Shortz: Rant - So, Who is 'The Rise of Skywalker' For?

I don't like not liking a Star Wars movie.

This movie has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I recently ended up discovering, completely by accident, the original script for the final installment of the trilogy (before JJ Abrams took over), and it just sounded so great, you guys. So great. A follow up that wasn't afraid to take the baton passed to it by Rian Johnson, and one that had a story that sounded, to be frank, badass (with the Resistance travelling the galaxy in a stolen First Order ship before having a massive blowout battle on Coruscant with all sorts of great character moments for everyone involved, plot lines that made a lot of sense, and natural character progressions from the previous film). But discussing that original script isn't why I'm here, it's to vent about the movie we got...even if it can't be overstated just how much better the original script sounds. Shit.

Honestly, I'd almost like to pretend that 'The Last Jedi' is the final movie in this particular installment. And don't misunderstand, it's not just that TRoS is a bad movie, that wouldn't be enough on its own to make me dislike it this much. Hell, none of the prequels are good, but they're fun in their best moments and they're all part of a fairly coherent whole (emphasis on FAIRLY). No, my main issue is that it also represents a clear compromise of creative vision, all to appease...whom?

It's definitely not for people who liked the first two movies, because it sets up a story that has very little to do with either of the previous films, and retcons the hell out of its direct predecessor. I don't think it's even for people who only like 'The Force Awakens', cuz it ignores a bunch of shit from that movie that you'd think Abrams would be keen to follow up on (Luke's Lightsaber? The Knights of Ren as more than just window dressing? Is Finn Force sensitive?). I'm not sure it's for Star Wars fans, because it ignores so much pre-established backstory (unless it can milk something for the sake of nostalgia, I mean the Yavin medals keep showing up as if those were ever that significant) and lacks so much of what makes the typical Star Wars movie fun, and it can't be for fans of good movies because there are just so many questionable decisions here that it's impossible not to stop and think about at least some of the strange, sometimes egregiously dumb, things that are happening.

Most damning, however, is that I don't think it can even be said that it's made for what seems to be its intended audience: People who didn't like The Last Jedi.

I dare anyone to look at this film and tell me it ISN'T a knee-jerk reaction to the "fan" backlash over TLJ. Instead of trying to justify that movie, instead of turning all of its perceived negatives into positives, it elects to not fix any of the problems people had with that movie. JJ and crew simply attempt to either paint over or ignore them (or, in Rose's case, write them out of the plot). This movie does nothing to heal the fan division caused by its predecessor, it instead just raises even more questions and serves to make the entire trilogy feel incredibly confused.

So who the hell did Disney/JJ Abrams make this movie for? An excellent question, that I'm not sure I'm equipped to answer. Maybe they made it for people like me; eerily devoted Star Wars fans with a blog who can't stop thinking about how frustrating this movie is. Well played, Disney, well played.

Anyway, that's my Shortz for this week, a quick little rant. If you'd like a more in-depth breakdown of why I really don't like this movie, feel free to check out my Sequel Trilogy Breakdown here.