lucymonster (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lucymonster) wrote2019-12-20 11:09 am
lucymonster) wrote2019-12-20 11:09 am
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
I saw it last night! :D My spoiler-free reactions are:
I don't have much to chew on as far as the plot itself goes, honestly. There was just too much. They crammed in so many things that could have been interesting on their own but got lost in a churning sea of 'go to the place to fetch the thing that leads to the other thing that leads to the other place where you can do the thing with the stuff to the guy'. But I'm REALLY hyped for some of the extra-canon materials to come out, like the visual dictionary, which from early leaked pages looks like it'll have more info about Force dyads and the Knights of Ren and all kinds of worldbuilding I'm dying to sink my teeth into.
Kylo Ren's arc was always going to be make or break for me, and ... oh, man, this movie made it. His death (which I spent the last two years dreading and hoping to avoid) ended up being gorgeous. Heartbreaking but peaceful, right-feeling, with a real sense that he'd finally settled his inner conflicts and decided for himself (free of any voices in his head) what his legacy was going to be. He died smiling in Rey's arms - fucking grinning, radiating joy and relief. I cried my eyes out in the very best way and I'm still brimming with satisfaction twelve hours later. I loved his early scenes where he was settled in his evil power, calmer and more in control than ever, officially done with letting crusty old Force ghouls tell him who to be and focused instead on chasing his own goals (most of which revolve around getting Rey to like him, fuck, this movie did so right by me). I loved the quiet inevitability of his turn back to the light, his shattered expression when Rey stabs and saves him, his tearful scene with Han. I loved the changed costume and body language when he re-embraced his Ben Solo identity, and the completely unchanged flat, dry humour. "Ouch" was hands down the best line of dialogue in the whole fucking movie.
Rey's arc surprised me by being so well acted that it managed to more or less sell me on all the things I thought I'd hate most - the Palpatine lineage, the Skywalker surname, the 'suddenly we're a Trio (TM)' goofiness. Daisy Ridley was phenomenal. I loved her combative friendship with Poe vs her softer, more intimate bond with Finn, and the amazing Jedi training scene with Leia, every single scene she had with Ben/Kylo. But mostly what got me was her slow and terrified tilt towards darkness, the frustration and insecurity and simmering anger that gradually built before erupting in a reckless surge of fury on the Death Star. The role reversal was so striking: Kylo was fighting defensively, trying the whole time (in his twisted failboat way) to reach her emotionally, but all Rey could think about was fucking murder. And then her look of utter devastation when she realised what she'd done. Her single-minded determination to pull herself back from it, to make better choices, to resist the siren song of hatred even in the face of Palpatine himself. I felt so at peace with her ending as well: she's found her family, found her purpose.
And Finn! To be honest, there was less Finn than I hoped for, and the juiciest stuff (his discovery of a whole community of fellow ex-stormtroopers, helLO) got less narrative weight and attention than I wanted it to. But his devotion to Rey was everything I love most about their dynamic, and holy SHIT the burgeoning Force sensitivity, I just <333. That was big. Really big. My Finnreylo obsession is going as strong as ever, because obviously what's going to happen now is that Rey is going to train Finn while snarky ghost Ben looks on and offers helpful pointers. Shipping aside, I hope we get some tie-in comics or novels that shown Finn exploring his power.
So yeah! These are not all my thoughts, but they're the ones I most urgently needed to get out. I'm still bubbling with joy and looking forward to my next viewing, which is going to be inconvenient with my Christmas plans but I'll find a way somehow. I'm more in love with Star Wars than ever. I can't wait to get some writing time across these holidays, and I'm pumped for next year's exchanges so I can rewrite my requests to capture all this new excitement.
- It was timid, predictable, pandering nonsense with a plot that only felt like it hung together because it moved too fast to give anyone a clear look at its many flaws.
- Despite that, I immensely and unreservedly enjoyed every minute, with a few bits that transcended my general glee to join the ranks of 'favourite Star Wars moments ever'.
- I now worship at the church of spoilers, and I never want to see another film I'm invested in without first reading the whole plot synopsis and popcorning as many hours of batshit fan reactions as I can get. Going in like I did last night, with accurately calibrated expectations and pre-built hype for all the right scenes, was a magical experience. Turns out I get zero percent of my viewing pleasure from suspense. There wasn't a single twist that I regretted not having been surprised by.
I don't have much to chew on as far as the plot itself goes, honestly. There was just too much. They crammed in so many things that could have been interesting on their own but got lost in a churning sea of 'go to the place to fetch the thing that leads to the other thing that leads to the other place where you can do the thing with the stuff to the guy'. But I'm REALLY hyped for some of the extra-canon materials to come out, like the visual dictionary, which from early leaked pages looks like it'll have more info about Force dyads and the Knights of Ren and all kinds of worldbuilding I'm dying to sink my teeth into.
Kylo Ren's arc was always going to be make or break for me, and ... oh, man, this movie made it. His death (which I spent the last two years dreading and hoping to avoid) ended up being gorgeous. Heartbreaking but peaceful, right-feeling, with a real sense that he'd finally settled his inner conflicts and decided for himself (free of any voices in his head) what his legacy was going to be. He died smiling in Rey's arms - fucking grinning, radiating joy and relief. I cried my eyes out in the very best way and I'm still brimming with satisfaction twelve hours later. I loved his early scenes where he was settled in his evil power, calmer and more in control than ever, officially done with letting crusty old Force ghouls tell him who to be and focused instead on chasing his own goals (most of which revolve around getting Rey to like him, fuck, this movie did so right by me). I loved the quiet inevitability of his turn back to the light, his shattered expression when Rey stabs and saves him, his tearful scene with Han. I loved the changed costume and body language when he re-embraced his Ben Solo identity, and the completely unchanged flat, dry humour. "Ouch" was hands down the best line of dialogue in the whole fucking movie.
Rey's arc surprised me by being so well acted that it managed to more or less sell me on all the things I thought I'd hate most - the Palpatine lineage, the Skywalker surname, the 'suddenly we're a Trio (TM)' goofiness. Daisy Ridley was phenomenal. I loved her combative friendship with Poe vs her softer, more intimate bond with Finn, and the amazing Jedi training scene with Leia, every single scene she had with Ben/Kylo. But mostly what got me was her slow and terrified tilt towards darkness, the frustration and insecurity and simmering anger that gradually built before erupting in a reckless surge of fury on the Death Star. The role reversal was so striking: Kylo was fighting defensively, trying the whole time (in his twisted failboat way) to reach her emotionally, but all Rey could think about was fucking murder. And then her look of utter devastation when she realised what she'd done. Her single-minded determination to pull herself back from it, to make better choices, to resist the siren song of hatred even in the face of Palpatine himself. I felt so at peace with her ending as well: she's found her family, found her purpose.
And Finn! To be honest, there was less Finn than I hoped for, and the juiciest stuff (his discovery of a whole community of fellow ex-stormtroopers, helLO) got less narrative weight and attention than I wanted it to. But his devotion to Rey was everything I love most about their dynamic, and holy SHIT the burgeoning Force sensitivity, I just <333. That was big. Really big. My Finnreylo obsession is going as strong as ever, because obviously what's going to happen now is that Rey is going to train Finn while snarky ghost Ben looks on and offers helpful pointers. Shipping aside, I hope we get some tie-in comics or novels that shown Finn exploring his power.
So yeah! These are not all my thoughts, but they're the ones I most urgently needed to get out. I'm still bubbling with joy and looking forward to my next viewing, which is going to be inconvenient with my Christmas plans but I'll find a way somehow. I'm more in love with Star Wars than ever. I can't wait to get some writing time across these holidays, and I'm pumped for next year's exchanges so I can rewrite my requests to capture all this new excitement.