobu Frick because it's hilarious. Um, I liked the aesthetic (if not the practicality) of riding space horses across the star destroyers. And I think that's it.

Overall

How do I feel about all of these movies as a whole? They were okay. They were bold and different, even if I didn't like the way they went. I'm kind of sad that they scrapped the whole expanded universe they had developed over the years. I really wanted to enjoy a whole new series of Star Wars films.

But for me, they just didn't work. I hope they let the Skywalker Saga go and tell more stories like the Mandalorian (but not too many). These films have given me a new appreciation for the prequel movies, which, while they were flawed, are not as bad as these ones. They have a distinct storyline and tell the story of Anakin's fall to the dark side.

I was going to write about some of the other Star Wars movies and shows, but this has been a pretty long post, so I think I'll save that for another day. I hope I didn't trigger anyone too bad, and if you like the new movies, I'm happy for you. I know there are movies that aren't the best I love.

What are your thoughts on the new Star Wars films? Have you read any of the extended universe books? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

My Favorite Star Wars Characters

Writing Tips from the Mandalorian