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Writing challenge day 11: The Rise of Skywalker

The final chapter in the Skywalker era of Star Wars was the exclamation point to the failed sequel trilogy. JJ Abrams failed to save the three films and instead left a mess for Disney to clean up. The Rise of Skywalker is such a hot mess and so bad. Here is why.

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 16: New Storm Troopers on Day One of Disney’s 2015 Star Wars Celebration held at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 16, 2015 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

In all fairness the movie starts alright. Emperor Palpatine is alive, well he cloned himself. It turns out the he has been pulling the strings the whole time. Waiting to revive his empire for “the final order.”

Rey still training to be a Jedi. The small band of rebels need to attack Palpatine and choose to do so on the Sith planet of Exegol where the Sith Lord has been devising his plan.

The film is so clunky that a semi decent middle of the movie still misses the mark. There is a nice Rey vs Kylo Ren water lightsaber battle. Also a rather ho-him attempt at a tear jerking  moment between Ren and Han Solo.

The Rise of Skywalker cracks under the pressure to save the trilogy after the mess of The Last Jedi. The worst possible moment came when Rey decided she was going to be a Skywalker.

So now, characters can be whoever they want to be? Other than be trained a little bit by Luke and Leia she had no ties to the Skywalker name or family. It simply did not fit, did not work and again angered the fan base.

In the end Disney failed miserably. The Star Wars sequels were not good and fans bailed on the franchise. To the point that movies were put on the backburner until they could come up with some that would sooth things over.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 19: “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” posters at the “Star Wars” Marathon hosted by Nerdist on December 19, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)

The failed movies also made Disney focus on streaming shows. Something they have been better at because Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are overseeing the projects.

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Writing challenge day 10: The Last Jedi

What just happened? That was my feeling exiting the theater after watching Star Wars The Last Jedi. The one Star Wars movie that split the fan base. This is definitely the movie that pushed Star Wars, in some good ways but mostly bad ways. Fans either love this movie or hate it. There is no middle ground. Here is why.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 14: Competing screening accross the street at the El Capitan theatre with AT-M6 Walker on display at the Opening Night Celebration Of Walt Disney Pictures And Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” At TCL Chinese Theatre held at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 14, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

The Force Awakens was pretty well received. The Last Jedi was met instantly by hatred. There are a few reasons why. The Last Jedi offered situations that pushed the fans in a direction that they did not want to go.

The death of Luke Skywalker was widely panned. It was also no way for a beloved character to exit (excluding Force ghost.) Then there was a child. An everyday ordinary child with no ties to the Jedi or the Force who could suddenly use the Force. That effectively ruined the mystique of the Jedi.

I say that but at the same time it did also offer a broader thought on the Force. Still the fan base was not pleased. There were some good moments in The Last Jedi, such as Rey wondering who her parents were. Kylo Ren revolting against Supreme Leader Snoke and slicing him in half.

The sequel trilogy began to fall apart in the eighth installment of Star Wars. It went places that it should not have. Star Wars fans like simple stories with well delivered lines and great special effects.

After long week’s at work Star Wars fans do not like to sit down after paying hard earned money and be force to think hard. Which is what The Last Jedi makes you do.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: (Images embargoed till 9am, 23rd June 2016) Star Wars: Episode VII character Kylo Ren at the Star Wars Gallery at Harrods on June 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for Harrods)

Switching directors is a no-no. The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker were directed by JJ Abrams. While Rian Johnson took over for The Last Jedi. This was a huge blow for the trilogy on the whole.

Tomorrow we conclude our look at the Star Wars films with The Rise of Skywalker. See you then.

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Writing challenge day 9: The Force Awakens

I really like Star Wars. When The Force Awakens was set to hit theaters in 2015, I was amped up. After leaving the theater I was a underwhelmed. Director JJ Abrams was known for reviving movie franchises. Star Wars did not need reviving just fresh stories. The problem is The Force Awakens is the best sequel movie by a long shot. Here’s why.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Daisy Ridley’s wax figure character Rey from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is unveiled at Madame Tussauds on August 9, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/Getty Images)

We are introduced to Rey who is in the same sort of mold as Luke Skywalker. Rey is sort of a cross between Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi which is odd for a new character. Also Finn and Poe Dameron round out the new Star Wars trio.

Finn and Poe share kind of funny, kind of annoying scenes together mixed in with the new droid BB8. There is next to no character development with Finn an Poe so that gets a bit muddled.

Rey is trying to find Luke Skywalker and the whole film is about that search. Kylo Ren who is actually the best character in the entire sequels is played by Adam Driver. Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia. He turned to the dark side but really just because he wanted to. That was not ideal writing.

There is a nice chase scene in the film and it does fairly well as an introduction film. Two events in the film really began to sour the Star Wars fan base.

  1. The death of Han Solo. Walking into a lightsaber. Seriously? This is how one of the most iconic movie characters dies? Okay.
  2. When Rey does finally find Luke Skywalker it is the moment everyone has been waiting for, and then there he is and he’s bitter, angry and rude. Really? This is not the essence of Luke’s character. That was a big miss.
BANGKOK, THAILAND – 2015/12/17: BB-8 arrives one of the characters in the epic science fiction movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens during its global phenomenon opening at Major Cineplex Galaxy Adventure realm in Siam Paragon. (Photo by Vichan Poti/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Force Awakens was in hindsight an alright film. The fact that it turned out to be the best of the new batch of Star Wars movies probably tells you how I personally feel about the sequel trilogy. I am not alone, Disney is now trying to fix the mess they created and it is going to take a lot.

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Writing challenge day 8: Return of the Jedi

When I sat back in the theater chair in 1983 and the opening crawl to Star Wars Return of the Jedi made it’s way across the screen what happened next was nothing short of the perfect way to conclude the original Star Wars trilogy. “Jedi” had forged it’s way into the hearts of the fan base and left some great memories along the way.

American actor Mark Hamill and British David Prowse on the set of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi directed by Welsh Richard Marquand. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

As the film opens C-3PO and R2-D2 are headed to the palace of the vial gangster Jabba the Hutt. They are soon reunited with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and other familiar faces.

There is still Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and the Empire chasing down the rebels. What “Jedi” offers is genuine conflicted feelings. Luke is conflicted about facing his father. Darth Vader is conflicted with guilt from abandoning his family. Star Wars does confront human interests and the complexity that it can be.

There is also perhaps the best Star Wars space fight in any of the films to date. What should not be overlooked is that Darth Vader was being serious when he told Luke they could overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Luke did not buy into that and he nearly died as a result.

The Luke vs Vader lightsaber fight is a lot of fun. When you thought it was going to be alright, Emperor Palpatine shoots lighting from his finger tips, which seeing the movie for the first time was nothing short of awesome.

Star Wars changed movie making. The Empire Strikes Back changed how important good/great sequels are to movie franchises. Return of the Jedi showed how critical it is to finish the story and have closure.

The eye candy that Star Wars offers is backed by solid acting even when the script is bland. George Lucas understood and understands this as well as anyone.

On the set of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi directed by Welsh Richard Marquand. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The legacy of the original Star Wars trilogy is still being felt in other films and streaming shows on Disney +. The characters are beloved and quotes are very easy to come by almost daily.

Tomorrow we begin to look at the sequel trilogy (yes, we have to) the elements of good and the whole lot of bad. Please stop by and leave a comment.

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Writing challenge day 7: The Empire Strikes Back

Coming off of Star Wars (A New Hope) the most successful movie of all time, the next film had to at the very least be as good as the first. The pressure was on and it was high. What happened next would become the heartbeat for all Star Wars films. The Empire Strikes Back released in 1980 and quickly became not only THE fan favorite of the franchise, but it became the sequel movie that set the bar for all sequel movies in all different categories.

American actor Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin Kershner. (Photo by Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The plot of The Empire Strikes Back is a simple one. The Empire is bent of destroying the rebellion. So simple as I said.  Imperial Walkers, a city in the clouds, a swamp planet all pushed “Empire” to the forefront of Star Wars movies.

The film opens on an ice planet with a battle that sets the tone for the darkness to come. Luke Skywalker now feels he must learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi. Enter Yoda, a small Jedi Master who trains Luke. During his training Luke ventures into a cave and fights Darth Vader, upon slicing Vader’s head off the mask sort of explodes to reveal Luke’s face in the helmet.

Later in the film we learn Darth Vader is Luke’s father. I still remember seeing “Empire” in the theater for the first time and the ooh’s from the entire theater when Vader tells Luke the truth.

The Empire Strikes Back offers a collection of Bounty Hunters as means to find the Millennium Falcon in order to capture Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 and end the rebellion. This is where we meet Boba Fett, who would go on to have a very impactful presence in future Star Wars projects.

British actors Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, American actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin Kershner. (Photo by Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Empire” pushed Star Wars and became the backbone of the franchise. In fact every Star Wars movie since is compared  mostly unfairly to The Empire Strikes Back. Yet, so are other movie franchises second movies.

Tomorrow will conclude our look at the Original Trilogy when we dive into Return of the Jedi. See you then!

 

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Writing challenge day 6: A New Hope

Star Wars, later subtitled Star Wars: A New Hope. The film that changed movie making and pushed the boundaries of science fiction films. As a person blessed to see all 11 Star Wars films in their original release forms A New Hope is still my favorite by a mile. Why? Because it is the single film that brings me back to my childhood.

British actor David Prowse and American actress Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope written, directed and produced by Georges Lucas. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

As the movie opens, Princess Leia puts the plans for the Death Star (that she received at the end of Rogue One a Star Wars story) inside R2-D2 and was promptly held hostage by the sinister Darth Vader. R2-D2 and his counterpart C-3PO jettisoned the danger and landed on Tatoonie to set out looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

There was a small detour when a group of scavenger Jawa’s found the droids and sold them to Owen Lars, the uncle of Luke Skywalker. Eventually, R2, 3PO, Luke meet Ben Kenobi (Obi-Wan) and set out on a life changing mission.

The film really gets fun when the four characters arrive at the Mos Eisley’s space cantina. The creatures inside are wonderful and the Bith Band is fantastic. While inside Han Solo and Chewbacca are introduced and off they go to the Death Star.

Star Wars films are not about the scripts which are generally band. It is the combination of script, delivery and visual effects as well as characters that make Star Wars unlike any other movie franchise.

British actor Anthony Daniels (who plays C-3PO) with American director, screenwriter and producer George Lucas on the set of his movie Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Creator/Director, George Lucas does not give up close tight head shots in any of his films. He likes his shots to be scaled back a bit to show some shoulders and some arm movement. Lucas, has visions for his films which has lead to tinkering with them years and even decades after they are released.

Han Solo, shot first! In the Mos Eisley space cantina Solo, is cornered by Greedo who is a linchpin for Jabba the Hutt. The two exchange words and Han Solo shot and killed Greedo. Later Lucas decided that Solo should be a good guy and changed the scene so Greedo shot first. Yet, he should have kept it. By Solo shooting first that shows the essence of Solo who did not have ties to the Rebellion or Empire at that time.

That is my only drawback with changes made on this outstanding Star Wars film.

Coming soon, The Empire Strikes Back. I am looking forward to diving into what is widely considered the God Father of Star Wars movies.

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Writing challenge day 5: Rogue One a Star Wars story

The first Star Wars stand-alone film was Rogue One. What seemed to be a sort of weak story idea turns out to have been a wrong thought. Rogue One is one of the best Star Wars films to date. What made Rogue One a fan favorite is that the film’s story is not a new idea but built off of one from Star Wars: A New Hope, the acting was solid and the newer character’s were a fun bunch.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 10: Death Trooper attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” at the Pantages Theatre on December 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images)

In Rogue One we are introduced Galen Erso who is a former scientist. Erso lives a peaceful life as a farmer.  Because of his past work as a scientist the Empire chooses Erso to be it’s lead engineer on what would be the most powerful weapon the Empire had ever built, the Death Star.

Jyn Erso, daughter of Galen joined a group resistance fighters to steal the plans. The same Death Star  plans that would ultimately wind up in the hands of Princess Leia who would put them into R2-D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope.

Orson Krennic, or Director Krennic was in charge of the Empire’s military department of weapon research. Krennic was unable to keep the plans for the Death Star in secrecy. Grand Moff Tarkin, insisted the project go through and decided to overtake the project from Krennic causing some discord between the two men.

The group of resistance fighters who would secure the plans to the battle station would meet a grizzly end. All did not survive. In that moment, Jy Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut Imwe, Bodhi Rook and others became the true hero’s of the Skywalker era portion of Star Wars.

LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08: Duracell celebrates its 1 million battery donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide by joining forces with Lucasfilm and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ to transform Children’s Hospital Los Angeles into a galactic playground on Dec 8, 2016 powering imagination for those who need it most held at Childrens Hospital Of Los Angeles on December 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

They laid down their lives for a greater cause. There was one famous Star Wars character that made a appearance and it was stunning, Darth Vader. Vader would have a scene with Krennic and then had a much more violent moment and one that showed the Sith Lord in all of his glory.

Rogue One is a very satisfying film and set the tone for future Star Wars stand-alone movie projects.

Tomorrow, we journey to the Original Trilogy with a look at the film that kicked everything off, Star Wars. Later subtitled A New Hope. Hope to see you then.

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Writing challenge day 4: Solo a Star Wars story

If ever there was a Star Wars fans that deserved better box office reception it would be Solo a Star Wars story. The film had by most accounts positive reviews this after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were replace by Ron Howard as director. I can only imagine that The Last Jedi which was perhaps the most hated film by the fan base to date, soured fans from the very solid Solo.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 21: Alden Ehrenreich attends The Cinema Society With Nissan & FIJI Water Host A Screening Of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” at SVA Theatre on May 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

The events in Solo a Star Wars story take place before Rogue One. The cast was a very good one. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian was great as was Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke and Paul Bettany (of Marvel fame.) Not to mention Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo.

In the film Han Solo joins some galactic smugglers and steal a batch of valuable coaxium. The person he steals from is Dryden Vos. Vos is the face of Crimson Dawn a crime syndicate.

Solo would also win the Millennium Falcon from Lando and would go on to forge a friendship with his future sidekick Chewbacca. The real kicker came near the end of the film. We learn that Dryden Vos was not the leader of Crimson Dawn but as I said he was the face.

The leader of Crimson Dawn was Maul. As in the former Darth Maul. If you remember back to The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul was sliced in two by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul focused all of his hatred at Kenobi to stay alive. He left the Sith dropped the Darth and became the founder and leader of Crimson Dawn.

TOKYO, JAPAN – JUNE 12: Ron Howard attends the premiere for ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ at Roppongi Hills on June 12, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ken Ishii/Getty Images for Disney)

It is a shame that Solo a Star Wars story got lost because the previous movie was so bad and left a bad taste in people’s mouths. Solo is actually one of my favorite Star Wars movies. If you have not sat down to watch, you need to.

Rogue One a Star Wars story is on deck for tomorrow. Make sure you head back and check it out.

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Writing challenge day 3: Revenge of the Sith

With the clunkiness of The Phantom Menace and the hot mess of Attack of the Clones, Star Wars fans wondered if anything good would come out of the third installment of the Prequel Trilogy. When Revenge of the Sith hit theaters fans were relived, happy, and overjoyed to find themselves in a throwback Star Wars film that brought the fun back to the franchise.

MADRID, SPAIN – DECEMBER 15: A General Grievous figure is exhibited at the ‘Star Wars Exhibition’ at Telefonica flagship store on December 15, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eduardo Parra/Getty Images)

The movie in which Anakin Skywalker would become the monster known as Darth Vader and fans saw Palaptine’s face morph into the classic Emperor Palpatine was just the start of this fantastic Star Wars film.

There were Wookie‘s and the planet they inhabited. There was a great Yoda vs Palpatine battle. The fact is that Star Wars Revenge of the Sith has more action in it and it is almost to much to take in.

The film sets the stage for events of future Star Wars films as well as streaming shows. Which is the sort of clout this movie carries. There were some very insightful moments.

When Palpatine tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis the wise. How, his apprentice kills him in a moment of weakness. By the way Palpatine was that apprentice.

Anakin Skywalker trying to save the people he loved from dying gives into his emotions and embraces the dark side of the Force. No matter if you view Anakin as a sympathetic character or see him as a person who made bad choices his story comes full circle in terms of turning into a Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Anakin Skywalker is the showstopper. The lightsaber duel is the very best Star Wars has to offer. The pace is lightning fast and is set on the lava planet (and future home of Darth Vader) Mustafar.

WROCLAW, POLAND – JANUARY 17 : Planet Mustafar made of Lego bricks is displayed during a lego exhibition at Wroclaw Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland on January 17, 2018. The Lego exhibition covers an area of 1700 square meters with approximately 100 models of different attractions, including star wars ships, Air Force One and Apollo 11 Space Mission along with others. (Photo by Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

When the dust settled on the Prequel Trilogy it was a mixed bag. The great story, sub-par acting of the Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones had promise and widely failed. Revenge of the Sith saved the trilogy while taking it’s place as one of the best Star Wars films.

Tomorrow we start moving towards the Original Trilogy by looking at the stand-alone, Solo: a Star Wars story. See you tomorrow.

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Writing challenge day 2: Star Wars Attack of the Clones

The movie that was supposed to appease the Star Wars fan base had a strong opening 20 minutes. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker chase Zam Wesell a Bounty Hunter to the point Kenobi jumps out of a window breaking glass to grab hold of a tracking devise. Attack of the Clones gave a false hope of being the Star Wars film fans had been waiting for.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – JANUARY 19: A puppet of iconic character, Yoda sits at a display showcase at The Star Wars Identities exhibition at The ArtScience Museum on January 19, 2021 in Singapore. The Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition will run from January 30 to June 13 and is the final stop of a world tour that has spanned six years. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)

The main turn off in the second installment of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is the dialogue it simply was not up to the fun, energetic, witty dialogue of past Star Wars films. Not to mention there were no memorable quotes.

The real downturn happened in the much to long love scene between Anakin and Padme Amidala. With lines such as “I’m haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me” along with floating fruit it was just not well written or presented on screen.

There were some good moments of Attack of the Clones. Yoda using a lightsaber to duel Count Dooku was fun. Fans were thrilled Jar Jar Binks from The Phantom Menace had less screen time.

What did work and work well was the last 45 minutes of the film. When fans got to see the start of the Clone Wars. Perhaps some of the best Sci-fi on film. transport ships landing, big explosions lightsabers all over the place it was everything Star Wars geeks like myself enjoy.

In what has translated in today’s Star Wars streaming shows, Jango Fett a feared Bounty Hunter who also was the template for the Clone Troopers was a central character.

SAINT-DENIS, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 13: The costume of character Plo Koon from the Star Wars film series is displayed during the presentation of the exhibition “Star Wars Identities” at the Cite du Cinema on February 13, 2014, in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. The exhibition displays more than 200 original pieces from the archives of Lucas Arts Museum, including models, props, costumes and sketches who built the Star Wars universe created by George Lucas. The exhibition opens From February 15 until June 30, 2014 at the Cite du Cinema. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Attack of the Clones was unevenly paced and could be considered the worst Star Wars film. Yet, as I said it did have some good moments. In the end the problems were simply to bad and could not be overcome by the little bit of good.

Up next is Revenge of the Sith which will conclude our look at the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.