What are you watching?

[KennedyKiller]

The Departed was amazing, but Goodfellas has always been my favorite. Though personally, The Irishman is definitely up there with his best. It was 3 and half hours and it honestly didn't feel like it because you're never bored by the film. So many great scenes, quotable lines, and excellent use of music. Scorsese assembled an iconic cast one last time, even got Joe f*cking Pesci out of retirement and he absolutely nailed it. This felt like an end of an era for the gangster film genre, and it couldn't have had a better send off with such an amazing story that highlights how unglamorous the gangster life is and it's all the more interesting when you dig into the real story after the film. Like I said, I haven't stopped thinking about it..

I definitley need to give The Irishman a watch then...Wow...I'm more excited than I have been.

Star Wars, on the other hand, I feel differently about. I think Disney is putting out better work than Lucas would have and I get that may be an unpopular opinion. Of course the original series is untouchable and iconic but when I think of the prequels... I have no interest in sitting down to rewatch them. Fans got upset over The Last Jedi straying away from the Star Wars formula (granted there were bits about the movie that I didn’t like but still it’s nowhere near being the worst film in the series). What they will do with episode 9 remains to be seen- apparently they want to end it with a darker mood so I’m curious to see how that plays out. But The Mandalorian has been fairly enjoyable and one that many fans have taken to. Rogue One was also under appreciated and is a far better movie than at least the first 2 prequels- imo.
Anyway, I mainly felt the need to point out that the entire Star Wars franchise has always been a bit of a spectacle/moneymaker and had a formula even before Disney got their hands on it. Perhaps some fans think that the story Disney is focusing on isn’t living up to some of the comics/books or CGI films that came before it, but others are finding the good in it and enjoying it.

Rogue One underrated? Man, people are crazy. I think Rogue One is the second best Star Wars film of all time behind Return of the Jedi. But I also think The Last Jedi is the second worst Star Wars after Attack of the Clones lol. So all in all, Disney has me pretty divided. Somethings they do I like. Others I don't. I will say, Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith I genuinely enjoy, and think they're like Adam Sandler and Guy Fierri. People make fun of them because it's popular and easy, not because they're actually as bad as people claim.

Speaking of Adam Sandler...

Not completely

Having said that, though, Ford v. Ferrari, Knives Out and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood were all great films and Uncut Gems looks to continue that trend of great original movies to round out the year (it looks like Adam Sandler CAN still make quality movies, just keep him away from comedies). This has certainly been one of the better years for original films, but let's not act like Hollywood still isn't largely turning out remakes, reboots, sequels or adaptations.

To be fair, even his comedies aren't as bad as people claim in my opinion. Pixels was dumb, but funny. Which is exactly what I expected. I think the Do Over was funny AND well written. The Hotel Transylvania films are well done family movies. And I think Sandy Wexler is an underrated gem of a dramadey.

 

[KManX89]

Not a "movie", per se, but I've been watching a TON of (as you probably guessed, scathing) YouTube reviews of the new Black Christmas and it sounds like these are more entertaining than the actual movie based on everything I've read, including the ending, which reads of something you'd see in a slasher PARODY, not one that takes itself seriously, or really bad fanfiction, take your pick:

Spoiler

There's an evil cult of killers possessed by, I kid you not, BLACK GOO that teaches them to oppress women

You can't make this sh!t up. Besides the whole folly of being a PG-13 slasher movie, meaning it cuts away from anything that could've made the kills remotely interesting or given a smidge of a reason to care when somebody gets offed (seriously, how could that have helped them? Happy Death Day, this is not), the movie is apparently so explicitly sexist towards men that not only do they NOT try to hide it, they beat you over the head with its misandrist message all throughout the film.

Or at least that's what I've heard, you didn't think I'd waste my time or money on this trash, did you? Especially with the 3.0 IMDb, 30% RT audience score, D+ CinemaScore and 1.5/5 PosTrak.

I also watched Rambo: Last Blood on Redbox last night, it was a solid, if unspectacular final outing from Sly Stallone as the character. It's definitely nowhere near as good as Rambo 2008, but that third act with the trench kills, holy sh!t.

 

[KennedyKiller]

Did my annual viewing of Die Hard last night, accompanied by my annual bottle of Serpent's Bite. Yippee Ki Yay Mother F*cker.

 

[Deleted member 21244]

Just watched star wars episode 9 rise of skywalker and it was a bad movie, really trash... Maybe it's one of the worst movie ever made... A movie so bad that destroy everything that was created for 40 years

 

[Turo602]

This review made me even more excited for the Irishman, I’ll be watching that soon.

I definitley need to give The Irishman a watch then...Wow...I'm more excited than I have been.

Can't wait to hear what you guys think. It's definitely a must watch.

I can definitely agree with Marvel and the superhero genre becoming a formulaic spectacle. Sometimes I’m in the mood for that type of cheesy storytelling but it’s also the reason why very few superhero/villain flicks hold up for me (Logan, Joker, The Dark Knight easily being exceptions as they have phenomenal storytelling and artistic value).

Star Wars, on the other hand, I feel differently about. I think Disney is putting out better work than Lucas would have and I get that may be an unpopular opinion. Of course the original series is untouchable and iconic but when I think of the prequels... I have no interest in sitting down to rewatch them. Fans got upset over The Last Jedi straying away from the Star Wars formula (granted there were bits about the movie that I didn’t like but still it’s nowhere near being the worst film in the series). What they will do with episode 9 remains to be seen- apparently they want to end it with a darker mood so I’m curious to see how that plays out. But The Mandalorian has been fairly enjoyable and one that many fans have taken to. Rogue One was also under appreciated and is a far better movie than at least the first 2 prequels- imo.
Anyway, I mainly felt the need to point out that the entire Star Wars franchise has always been a bit of a spectacle/moneymaker and had a formula even before Disney got their hands on it. Perhaps some fans think that the story Disney is focusing on isn’t living up to some of the comics/books or CGI films that came before it, but others are finding the good in it and enjoying it.

For me, the original trilogy and the prequels are both flawed up the ass, but for some reason, people got their nostalgia goggles on for one and crucified Lucas for the other. I don't get it. It's weird as a Star Wars fan to say Star Wars has kind of always sucked. It's never been quality cinema, but it's imaginative and fun and as Lucas himself even said, was made for kids, which is exactly what I was when I was exposed to Star Wars and its prequels. It's like Power Rangers. It was much more serious and epic as a child, but as an adult, you can see how cheesy and bad it really was. But there's so much thought and lore put into the films that it can still captivate me as an adult with all of its complexities.

But the problem with the sequels is just how meaningless and unoriginal they've been. Yeah, we all know Star Wars is supposed to "rhyme," but each era and story was totally original, unique, and contributed to an overall plot. The sequel trilogy on the other hand started with an outright remake of A New Hope because they thought they would be appealing to the old fans by recreating the original films rather than continuing them.

I personally didn't hate The Force Awakens. I was receptive to the fact that they were trying to play it safe and make Star Wars feel familiar again to not p*ss off the angry mob that is Star Wars fans, and they planted lots of seeds that could be explored later that genuinely had me interested in the next one, but then The Last Jedi happened and it all just went to sh*t. Very little was accomplished in that movie and it purposely set out to ignore and destroy everything The Force Awakens set up, making it pointless in retrospect.

So now we're 2 films deep and it feels like we're still at the beginning, but somehow The Rise of Skywalker is not only gonna attempt to make it all make sense, but wrap it all up as well. Which from what I'm hearing, it does a very poor job of, but tries to use fan service to salvage everything, which was already evident with Palpatine's return even though we had Snoke for 2 films and never learned anything about him.

And that's not even mentioning how mishandled the original cast and characters were, but I digress. I'll never deny that Star Wars was a commercialized franchise long before Disney. But I don't think Lucas ever really approached it that way as he genuinely had vision for this stuff and was very particular about every single little detail and pushed the boundaries of filmmaking with these movies.

But what has Disney really done with this franchise? They dived in with no plans, rehashed plots and characters, let directors do whatever they wanted with each episode, all while using Star Wars as a platform to promote their political agendas. Oh, and now there's a theme park and hotel, which was probably Disney's endgame when acquiring the franchise. They never cared about making Star Wars films or even pleasing the fans, which was George Lucas' intention when selling off the franchise. Disney only ever cared about the money the IP could produce, which is why they even stabbed Lucas in the back.

We may have gotten Rogue One and The Mandalorian, but we also got Solo... But for the most part, side content has always been well liked in Star Wars, mainly because the powers that be don't usually have their grubby hands too close to it, but after everything that's happened with Star Wars recently, I just don't know if I consider that a fair trade.

With that said, I'm still going to keep an open mind when I go see The Rise of Skywalker today. Unfortunately, I haven't had any feeling of hype or excitement for this film since it was announced, which is a first for me with Star Wars, and now would be the time when I'd be feeling it the most too, but The Last Jedi just completely sucked the fun out of Star Wars for me.

 

[Deleted member 21244]

Can't wait to hear what you guys think. It's definitely a must watch.



For me, the original trilogy and the prequels are both flawed up the ass, but for some reason, people got their nostalgia goggles on for one and crucified Lucas for the other. I don't get it. It's weird as a Star Wars fan to say Star Wars has kind of always sucked. It's never been quality cinema, but it's imaginative and fun and as Lucas himself even said, was made for kids, which is exactly what I was when I was exposed to Star Wars and its prequels. It's like Power Rangers. It was much more serious and epic as a child, but as an adult, you can see how cheesy and bad it really was. But there's so much thought and lore put into the films that it can still captivate me as an adult with all of its complexities.

But the problem with the sequels is just how meaningless and unoriginal they've been. Yeah, we all know Star Wars is supposed to "rhyme," but each era and story was totally original, unique, and contributed to an overall plot. The sequel trilogy on the other hand started with an outright remake of A New Hope because they thought they would be appealing to the old fans by recreating the original films rather than continuing them.

I personally didn't hate The Force Awakens. I was receptive to the fact that they were trying to play it safe and make Star Wars feel familiar again to not p*ss off the angry mob that is Star Wars fans, and they planted lots of seeds that could be explored later that genuinely had me interested in the next one, but then The Last Jedi happened and it all just went to sh*t. Very little was accomplished in that movie and it purposely set out to ignore and destroy everything The Force Awakens set up, making it pointless in retrospect.

So now we're 2 films deep and it feels like we're still at the beginning, but somehow The Rise of Skywalker is not only gonna attempt to make it all make sense, but wrap it all up as well. Which from what I'm hearing, it does a very poor job of, but tries to use fan service to salvage everything, which was already evident with Palpatine's return even though we had Snoke for 2 films and never learned anything about him.

And that's not even mentioning how mishandled the original cast and characters were, but I digress. I'll never deny that Star Wars was a commercialized franchise long before Disney. But I don't think Lucas ever really approached it that way as he genuinely had vision for this stuff and was very particular about every single little detail and pushed the boundaries of filmmaking with these movies.

But what has Disney really done with this franchise? They dived in with no plans, rehashed plots and characters, let directors do whatever they wanted with each episode, all while using Star Wars as a platform to promote their political agendas. Oh, and now there's a theme park and hotel, which was probably Disney's endgame when acquiring the franchise. They never cared about making Star Wars films or even pleasing the fans, which was George Lucas' intention when selling off the franchise. Disney only ever cared about the money the IP could produce, which is why they even stabbed Lucas in the back.

We may have gotten Rogue One and The Mandalorian, but we also got Solo... But for the most part, side content has always been well liked in Star Wars, mainly because the powers that be don't usually have their grubby hands too close to it, but after everything that's happened with Star Wars recently, I just don't know if I consider that a fair trade.

With that said, I'm still going to keep an open mind when I go see The Rise of Skywalker today. Unfortunately, I haven't had any feeling of hype or excitement for this film since it was announced, which is a first for me with Star Wars, and now would be the time when I'd be feeling it the most too, but The Last Jedi just completely sucked the fun out of Star Wars for me.

I'm a big star wars fan, I personally didn't hated neither episode 7 nor episode 8, I like episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 and even if they are film whit flaws they were good movie to watch whit depth in them but this episode 9 is so bad that it's ridiculous, it look like a bad sop opera, the dialogue are bad, the battle are bad, the plot twist are so stupid and so ridicolous that it's disgusting...

I give the movie a 3 out of 10, it's a movie I didn't want to watch again, you really understand that dysney didn't know where to go whit the story...

IT completely destroy kylo Ren and Rey character development in episode 7 and 8, and it try to answer episode 7 and 8 unresolved question but it gives so stupid answer that It look like the answer were taken from fan forum, and destroy episode 7 and 8 completely giving them no meaning to exist and it completely destroy emperor palpatine character...

The only good thing is John williams score the rest is Total trash and waste of money and will confirm every doubt you have about disney direction for the franchise...

 

[Turo602]

So I saw The Rise of Skywalker... I'm feeling very mixed.

It was surprisingly the most enjoyable of the whole trilogy, but also terrible because of the mess the previous film left it to deal with. As an end to the "Skywalker" saga, I'm very displeased. This whole trilogy feels tacked on and unnecessary. I don't really get what this trilogy has to do with the Skywalkers.

The first 6 films told the story of Anakin Skywalker and how he brought balance to the force. It's a complete story and wraps up nicely. Nothing in this trilogy really justifies a continuation as it fails to meaningfully extend the story. I really believe J. J. Abrams had a completely different vision in mind for this trilogy that would have been more cohesive, but The Last Jedi pretty much f*cked everything up. So much so that this film feels like a huge course correction, with many things being explained away in throwaway dialogue or outright ignored, all while addressing things that The Last Jedi should have explored from The Force Awakens, but it's all too little too late.

I did appreciate the film feeling like a proper Star Wars film though. The humor was very in line with the kind of jokes you'd expect from Star Wars, unlike the stupid "MCU" humor in The Last Jedi. I'm also glad C-3PO had a much larger role this time as I've always hated how this new trilogy relegated R2 and 3PO to background characters, when they've always been front and center in both trilogies. But apparently having BB-8 roll around and do nothing was more important.

It's also ridiculous that it took 3 films for all the characters to get together for once, which was fantastic due to their great chemistry together, but like pretty much everything in this film, felt like it was done just to make up for the last film. For instance, Rey and Poe bicker like they've always known each other, but correct me if I'm wrong here, other than having Finn as a mutual friend, I don't think they've ever established a relationship between the two. Finn and Poe are also given backgrounds and Rey is actually shown to have been recieving training despite being so goddamn perfect in the last 2 films. It's all really just there to please the fans but it's really too late for these kind of developments. But it says a lot given how much more enjoyable this film was compared to the others.

That's about as much as I can say without spoilers. I'm still trying to process everything and might even give the film another watch, but I am very unhappy with many things in this movie. It just isn't a satisfactory end due to how poorly thought out this entire trilogy was. The movie is quite a mess and certain conclusions are just stupid. Like I said before, this trilogy's existence just doesn't feel very justified as it completely ruins the whole point of the first 6 films and rehashes them, but with different characters and tons of missed opportunities.

 

[Deleted member 21244]

So I saw The Rise of Skywalker... I'm feeling very mixed.

It was surprisingly the most enjoyable of the whole trilogy, but also terrible because of the mess the previous film left it to deal with. As an end to the "Skywalker" saga, I'm very displeased. This whole trilogy feels tacked on and unnecessary. I don't really get what this trilogy has to do with the Skywalkers.

The first 6 films told the story of Anakin Skywalker and how he brought balance to the force. It's a complete story and wraps up nicely. Nothing in this trilogy really justifies a continuation as it fails to meaningfully extend the story. I really believe J. J. Abrams had a completely different vision in mind for this trilogy that would have been more cohesive, but The Last Jedi pretty much f*cked everything up. So much so that this film feels like a huge course correction, with many things being explained away in throwaway dialogue or outright ignored, all while addressing things that The Last Jedi should have explored from The Force Awakens, but it's all too little too late.

I did appreciate the film feeling like a proper Star Wars film though. The humor was very in line with the kind of jokes you'd expect from Star Wars, unlike the stupid "MCU" humor in The Last Jedi. I'm also glad C-3PO had a much larger role this time as I've always hated how this new trilogy relegated R2 and 3PO to background characters, when they've always been front and center in both trilogies. But apparently having BB-8 roll around and do nothing was more important.

It's also ridiculous that it took 3 films for all the characters to get together for once, which was fantastic due to their great chemistry together, but like pretty much everything in this film, felt like it was done just to make up for the last film. For instance, Rey and Poe bicker like they've always known each other, but correct me if I'm wrong here, other than having Finn as a mutual friend, I don't think they've ever established a relationship between the two. Finn and Poe are also given backgrounds and Rey is actually shown to have been recieving training despite being so goddamn perfect in the last 2 films. It's all really just there to please the fans but it's really too late for these kind of developments. But it says a lot given how much more enjoyable this film was compared to the others.

That's about as much as I can say without spoilers. I'm still trying to process everything and might even give the film another watch, but I am very unhappy with many things in this movie. It just isn't a satisfactory end due to how poorly thought out this entire trilogy was. The movie is quite a mess and certain conclusions are just stupid. Like I said before, this trilogy's existence just doesn't feel very justified as it completely ruins the whole point of the first 6 films and rehashes them, but with different characters and tons of missed opportunities.

The film had no sense, even jj Abraham in recent interview say that he didn't know exactly who the character where heading after force awakens...

Also i don't know if it s me but 99% of the plot had no sense and destroy everything from the past movies

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER….............









The movie had million of plot holes:
Why palpatine created snoke?
How was he created?
Why did he put him in charge of the first order?
If the emperor had million of star destroyer whit power to destroy a planet why did he put snoke in charge of the first order?
Couldn't he simply go in charge of the first order himself?
How the emperor was able to create all those star dearoyer?
If he was able to create this star destroyed whit power to destroy planet why didn't he created them during episode 4 5 or 6 instead of creating two death star?
Also it is show in the movie that he is able to take life from other like kylo Ren and Rey to make him stronger, why didn't he do this during the other movie or at the start of rise of skywalker to kylo Ren or to one of that people in the arena? In the movie it is show that the force can cure deadly wound and its show that kylo Ren can save Rey from death... if this power of the force exist, why didn't obi wan use this healing power to save qui gon jinn from Darth maul wound?, why didn't yoda and obi wan use this power to save padme from imminent death? Or why didn't the emperor use this power tho heal some anakin skywalker wound after the battle whit obi wan? If this power exist the whole anakin searching for a method to save padme is useless since he could have healed her just like kylo did to Rey..

It also stated in the movie that the emperor can transfer his spirit into the body of the person that kill him, if he had this power why didn't he use it to enter anakin skywalker body or count dooku or Luke skywalker?

The movie plot simply dosent make sense and destroy what was created in this 40 years...

 

[Rain611]

Hannibal. The Mads Mikkelson one.

 

[bSTAR_182]

I got back a little while ago from seeing Star Wars Rise of Skywalker and holy crap... I loved it... granted I am someone who has generally enjoyed the sequel trilogy. TROS is easily my favorite of the three and, while there was a lot going on, I think it was done in the most tasteful way that left me wanting more.

Spoiler

Dat kiss at the end, y’all!

Also, since I didn’t get little baby Reys and Bens running around at the end, imma pretend that Ben put life into Rey while he put life back into her. :lol:
All the more reason for her to go off to live a more quiet life where it all began. And it would nicely carry on the Skywalker bloodline.

 

[Deleted member 21244]

Watching the Witcher series, so far is good, I actually love it, the actor are good, the visual effect are good but not always, the story is a bit confusing... I think it can improve in the next episode and next seasons

 

[KennedyKiller]

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Anyone that knows me knows I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Despite the Sarlacc Pitfalls the series has gone through over the years, both pre and post Disney, it hasn't stopped me from buying action figures to display in my room, video games to play and replay to death, and even today on Christmas, to get yet ANOTHER Star Wars shirt as a gift, making it so that I have a different Star Wars shirt for every day of the week, for three straight weeks. But that said, I'm not just gonna suck this films dick because it's a Star Wars flick. I'm going to give you my views on the conclusion as honestly and objectively as I can, leaving my fanboy hat in my Landspeeder.

I'm gonna put one thing to bed RIGHT off the bat. Rey is NOT a Mary Sue. Despite what a small, yet vocal minority of what I can only assume are Jabba the Hutt looking basement dwellers with Cheetos stains on their key boards talking about how Rey is just feminist propaganda. Go Force Yourselves. (Haha...I'm funny ). I know it's not a LOT of people saying it, but I still feel the need to say it's a bogus claim. She's very VERY far from my favorite character, but with a series as expansive as Star Wars, with more lore than Google has search pages for "Best Friends Mom" porn, it's to be expected that she isn't high up there. In fact, not only is Rey a well written badass, but Daisy Ridley gives what is unDOUBTEDLY her best performance in a Star Wars film yet. Unlike Jennifer "God I Hope You Retire Early" Lawrence, Daisy Ridley hasn't been phoning in her acting as her franchise thrives on. Which was a real concern I had after the (Totally Justifiable) backlash that came with The Last Jedi. Rather than use that vitriol as an excuse to just grit her teeth and make it through RoS, she comes at this film HARD, and God Damn does her hard work and effort show through.

I can't really say the same for Ian McDiarmid. One thing we can ALL agree one, is his portrayal of the emperor was ALWAYS hammy and cartoonish. And that was charming. His hamming it up in the prequels was one of the best parts of the whole trilogy. Hell, he even did that in Return of the Jedi as Luke fought Vader. It's synonymous with his character. So...to see him play Palpatine here with a straight face and go for more of a Bond villain vibe instead of a comic book villain feeling, was disappointing.

However, as much of a let down as he was, let's talk about how John Boyega and Adam Driver DRIVE this film. (See what I did there? Of course you did...you're a smart little ewok.) Adam Driver doesn't even need to speak. His ability to act through facial expressions alone makes him the best damn actor in the whole modern cast. And John Boyega is the exact opposite. His line delivery doesn't miss a beat. He is the only one of the new cast members I forget is an actual actor, and think of his character before I think of his name. Because Finn is played THAT well. That said, I do feel that's RoS first mistake in a list of many. His Story Arc feels at best, unresolved, and at worst, non-existent. For a character built up to be part of the new main trio, he has as much of an arc as Chewbacca did in the original trilogy. Which...really blows. Because his introduction gives the character so much potential. This film DOES try and do something with that, but unfortunately feels kinda...tacked on to pad run time, as opposed to actually giving us any sort of emotion and/or resolution.

In fact...that "Tacked On" comment kinda sums up this whole new trilogy. It's like when you've ordered your meal at McDonald's, and the cashier realizes last minute that you're a fat, self loathing, worthless piece of ****, so they ask the ultimate question. "Would you like an apple pie with that?" Knowing good God damn well your pitiful ass will say yes. And you do. Picture this...you finish your salty, yet satisfying fries. Take that last bite of your double quarter pounder with cheese, that's equal parts juicy and greasy. All parts sexually arousing to your taste buds. Then...it's there. The apple pie. You take your first bite. This is the Force Awakens. You had your worries. But it delivered. You're happy you did this. Bite number two is a much darker tale. But number two is The Last Jedi...You feel sickened. Betrayed. You even contemplate suicide because you hate yourself that much after what you've just experienced. Your childhood flashes before your eyes...then dies. But... you're invested now. One more bite. This bite...Is The Rise of Skywalker. And a wave of relief washes over you. True Cinnamon Ecstasy. You have finished your journey, and while there were some hiccups along the way (caused by your ice cold and refreshing Coke), you're so happy with what you've done. That last bite truly felt like it completed something, even if you didn't need the apple pie to begin with. Is anyone else hungry?

This movie thrives on Fan Service. And honestly...that's not a bad thing. There are SO many moments in this movie that are for fans of the original trilogy, the prequels, AND the newer films. They managed to cater to every generation of Star Wars fan, which is a feat we shouldn't undersell. What did it cost? Well...it costed a LOT of dialogue in the first thirty minutes feeling like a forced way of fixing stuff that TLJ screwed up, certain loose ends that the new trilogy set up remaining COMPLETELY unanswered, and for about half the emotional moments to hit its mark like a Storm Trooper shooting at a main character. I.e. they don't. But...it's kinda worth it? The spectacle and fan service provided kept such a smile on my face, I don't care too much about that stuff. Is it BAD writing/storytelling if that happens? Yeah. It is. But that's plagued Star Wars since day one. Overuse of Deus Ex Machina, clunky dialogue, and unresolved plot threads. I'll complain about it here as much as I do the original trilogy and prequels.

All in all, this is a film for Star Wars fans. And I highly recommend it. It's got better dialogue than the prequels, but worse lightsaber choreography. Better space battles than the original trilogy, but less accuracy on the few emotional moments. I'll give it a B+. Return of the Jedi is still number one. Screw you ewok haters.

 

[Turo602]

I'm gonna put one thing to bed RIGHT off the bat. Rey is NOT a Mary Sue. Despite what a small, yet vocal minority of what I can only assume are Jabba the Hutt looking basement dwellers with Cheetos stains on their key boards talking about how Rey is just feminist propaganda. Go Force Yourselves. (Haha...I'm funny ). I know it's not a LOT of people saying it, but I still feel the need to say it's a bogus claim. She's very VERY far from my favorite character, but with a series as expansive as Star Wars, with more lore than Google has search pages for "Best Friends Mom" porn, it's to be expected that she isn't high up there. In fact, not only is Rey a well written badass, but Daisy Ridley gives what is unDOUBTEDLY her best performance in a Star Wars film yet. Unlike Jennifer "God I Hope You Retire Early" Lawrence, Daisy Ridley hasn't been phoning in her acting as her franchise thrives on. Which was a real concern I had after the (Totally Justifiable) backlash that came with The Last Jedi. Rather than use that vitriol as an excuse to just grit her teeth and make it through RoS, she comes at this film HARD, and God Damn does her hard work and effort show through.

Please explain how Rey is not a Mary Sue. I've seen Kylo Ren get his ass beat far more than Rey in this trilogy that you'd think he was the good guy who had to overcome her, which he never could. Out of all the main characters in this franchise, she's the only one to have never been defeated, injured, or scarred. Even Yoda lost on screen. Anakin was literally Space Jesus and he still got all his limbs cut off. But all the Jedi "live in" Rey now, so I guess the force really is female after all. Definitely no agenda there.

Also

Spoiler

Change your name. You've clearly been seduced by Kathleen Kennedy and it was said you'd kill her, not join her! So don't try it. Don't try defending this awful character. I have the high ground.

 

[KennedyKiller]

Please explain how Rey is not a Mary Sue. I've seen Kylo Ren get his ass beat far more than Rey in this trilogy that you'd think he was the good guy who had to overcome her, which he never could. Out of all the main characters in this franchise, she's the only one to have never been defeated, injured, or scarred. Even Yoda lost on screen. Anakin was literally Space Jesus and he still got all his limbs cut off. But all the Jedi "live in" Rey now, so I guess the force really is female after all. Definitely no agenda there.

Also

Spoiler

Change your name. You've clearly been seduced by Kathleen Kennedy and it was said you'd kill her, not join her! So don't try it. Don't try defending this awful character. I have the high ground.

Lol, the spoiler made me giggle. That was funny.

As for how she's not a Mary Sue, a Mary Sue is defined as "a type of female character who is depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses." Rey has weakness. She is emotionally damaged when it comes to her parents and past, often letting her emotions get the better of her. That's a weakness. And it's one that she struggles with quite a bit throughout the whole trilogy, even the awful one we all want to forget exists. And her fear of falling to the Dark Side? Again, an emotional weakness. What she may lack in a physical weakness throughout the story, I think is made up for by emotional weakness. Not only that, but Kylo Ren knocks her ass unconscious in the TFA, and when she finally gets up and fights him he's winning the vast majority of the fight. He is kicking her ass, AND she's on the run. Sure, at the end she pulls out the "W" by keeping calm and tuning into the Force. But the good guy prevailing at the end after getting their emotions in check? That's just a standard story telling trope than it having anything to do with her vagina. Also, what about in TLJ when Snoke was whooping her ass while sitting down? The only reason she survives is because of Kylo Ren. So to say she hasn't even had moments of physical weakness is a stretch. She definitely doesn't mean the qualifications of Mary Sue.

 

[Turo602]

Lol, the spoiler made me giggle. That was funny.

As for how she's not a Mary Sue, a Mary Sue is defined as "a type of female character who is depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses." Rey has weakness. She is emotionally damaged when it comes to her parents and past, often letting her emotions get the better of her. That's a weakness. And it's one that she struggles with quite a bit throughout the whole trilogy, even the awful one we all want to forget exists. And her fear of falling to the Dark Side? Again, an emotional weakness. What she may lack in a physical weakness throughout the story, I think is made up for by emotional weakness. Not only that, but Kylo Ren knocks her ass unconscious in the TFA, and when she finally gets up and fights him he's winning the vast majority of the fight. He is kicking her ass, AND she's on the run. Sure, at the end she pulls out the "W" by keeping calm and tuning into the Force. But the good guy prevailing at the end after getting their emotions in check? That's just a standard story telling trope than it having anything to do with her vagina. Also, what about in TLJ when Snoke was whooping her ass while sitting down? The only reason she survives is because of Kylo Ren. So to say she hasn't even had moments of physical weakness is a stretch. She definitely doesn't mean the qualifications of Mary Sue.

She still qualifies. Whatever emotional "weakness" she displays isn't something that the character doesn't bounce back from with flying colors. It never makes her less capable. It's an afterthought to her doing something else amazing. If she was a better written character, then this would be a very valid claim of weakness. But that's not what's seen on film.

That Snoke scene, which doesn't even end in her defeat, is a stretch when she's saved by the plot and bounces back and ends up saving Kylo Ren in the end, who was going to be killed by a goddamn guard. Not even the "big bad." Compare that to any of Anakin's weak moments where his emotions led to the slaughter of a village and his turn to the darkside. Even his arrogance led to the loss of all his limbs. Luke was exactly the same too, except that when he finally checked his emotions, it was actually earned, unlike Rey, who what, "tuned into the force" and defeated a trained Jedi with the power of Darth Vader the very first time she uses a lightsaber? That's called sh*t writing.

There are far more moments of her being a "badass" and saving the day than there are of her failing, struggling, or being weak. She out-Hans Han, out-Lukes Luke, out-Anakins Anakin and none of it is earned. She's unrealistically good at everything, even for Star Wars as she's better than every single character in the franchise. That's exactly what a Mary Sue is.

Spoiler

Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

 

[KennedyKiller]

She still qualifies. Whatever emotional "weakness" she displays isn't something that the character doesn't bounce back from with flying colors. It never makes her less capable. It's an afterthought to her doing something else amazing. If she was a better written character, then this would be a very valid claim of weakness. But that's not what's seen on film.

That Snoke scene, which doesn't even end in her defeat, is a stretch when she's saved by the plot and bounces back and ends up saving Kylo Ren in the end, who was going to be killed by a goddamn guard. Not even the "big bad." Compare that to any of Anakin's weak moments where his emotions led to the slaughter of a village and his turn to the darkside. Even his arrogance led to the loss of all his limbs. Luke was exactly the same too, except that when he finally checked his emotions, it was actually earned, unlike Rey, who what, "tuned into the force" and defeated a trained Jedi with the power of Darth Vader the very first time she uses a lightsaber? That's called sh*t writing.

There are far more moments of her being a "badass" and saving the day than there are of her failing, struggling, or being weak. She out-Hans Han, out-Lukes Luke, out-Anakins Anakin and none of it is earned. She's unrealistically good at everything, even for Star Wars as she's better than every single character in the franchise. That's exactly what a Mary Sue is.

Spoiler

Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

I would concede and agree that she's written poorly based on your arguments, yes, But not because she's a Mary Sue. She's written poorly because they want her back story to be some big secret, which severely limits her development. You can't develop a character if you know nothing about them. To me, Mary Sue implies there's agenda behind it. In her case it wasn't agenda (Which I can't say for other things in the new trilogy), but just poor writing.

 

[Turo602]

I would concede and agree that she's written poorly. But not because she's a Mary Sue. She's written poorly because they want her back story to be some big secret, which severely limits her development. You can't develop a character if you know nothing about them. To me, Mary Sue implies there's agenda behind it. In her case it wasn't agenda (Which I can't say for other things in the new trilogy), but just poor writing.

It's Disney and Kathleen Kennedy. There was definitely an agenda. You can't write it off for Rey and not everything else. Also, that's exactly what a Mary Sue is. The name itself comes from a Star Trek fan fiction that was parodying the sh*t writing in other fan fictions.

 

[KennedyKiller]

It's Disney and Kathleen Kennedy. There was definitely an agenda. You can't write it off for Rey and not everything else. Also, that's exactly what a Mary Sue is. The name itself comes from a Star Trek fan fiction that was parodying the sh*t writing in other fan fictions.

But without getting into Spoiler territory you kinda can explain her badassery. Is it, once again, poor writing? Yes. But it's till an explanation. And In the definition of Mary Sue, unrealistically . I didn't have any problem believing in a character like Rey considering all the other fantasy BS that we've seen in Star Wars. I love Star Wars. Have EVERY since I saw A New Hope at like 3 years old...But they're ALL pretty poorly written. It's just easy to sh*t on Rey because "Feminist Agenda." Which again, I actually agree has wormed it's way into Star Wars. General Holdo, anybody? But in Rey's instances, she's displayed weakness. She's displayed the need for training. She's displayed failures. Hell, she effs up a couple of times in Rise of Skywalker that I didn't bring up because of spoilers. She's just not unrealistically powerful to me. I've seen D&D characters who by chance of their starting game rolls were more OP than she is. And it's still believable because of the world that's set before them. But that's just me. I'll definitely agree there's Agendas out there. Especially in modern Disney Star Wars. I just think Rey's issue is something different.

 

[KManX89]

Please explain how Rey is not a Mary Sue. I've seen Kylo Ren get his ass beat far more than Rey in this trilogy that you'd think he was the good guy who had to overcome her, which he never could. Out of all the main characters in this franchise, she's the only one to have never been defeated, injured, or scarred. Even Yoda lost on screen. Anakin was literally Space Jesus and he still got all his limbs cut off. But all the Jedi "live in" Rey now, so I guess the force really is female after all. Definitely no agenda there.

Also

Spoiler

Change your name. You've clearly been seduced by Kathleen Kennedy and it was said you'd kill her, not join her! So don't try it. Don't try defending this awful character. I have the high ground.

Well, she DID get her ass handed to her by Kylo in the first fight and was on the verge of defeat. In fact, he would've won had he kept his mouth shut and not stupidly told her to use the Force.

But other than that, she's pretty much trounced everyone and everything in her way.

 

[Turo602]

But without getting into Spoiler territory you kinda can explain her badassery. Is it, once again, poor writing? Yes. But it's till an explanation. And In the definition of Mary Sue, unrealistically . I didn't have any problem believing in a character like Rey considering all the other fantasy BS that we've seen in Star Wars. I love Star Wars. Have EVERY since I saw A New Hope at like 3 years old...But they're ALL pretty poorly written. It's just easy to sh*t on Rey because "Feminist Agenda." Which again, I actually agree has wormed it's way into Star Wars. General Holdo, anybody? But in Rey's instances, she's displayed weakness. She's displayed the need for training. She's displayed failures. Hell, she effs up a couple of times in Rise of Skywalker that I didn't bring up because of spoilers. She's just not unrealistically powerful to me. I've seen D&D characters who by chance of their starting game rolls were more OP than she is. And it's still believable because of the world that's set before them. But that's just me. I'll definitely agree there's Agendas out there. Especially in modern Disney Star Wars. I just think Rey's issue is something different.

Agenda or not, Rey is a Mary Sue, even more so after The Rise of Skywalker. Being a Mary Sue has nothing to do with a feminist agenda and has everything to do with poor writing. You yourself are even saying that the explanations are weak, which is exactly what characterizes a Mary Sue-like character. I've already given examples of heroes faltering in past films so I don't buy it just because the series has poor writing and is fantasy bullsh*t. There are still rules and nobody was ever as OP as her. You're taking a basic definition way too literally. Small moments of "weakness" and "failure" doesn't undo her Mary Sue status when poor writing allows her to get over it with ease and move on without ever really learning anything.

Her training with Luke in The Last Jedi is overshadowed by how powerful she is, her being Luke Skywalker to Luke Skywalker, telling him he's wrong, and even kicking his ass. Not even the spoilers in The Rise of Skywalker justify any of this because Anakin Skywalker already existed. Even her biggest f*ck up in The Rise of Skywalker was undone and had 0 consequences a couple of scenes later. It's all bad writing in service of Rey, therefore, she's a Mary Sue.

Well, she DID get her ass handed to her by Kylo in the first fight and was on the verge of defeat. In fact, he would've won had he kept his mouth shut and not stupidly told her to use the Force.

Did she really? That fight didn't really last long and it was mostly her being defensive, not her getting her ass handed to her. Obi-Wan fought the same exact way against Anakin in Revenge of the Sith and they looked pretty matched. Except, it wasn't Obi-Wan's first time picking up a lightsaber, not to mention, she forced pulled it away from someone much more experienced in the force.