It’s here, finally!
I’m one of those who did quite enjoy The Last Jedi, so I’m not about to launch into some kind of, “finally, we’re back on track” diatribes. If I’m honest, there isn’t really a great deal to go on here, it’s your classic teaser trailer, where there’s some bland scene making up the most part, then a series of cuts with almost single-shot action that, by itself, doesn’t really mean much.
The ending of it looks quite interesting though – is that Endor? Is that the remains of the second Death Star? Hm. I’m really hoping that the Palpatine laugh at the end is either misdirection entirely, or else there’s some remnant of his spirit haunting the wreckage that Rey and co will have to confront.
Also, how good is it that the band is back together here? The new big three are reunited for their trip, and it’s quite nice to have them all in the same place – much like we had with Return to the Jedi, and the old big three starting off their adventure together!
Lando’s back, and he’s looking glorious! Billy Dee is definitely a welcome return, I just wish he’d been brough out of retirement sooner, really! But he’s here now, and I can’t wait to see just how he reunites with the Rebellion. It was also really nice to see General Leia is still here – I know there had been the reports of using unused footage from the previous two films to make up Carrie Fisher’s contribution to the movie, but there was a part of me that still thought she might be relegated to a bit-player. Hopefully they’ve got enough footage that they can make her into at least the presence she deserves, and if she has to go out in a blaze of glory, then so be it.
Overall, I’m quite excited! I just hope Palpatine isn’t brought back as an effective replacement for Snoke, as it would make the whole Vader arc in the original trilogy pretty meaningless if Anakin hadn’t managed to destroy the Sith and bring balance, etc. Unless that prophecy is going to come back and feature in some way? I can’t really see it, as there has been a bit of a trend to almost deny the prequels exist, or certainly to ignore the material of that time.
The only thing that bothers me, if I’m honest, is the title. The Rise of Skywalker – while I’m not about to conjecture that it’s Rey, or Kylo’s redemption, or anything, I am a bit disappointed with it. I’m sure I’ll get used to it – I have a feeling I didn’t like The Force Awakens when I first heard it, but even so, I have the feeling that JJ is going to try and give us something I’m not sure I want at this point.
Time will tell, I guess, and in a little over 8 months’ time, we’ll get to find out! I’ll have a two month old baby at that point, so hopefully we can find childcare to make it to the cinema for opening day!!
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