Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rewatch
Dec. 20th, 2019 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaThought I'd rewatch before seeing Rise of the Skywalker. Some thoughts while I watched:
+ Paige's heroic death was just as effective as the first time I watched.
+ This time I found myself wondering why none of the other ships/fighters listened to Leia. She told Poe to return, he turned off his comms. But why did everyone else follow him instead of listening to her order to return?
+ "I've seen your daily routine, you're not busy." - Rey to Luke. LOL.
+ I liked this Leia/Poe exchange, so soon after she reprimanded him that not everything can by solved by blowing things up, and the irony in both their voices:
"Permission to jump in an x-wing and blow something up?"
"Permission granted."
+ I really do love that moment when Leia and Kylo sensed each other and he chooses not to fire. Also I'm pretty sure that a) Leia thinks he was the one who fired on her (and it was a large reason for her loss of hope) and b) he thinks she died and doesn't realise for the entire movie that she survived the attack. He was called back to the ship when she uses the Force to save herself.
+ Super loved R2D2 showing Luke Leia's Obi-Wan message when he said nothing could change his mind. Because R2 knows Leia could. Such a lovely moment.
+ I still like Rose stunning Finn. I think it made complete sense on her part. He was deserting the Resistance and it was her place to stop him.
+ Finn giving Rey's tracker to Poe stuck out this time. That is a huge sign of trust on his part.
+ I love how Kylo approaches the first Force bond instance - trying to compel her to bring Luke to him and when it doesn't work immediately starts asking questions and trying to work out what's happening. Rey meanwhile shoots first. :)
+ I love grumpy hermit Luke.
+ I find it interesting on a world-building level that the place created to house the original Jedi texts, and perhaps a former Jedi temple, also has a Dark Force hole on the same island it's on. Why would those early Jedi choose that place?
+ The way Luke says "Leia trusted me with her son", he is so heartbroken in particular by failing her. Him reaching out in the force for the first time in years and immediately reaching Leia across the galaxy and waking her from her coma was perfect. Did he realise how hurt she was?
+ My feelings on the Canto Bight remain the same I think. I liked the sequence in itself but as a part of the movie it doesn't work. It slows everything down and the movie would have been better if they had sent Finn and Rose directly onto the Supremacy. I think we could have gotten the same character beats from both character. Why not have DJ already with the Resistance instead of finding him off world? I'm also disappointed that they didn't do anything with the Stormtrooper angle and what they did do was cut from the theatrical release.
+ I love the way Kylo says "Neither do I" at the start of the third force skype.
+ "You're not alone" / "Neither are you." ♥ I love how affected both of them are by each other. I'm so curious about what would have happened next if Luke hadn't burst in and acted like the drama queen Skywalker he is.
+ I'd forgotten that Rey didn't immediately confront Luke after learning 'the' truth from Kylo. It's only after her dip into the dark hole, then her moment of connection with Kylo and Luke interrupting and ordering her off the island that she lashes out at him.
+ The fight between Rey and Luke was so great! I don't think I ever paid much attention to it before and that was a mistake. I like how he grabs an antenna when she attacks and uses it as effectively as if it were a weapon. I love the casual way he moves away from her blows, the way he hits her (not too hard) in the back when she leaves herself open and then immediately assumes an at rest position (both hand on his 'weapon', folded in front of him), the way he so easily meets her blow for blow and then casually grabs her staff away from her. I had to rewind and watch it several times. In this moment I think we are really getting to see Luke as a teacher and I love it. I'm so sad we don't get to see more of this version of him.
+ Also I loved his casual use of the force when he fell to stop himself from hitting the ground. He cut himself off from the force for years, almost a decade, but it comes back so easily to him.
+ Rey gives Luke the choice in offering him the lightsaber - be the hope she's looking for or she will turn to Kylo for it. I wonder how things would have gone if Luke had accepted it? I can't see her turning her back on Kylo.
+ Luke trying to run in to save the books and the sad way he says "So the Jedi are dead" I think shows that however much he lashes out at the Jedi he doesn't really want them gone or believe they should be.
+ Love the Yoda/Luke scene.
+ Poe was so out of line when he confronted Holdo but at that point with what he was saying Holdo really messed up by not telling everyone at least some of her plan. (I think several of the higher ups knew but the entire bridge crew should have.) At the very least she should have said "I do have a plan" and/or threw Poe in the brig. If she'd done the latter DJ wouldn't have known the resistance's plan and thus wouldn't have been able to betray them and Holdo's plan would have gone off without a hitch.
+ I wonder what Chewie thought of Rey's ship me to the bad guys plan?
+ I wonder what the majority of the Resistance thought when Poe took Holdo at gun point? Most of them completely ignored the exchange and kept doing what they were doing.
+ Was Poe really going to shoot fellow Resistance members when they broke in? Seriously, dude? Especially since he knew his plan with Finn had just failed. This might actually be the worst Poe moment for me because - wtf, dude!? You don't shoot your own people when your coup and plan failed! Geez.
+ Still want more Leia/Holdo. I love that short scene between them.
+ But seriously they really needed to give Holdo a reason for not telling everyone the plan. It's a good plan. When Leia explains it to Poe he understands immediately that it will work. The lack of communication, the mistrust, the egos... is that the point of this plot?
+ I love the way Kylo casually leans his head slightly to the side as the lightsaber flies past and then Rey is hit in the back of her head because she doesn't know to move out of the way.
+ Rey and Kylo's intense eye contact is one of my favourite things about them.
+ Yup still think they shouldn't have shown the Skywalker lightsaber turning and kept it more opaque what Kylo was going to do.
+ Love Rey's scream of rage. If she doesn't get one in RotS I'm going to be disappointed.
+ Loved the teamwork moment at the end of the fight.
+ "You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me." She's nothing in the story. In the Skywalker saga. She's not a part of that because she isn't a Skywalker, doesn't have a lineage. But he doesn't care about that because she matters to him. She is something to him.
+ Ugh, that "please" kills me.
+ I love Rey's choice so much. It's not her place to redeem him and when she had to she left him to do the right thing. (She totally should have taken him when she left.)
+ Yup Holdo acted far too late. So much time passes between the first transport being destroyed and Holdo actually doing something! We have that scene with Finn/Hux and the entire showdown between Snoke/Rey/Kylo. They really needed to have her take action as soon as the first ship was destroyed not leave it for so long because your left wonder why the hell it took her so long and I don't think it was supposed to feel as long as it did. What she ends up doing is amazing (and looked amazing and I love that there was no sound) but the lead up needed to be better. There were 6 shuttles left out of 30!
+ I love that Kylo and Rey are so evenly matched in strength. They are truly equals and that is the best thing.
+ Captain Phasma's death was so anti-climatic. Finn deserved a better fight/story with her.
+ I really like that it was new "Rebel scum" Finn who gave the little motivational speech that had them going out to fight.
+ Also "people believe in Leia, they'll come" and then the person who believes in Leia most, Luke, does come. ♥
+ There are so many pretty visuals in this movie. Crait was such a great location.
+ I hadn't noticed that Rey got all three of the First Order fighters that were on Rose's tail in one shot. Awesome! I love that she saved Rose, I loved Finn's cheer.
+ You know I get that Poe is learning the lesson of not sacrificing people but, uh, in this case the suicide run was kind of the right thing to do? If it had worked it would have been worth it. So it rather undermines the point there.
+ Nope that Rose/Finn kiss remains kind of weird and out of place.
+ I love the Luke/Leia scene so much. I got teary-eyed. Favourite scene of the movie.
+ Kylo Ren over-killing Luke to an insane degree and Hux's "Do you think you got him?" still amuses the crap out of me.
+ What works so much better for Poe's character advancement is his realisation that Luke is stalling to give them time to escape, quoting Holdo and then realising how to escape (the Vulpex). It was a sort of repeat of the Leia/Poe/Finn scene when they realise the First Order can track them except this time Poe has learned, isn't impulsive and has subsumed Leia's role. And we get confirmation of this when Leia tells everyone to follow Poe and smiles proudly after him.
+ I noticed two resistance members standing behind Leia (and not following Poe) were the same two who were with Holdo when Poe mutinied. I wonder if they are the leader of the resistance's bodyguards? I want to know more about them.
+ Loved the Luke/Kylo fight.
+ Loved Rey lifting the massive pile of rocks to free everyone.
+ Rey/Finn hug makes me awww so much.
+ "See you around kid." Yes, please. Give me Force Ghost Luke!
+ Loved Luke's death. Everything about it. From him projecting himself so far to save his loved ones and embracing the legend of Luke Skywalker after running from it for so long to be a symbol of hope, to the two suns, to him being at peace when he disappears into the force, to the fact that Leia and Rey both sense it. It felt so appropriate. More appropriate than dying in battle.
+ Loved that final moment between Rey and Kylo. She is clearly so disappointed in him but not hateful, not even angry. Just resolute. Like refusing his hand, closing the Falcon's door is Rey taking a stand - she won't be compromising herself to save him. Only he can save himself. (And also he's disappointing everyone and needs to get his shit together, thanks.) I appreciate it a lot. I also really appreciated Kylo kneeling and looking up at Rey with that sad face. A+, I'd like more of that.
+ Glad to get a Chewie/Leia hug.
Final thought: Still think it's great. There was a lot I loved about it, some things that definitely could have been done better or I was meh about but overall a very enjoyable experience. Also: this got way longer than I was expecting!
+ Paige's heroic death was just as effective as the first time I watched.
+ This time I found myself wondering why none of the other ships/fighters listened to Leia. She told Poe to return, he turned off his comms. But why did everyone else follow him instead of listening to her order to return?
+ "I've seen your daily routine, you're not busy." - Rey to Luke. LOL.
+ I liked this Leia/Poe exchange, so soon after she reprimanded him that not everything can by solved by blowing things up, and the irony in both their voices:
"Permission to jump in an x-wing and blow something up?"
"Permission granted."
+ I really do love that moment when Leia and Kylo sensed each other and he chooses not to fire. Also I'm pretty sure that a) Leia thinks he was the one who fired on her (and it was a large reason for her loss of hope) and b) he thinks she died and doesn't realise for the entire movie that she survived the attack. He was called back to the ship when she uses the Force to save herself.
+ Super loved R2D2 showing Luke Leia's Obi-Wan message when he said nothing could change his mind. Because R2 knows Leia could. Such a lovely moment.
+ I still like Rose stunning Finn. I think it made complete sense on her part. He was deserting the Resistance and it was her place to stop him.
+ Finn giving Rey's tracker to Poe stuck out this time. That is a huge sign of trust on his part.
+ I love how Kylo approaches the first Force bond instance - trying to compel her to bring Luke to him and when it doesn't work immediately starts asking questions and trying to work out what's happening. Rey meanwhile shoots first. :)
+ I love grumpy hermit Luke.
+ I find it interesting on a world-building level that the place created to house the original Jedi texts, and perhaps a former Jedi temple, also has a Dark Force hole on the same island it's on. Why would those early Jedi choose that place?
+ The way Luke says "Leia trusted me with her son", he is so heartbroken in particular by failing her. Him reaching out in the force for the first time in years and immediately reaching Leia across the galaxy and waking her from her coma was perfect. Did he realise how hurt she was?
+ My feelings on the Canto Bight remain the same I think. I liked the sequence in itself but as a part of the movie it doesn't work. It slows everything down and the movie would have been better if they had sent Finn and Rose directly onto the Supremacy. I think we could have gotten the same character beats from both character. Why not have DJ already with the Resistance instead of finding him off world? I'm also disappointed that they didn't do anything with the Stormtrooper angle and what they did do was cut from the theatrical release.
+ I love the way Kylo says "Neither do I" at the start of the third force skype.
+ "You're not alone" / "Neither are you." ♥ I love how affected both of them are by each other. I'm so curious about what would have happened next if Luke hadn't burst in and acted like the drama queen Skywalker he is.
+ I'd forgotten that Rey didn't immediately confront Luke after learning 'the' truth from Kylo. It's only after her dip into the dark hole, then her moment of connection with Kylo and Luke interrupting and ordering her off the island that she lashes out at him.
+ The fight between Rey and Luke was so great! I don't think I ever paid much attention to it before and that was a mistake. I like how he grabs an antenna when she attacks and uses it as effectively as if it were a weapon. I love the casual way he moves away from her blows, the way he hits her (not too hard) in the back when she leaves herself open and then immediately assumes an at rest position (both hand on his 'weapon', folded in front of him), the way he so easily meets her blow for blow and then casually grabs her staff away from her. I had to rewind and watch it several times. In this moment I think we are really getting to see Luke as a teacher and I love it. I'm so sad we don't get to see more of this version of him.
+ Also I loved his casual use of the force when he fell to stop himself from hitting the ground. He cut himself off from the force for years, almost a decade, but it comes back so easily to him.
+ Rey gives Luke the choice in offering him the lightsaber - be the hope she's looking for or she will turn to Kylo for it. I wonder how things would have gone if Luke had accepted it? I can't see her turning her back on Kylo.
+ Luke trying to run in to save the books and the sad way he says "So the Jedi are dead" I think shows that however much he lashes out at the Jedi he doesn't really want them gone or believe they should be.
+ Love the Yoda/Luke scene.
+ Poe was so out of line when he confronted Holdo but at that point with what he was saying Holdo really messed up by not telling everyone at least some of her plan. (I think several of the higher ups knew but the entire bridge crew should have.) At the very least she should have said "I do have a plan" and/or threw Poe in the brig. If she'd done the latter DJ wouldn't have known the resistance's plan and thus wouldn't have been able to betray them and Holdo's plan would have gone off without a hitch.
+ I wonder what Chewie thought of Rey's ship me to the bad guys plan?
+ I wonder what the majority of the Resistance thought when Poe took Holdo at gun point? Most of them completely ignored the exchange and kept doing what they were doing.
+ Was Poe really going to shoot fellow Resistance members when they broke in? Seriously, dude? Especially since he knew his plan with Finn had just failed. This might actually be the worst Poe moment for me because - wtf, dude!? You don't shoot your own people when your coup and plan failed! Geez.
+ Still want more Leia/Holdo. I love that short scene between them.
+ But seriously they really needed to give Holdo a reason for not telling everyone the plan. It's a good plan. When Leia explains it to Poe he understands immediately that it will work. The lack of communication, the mistrust, the egos... is that the point of this plot?
+ I love the way Kylo casually leans his head slightly to the side as the lightsaber flies past and then Rey is hit in the back of her head because she doesn't know to move out of the way.
+ Rey and Kylo's intense eye contact is one of my favourite things about them.
+ Yup still think they shouldn't have shown the Skywalker lightsaber turning and kept it more opaque what Kylo was going to do.
+ Love Rey's scream of rage. If she doesn't get one in RotS I'm going to be disappointed.
+ Loved the teamwork moment at the end of the fight.
+ "You have no place in this story. You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me." She's nothing in the story. In the Skywalker saga. She's not a part of that because she isn't a Skywalker, doesn't have a lineage. But he doesn't care about that because she matters to him. She is something to him.
+ Ugh, that "please" kills me.
+ I love Rey's choice so much. It's not her place to redeem him and when she had to she left him to do the right thing. (She totally should have taken him when she left.)
+ Yup Holdo acted far too late. So much time passes between the first transport being destroyed and Holdo actually doing something! We have that scene with Finn/Hux and the entire showdown between Snoke/Rey/Kylo. They really needed to have her take action as soon as the first ship was destroyed not leave it for so long because your left wonder why the hell it took her so long and I don't think it was supposed to feel as long as it did. What she ends up doing is amazing (and looked amazing and I love that there was no sound) but the lead up needed to be better. There were 6 shuttles left out of 30!
+ I love that Kylo and Rey are so evenly matched in strength. They are truly equals and that is the best thing.
+ Captain Phasma's death was so anti-climatic. Finn deserved a better fight/story with her.
+ I really like that it was new "Rebel scum" Finn who gave the little motivational speech that had them going out to fight.
+ Also "people believe in Leia, they'll come" and then the person who believes in Leia most, Luke, does come. ♥
+ There are so many pretty visuals in this movie. Crait was such a great location.
+ I hadn't noticed that Rey got all three of the First Order fighters that were on Rose's tail in one shot. Awesome! I love that she saved Rose, I loved Finn's cheer.
+ You know I get that Poe is learning the lesson of not sacrificing people but, uh, in this case the suicide run was kind of the right thing to do? If it had worked it would have been worth it. So it rather undermines the point there.
+ Nope that Rose/Finn kiss remains kind of weird and out of place.
+ I love the Luke/Leia scene so much. I got teary-eyed. Favourite scene of the movie.
+ Kylo Ren over-killing Luke to an insane degree and Hux's "Do you think you got him?" still amuses the crap out of me.
+ What works so much better for Poe's character advancement is his realisation that Luke is stalling to give them time to escape, quoting Holdo and then realising how to escape (the Vulpex). It was a sort of repeat of the Leia/Poe/Finn scene when they realise the First Order can track them except this time Poe has learned, isn't impulsive and has subsumed Leia's role. And we get confirmation of this when Leia tells everyone to follow Poe and smiles proudly after him.
+ I noticed two resistance members standing behind Leia (and not following Poe) were the same two who were with Holdo when Poe mutinied. I wonder if they are the leader of the resistance's bodyguards? I want to know more about them.
+ Loved the Luke/Kylo fight.
+ Loved Rey lifting the massive pile of rocks to free everyone.
+ Rey/Finn hug makes me awww so much.
+ "See you around kid." Yes, please. Give me Force Ghost Luke!
+ Loved Luke's death. Everything about it. From him projecting himself so far to save his loved ones and embracing the legend of Luke Skywalker after running from it for so long to be a symbol of hope, to the two suns, to him being at peace when he disappears into the force, to the fact that Leia and Rey both sense it. It felt so appropriate. More appropriate than dying in battle.
+ Loved that final moment between Rey and Kylo. She is clearly so disappointed in him but not hateful, not even angry. Just resolute. Like refusing his hand, closing the Falcon's door is Rey taking a stand - she won't be compromising herself to save him. Only he can save himself. (And also he's disappointing everyone and needs to get his shit together, thanks.) I appreciate it a lot. I also really appreciated Kylo kneeling and looking up at Rey with that sad face. A+, I'd like more of that.
+ Glad to get a Chewie/Leia hug.
Final thought: Still think it's great. There was a lot I loved about it, some things that definitely could have been done better or I was meh about but overall a very enjoyable experience. Also: this got way longer than I was expecting!
