The Rise of Skywalker General Star Wars Episode IX News/Speculation Thread - Part 1

[Drizzle]

Yes, Gary Kurtz was a huge part of it. And so were all the major collaborators on the film.
I really wish George had surrounded himself with people who challenged him when he was making the prequels. He's always been good at trying to push the envelope technologically, and challenging what filmmaking can be. Unfortunately he also showed a lot of laziness, writing one or two drafts of the script, shooting EVERYTHING green screen, so he could sit comfortably in a little chair.

All true. A lot of credit also goes to the editors, ILM, and John Williams of course, but they weren't really around on set.

Speaking of Williams, I also think that his scores were the only aspect of the prequels that Lucas completely entrusted to someone else considering their longstanding relationship. And that's the reason why the music is the best thing about the prequels.

 

[henzINNIT]

the reason classic star wars looked and felt the way it did was the limitations it had to work with at the time. You think the creatives wanted all desert or snow planets all the time? Nah. But that's all they done had to work with.

trying to replicate that look in 2015, which was informed by the tech at the time, came off as uninspired. Filming in deserts, Islands and snowy places and making them planets wasn't clever, it just came off as artistically lazy.

Once again I go back to comparing the ST to Blade Runner 2049. Neither Deakins or Denis were interested in replicating (heh) the work of Ridley Scott and Jordan Cronenwerth. They had their own vision. It was without question the blade runner world, but filtered through the creative conduit of the filmmakers that made them TODAY and the tools available TODAY.

Honestly this is more of a JJ problem than a Disney Star Wars problem. His films rely heavily on that basic location-for-planet mentality. Too many bloody deserts. I think the other films have had some pretty cool and more imaginative locations. I appreciate trying to capture more in camera after the PT, but I think maybe they over-corrected a little. There were some great planets in those.

 

[Drizzle]

Honestly this is more of a JJ problem than a Disney Star Wars problem. His films rely heavily on that basic location-for-planet mentality. Too many bloody deserts. I think the other films have had some pretty cool and more imaginative locations. I appreciate trying to capture more in camera after the PT, but I think maybe they over-corrected a little. There were some great planets in those.

The PT, especially Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, had some pretty unique looking planets. Sure, not all of them looked very realistic but every planet that we briefly glimpsed in the Order 66 sequence was still more memorable than most of the planets introduced in the sequel trilogy. The fact that Abrams introduced yet another new desert planet in Rise of Skywalker was baffling. I did like the look of Jakku in The Force Awakens, but I think the most interesting looking planets in the sequel trilogy were Ahch-To and Crait, which along with Jakku are the only sequel planets I can name off the top of my head without having to Google it.

 

[Marvolo]

The ST certainly is beautiful to look at. A lot of really solid visual storytelling happening throughout too.

 

[I Am The Knight]

The PT, especially Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, had some pretty unique looking planets. Sure, not all of them looked very realistic but every planet that we briefly glimpsed in the Order 66 sequence was still more memorable than most of the planets introduced in the sequel trilogy. The fact that Abrams introduced yet another new desert planet in Rise of Skywalker was baffling. I did like the look of Jakku in The Force Awakens, but I think the most interesting looking planets in the sequel trilogy were Ahch-To and Crait, which along with Jakku are the only sequel planets I can name off the top of my head without having to Google it.

Yeah I don't quite remember the name of the desert planet in TROS....Sahara, maybe?

 

[thangaran]

Glad to hear they will be doing smaller budget films. I think they should really do a spin on a Tales of the Mos Eisley Cantina (not necessarily doing the same as the book) but a take on it. Maybe that work better on a format like Disney.

I hope they focus on other characters as I find Rey, Finn and Poe to be so incredibly dull

 

[Brother Jack]

The PT, especially Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, had some pretty unique looking planets. Sure, not all of them looked very realistic but every planet that we briefly glimpsed in the Order 66 sequence was still more memorable than most of the planets introduced in the sequel trilogy. The fact that Abrams introduced yet another new desert planet in Rise of Skywalker was baffling. I did like the look of Jakku in The Force Awakens, but I think the most interesting looking planets in the sequel trilogy were Ahch-To and Crait, which along with Jakku are the only sequel planets I can name off the top of my head without having to Google it.

There was some great world building in the prequels, even if most of the environments themselves were rendered in odious CGI.

Out of all the planets in the ST, Ahch-To is the one that hits the sweet-spot of being a new and unique environment in the saga, having verisimilitude by being modeled and shot on a real location, and having a thematic and narrative purpose to the story. It's as good of a planet in those ways as Tatooine or Mustafar.

 

[Fosterson]

Glad to hear they will be doing smaller budget films. I think they should really do a spin on a Tales of the Mos Eisley Cantina (not necessarily doing the same as the book) but a take on it. Maybe that work better on a format like Disney.

I hope they focus on other characters as I find Rey, Finn and Poe to be so incredibly dull

REEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Spider-Fan]

I didn't like the look of Jakku. It was dollar store Tattooine.

 

[Brother Jack]

I didn't like the look of Jakku. It was dollar store Tattooine.

It was a great idea to make it a junkyard planet wherein Rey literally lives in wreckage from the original trilogy, but there was no reason to make it another desert planet other than to say "remember A New Hope"? That Abrams did it again with Pasaana is a joke.

 

[Doctor Jones]

The junkyard idea was fine. Maybe it could have been a planet with toxic fumes and God knows what else from all the accumulation of junk. It could have been the galaxy's junkyard, becoming a very polluted place where you would need masks to even breathe. It attracts a lot of dangerous kinds of people. To which it makes Rey more of a survivor getting by with not much human contact so when she meets Finn, she's very distrustful and not good with people.

But that would have required imagination.

 

[Drizzle]

I didn't like the look of Jakku. It was dollar store Tattooine.

I thought Jakku looked great cinematically thanks to Dan Mindel's cinematography and the natural beauty of Abu Dhabi. The problem was that narratively it was just another Tatooine, which is fine since Rey had to start somewhere, but it didn't need to be another desert planet.

 

[Sian]

Rey was a female version of Luke, but not so relatable.
Grew up on desert planet, related to bad guy, black clad dark sider dies saving her, wears white pyjamas.....
Difference is..... Luke wasn't a Mary Sue. He made mistakes. Everything he achieved was through blood, sweat and tears.
Rey had it handed to her gift wrapped.

 

[Gothamsknight]

So my brother, who initially was a fan of TFA, didn't care for TLJ and was pumped for TROS now says he hates these movies. I do wonder how people will feel years from now.

 

[antsman41]

I still want to love TLJ, but mostly just enjoy it now. No longer really enjoy TFA due to TROS... which I truly dislike/hate. It really soured my look on the two films leading into a “hopefully” good finale.

This trilogy is essentially the pure opposite of the Prequels as a whole, after the fact. TPM is more enjoyable post Sith, let alone post Clone Wars. AOTC is messy as hell and frustrating. And, Sith cleans it up... makes for a satisfying conclusion (also thanks to Clone Wars).

 

[Gothamsknight]

I admire TLJ for what it tried to do and it accomplished it in a lot of ways. sure there was too much humor and the casino planet stuff went on far too long, but the stuff with Rey and Luke was absolutely amazing. as for TFA, I do love that movie, but i also admit that TROS has tainted it a bit. The fact that TROS essentially gave us "remember Star Wars" instead of honoring TLJ, it just all really has soured me as well. We could have had an amazing conclusion, and instead we got Star Wars greatest hits. I also wish the prequels had been acknowledged more in the final film. The prequels are not great movies, but they are part of the saga and theres some great stuff in them too. Even if AOTC is the worst Star Wars movie ever.

 

[Doctor Jones]

So my brother, who initially was a fan of TFA, didn't care for TLJ and was pumped for TROS now says he hates these movies. I do wonder how people will feel years from now.

I say this all the time, but they will not age well. There's just little storytelling sensibility outside regurgitating pre-established SW iconography.

 

[Drizzle]

Now that some time has passed, I actually find The Last Jedi more enjoyable than The Rise of Skywalker. Controversial as TLJ was, I still find Luke's moment in the Falcon with R2, Holdo's lightspeed kamikaze and Luke facing off against Kylo Ren and the First Order to be among the best moments of the sequel trilogy. By comparison, the best moments in The Rise of Skywalker on that level were the Han and Ben scene, Luke lifting the X-Wing (even though it was still derivative), and Rey hearing the voices of the Jedi, though that scene would have been far more effective and improved the film had we actually seen the spirits of at least Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin in that moment.

 

[Schlosser85]

I enjoy TFA, but TLJ and ROTS retroactively soured me on it.

At this point I like Rogue One better than any of them.

 

[Drizzle]

So my brother, who initially was a fan of TFA, didn't care for TLJ and was pumped for TROS now says he hates these movies. I do wonder how people will feel years from now.

I have to imagine it'll be similar to the prequels in that the kids who grew up with the sequels and loved them will still love them as adults. And if it's anything like how the prequels are treated now by the generation that saw them in theaters as kids and are now adults, there won't be as much vitriol towards them. I don't hate the sequels, there are more things I like in the trilogy as a whole than dislike, but they definitely feel like more of an experimental easy cash grab than the prequels did for sure. Lucas at least had a plan with those, even if he should have been kept in check in some areas.

 

[Iceman]

From what I think I’m seeing, both the prequels and sequels have nowhere near the significance to those who grew up with them that the OT had. The ST has been overshadowed by the MCU for the newest generation but I just don’t see ultra-hardcore fans of either the prequels or sequels. More like people who “merely” loved them rather than the lifelong devotees that the OT created. I guess there’s just more competition for blockbusters these days as well as neither trilogy really nailing it.

 

[Drizzle]

From what I think I’m seeing, both the prequels and sequels have nowhere near the significance to those who grew up with them that the OT had. The ST has been overshadowed by the MCU for the newest generation but I just don’t see ultra-hardcore fans of either the prequels or sequels. More like people who “merely” loved them rather than the lifelong devotees that the OT created. I guess there’s just more competition for blockbusters these days as well as neither trilogy really nailing it.

I mean, the OT is still in a league of its own and it's never going anywhere. My friends' kids and kids in my own family all love this guy:

 

[Brother Jack]

So my brother, who initially was a fan of TFA, didn't care for TLJ and was pumped for TROS now says he hates these movies. I do wonder how people will feel years from now.

If the prequels can have the kind of positive reappraisal that they've had in recent years (thanks in large part to memes) then the sequels can too. There is a generation of kids for whom the ST will be "their" Star Wars in the same way the PT is for those that grew up with it. It's hard to see it right now, and it's possible that it won't happen, but I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[Fincher]

If the prequels can have the kind of positive reappraisal that they've had in recent years (thanks in large part to memes) then the sequels can too. There is a generation of kids for whom the ST will be "their" Star Wars in the same way the PT is for those that grew up with it. It's hard to see it right now, and it's possible that it won't happen, but I wouldn't rule it out.

There could be a reappraisal. I just don't think any Star Wars series will automatically impact kids the same as any other series because there's differences in how family-oriented they might be and what else is competing for kids' attention. The Last Jedi at least doesn't strike me as all that kid friendly. Its focus on theme and being meta and on subverting expectations and changing things up, those things aren't what kids tend to appreciate, so it might not stand up as a meaningful part of their childhood.

 

[Frodo]

I think there's gonna be a reappraisal of the ST for sure.

I just don't buy the idea that all of the ST films are gonna be universally loved by the next generation , and that they won't be questioned or analyze critically.

In other words, I don't buy the idea that the next generation will like them all uncritically and agree with the creative choices made.

The Burton/Schumacer Batman films are basically my generations Batman films. It doesn't mean my generation agree's they're all good , or my generation doesn't still debate which film is the best.

There's still a debate about ROTJ in terms of its quality within the OT, so the idea that this next generation won't question or debate which ST films are the strongest ,is just unrealistic.

TLJ, is gonna be talked about for years to come and I think its certainly gonna be debated about even among the next generation who's entry point is the ST. I

ts made its mark on Star Wars, for good or for ill .