That’s kind of how I’ve been feeling about the title after thinking about it. The one thing the sequel trilogy keeps seemingly pointing out is that the Jedi aren’t the ultimate heroes they’re made out to be. Their refusal to adapt and change led to their downfall and Luke trying to repair that same image failed. He realized at the end of The Last Jedi that for the Jedi to live on, they must change and Rey and Kylo are the two who can do that. That said, I’m still fearful that Rey’s parents will be retconned.
Haha, that’s perfect.
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Good trailer because of the possibilities it provides. There’s more to that laugh than just a nostalgic reference. It has been confirmed Palpatine is actually back, as played by Ian McDiarmid. My guess is that Palpatine’s dark side energy was stored in the second Death Star (which we see underwater in the trailer), and either the Knights of Ren or some other group have resurrected him, via clones ala the old canon. Is Matt Smith playing a young Palpatine clone, and as the film progresses (advanced ageing) we see McDiarmid emerge? Who knows. Exciting nonetheless.
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I’d argue that the failings of the Jedi was something carried over from the prequel trilogy. In the Original Trilogy they’re built up as these mythic heroes but by the time we meet then in the Phantom Menace they’re stuck in their ways and ultimately ineffectual.
But also hoping that we don’t get a Rey is really a Skywalker retcon. It would be forced, unnecessary and I felt the revelation about her parents was the perfect explanation.
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I agree! It was the whole point of that wonderful coda of the anonymous boy using Force power on his broom.
That democratising of the force was an inspired gesture by Johnson. It turned the monarchical, messianic myth inside out. For all it’s rebellion narratives Star Wars is really about replacing a tyrant with a monarch; replacing Palpetine with Leia; one master with another. True rebellion is universal and this seemed to be Johnson’s recognition of that principal and a correction to the one great hole in SW’s jingoism.
But it won’t surprise me at all if JJ undoes this/forgets it happened and we return to the tried and tested narrative: Folk don’t know what’s best for them unless they have someone telling them so. And looking around at the world that may well be the more accurate portrait of mankind.
On another note, I don’t think Palpetine will be making a surprise appearance as a clone (a mooted theory). JJ is a canny operator who won’t miss a chance to utilise an established arch villain if possible, but I see him bringing back Palpetine as a force ghost. Will he be a monologuing glowey-apparition, playing no greater part than previous force ghosts? Or will JJ change the landscape, so that Palpetine can battle Luke etc in a new ‘force ghost’ realm?
JJ has responded to the Palpetine questions by saying he wants to wrap up not just this trilogy, but all 9 movies for the fans. Introducing Palpetine as a force ghost ticks this box and I’m guessing he won’t be the only one. To bring the 9 movies full circle I think we’ll see a whole raft of old faces as force ghosts doing battle in some tangible way.
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Not to become too nerdy here, but…
- Star Wars is a fairy tale. There are the good guys (The Rebellion) and the bad guys (The Empire). The Force can be used for good or for bad. Jedi can learn to use the force. But these experts still are in danger to use it for any dark motives or be used by tyrants like Palpatine.
The Jedi were trying to keep the peace when Palpatine manipulated everyone to help him. That is not to say the Jedi were incapable of recognizing the true nature of Palpatine´s goals. It just proved that the Jedi are not above others and can fail just like the next guy.
The problem is, for Luke, that nobody could prevent the next tyrant to rise up and again lure at least one force expert (Kylo) to his side. This is why Luke, IMO, became disillusioned and rather opted to end the Jedi idea - because in the end nobody can master the force so only good will come of it. Just by exposing someone to learn using the force one might entice that person into becoming what you actually started out to fight.
But even that is not a solution. That’s why Luke decides to project himself into the fight with Kylo, giving the Rebels enough time to flee. But it takes all the life energy left in ihm - so it´s a noble sacrifice.
The new film might stress that even non-Jedi like Rey can learn to use the force. Which could lead to people all over the universe realizing that they don’t need to be a Jedi to make a difference.
What “The Rise of Skywalker” implies is either Luke is coming back, leading the rebellion with a new purpose, or that the great tragedy of the Skywalker family will and should lead to a happy fairy tale ending with the next generation honoring Luke and Leia by following their idea and fighting the dark side with the force.
Also: I never really believed that Palpatine was dead at the end of ROTJ. Falling into that shaft might have injured him for a long time. But he surely was the mastermind behind the resurrection of the Empire. And now he is ready to show up again.
In any event, people on the internet will be disappointed, screaming mad, accusing George Lucas, Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams to have done abominable things with their childhood and that Star Wars should be laid to rest.
Audiences worldwide will flock to the cinemas and turn this last episode into a mega blockbuster. In one or two decades the same people who raged against this new trilogy will succumb to nostalgia and revalue the films as masterpieces - especially when the next trilogy has come along.
Sounds familiar to us Bond fans, doesn’t it?
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Bit late for that when the post is on a James Bond forum. And that goes for me too 
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And I even forgot the “to”.
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Not on the same level as the Star Wars news, but news I was excited to see nevertheless since it seemed like a foregone conclusion that this was not going to be happening:
The first film was so-so, but Vikander was absolutely brilliant as Lara Croft. Hopefully a new writer and, presumably, some new creative minds joining the team will lead to the type of film worthy of Vikander’s participation and performance.
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Good to see Vikander returning. I agree the first Tomb Raider was good enough, but not groundbreaking (but hey it’s certainly one of the best video game movies ever , second maybe to Nathan Fillion’s Uncharted Fan film).
You mean one of the best scenes in the entire canon?
I have several fears about The Rise of Skywalker and they mostly all stem from Abrams. First of all, TFA was all about nostalgia and fan service. It as a fun film absolutely, but it was neither groundbreaking nor fresh. On the other hand, TLJ was about letting the past die. It outright rejected the nostalgia factor and the reveal of Rey’s parents was to prove that heroes can come from anywhere. Anyone can use the force because it’s inside all of us. This is my issue with Abrams potentially retconning this. It would ruin this idea and make this new trilogy feel even less disjointed. Though I think it’s more likely that a retcon might involve Rey’s grandparents. So second, this trailer seems to be all about fan service again. Hey you hated TLJ for being different? Here’s Lando. You hated Snoke being a red herring? Here’s the emperor. Also, here’s the Death Star…again. This is what makes me not exactly jump for joy for Episode IX. Abrams is too much of a Star Wars fan and he can’t let go. Also, his mystery box trick is on full display and for the first time in his entire career he has to answer some questions he created and based on how Lost and Cloverfield ended, I’m not exactly expecting something profound.
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Stupid question: should we rename the thread to “2019 and Beyond” and subsequently update every year, or should we leave it at 2018?
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Updating is fine with me. If I recall correctly, I think all I did was simply copy the format of the title of the corresponding thread on the old site.
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Ah yes, I believe we used to do that in the old forums, too.
Going to rename…
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My boys thoroughly enjoyed it and she was brilliant in the role, I’ll happily watch a sequel
I never understood why they gutted so much of the story from the first game of the rebooted game series when they went to make the film. They used the bare bones of the story from the first game of the rebooted trilogy and then filled it with various other ideas, from possibly a script they’d had lying around that went unfilmed, and then brought in the villains from Rise of the Tomb Raider to feature as the villains of the film. Take that along with the changing of Lara’s objectives in the game to a more dumbed down, simplisic tale about trying to find her father, instead of the story of self-realization and empowerment that the game tells, and what’s left is a rather shallow experience that should have been considerably more given Vikander’s incredible talents. One has to wonder just how bad that film would have been without an actress of her caliber starring in it.
If they can get this right, finally, with Tomb Raider 2, then they have the possibility of a great film franchise on their hands. I would suggest to them to just tell a great adventure story and not seek to make the film just a cinematic version of the games. There’s a real chance for them to make a long-running and successful franchise out of this if they can somehow get it right. They’ve already nailed the casting, now they have to get the story right.
I like this idea. Makes the title more palatable to me. At first, I was a fan of the rumored title “A New Order” and this fits that notion. It’s also similar to other trilogy third entries–“Return of …”, "Revenge of … " and now "Rise of … "
I also am a fan of Luke’s disillusionment in TLJ. Most of us in our 40s and 50s have been disillusioned by our dreams, institutions, people at some point in life. But it takes Rey’s youth and belief to re-inspire Luke (much like Luke and Obi-Wan’s relationship in Ep. IV) and Luke’s sacrifice in Ep. VIII mirrors Obi-Wan’s. It’s actually even less controversial as Obi-Wan lets Vader kill his mortal body whereas Luke is exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually, especially with Han gone.
While second installments raked in about 2/3 of what their first entries did (TLJ had about the same % as ESB, 64% and 67%, and Attack did 59% of Ep. I’s business–check out Box Office Mojo for the numbers), the third trilogy entries tend to do 82%-88% of the first entry’s gross, after adjusting for inflation. So expect about $852M domestic and $1.6B worldwide for The Rise of Skywalker.
Avengers: Endgame currently sits at 98% on rotten tomatoes. Granted only 56 reviews are in, but early reports are calling it the greatest superhero movie ever.
A24 continuing to make interesting looking cinema for grown ups (a dying art form)
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Box Office Mojo has Endgame at $350M US this morning, $1.1B worldwide.
It is making stupid money. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think it might reach $3 billion.