STAR WARS: VISIONS – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS (A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO REMEMBER STAR WARS)

Star Wars: Visions

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera

Studio: Trigger, Science Saru, Production I.G., Kinema Citrus, Geno Studio, Studio Colorido, Kamizake Douga

Hello my friends, welcome to another entry of my blog.

And… Happy Star Wars Day!!!!

Yeah, I know. It has been two weeks since that celebration, but I really wanted to take my time to see if I was able to give an excellent way to remember one of my most precious childhood memories, also… to redeem myself for… Calling Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker a good story.

I don’t know what was I thinking. I let my inner fan to distract from my hideous, disgusting awfulness that turned to be Episode IX, simply one of the worst Star Wars movies ever existed. Worse than The Attack of the Clones. At least that one made more sense.

Anyway, ready to go back to the Light Side of the Force, with…

But before I start, I must ask all of you my friends, the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.

Now, having said that, let’s go with Star Wars: Visions.

PREMISE

As its name points out, Star Wars: Visions is a series of nine anthology shorts of over 10 minutes, each one animated by different anime studios, which basically shows their passion of Star Wars in the form of nine stories setting up in the Galaxy, Far, Far away. The studios include Trigger, Science Saru, Kinema Citrus, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Kamikaze Douga and Production I.G. Most of us knew these studios, but, just in case, I will mention that Studio Colorido made films like Penguin Highway, which I personally and dearfully recommend, and Burn the Witch, from Bleach’s Tite Kubo. Yes… I invented the word «dearfully»; while Geno Studio is the one behind Golden Kamuy, which I hope I can review one day.

The name of the shorts are:

1. The Duel (Kamikaze Douga)
2. Tatooine Rhapsody (Studio Colorido)
3. The Twins (Trigger)
4. The Village Bride (Kinema Citrus)
5. The Ninth Jedi (Production I.G.)
6. T0-BI (Science Saru)
7. The Elder (Trigger)
8. Lop and Ocho (Geno Studio)
9. Akakiri (Science Saru)

Obviously none of the shorts are interconnected in any way, aside from taking place in the Galaxy, but all of them have the two sides of the Force fighting each other, Jedi vs. Sith, Light side vs. Dark Side, Balance vs. Emotion, with an amazing display of what we all love about Star Wars; the epic, the lightsabers, the Galactic Empire, heroes who are willing to fight for peace, beautiful special effects and wonderful soundtrack inspired by John Williams.

Just look at this:

Fantastic!!

Finally, not just the shorts, also the soundtrack was a collaboration of many composers, including Kevin Penkin (The Rising of the Shield Hero, Tower of God), Michiru Oshima (Fullmetal Alchemist), Keiji Inai (Danmachi) among others.

Now, normally I would continue giving my opinion of both story and characters. That is my way to make my entry, but, since there are nine short films, I will first talk about how do I feel about Star Wars: Visions, and then I will briefly comment about my personal favourites.

So… May the Force be with me.

HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT STAR WARS VISIONS

Now. I must say that I absolutely loved Star Wars: Visions, as much as I enjoyed The Mandalorian and some episodes of The Book of Boba Fett, and it is a delight to see that, after years of bad taste from the sequel trilogy, and despite I will always have sour memories from The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, it is good to see that many artists still know what Star Wars is about, and how to represent its essence faithfully.

The Force Awakens, despite taking more elements from A New Hope that it should, is still a passable movie.

Nonetheless, I found amazing that many Japanese studios really made these shorts, that is literally the last thing I expected from Star Wars, especially in recent years. I sadly believe that the franchise is a very delicate status right now, mostly because of the awful Sequel Trilogy, but Star Wars: Visions felt like a fresh perspective, full of nostalgia, great special effect and genuine… powerful… emotional moments.

I understand that not everybody loves Star Wars: Visions, in fact an opinion I recently read said it was just done to «pander weeaboos». But I beg to differ. I feel that Star Wars Visions can be enjoyed by both fans and critics of Star Wars, especially for those who grew up with the Original Trilogy and The Revenge of the Sith (Honorable mention to The Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones).

So definitely I recommend Star Wars Visions.

And now… my favourite shorts.

THE TWINS

In this short, twins born from Sith Alchemy, Karre and Am attempt to construct a Star Destroyer with a cannon capable of destroying planets. But Karre renounces the dark side and attempts to free his sister too, resulting in a brilliant lightsaber fight with a more epic conclusion.

I loved this story because… It’s freaking Studio Trigger. What else do you expect?

The animation is marvellous, as expected from Trigger, but through the dialogue and the excellent fight scene, as well as the characters, you really get invested and what to know how Karre and Am are gonna end.

But for me, The Twins are a beautiful metaphor of the everlasting conflict between the Force, the dark side and the light.

The Ninth Jedi

Years after of the Empire, Juro, who is apparently a former Jedi, gives a Padawan, Ethan, a lightsaber, while both await others created by blacksmith Lah Zhima, for Ethan’s fellow Jedi. But things go south when Zhima is captured by Inquisitors, so it depends on his daughter, Kara, who is Force-sensitive, to deliver the lightsabers in time.

This short has a concise and engaging story, including a plot twist that adds to the tension (Seriously, not gonna spoil, but it definitely catch me, unlike many other «plot twists»), but in the end, I feel that it reminded me of one of the most important lessons from Star Wars itself – Never lose Hope.

T0-BI

T0-B1, or Tobi, is a droid that dreams to become a Jedi; he is raised by Professor Mitaka, who warns Tobi not to enter his basement, but Tobi disobeys and finds a starship to send a signal to Sith Inquisitors. Then Tobi learns the truth of Mitaka; he is a Jedi himself.

I swear to you guys that, when I watch this short, I thought that it was animated by Tezuka Productions, not by Science Saru. I know someone out there also realised that Tobi bears a resemblance with Astroboy.

For me, T0-B1 is a story of growth, a rite of passage between childhood and adulthood that ends up pretty well.

And finally…

LOP AND OCHO

At planet Tau, during the era of the Galactic Empire, rabbit-like slave Lop is saved by Ocho, the daughter of the planet’s clan leader, Yasaburo, who reluctantly adopts her. But seven years, when the Empire is exploiting Tau, Ocho joins them despite Yasaburo’s protests. Now, Yasaburo gives Lop the family treasure, an ancient lightsaber. Will Lop be able to bring Ocho back now that she realises is Force-sensitive?

The animations is beautiful, and despite sharing a few moments on screen as sisters, Lop and Ocho really give that sense of closeness, which makes her separation even more tragic; add that with a family-centred story that, despite the ending, makes you really the importance of Hope, a recurring theme in Star Wars.

CONCLUSION

Star Wars Visions is one of the best series of Star Wars that came in recent years, perhaps competing with The Mandalorian. Both prove that this franchise still has some good spark, capable of resisting the Dark Side of the Mouse.

Get it?

Like I said, regardless you are a casual moviegoer, or a Star Wars fan, Visions will keep you entertained, and realise why we should never let this franchise fall. So go watch on Disney+, or illegally? and enjoy a fresh perspective from a Galaxy Far, Far away.

And once…

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!!

JAINITUOS REVIEWS – MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Masters of the Universe: Revelation – My Own Impressions

Hello to all my friends.

Welcome to another entry on my blog.

Today I want to do something different.

As I said before, I was so eager to make a reflection of this new series of He-man , produced by the legendary Kevin Smith. Because, as we have all seen on the Internet, this has given us something to talk about, and for very good reasons, including the title, this image, and the fact that Netflix is the one that is producing this series.

First of all, I want to clarify that I am a fan of He-Man , although I am not that obsessive; I never read the comics, I never read the crossover with Thundercats, and I don’t collect their figurines; What I did see was the original series, the one from the nineties, the 2002 remake, where Teela was much younger, and the disastrous movie with Dolph Lundgren, although hardly, because every time I do it, I can’t stop laughing.

I also want to remind my beautiful readers that Masters of the Universe: Revelation is a sequel to the iconic 1983 animated series, at least according to Kevin Smith. And that I will mention later.

But first, I want to ask the typical question

Are you guys fine? Being healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

And before I start, I must say… There will be spoilers. With that said, let’s get started.

PREMISE

Masters of the Universe: Revelation takes place after the expected final battle between Skeletor and He- Man, where, unfortunately, the Sword of Power ends fractured, the magic of Eternia collapses, and He-Man  dies «. Now, it depends on Teela recover the Sword of Power and save both Eternia and the rest of the universe.

Simply put, it’s how the fans said it… It’s the Teela Show.

Moreover, I knew that would happen, and not just because Netflix distributes this series, but because, like many fans, there is something on the trailer that I think we all noticed, is that …

«There wasn’t the iconic He- Man song , the one from the eighties intro .»

Instead, we got «I need a Hero», which is definitely not a bad song, it’s very sticky, but if this series really is a sequel tof He Man and the Masters of the Universe, at least should have included this song at some point, even if it’s a simple remix. And it was these two factors that made me understand where this series would go.

Before moving on, I want to clarify that Masters of the Universe: Revelation, as of July 25, has five episodes, but Kevin Smith is going to release a second part soon. Speaking of Kevin Smith, I’m going to try not to talk too much about the controversies that revolve around his name, except that Smith tricked us into thinking the show is about He-Man, when it isn’t.

Anyway, I’m going to start with …

STORY (I repeat … SPOILERS)

I’ll start talking about l or good, from the animation.

This one comes from the hand of Powerhouse Animation Studios, which brought us the fantastic Castlevania series from Netflix  And it shows, because the colour palette is very well balanced, especially in the Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, Subternia, and the rest of Eternia, they put great effort to animation. On the other hand, the battles are usually very entertaining, and when you see the characters that you love so much, you feel that, somehow, you go back to those days of your childhood. 

And the soundtrack of Bear McCreary is awesome, but not as great as the classic groundout He- Man eighties. Nothing could beat ir.

Now is the time for the bad ; get ready because I have a lot to say here.

First , I tell them that He- Man only reappears in episode four, and not even He- Man , just as Adam, to that end, Skeletor stabs in the back and took the Sword of Power for himself.

They killed He- Man twice! Twice the most powerful man in the universe! I hadn’t seen such an affront against a beloved character from the eighties and nineties since John Connor , in Terminator : Dark Fate , or since Luke Skywalker in Star Wars : The Last Jedi .

So why this poster that seems to reveal that He-Man will take over the reins of the series?

Mr. Smith! If you will do this to the fans, don’t complain if they ever throw shit at you.

Second, the story seemed lazy to me, and sometimes even forced. Nor I know where to start, but has the same problem as  the Star Wars sequel trilogy: it seeks to establish a narrative without a good backstory and then expect us to assimilate it just like that, to this we must add that seems to destroy, or tarnish, much of the lore of the eighties series.

I will try to explain it in detail.

As I said before, in the first episode, we have the great battle between He- Man and Skeletor , which seems to kill them both ; later , we see that Teela learns that Prince Adam is He- Man ; for those who remember the original series, only four people knew of his identity, Sorceress, Orko, Man-at-Arms and Cringer , and the intro of the series clarifies that fact as well. But within seconds of the battle, Queen Marlena reveals that Adam is dead, to put it simply, she also knew her son’s secret. And I wonder:

«At what time did you hear about this?» «Who told you the truth?» » Man-At-Arms?»

Impossible, because Man-at-Arms confirms that he also concealed the truth.

And then we see that Teela becomes furious and accuses everyone, including Man-at-Arms , who just got exiled , and Adam himself, then resigns her post in Grayskull and disappears. That last, for me, does not make sense, but I will explain later why.

In episode two, Teela becomes a mercenary, takes a partner, Andra , whom I will talk about her later, and tries to get away from everything related to magic, while it is obvious that Eternia is dying because of the absence of it . And I wonder.

«How long has it been?» «Who is Andra?» «What happened to Randor and Marlena?» «What about the past between Adam and Teela?» «Is Teela seriously going to let Eternia die just because of her emotions?»

My point is that this series doesn’t seem to rely on its predecessor to build its plot, it doesn’t even recognize it; they just put a couple of references to it and nothing else, like the designs of He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Sorceress and Skeletor . But by episode two, everything that has to do with the series of the eighties is almost nonexistent, except for a couple of flashbacks with He- Man and Teela .

But those flashbacks are pure filler, they do not say anything about the relationship between Adam and Teela , or how they met, how they became friends, what kind of trust they had, if at some point Teela told him about what He-Man inspires her to Adam . Those kinds of things that build the characters, which I consider as important as the story itself. In fact, if you remove those flashbacks, it doesn’t affect this one at all.

And considering that Masters of the Universe: Revelation , is a sequel to He- Man , it should explore more of the characters and their ties within the context of the original series, especially because of such a drastic decision that Teela made at the end of the first episode .

I admit that it is difficult to explain, even for me ; It basically boils down to this – If being a sequel is a lie, then create your own background that justifies the protagonists, especially Andra and Teela , and if it isn’t, then develop the context of your predecessor series a bit , so that the link is noticed . But do not put Teela resigned to her position in Grayskull that abruptly because it looks really bad. 

This is what I meant by being forced.

Also, the pace of the story is somewhat slow and heavy. And it’s all Teela’s fault , for her attitude that I can only qualify as pedantic ; the character, far from moving you, exasperates you, all the time he is complaining, trashing magic, trashing He- Man , and escaping from her responsibilities. In fact, I confess to you that when I watched the episodes, all I wanted was to fast-forward them, or see how much time was left.

The problem with Masters of the Universe: Revelation is not that it focuses on Teela , the problem is that it does not feel natural, it is basically  a bear trap, they hook you with the posters, the trailers and the action figures, but in the end, is a story without a soul focused on an irritating heroine, who not only does not convey charisma, but throws stones at everything we fans want, as happened with Terminator : Dark Fate , as happened with Ghostbusters 2016 , as happened with the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Do you notice the pattern?

And to finish with the story, I want to clarify that there are scenes that are well done, but it is because of the dialogue more than anything, as in chapter three, where Orko talks with Andra , and tells him that he cannot remember the fantastic adventures with He-Man and his friends, so it gives the following advice:

» Andra , if you decide to become adventurous, always keep a diary and write everything down, even the most insignificant details, because when it’s all over, you’ll only have two things at the end – good friends and happy memories.»

That scene was pretty touching. In fact, there are more scenes like this, like the meeting between Teela and Cringer . But they alone don’t improve the story , not even a little . 

Regrettably.

CHARACTERS

In general, the character part is better… but not too much.

To begin with, we must give him credit that the characters of Man-At-Arms, He-Man, Adam, Cringer, Beast Man and Tri-klops retain their personalities; As for Orko , I think they wanted to improve it, which was unnecessary in my personal opinion. Orko was fine as they left him, but if that was the case … they ruined it with his death in episode 4.

Why? Because his death was very premature. Orko does almost nothing, and they want him a dignified death without first giving him a story arc or charactercdevelopment in top condition. Same as with He-Man

Exactly what happened to Han Solo in The Force Awakens, or Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi .

Nonetheless, Mark Hamill does a great job as a Skeletor. It makes the character intimidating and can be taken seriously as a threat, although he sounds like Skeletor at times, and at times like the Joker. Also Tony Todd as Scare Glow is great. The actor himself is one of my favourites, but his voice is the best, it shows that he was born to dub villains.

Now, we all know that reputation that has Netflix to force the inclusion in franchise … at the expense of the story. Of course! There are cases where inclusion is well done, like with Bojack Horseman and She- Ra and the Princesses of Power . The problem is that, for every She- Ra, we have five or six Netflix’s Death Note.

“ What they did to L ( Lakeith Stainfeld ) is simply unforgivable. Do not know how t or hate this L, is undoubtedly the worst. «

Why do I say this? Because I have a worthy question – Who the hell is Andra?

It’s true! She is the companion of Teela and a talented engineer, but the character has no background – I don’t know where she comes from or how she met Teela, and any adventures together whatsoever. How do they expect us to want a character like that flat? And yes, I know that Andra appeared in the comics, but it is more than clear that it is not an adaptation, especially since this Andra is dark skinned.

Look… I’m going to give my opinion on inclusion for the future… I love it! I love inclusion! Technically I am from a minority, so having characters of different races, genders and sexual orientation is beautiful, because it shows how diverse and colourful the world is. But there is a big difference between natural inclusion … AND FORCED INCLUSIVITY, or between inclusivity and tokenism.

Tokenism is when you put a character with a characteristic that is merely superficial, and you turn everything into it, which results in something flat and laughable. If you want to be inclusive in your story, go for it; as I said, that’s very nice, but make sure that race, gender, or sexual orientation are A PART of your characters; You must also include their strengths, their weaknesses, their traumas, their fears, their dreams … Their humanity. And above all … Do not be racist with straight white men, or with those who do not think like you.

Sorry. What I mean is that Andra makes me forgettable and simple, because it shows that they wanted to put other races just because yes, In fact… Amber from Invincible has more personality than Andra.

Although I have to say that Evil- Lynn is still the most hypnotic and charismatic villain, especially with the voice of Lena Headey. Oh! I’m in love!

And finally, I fin pretty stupid that Teela abandons her family and Eternia to their fate due to a secret she could discover years ago, it is a cowardly, selfish and reprehensible attitude, and I am convinced it has nothing to do with the Teela we grew up with, especially since she’s called, and I quote… «a deadly warrior and a formidable strategist.» If that were true, then she would have suspected that Adam is He-Man.

Teela is a warrior, Adam’s guardian and became Man-At-Arms , she should understand that there are sacrifices, risks, more than anything for what is at stake in Eternia; there is a duty to fulfill, and therefore, it is above our emotions. Teela may be upset, but neither Grayskull, nor Eternia, nor the Universe have to pay for the decisions of five people.

In addition, it is that its design from chapter 2 I did not like much; especially his haircut; I don’t know, but it reminds me a lot of Abby’s in The Last of Us : Part II .

And worst of all, she doesn’t get any better; all the time he trashes magic, Grayskull, Adam, even when he sacrificed his life to give Eternia hope, always with that pedantic attitude. In fact, in Episode 3, when she meets his father again, she reproaches him for being a coward who only thinks about himself. «Look who’s talking.» And before Subternia, Teela mentions something to Man-At-Arms about making up for the past, saying …

«… but If you want to make it all up to me …»

Which translates into: if he wants to redeem himself toward her …

Which led me to think… What does he have to make up for Teela? She, far from helping him cope with his exile, abandoned him to his fate, as I already said, just for a secret that Teela, in her capacity as a warrior, could have been deciphering with her abilities. I mean, Duncan adopted Teela, I love her, raised her, she is who she is in part because of him. And this is how she thank him? 

Maybe I am wrong; If anyone can correct me, I would really appreciate it.

CONCLUSION

Masters of the Universe: Revelation is a mediocre series that did not satisfy me.

As a He- Man series , it leaves a lot to be desired; It does not have a solid background, many of its characters are bulky, despite the beautiful animation, it is very boring; And despite the great battles, you want everything to end quickly . But as a sequel to the 80’s series, it is even worse, it does not feel that connection with its sister series, it does not take advantage of the possible plots it has. And the worst of all …

It puts He-Man pretty ashamed!!

I might see Part II, but that’s how it goes. I reiterate that all this is only my opinion. The truth is that this series is going to divide the fans, just as Star Wars: The Last Jedi did .  

If you want to see it, perfect … Watch it. And if you like it, you like it. I will respect that. But I don’t promise it will make you happy.

And finally, those who did not like Masters of the Universe: Revelation, go with the original series, or else… with the remake of 2002. In my personal opinion, it’s a lot!

And remember…

YOU HAVE THE POWER!

JAINITUOS FILM REVIEWS – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (With spoilers)

Hey guys, it is me again.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!!! AND A HAPPY 2020!!!

Right now, I am going to do something different. This time, I am going to make another review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but with spoilers. And boy… Do I have a lot of say!! Because despite I consider it a good Star Wars movie, I don’t think is the best way to culminate the sequel trilogy.

Remember. I said the sequel trilogy.

And in this review, I will explain my reasons of why is that. And of course, this review will… you know… Have spoilers of the movie.

But before that… I hope you guys are in good health and prosperity. If you are, then I am happy.

Now. On to the review.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Taking place one year after Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Supreme Leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren, arrives to the planet Exegol, where we finds out that his former master, Supreme Leader Snoke, is a clone of Emperor Palpatine, and the latter orders him to kill Rey. Personally, despite being so excited about the «resurrection» of Palpatine, I have so many questions, like:

How did Palpatine survive being thrown in the abyss by Darth Vader?

More importantly:

«How did he survive the destruction of the second Death Star?»

This might look like a small problem, but it cracks away many important elements that we believed were conclusive from the original trilogy.

Speaking of which, on their way to Pasaana, Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron and C-3PO act all the time like brothers, and I mean family; Arguing, treating with confidence, working well together, like the cast from the original trilogy. Personally, I love this moment between all of them; that is, until that critical side of me awoke and put this in question, because, for those who remember, Finn, Rey and Poe Dameron separated throughout The Last Jedi, and barely bonded during Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And yes, I know they worked together to bring the location of Luke Skywalker to the Resistance. But one thing is to work together, and another is to properly establish a bond, especially in movies.

Case in point. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 & Vol 2. In the first movie, Peter Quill, a.k.a., Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket Raccoon started as a group of outlaws, gathered together by unfortunate circumstances. At the beginning, they do not stand each other, but they create a bond step by step; knowing each other, knowing their respective pasts, learning more about themselves and being honest one with another, especially Quill and Gamora; fans and moviegoers learn about the team, thanks to the events of the movie; that its members are united by one purpose, save the Universe from Thanos and his minions, becoming what they are now: The Guardians of the Galaxy. And by the second movie, those bonds, perfectly explored in Vol. 1, are strengthen more, especially when.

1. We know of who is Star-Lord’s father.

2. We are given more details about the troubled relationship between Gamora and Nebula.

My point is that, in terms of character relationships, neither The Force Awakens nor  The Last Jedi do a good job with its main characters, and by the time we reach to The Rise of Skywalker, is impossible to believe they became that close. Perhaps they did off-screen, but for the audience, this does not have the same impact as in Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Speaking of characters. What is the issue with Zorii Bliss and Poe Dameron? The movie states that she was betrayed by Dameron at some point, just to practically disappear afterwards; sure she helps Dameron and his friend escape The First Order from Kijimi. And when she returns in the epic battle of Exegol, nothing else happens. Well, after the victory of the Resistance, Poe Dameron apparently invites her to… go a place, and she says no. Could the movie at least made her take her helmet off? And I mean her helmet. Not just her visor!

Remember what I said in my non-spoiler review of The Rise of Skywalker where I mention SHOW, DON’T TELL. This is what I meant.

Finally. What about Rose and Finn? Yes. I know that many Star Wars fans hated them together in The Last Jedi, but that doesn’t excuse The Rise of Skywalker to discard them just like that, let alone discard Rose out of the plot. If she was not going to return, then at least the movie could justify that she was watching over Leia, or that she had to prepare the Resistance for the final assault. But no. Rose barely has any dialogue, or involvement with Finn. This is mere speculation from me, but I would say that both J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio did that for the fans, not to make them angry and convince them to watch the movie; in other words, pure fanservice, and since Rose is there practically as background, all the more reason.

I don’t know you guys, but if I was the writer of Episode IX, and they asked me to get rid of Rose, at least I will try to give her a proper demise, or a small part in which she says goodbye to Finn.

Okay. Not everything regarding character development is disappointing. There are also very good things. Like the relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey.

If there a thing we must really praise The Last Jedi, is the deep conflict between these two characters. Rey successfully intensifies the inner turmoil of Kylo Ren, and Kylo Ren, through his interactions with Rey, inspire us to want know more about her past. The chemistry between them is wonderful. Like I said in my non-spoiler review, they hold The Rise of Skywalker together, and at the end, they have this entertaining lightsaber duels; they are not perfect, but sure they are very enjoyable, especially the second one, in which Rey «kills» Kylo Ren, while she «frees» Ben Solo.

And this could not make for a better ending. I mean, Palpatine is defeated by Rey with the deflection of his force lightning (Advice for you Sheev – DON’T USE FORCE LIGHTNING – ITS HAVE NEVER BROUGHT ANYTHING GOOD TO YOU.), she dies, buy then Ben Solo resurrected her, at cost of his own life. They kissed, Ben Solo smiles and dies. Bittersweet, yet satisfying, especially the part in which Ben becomes One with the Force. I wish his Force Ghost was included when Rey introduces herself as…

«REY SKYWALKER»

Also. This leaves wondering. What were Rey and Ben Solo at the end? They became a couple? They were in love with each other from the beginning? And…

«What was that thing Finn wanted to tell to Rey? I love you?»

Ok. Ok. I talked a lot about the characters already. Now it is time to move something that I can’t stop praising from The Rise of Skywalker. 

It’s visuals

Like I said in my non-spoiler review, you can feel the beauty and the atmosphere of the planets through the visuals. When Kylo Ren arrives to Exegol in search of Palpatine, I feel dreaded, like I was in a real Sith homeworld. Honestly, I have never seen this claustrophobic atmosphere in a planet since the derelict in Alien, or Alien Isolation for that matter. It was amazing.

Before I continue, I also praise the beginning of the movie for citing the story of Darth Plagueis and his fight against death from Revenge of the Sith. This element add some aura of mystery to both Exegol and the lore of Star Wars. From my perspective at least.

Back to the visuals. I really liked Pasaana. Wadi Rum in Jordan, where the scenes from Pasaana were shot, has always been such a wonderful place for films that take place in the desert, and will always be. And I guess Pinewood Studios has billions of handful resources, I am saying this because Kijimi, despite not being the best set for a Star Wars movie ever done, it’s pretty convincing. And Kef Bir… Wow!! When I recognise that piece of the second Death Star… it really blew my mind. Sure. It can be done with CGI and modern technology, but that simple frame in which we see those remains was enough to impress me. And when Rey went inside, it really paid off. The sense of danger, the fear of the extinct Galactic Empire… The legacy of the Battle of Endor… Everything was there. Everything that made me relive that marvel that came from Return of the Jedi.

And when Rey meets her «Sith self» in the former throne of Palpatine… you know what I thought?

«This is what The Last Jedi should have done in the first place.»

My respects for the atmosphere. It definitely mixed up with the narrative, making the story more compelling.

On the other hand, is there any opportunity that we can see more about Jannah and her past with the First Order? She has a lot of resemblances with Finn; both deflected the First Order and joined the Resistance. This is one of those cases in which I consider a spin-off could work, one in which we explore about the past of Finn and Jannah, how they were trained inside the First Order, and how was life as a Stormtrooper.

Perhaps the first movie from Rian Johnson’s new trilogy can be centred on these characters.

And finally… The climax in Exegol.

Ok. I am not going to lie. I don’t think this is the best conclusion for the sequel trilogy. It was not a bad battle, but it could been bigger, more intense, especially because of the Sith Troopers. I was one of the millions who had very high expectations of these guys. How couldn’t I? But then, I realised they barely do anything, they are just Storm Troopers, but in red. And the same thing can be said about the Knights of Ren. Are these guys supposed to be too powerful? Also, I feel that the battle could arrived earlier. This was supposed to be the Epic End of both the sequel trilogy and the Skywalker Saga, Wasn’t it? Then this movie could have done something bigger, something timeless, especially since Palpatine almost killed the Resistance with his bare hands. It was nice to see starships blowing each other, but I think the battle in the Starkiller from The Force Awakens was far more impressive. Also, the editing in the climax from Exegol was not the best, so it does not really feel like all the Galaxy was there to stop the Final Order once and for all.

And when the Resistance defeated both Palpatine and the Final Order, I can’t stop but wondering… Does this mean that peace will finally come to the Galaxy? What happened to the New Republic? Is there going to be a New New Republic? (LMFAO) What was whoever Chancellor is in charge doing during this war?

At least the Resistance could have proclaimed something like:

«Time to reconstruct the Republic.»

But I liked Rey’s new lightsaber. That yellow looks beautiful, and so it does the handle, like a balance between good and evil.

CONCLUSION

Well guys. Thank you so much for sticking with me during my spoiler review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. As you could see, there was so much to say, more than I could thought. And overall, the movie is not bad; its has its faults, and to be honest, every Star Wars movies has its faults, even the original ones. But the elements that are great really deserve universal acclaim; these characters, Finn, Rey, Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren came as interesting and compelling, to the point that they already got their places in our hearts, and we will continue remember them for the years to come.

Also, despite fans are divided regarding both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, I think they are solid movies, some of the best from Star Wars, and so it is The Rise of Skywalker. People will watch these movies, some will hate them, some will love them, but they will continue being a source of debate for very good reasons.

Probably Disney wanted this in a way, and they succeeded. It’s only my opinion. You guys will have a different viewpoint.

I guess that all I can is… see by yourself.

And for the matter.

«May the Force be With You.»