#to differenciate from obi wan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

amyltia · 4 years

Text

Dark side, hope and redemption : Anakin and Ben

After watching the behind the scene of TROS, it was said that one way to differenciate Kylo from Ben was hopeful/hopeless. I didn’t realize that, but it does add a new light on the saga for me (maybe what I’m about to say has been obvious for a long time - like 42 years - but it never struck me clearly).

The dark side is emotion uncontroled, pain, selfishness. The light side is control, moderation, giving. Works pretty well with the 3 main couples of the saga (a meta I’m working on). I still think that’s true, but there is a another perspective possible : hope is light side and dark side is hopelessness. Let’s analyse what it means and focus on what it says of Anakin and Ben’s redemption arcs.

1. “Surrender to it” : The dark side is the side of hopelessness

A. When all is lost, “surrender to it” : the dark side’s motto

Characters fall to the dark side when they have lost hope of being good.True villains don’t even have that wish, but Anakin and Ben “surrender to it” when they don’t believe they can be good again or that something good could happen for them. Let’s not forget that Vader and Kylo, while being those persona, are in constant pain and their life is misery, they surrender to the dark side because they have lost the hope that things could change, they are hopeless.

Darth Vader lost the life he had built, his love, his statut, his friends, etc all impossible to retrieve. But in recent comics we learn that he did try and had hope to bring Padmé back, but is that the same hope we’re talking about ? Then all sith have hope, Palpatine more than anyone, but we call that ambition and it is. What is the difference between hope and ambition ? In SW at least, I think hope is something good you can do (saving someone but for the saved one good, not the idea of Vader when he tries to bring Padme back - in ep 3, Anakin wanted Padmé to rule with him on the path of the dark side, nothing says it has changed). Hope is that you can be good or that something good that you wish for could happen. The real question is what is good then ? It’s a vast question indeed but let’s say good is “what doesn’t hurt anyone”.

Kylo Ren feels abandonned by his family, feels like it’s too late and he already is a monster. It even shows in The Rise of Kylo Ren comics, that he turns when all hope is gone aka [SPOILER when the temple is destroyed, when he believes Luke is dead, his three camarades too and especially Tai the only one telling him he could come back. Tai dead, Ben “surrenders” to the dark side and kills Voe, becoming the leader of the knights of Ren], from there there is no coming back (...until Rey!). He has became hopeless and had to surrender to the dark side and he “can’t come back to [Leia] now” as he says to Rey in TROS. He has lost his family and has no hope of finding them again, and that is what differenciates Kylo Ren from Rey : she has lost her family too but she maintains the hope of a family reunion. Tho being a delusion it is ambiguous but it still kept her alive.

When something bad happen, sinking in despair is what leads characters to the dark side.

N. B. There are then two types of characters : the jedi who turn to the dark side (Anakin, Ben) and those who become ermits and exile themselves (Yoda, Obi wan, Luke). It’s not the same reaction, it seems like experienced jedi who have failed as protectors and teachers of others don’t turn dark side but exile themselves. But young characters whose own life is ruined (at a very personnal level) turn to the dark side. Yoda, Obi wan and Luke decision to exile is not so spontaneous, and Obi wan and Yoda even had time to look for a solution : they have been desperate when Anakin turned to the dark side and after order 66, but they made up a plan (to separate the twins, protect them, etc).

For Anakin and Ben, they can’t look forward and give in to despair. But sometimes they try to move on from what happened, to rebuild their life with the hope that things could get better. This is what Ben begins to do in TLJ, leading to the hesitation of the legacy saber in the throne room.

B. The case of Ben in TLJ : finding “a new hope” and reaching the neutral area

In TLJ Ben is torn apart, his attraction for the light side rises and he finds hope again : he turns to the future, he wants to repair his life, his has this HOPE that he can, with Rey, move on and “let the past die”. I always wondered why when he says this it doesn’t sound like a dark side thing, and it’s disturbingly neutral (neither good nor bad) while being the “main villain”’s big project [it’s like Palpatine main goal being not full wicked and having us think “oh maybe, yeah it could be a good idea to destroy planets and rule the galaxy with fear under a sith’s command”]. The good/evil rate of the character main goal IS the character’s position on the good/evil spectrum, that’s why Palps is full dark side and Ben in TLJ gets closer to Rey’s position on this spectrum, closer than ever while he is Kylo Ren : that’s why the legacy saber hesitates between the two. He has at this moment a hope for his future.

In TLJ, Kylo and Rey both move on this spectrum and meet in a neutral/grey area (on the spectrum below, Palps works as a control sample)

Dark side : Palps (ruling), Kylo in TFA (surrending to the dark side)

Neutral (aka grey) : Kylo in TLJ (ruling with Rey for a new order, moving on : hope of a future), Rey in TLJ (she lost hope on her family but wants to be good)

Light side : Rey in TFA (being good and hope of finding her family)

But hope is found and hope is lost for Ben in TLJ : right after the throne room scene, because of Rey’s refusal he goes full dark side back (aka trying to kill Luke and the Resistance) because he has lost what made him reach the grey area in the first place : the hope that Rey could help him move on.

In their last force bond in TLJ, after Crait, he has one last moment of hope...only to be rejected again, destroying the last bit of hope and of light side in him.

My guess is that that is why we see him so determined in TROS, he sunk back into despair but like in TLJ he still wish to move on from it with Rey, only he wants Rey for selfish reasons (just like Vader tried to bring Padmé back to help himself).

2. The light side is hope

Luke was "the new hope" of the galaxy. At the end of TLJ, his projection and implication has brought once again hope in the galaxy (as the broom boy shows us)

Ben has hope again. (SPOIL COMICS in those we may assume while he was Ben Solo that tho he felt it difficult to belong to the Jedi Academy, he had hope he still could fit in, it’s the loss of that hope for the reasons shown it those comics that makes him turn). TURNS because he believes he’s gone too far, can’t fit in and won’t be accepted. Believes it’s too late. TURNS again because he understands it’s not too late and he can still save Rey and do good, hope in himself that he is not the monster he thinks he is.

Anakin : he wants to be good and has the hope he can (and he does great until the end of episode 3). He has hope to stop being a slave and win the race in TPM, to become a Jedi and win Padme’s love in AOTC, to save her in ROTS....until one point. TURNS because he lost hope to save his mother and then to save Padme. TURNS again because he has hope to save Luke and to be good again, once again hope in himself to not be the monster he thinks he is.

Rey has the hope her parents will return. When she lost this hope in TLJ she could have went full dark side but she succeeds in the trial and stays in the light. But in TROS when the trial, like in a fairy tale, presents itself for the second time, she almost fails : learning that she comes from darkness makes her slowly lose hope in herself, therefore falling to the dark side. She doesn’t completely but she does get close.

There goes the second spectrum :

Dark side : Palps (ruling), Kylo in TFA and TROS (surrending to the dark side), Darth Vader (lost hope in life and himself, believe power will compensate his despair)

Darkish : Rey in TROS (on the process of loosing hope in herself)

Neutral (aka grey) : Kylo in TLJ (ruling with Rey for a new order, moving on : hope of a future), Rey in TLJ (she lost hope on her family)

Light side : Rey in TFA (being good and finding her family), Luke, Anakin, Ben (hope they can do good)

N.B. This meta is not about Luke so I won’t complete his journey on the spectrum (in TLJ I mean)

N.B 2 A meta about power and dark saide/light side could be a good addition to this one.

3. Hope for redemption : Luke and his father in OT VS Rey and Ben (TLJ VS TROS)

In ROTJ, it was Luke who had hope he father could be redeemed, in TLJ it’s Rey who has hope for Ben. So far it’s the same

But in TROS it changes : Rey succombing slowly to the dark side has (according to the theory I just explained) lost hope on Ben. Still can debate on why she healed him right after stabbing him (hope ? love ? regret ? no wish to kill ?). And Kylo Ren who didnt have hope, after the stabbing and healing and scene with Han gets hope again. Her compassion makes him gain hope in himself and he understands that “as long as he’s with her he is on the right path” (quote from the Making of of TROS).

So while TLJ repeats the dynamic of hope and redemption of the OT, TROS breaks it (but I think it’s a good thing). Rey has lost hope in Kylo Ren and in herself, or at least is in the process of losing it.

1- As she is surrending to the dark side, she looses hope on what she believed (herself and Ben) : the correlation is there. So far the theory works.

2- So the hope of Ben’s redemption still comes from Rey (the compassionate act of healing him, but it is not her first motive like it was for Luke or in TLJ, it is only a side effect), Leia and the memory of Han, but from himself too. Vader saves his son and it redeems him, but Ben is redeemed before he does anything, his turn is mental, it is a decision : he decides to go save Rey, and from that decision, due to his resurgence of hope in himself, he turns good again. It’s a small difference but it’s important because it’s the difference between Ben and Anakin redemptions : Anakin acts spontaneously and this good act redeems him, Ben has to FIRST forgive himself to be redeemed, his redemption is much easier, it only takes him to forgive himself and have hope in himself again, just with that he is Ben Solo again.

Conclusion

Anakin and Ben have very similar arcs but the differences are important. First, in the third movie of each trilogy : while Luke actively saves Vader, Rey doesn’t and it’s up to Kylo himself to complete this function on himself. Secondly, it takes a spontaneous action to Vader to be redeemed, while Kylo just has to gain hope in himself. Ben litteraly was his own biggest enemy. It’s not saving Rey that makes him turn, he already had, while Vader understands afterwards that he has turned. Ben’s redemtpion is a mental and psychological process, a decision, a choise consciensously made, while Anakin understands afterwards that he had turned, after his spontaneous act. Two different redemptions for two different journeys. But both show the HUGE importance “hope” has and always has had in the Star Wars universe - it’s not for nothing that the very first movie is titled “A New Hope”. The PT, OT and ST have this core thematic continuity about hope being the way to the light side, and despair and hopelessness leading to the dark side.

There are three types of characters according to this hope distinction. Wether it is to fight this despair, to find hope again thanks to someone or from within, Ben and Anakin have the most complex relation to hope and display the spectrum of intention the most extreme. On the other hand, Luke is the representation of hope in the OT and he regains that status again at the end of TLJ. Third type is Rey, she seems to be like Luke but absolutely isn’t (which is great). She is much more greyish and is always fighting to maintain her hope (in her family, in herself, in Ben), because she is aware of her weakness and choses denial to maintain this hope. That’s why it’s very intersting in TROS to see her loosing this hope from time to time, but not enough to be surrending to the dark side. Because she understood the primary lesson of Star Wars : that the best way to remain in the light side or to get to it is to have and to find hope, I think that’s my favourite lesson from Star Wars.

Others main meta

(1) Force jump/flying (TROS meets The Rise of Kylo Ren or Kylo Ren finally meets his peer in Rey) :

(2) TROS’s Ben as a mirror to Anakin’s arc or what is a Skywalker ?

31 notes · View notes

redtutel · 4 years

Text

Rewatching Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Red is this movies color...that’s why people get so aggravate about it! It makes so much sense!

I’m glad I’m a nobody, people people get bullied and shamed for their opinions on this movie. People treat their opinions as facts when discussing this movie. I admit I might get aggrieve with my opinions too.

Last time I saw it, I loved it and disagreed with every complaint I read about it online. It might’ve help that I found spoilers, so certain twists didn’t throw me as off gaurd as it did other people Will I feel the same way? And even if I do, how will I rank this film? Time to find out.

I should really watch the commentary someday. I’d love to know what was in Rian Johnson’s head. Until then, this is my own, personal analysis

It’s very unique to have a Star Wars movie take place right after the previous one. Although given the nature of Force Awaken’s cliffhanger, it was necessary.

This movie definitely borrows for Empire Strikes Back, but not to the same extent. I’d argue it’s Empire backwards. The deuteragonist is out of commission and hope is bleak at the beginning, and we end on a siege in a white planet with walkers. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I’m sticking to that mindset.

I love Poe’s sass. Anyone who says otherwise has no joy. It’s definitely in character (remember “so who talks first?”) And it shows he’s someone cocky who will mock his enemies to their faces. Plus its not like Star Wars hasn’t had humor like this before.

I like how the opening action sequence starts as a typical feel good action, but then casualties occur which are taken very seriously. And Poe gets chewed out for it too.

Poe stars out the movie as scrappy, and will disobey orders in order to defeat the enemy. And then he ends it wiser, knowing that sometimes, it’s important to retreat and live to fight another day.

Much like Revenge of the Sith, this is a very dialogue and character driven movie, with not much action. And both movies make the action sequences they do have count.

The scene with Rose’s sister is fantastic. Like any good action sequence, it's all about reverals. She has a squad, but they all died and she’s by herself. She has to bomb the ship, but she crashes and falls, and can’t get up. The remotes to high to reach, so she kicks it down. But the remote lands too far away from her. But at the last second she manages to catch it, and scarifies herself to bomb the ship. It’s a fantastic mini showcase of this one of this movie’s biggest motifs: That no matter how bleak things get, there is still hope, and you have to fight in order to reach that hope.

The juxtaposition of the Resistance cheering and Leia sitting down in relief, only to get a look at the casualties is very clever. It shows that victory bought with lives is no true victory.

Snoke can drag Hux though the floor from a large distance. Classic sequel escalation. How clever.

Finn awakens after two years, yay! And his first words are “Rey!” How sweet. He doesn’t even care he’s still naked covered in medical equipment. All he care about is “Where’s Rey?” And for good reason. Last time he saw her, she was knocked out by Kylo Ren.

And we get the resolution of one of the greatest Star Wars cliffhangers of all time. Fans spent two years imagining what Luke would do next What he would say next. And he tosses the Lightsaber aside and walks away, creating a mystery as to how this once noble hero ended up a jaded old man milking disgusting manatee alien things.

Mark Hamill is a fantastic actor, and this is no exeaption. He’s equal parts funny and aggravating as a bitter old man, but there are moments where the classic Luke comes out, like when he sees R2-D2 and Yoda, or when he asks about Han.

I love how creative the creatures are in this movie. The Porgs are the merchandising stand-out sure, but there’s that ugly milk creature, those beasts of burden in Canto Bight and the Ice foxes. They’re all such creative designs.

“Where’s Han?” Oh how heartbreaking. Apparently there was a brief shot of him mourning that got cut, which is a major shame. I feel like the movie did a good enough job without it, but keeping it back in would’ve added so much. Ah, well.

Snoke really is the main villain of this movie. I think he has about as much screentime as the Emperor did in Return of the Jedi. So I’d say he fufilled his role well enough. He has nothing on Palpatine though, and in my eyes he’s the only character who I like less then their inspiration.

Kylo is maskless the whole movie. I feel like this symbolizes how we spend this movie getting to know the real him. The man behind the Vader impersonator. Kylo killed his father thinking it would fully turn him to the dark side, but he’s more regretful then every before. And Snoke has lost his faith in him. Snoke’s lack of faith in Klyo is a nice way to differenciate him from Paltapinte by the way.

...Wait, was the feelings of regret one of the reasons he lost the dual to Rey? I think Snoke is implying that. I also like how this is treated as an abnormality in-universe. Rey was unusually strong, and Kylo was unusually weak in that moment, and everybody acknowledges that fact and questions why.

Snoke sees Luke as the First Order’s greatest enemy, and Rey as “just a girl with a lightsaber.”

Luke on the other hand, no longer sees himself as a hero. “You think I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy for no reason at all.” That is a good point, and something both Rey and the audience didn’t think though.

Luke takes an interest in Rey after learning she’s force sensitive. Luke may have a hatred of the Jedi, but he still respects the Force.

“Where are you from?” “Nowhere” “Nobody’s from nowhere” “Jakku” “That is pretty much nowhere. Why are you here Rey from nowhere?” I love mentors that mix humor with wisdom. And Luke fills that role very well. Rey’s arc is about self discovery and introspection, and I love how Luke furthers it.

Rey is still a bit afraid of the Force, and doesn’t know what to make of it.

Is Leia reacting to the aftermath of the battle? Or can she see and Luke and Rey’s meeting isn’t going well. Probably both.

The First Order has a way to track the resistance no matter where they go, even at lightspeed. And they don’t have the fuel to make another jump. I think that’s a good new take on Star Wars space chases.

Although Leia wants to show Poe true military wisdom, she still has a soft spot for him, and for rouge tactics. I wonder if there’s any kind of work out there that depicts Leia seeing Poe as a replacement son. At least a fanfic would be nice.

Leia and Kylo sense each other. And although Kylo killed his father, he can’t bring himself to do the same to his mother. Another fantastic scene.

I used the word siege too soon. The Poe plot is one big medieval siege in space. The First Order is on the offensive, but can’t actually destroy the ship, and the Resistance is stuck in the defensive, with the crew having no choice but to stay inside and wait it out until the reach the new base. Again, a very creative concept.

After years and year of waiting, and subtly hinting at it with certain shots, Leia finally, finally, uses the Force. And she does so in a logical way, to push herself though the vacuum of space to safely get to a ship. And we even get her theme playing as she does that. Sure she looks like Mary Poppins, but a couple of months before the movie came out another science fantasy movie did that too, and we all agree Mary Poppins was cool. So I say, “She’s Mary Poppins Ya’ll!” And again, IT’S LEIA USING THE FORCE AFTER YEARS OF THAT DETAIL BEING POINTLESS! AND SHE USES IT TO SAVE HER LIFE! And after the death of Carrie Fisher, we need to savor what few awesome Leia moments we have left.

I love the scene of Chewbaca trying to eat a Porg but not being able to because they’ll looking at him. It’s hilarious.

Luke seeing R2 again is so adorable. And him using the classic Leia recording is such an effective use of nostalgia. Luke is in the same position Obi Wan all those years ago. And that finally convinces him to at least give the mentor thing a try, it not to convince Rey that the Jedi religion isn’t worth it.

Poor Ackbar was killed for the sake of Poe’s character development. Hondo serves her role as a hatable leader very well. She’s a stranger to both the audience and Poe, so we sympathies with Poe’s disobedience. And she’s an aggrieve purple haired woman, which would put any man on the defensive. But alas, she put too many real life men on the defensive, so they have a hard time accepting the fact she was right all along. I personally think it’s very clever to have the naysaying military leader actually be in the right. It’s a good way to teach Poe wisdom.

She said “We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic” first. I didn’t remember that. That’s so cool!

Once again, Finn is a deserter, albit a regretful one. But he still doesn’t believe the First Order can be stopped, and to be fair, not much happened in the fist movie to convince him otherwise.

Rose is an endearing character. She’s a maintenance person and not a fighter, so she looks up to heros like Finn. Finn doesn’t see himself as a hero, but to Rose, he’s someone who stood up to the first order, and without his information, they would’ve never been able to destroy Star Killer base. So the fact he wasn’t being a hero greatly upsets her, especially since this is a cause her sister died believing in.

Rose’s maintenance person background and Finn’s low ranking Stormtrooper background makes them the perfect team for their plan to stop the tracker. But Poe’s too proud to get Hondo’s input, so it’s a secret plan.

...Why do people call this plan a sidequest? Sure it fails, but it’s still a logical plan (considering the fact they don’t know the real plan). On the subject, why did Hodo not tell them the real plan? Because she doesn’t trust Poe to follow though with it. Was that a mistake? Seeing how she dies, it might have been. Plus knowing Poe, he probably would’ve preferred Finn’s plan anyway. And we the audience actually did know that the plan was to get to a new base and contact help earlier in the movie

I wish Maz had more screentime in this movie. Although given its set-up, there isn’t really a reason for her to do so. I hope she appears more in Rise of Skywalker

I LOVE the Force connection scene. It starts as a simple look at our hero and villain in the morning, cutting back and forth between them. Simple movie magic. But then...they both notice something at the same time...wait, they notice EACHOTHER! They’re seeing the cuts like we’re seeing the cuts, and then it’s cut as if they’re facing each other directly, even though they’ve obviously not, again playing with the medium of film and ah, it’s so awesome and clever!

I didn’t notice until the second time around (this is my third time watching this movie), Luke never gives the third lesson. Although to be fair, Star Wars protagonists have a history of leaving before their lessons are finished. Will Rise of Skywalker provide that third lesson.

I’m too lazy to quantify this, but I think Force Awakens had more jokes per minute. I don’t get why people act like it has Marvel movie comedy.

Out of all the Star Wars movies, this is the one I feel has the best Force lessons. Probably some of the best Force lessons in the series. We start off with way Rey (and the layman) know: It’s a power Jedi have that lets them control people and makes things float. And after little goofiness (which serve a purpose: Don’t physically reach out, emotionally and spiritually reach out), Luke shows how the Force isn’t a power people have, it’s the energy that binds the universe together. And I love how shots of nature from the island are used to depict the Force, and the nature of Life and Death and the Circle of Life and balance and darkness and light. And how the temptation of the Dark Side is showed as a pit, but a pit that has...something that draws you to it, even though you may never escape if you do.

The Force does not belong to the Jedi. The Jedi kind of sucked in the prequels, so Luke’s new philosophy is actually pretty awesome.

“It offered you somthing you needed, and you didn’t even try and stop yourself” Did Rey use the Dark Side to win the fight? Does the Dark Side provide an attack buff? It make sense. The Dark Side does get all the good force powers, after all.

Both Rey and Ben Solo were naturally very gifted in the Force. And Luke fears Rey could be the next Kylo Ren if he trains her. How rational is that fear....to this day people aren’t sure. Maybe Rise of Skywalker will finally settle things

Oh, that how Finn and Rose made it. Poe convinced a look out to pull a “no signs of organic life,” but on purpose. And the Resistance does like Poe more then they do Hondo.

Ah, Rey’s curious about Finn too. Maybe I do ship it. But Finn and Rose and Rey might have Ben. Well, strong male/female friendships are rare, so the more the merrier.

Kylo wants to be a monster, and although Rey thinks so, seeing him call himself that makes her realize there’s more to him than he lets on.

Canto Bight. Although I agree the set design could use more Star Wars, there’s still a ton of great alien designs, and it is creative to show a “Hive of Scum and Villainy” for the Galaxy’s 1%. And I love how the music reflects that. Plus the rest of the movie has plenty of creativity to spare.

I forgot how long it took get to Canto Bight.

People also find the tone of the scene off putting, but I don’t mind. Probably because I’ve seen quit a bit of Clone Wars, which is found of mixing Star Wars with...whatever genre it feels like. Political Drama, Film Noir, Kaiju movies. This subplot is Star Wars meets heist movie.

The alien putting coins in BB-8 is voiced by Mark Hamill by the way. Once again proving himself to be a great voice actor.

Behind the glim and glammer of the rich, there’s cruelty and oppression. Finn was already aware of what Stormtroopers are capable of, but here he sees firsthand how even a beautiful part of the galaxy is tainted by it, even in a moment of peace. Rose believes in the cause and wants to fight for it, and seeing her determination makes Finn think that maybe he can too.

I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without talking about expectation subversion. I honestly think the movie does it right. Luke being old and bitter creates a mystery which leads to a fantastic character arc, for example. Finn and Rose find the codebreaker, but then they get arrested for parking violations (which yeah, is a bit silly, but so were the Ewoks)

Although Finn’s subplot is a bit weaker, it still provides some good thematic consistency, and provides a very good arc for Finn.

Since Luke is unhelpful, Rey uses the time to train herself in Lightsaber combat. And as always, she’s a fast learner when it comes to weaponry.

Lesson two is Luke’s video essay on the prequels. And it’s a pretty good one. Luke followed the way of the Jedi and trained Ben from an early age, and like the Jedi he didn’t notice Ben’s fall to the dark side and Snoke’s corrupting influence until it was too late, and that lead to the creation of the next great darkside user.

Despite this, Rey still needs a mentor, and still believes in Luke, although that’s because Luke didn’t tell the whole truth.

The Resistance is loosing sip after ship, and tensions are rising. Why do people not like the Poe subplot? It’s also a great way to bring the stakes back to the Finn subplot, which admittedly got a bit silly

Once again, when things are bleak, Hope arrives in the form of a new master thief, in the form of DJ. Although DJ proves to be a false hope.

I love with mascot droids get to actually fight.

I admit my opinions aren’t entirely my own anymore, as I remember a video essay pointed out that the main trio all have characters pulling them to the light and to the dark this movie. Rey has Luke and Kylo, Finn and Rose and DJ. I don’t remember what they said about Poe, but I’d say he’s pulled to the light by Leia and Hondo, and pulled to the dark by his pride.

Rose and Finn’s interaction with the slave children help show how the Resistance is a spark, rather then just telling us like most Star Wars movies do.

I do wonder why they freed the horses and not the kids. I guess it’s because horses can actually run fast. Plus they need to create chaos to escape. The kids are cheering them on, though, so I guess its fine.

But more importantly, Finn gets a taste of what its like to save rescue something that’s not a close friend, and to tear down an oppressive system. He has his first inspiration to be a true selfless hero hero, rather than just someone trying to protect his friend. And Rose reminds him that the freedom gained in more important than the havok wreaked. It’s not worth it until people are actually saved, no matter how much damage the enemy sustained.

Luke is called to help by his sister, and ones to reach out to her.

Ah Ben Swolo. Equality after Slave Leia. And also a good showcase in how Rey and Kylo can’t control when they force bond, and it can even happen in awkward situations. And its funny.

Rey wishes she had a father like Han, and Ben just threw him away. Meanwhile Kylo remakes how Rey is always looking for her parents, even surrogate parents. I’ve noticed Kylo dodged the question about killing Han

And we get the shocking twist: Luke tired to kill his nephew to prevent the dark side.

“Let the past die, it’s the only way to become who you’re meant to be.” This is not the main theme of the movie, but Kylo is half right. Rey shouldn’t kill the past, but she should let it go, move on from her parents, and embrace the new family she has in the Resistance. Meanwhile Kylo keeps saying he’ll killing the past, but he’s working with people trying to bring it back, and he just gets more and more caught up in it, even after killing his father and trying to distance himself from his Vader aesthetic.

I love the force case scene. As a kid I was in love with the endless mirror effect, and seeing it messed with, by having Rey’s reflection be out of synch, is such a cool moment. She’s trying to self reflect, but she hasn’t come to terms with herself. It also shows the vastness and confusing okay the Force. She tryes to find her parents, and sees...nothing. They’re truly gone, and all that’s left is herself. Which is her worst fear. She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. She wants a family.

And after Luke’s uncorperation and description, Chewbacca busy trying to contact the resistance, and Finn being far away, the only person she has to share her troubles with is Kylo.

During all this time Force bonding, the two of them have gotten to know eachother’s struggles and insecurities. They truly sympathize and care about each other now. The are now friends and confidants. And with this newfound relationship, they truly believe that can turn the other to their side. This is one of my favorite Hero/Villain relationships ever. Dare I say, I like it even more the Luke and Darth Vader. Being father is son is fantastic of course, but the fact that Rey and Kylo formed this sort of bound without blood ties makes it also the more fascinating. Sure it was a part of Snoke’s plan, but it the relationship they built because of it was still genuine.

They’re force bound has gotten so powerful, they can literally touch each other now. Seeing Kylo’s hand in Rey’s hut is such a strange and powerful image. And then Luke sees them together, which is even more shocking. And Luke is afraid Rey’s turn is inevitable.

And now we know the full story. Luke feared the darkness in Ben. And in a brief moment, he saw Kylo the same way he once saw Vader and Palpatine, and drew his blade. He realizes his mistake just as quickly, but it was still too late. Ben saw his master trying to kill him, and his turn to the darkside was complete. And it was all Luke’s fault. History repeated himself, and Luke was too full of shame to do anything about it. Sure he saved Vader’s soul, but he didn’t create Vader like he did Kylo. So it’s not like seeing his Uncle would stir conflict in Ben or anything.

And Rey has now lost hope in Luke, for failed to even try to do what he did with his father. Although again, given the circumstances, I don’t like Luke can be the one to save Kylo. But neither is Rey. Maybe in the future?

I LOVE Yoda’s scene It’s probably the greatest Yoda moment of all time. Yoda actually agrees with Luke that the Jedi made mistakes, but he’s here to provide the true takeaway. Don’t run from failure, or try to kill the past. Instead, you should learn from the past failure, and with the knowledge, move on with your life. Remember both the glory of the past and the shame, and use them both as you move to the future. And I love how grumpy old Luke is 19 all over again when Yoda shows up.

DJ provides a very fascinating perspective of the Star Wars universe. History repeats itself, so why bother carry which way the pendulum swings? After all, the people who financially succeeds are the ones you play both sides. He gives Finn the temptation to be apathetic to the fight against good and evil. “Live Free, don’t join.” That’s what Finn wanted at the beginning of the movie

I love Finn is defensive of Rose having to give up her sister’s keepsake. He’s a good person.

“Hope is like the Sun, if you only believe in it when you can see it, you’ll never make it though the night.” Another great message of this movie is the importance of having Faith.

And turns out, Poe actually does hate Hondo’s plan, and since he talked smack, she’s not inclined to listen to him either.

“If you see Finn before I do tell him...” I love their friendship.

And finally, Kylo and Rey meet in the flesh. But as Luke says, things don’t go the way they think.

It’s pretty clever and Finn and Rey spend the climax in the same place,

And when Poe does tell Hondo the plan, she hates it.

The iron gag is a pretty silly fake out, as well as an homage to the modelwork of the old films.

The evil BB-8 was in a lot of merch. But he’s barely in the movie.

Kylo and Rey are both right about what they’re about to do. But they did it a lot sooner than expected, and didn’t realize that their team up would be short lived.

DJ is a snake, but I love that he gives Rose her trinket back. It shows that he’s not heartless

After do so well, the plan suddenly all falls apart. It’s Reversal, which as fall as I know, is an element of good storytelling. The plan goes awry, and the characters have to deal with what to do now.

Leia is here to set Poe straight.

After losses should be avoided, Hondo’s sacrifice shows that sometimes they’re necessary. The import thing is having the discretion to tell.

Maybe Rey’s strong in the Force because the Force needed a champion of Light to combat the rising darkness.

Snoke was behind the mind meld the whole time. His plan is kind of sexist come to think of it. He doesn’t think it’ll work because of human empathy, but because Kylo is a handsome, tortured bad boy. Seems fitting given his appearance and a disgusting old man. Or maybe I’m overthinking it. Anyway, he’s swinging Rey like a ragdoll using the force, showing that she’s not all powerful like the haters think

And unlike most rouges, DJ is selfish ‘till the end. Things are bleaker and bleaker. The plan not only failed, it cost more lives that it would’ve otherwise if Poe had just had faith in his commanders.

I love how Rey trying to get her lightsaber, only for Snoke to just bring it back and humiliate her.

Snoke’s plan is pretty okay, but he’s not nothing on Palpatine’s chessmasterness, even ignoring the prequels. For one thing, no matter who one Luke vs Vader, Palpatine still wins.

“He ignites to and kills his true enemy.” How very true. I got spoiled that Snoke would die in this movie, and my first thought was “Woah, that’s cool.”

Seeing Kylo and Rey fight side by side is just awesome.

Finn sees DJ’s desire for self preservation (and in turn his old desire for such), and disgusting, and shows just how much he’s grown.

I think Snoke dying is a good example of subverting expectations. Darth Vader always said “I’m going to overthrow the empire and rule with my family.” But Kylo Ren actually does it. But he still doesn’t turn to the light side. He’s now the man in charge, Kylo Ren, the villain we truly care about is now the main villain (well, until Palpatine pulled a Ganon), and I am excited to see where that goes

Rey’s parents were nobodies who sold her off. Rewatching Force Awakening, that makes perfect sense. It’s a great reveal of “I am your father.” It’s equally as devastating while being something different

Seeing Kylo and Rey fighting over the Skywalker lightsaber and then it breaking is such a cool moment. It shows that the Star Wars legacy is breaking, but the future is all the more exciting for it.

Destroying a ship with a smaller hyperspace ship. Awesome. Why don’t they do it more often? Because no writer thought to. Not to mention suicide bombing is wrong so good guys won’t do it, and it’s expensive so bad guys won’t do that.

Finn vs Phasma is short but a very satisfying moment for Finn. He stood up to his old boss, he’s using the TR-8R weapon, and has one of my favorite Star Wars lines “You were always scum.” “Rebel scum.”

Hux definitely doesn’t approve of Kylo the same way he does of Snoke. The’s bound to be tension in the First Order’s chain of command, and I’m excited to see that unfold.

The climax at the Star Wars Fanbase (Salt) Plant is so fantastic. Hope leaves are constantly rising and falling, but the Heroes maintain faith despite that. The Resistance is corned, and they have no choice but to fight with outdate equipment. The Red and white is so lovely, it’s no wonder it was in the source material.

The Resistance are completely overwhelmed, but the Millennium Falcon is here! With Rey, Chewbacca and a Porg

The canon scene is a great showcase of character development. Poe now has the wisdom to know when the pull back and live to fight another day. And Finn now has the selflessness to try and sacrifice his life for the sack of the Resistance. But at the same time, Finn still needs to know that it’s not all about killing the bad guys no matter the cost. It’s about trying you best to save what you love as well.

Finn and Rose have a good friendship, but the kiss kind of comes out of nowhere. They not exactly Han and Leia, but hey, at least they’re not Anakin and Padme

Hope is diminished. The battle is lost (but thankfully not every life). And there’s not getting rescued. But then out of nowhere, comes the New Hope himself.

I can’t help but hear My Hero Academia music when Luke appears in this scene. He’s is the Galaxy’s Symbol of Peace!

“No one’s every really gone.” I forgot that line was in this movie. It’s so sweet to see Luke and Leia reunited after so long.

Seeing Luke fills the heros with awe, the villains with dread, and Kylo with irrational fury.

Comparing Kylo’s reaction to Han vs Luke, and you can see why Luke can’t be the one to save him.

Luke just brushing it off. Awesome.

Luke holds back the entire First Order without striking even once. A Jedi uses the Force for defence after all.

When back into the cave, Poe noticed that some foxes are getting in or out. When all hope seems lost, have faith and keep looking and sometimes you can find it.

Hope is found with the exist, but its lost when the opening’s too small. But then Rey uses the force and create an exist. She created hope. She has become the Galaxy’s New Hope (or the Awakening of the Force)

“Every word you just said was wrong.” I love that line, and how it took on a brand new meaning.

Finn and Rey’s reunion is so touching. The duo’s back together again after all this time.

“Strike me down in angry and I’ll always be with you, just like your father.” An amazing twist on a classic Star Wars moment. Luke’s death will just make Kylo less and less stable in his conviction to the darkness.

And Luke has committed his final act of heroism, and his final sacrifice. Protecting what he loved instead of fighting what he hated. Making sure that hope and rebellion remained in the galaxy. But astral projection comes at a great cost. And Leia and Rey can sense it.

Ending Luke’s life with the moment that introduced him. With him looking toward twin suns, dreaming about the future. But as a Force Ghost, I doubt this is the end of his story.

Rey and Kylo having one last Force bound moment before going their separate ways. Kylo is the Suprime Leader, and Rey is off to be the galaxy’s New Hope (or Awakening of the Force).

It’s nice for Poe and Rey to finally meet

All that’s left of the Resistance fits on just one ship. The Star Wars ship. Rey has lightsaber parts and the sacred texts. All she needs to be the next force using hero.

Although Luke is dead, his legend lives on, continuing to spread hope throughout the galaxy. And the Force is still very much alive, for there will always be dreamers connected to it. And we get shown proof that the Resistance is a spark.

Overall, I still love this movie. I disagree with every complaint people have about it. And while not every joke lands, it’s far from the first movie to make that mistake. Plus the ones that do land really land. I love the character development and philosophy, and although it’s slower, every action sequence is amazing and entertaining.

#star wars #star wars rewatch

0 notes