A Critique of Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Part 4

This is Part 4 of 6 of a series of videos all about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
After having gone over the big battle on Takodana, Leia and The Resistance arrive. Only for Kylo to attempt to torture Rey while the heroes construct a plan to approach Star Killer Base, leaving us... plenty to talk about.
We jump into all kinds of third party media as example of how better or worse to commit to certain writing ideas including Fargo, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Suicide Squad, as well as the Book of Boba Fett, The Matrix Resurrections and Loki. With a small detour into some advice from the creators of South Park.
You may see one or two cameos as the video progresses as well as a few more sneaky references here and there.
The Thumbnail art is courtesy of Oliver Pocock
JlongBone (TheMarcia Lucas comment reading) - / jlongbone
Jay Exci (Voice acting Rey) - / cinemasinssins
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The first third of the EFAP Arcane coverage - • EFAP #172 - A complete...
The complete EFAP coverage of The Book of Boba Fett - • EFAP Mini: Reacting to...
The previous part - • A Critique of Star War...
Here is a link to my second channel, where my Podcast "EFAP" is hosted. - / @everyframeapause
Twitter - / mauler93
Patreon - www.patreon.com/user?u=4817956
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Discord - / discord
0:00:00 - Introduction.
0:00:55 - Leia and C3PO join the story with a little ADR.
0:06:03 - The Resistance and the incredible resurrection of Poe Dameron.
0:12:03 - Finn's history and his relationship with The Resistance.
0:16:46 - The absolutely confusing "Map to Luke" and what it means.
0:24:30 - Han and Leia discuss the past - Missed opportunities.
0:36:08 - The nature of Contrivance.
0:57:56 - Who is Kylo Ren?
1:09:06 - Kylo interrogates Rey.
1:20:10 - Rey outperforms Kylo and many attempt to explain it.
1:25:28 - Scanning, following, tracking and winding the ticking clock.
1:30:24 - What does Snoke want from Rey?
1:33:43 - Rey escapes her captivity with a Jedi mind trick and Kylo big mad.
1:42:48 - The mysterious case of the sun-eating planet.
1:47:05 - The Resistance plan their assault on Starkiller Base.
1:53:33 - Kylo warns that Rey must be found before she gains more power while she sneaks around.
1:54:26 - Hyperdrive has been a tad compromised. let's discuss that.
2:02:43 - Kylo searches for Rey as our heroes enter the base.
2:06:08 - Finn captures Captain Phasma and forces her to disable the planetary shields.
2:09:33 - Who is Captain Phasma?
2:13:35 - The shields are down and the assault begins.
2:18:12 - Finn and Han realise Rey saved herself and they team up.
2:21:04 - Our heroes must separate to prepare the sabotage of Star Killer Base.
2:23:05 - The outro - Thank you so much for watching.
2:24:04 - Check out EFAP! - Links in description.
2:27:22 - Marcia Lucas' comments on Disney Star Wars.
2:28:58 - Jay Exci outtakes.

[@RogueFox7050]

“When the world needed him most, the Longman returned.” -The Toxic Brood

[@Mandalore2276]

HEY… it’s “toxic brothel”!!!

[@casketbase7750]

Somehow, Longman returned.

[@riches3581]

hate monger of the toxic brood and proud

[@amanibob1416]

Amen, my Ewok!

[@parsa1372]

But i believe, objectivity can save story telling

[@SargonofAkkad]

JJ Abrams sounds less like a storyteller and more like a tactician.

[@Hero101010]

Many such cases. Sad.

[@Raymal100]

Hi Carl

[@charliecharliewhiskey9403]

That's common enough when adapting stuff someone else made, but you're right about JJ. He doesn't understand his role as storyteller yet fails upwards anyway.

[@ironcladnomad5639]

I've always found Abrams is better talking about his stories than his movies are.

[@generaljackripper666]

If you mean him working towards arriving at a predetermined outcome, instead of crafting something original, yes. It's much like the planning process of a military campaign. You outline your objectives, then figure out the steps required to bring it about. It also just goes to show how utterly unimaginative he really is.

[@madisonlee2203]

Mauler. Where in the world is part 5

[@sawcrab2249]

its been abt 2 years, hopefully we get something this year lol. pt 3 was 2020, pt 4 in 2022, hopefully pt 5 in 2024???

[@Senior_Pineapple]

I just hope pt.5 is the end of it, idk if we'll be here to see pt.6🤣

[@salt_factory7566]

Cyberpunk 2077 will become reality before Mauler uploads part 5

[@festushaggen2563]

"THAT'S NOT HOW THE FORCE WORKS" sums up the entirety of Disney Star Wars perfectly.

[@mathurinkerbouchard8931]

Agreed! 100%

[@rickmassey1272]

...but it is how A Force works...KK's Force...KK's force is JJ's Farce.

[@sadpluslonely2775]

Disney says: "Fuck you it is now,"

[@wruzzer]

@@rickmassey1272 the force is female

[@Misery7531]

@@fenris6051 shut up it's not bad

[@daltooinewestwood6380]

I like how Chewbacca is consistently underestimated by military personnel even though he has at this point, actively fought in 3 separate galactic scale hyperspace wars

[@-Zakhiel-]

Wich really makes no sense when you think about it... I mean... The guy is naked.

[@kodyrowe-manns6360]

@@-Zakhiel- and is a giant 10 foot beast

[@daltooinewestwood6380]

@@kodyrowe-manns6360 umm ackchually giants are Huge size creatures and are 15-30 feet tall, Chewbacca is Large.

[@GeorgisTrying]

@@daltooinewestwood6380 underrated comment 😂

[@dfgfgh244]

@@daltooinewestwood6380 It's more in comparison to our average heroes height compared to Chewbacca.

[@sophisticautistic5453]

Poe: Somehow this series returned...

[@StreetPreacherr]

I heard it's just a remake of Part ONE....

[@EmberBright2077]

From the dead!?

[@cameronbrennemanoutdoors]

@@StreetPreacherr I wonder if he will finish this series by 2025

[@silvergrove8517]

​@@cameronbrennemanoutdoors ahah, you fool!

[@garretthayden6355]

But seriously, when do you think we will get the next part?

[@parkshiledriver9960]

Mauler's ability to sync up clips that're one or two seconds to match what he's saying is incredible. Unbelievable work.

[@millibillionth]

The work Mauler does with the editing is freaking amazing - the clips are spot on and have an absurd variety, drawing from all sorts of other movies.

[@mikeexits]

It's probably a large part of why each part takes so long to make and upload. Speaking from experience, video editing can be highly tedious and monotonous, highly involved and challenging, or both/in between depending on the type of content being made. This kind of video would be a bit of both from what I can tell, but very much involved because of all of the slick micro-edits.

[@Bacchus325]

I mean clicking and dragging a clip onto an audio file isn't difficult but it's incredible that he goes through the extra effort in such a massive project.

[@brycefalloway]

@@Bacchus325 but this is a video that's longer than most movies, and only one of four (that I'm aware of) in a project that's on a channel containing several videos that match this time or are even longer, sometimes twice as long. Mauler's Multiverse of Madness review is literally 6 hours long. It doesn't matter how easy anything is, doing it that many times is incredibly difficult because of the consistency factor, not to mention all the planning that it must take to get it so right so much. I don't watch Mauler a lot, but know enough about his channel to know he uploads fairly regularly, and the quality in his commentary or his editing rarely drops.

[@PickledShark]

For real. The script and editing of his videos are the gold standard for video essays in my view. Nothing else even comes close. His videos are so good that I find myself frequently frustrated that he spends so much time on EFAP, which, while entertaining, doesn’t come close to providing the shear quality that his independent videos have in spades.

[@Kaizir]

I like how MauLer in each part is progressively caring less and less about the whole "no swearing" thing he established in Part 1.

[@davemac9563]

And here Mauler is preaching about consistency lol

[@greyaye8565]

Ye, but that was like an entire decade ago...people change over time.

[@theGoonofDominion]

​@@greyaye8565 the character development of Mauler over the course of "A Critique of Star Wars: The Force awakens" may be larger then the characters in the original

[@mertarican5456]

@@greyaye8565 he fell into a sarlac pit

[@RandInternet]

He originally did the no swearing thing to make the reviews family-friendly, right? The kids who have been watching since the beginning have grown up now.

[@flumbofrommelkont6863]

"A longman is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!" Bilbodious Baggington to Bigideas in the famed (and controversial) historic 'But what *is* length anyways?' debate.

[@flumbofrommelkont6863]

@Subpar JennaTalia "What is length, but middle extended endlessly?" Inspiring words

[@timewarpdrive77]

Yeah... these have been the longest weeks of my life... almost as if, its been 2 years.

[@sparkypack]

Patrick Willams appeared: I care about StarWars movies, I take them seriously, but they are not worth staying angry about. 🤭🤭🤭

[@Dragonage2ftw]

Cringey.

[@friendalex7384]

Something something buttered bread

[@Goodheartless]

Finally, 4/6 done. Soon, by the year 2045, we will have gotten the full critique

[@bigflippingboss]

And in conclusion. It was pretty good 👍

[@touch.]

2045? Way to early my friend

[@SuperArcher86]

Just in time for Star Wars Episode 16: Reawakening the Force Dyad

[@scythewise]

After that... TLJ

[@DiZtheJedi]

@@scythewise He's already done TLJ. Next up is Rise of Skywalker.

[@ShadowRulah]

I am constantly surprised by how badly Finn was handled. What if he wasn't a joke? Like what if he was a real skull cracker and it wasn't clear that the resistance could trust or forgive him and the reason he doesn't immediately tell them everything he knows about the multiple strategically important ships he was associated with is because he's pretending to be a space janitor. You can see why John Boyega was so pissed, you have to actively try not to make that character interesting.

[@BWMagus]

"No John, no. Try to read that line again, but more...stupid. Imagine Carrot Top was in space, and do that. Fall down and bonk your head maybe. We didn't cast a black guy to have a role with dignity, you're obviously just comic relief. No, it's not racist, we're going to make you look like a main character!"

[@occam7382]

@@BWMagus, man. It is depressing how accurate this statement is.

[@vintageswiss9096]

My question has always been: If she felt Han was her father figure... Why did she take the name Skywalker instead of Solo?...

[@BWMagus]

I'm surprised JJ didn't unironically go with "Solowalker."

[@themug406]

A good question, for another time

[@unpopularopinions7407]

So they could title the movie "Rise of Skywalker" and pretend that this was the conclusion to the "Skywalker Saga".

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

@@BWMagus Or Skylo. Then you can also pay homage the deep relationship she shared with Ben.

[@nobodyshome6792]

Because Leia ?

[@MikeiusOfficial]

Holy shit is this real? Part 4??????

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic3918]

Omg it took me a minute to realise it was you. It's been years since I used to watch braf.

[@xristospanou1568]

Χάχα man of culture as well

[@chrisperrien7055]

Wuhan Time Warp

[@TheDapperDragon]

I guess the superchats are drying up.

[@lefteron6804]

An intelectual gassmask wearer commenting on another intelectual gassmask wearer. Fitting.

[@TheRetroRenegade]

Poe: "Somehow, Palpatine returned." Silco: "From the dead?!" That edit slayed me man XD

[@The1337guy1]

He even played the music that plays during the Violet/Sevika fight in the background. Damn he's been editing this recently.

[@amanibob1416]

I was there when they made MauLer promise he'd be doing that meme, yet it still makes me giggle like a mo-fo every time I see/hear Silco's reaction. Good stuff.

[@stxrobstar]

New Disney 'storyline': Rey IS the emperor...and Emperor is now good.

[@stxrobstar]

"Emperor" they/them...

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@stxrobstar I mean... Jagged Fel and Jaina solo.

[@TrueLifeAdventures]

Rey is so good with a blaster that she can hold it out with her right hand while simultaneously closing her right eye, using her left eye to aim.

[@wkatz0]

You can do that with handguns. I'm right handed but left eye dominant, and I shoot that way. It's a nice feature of handguns that's not possible with a long gun.

[@TrueLifeAdventures]

@@wkatz0 I'm a handgun shooter and am familiar with this. However, I think it's just sloppy because she (as an actor or character) doesn't really know what she's doing. Besides, many people who can actually shoot well shoot with both eyes open.

[@hansjuker8296]

Luke used the force to aim...

[@falconiday6130]

Luke was also trained specifically in literally using the force to guide his aim, and Obi Wan seems to have directly communicated with him in the pivotal scene, meanwhile Rey had thought that the force and the Jedi were a myth until literally like an hour ago, and it is very likely that as the only evidence she has to the contrary is the fact that one man has told her it’s all real, that she is still at least somewhat skeptical. So if the implication is that Rey was using the force to aim the blaster when we have no evidence of her ever even holding a blaster before let alone using the force or even seeing the force in action, I feel like that’s a big stretch to make when the much more reasonable explanation is that she just doesn’t know what she’s doing yet seeing as she had literally zero experience with both of those things. Although, given how poorly these movies are written, that may very well have been exactly what they were trying to communicate with that scene, I don’t know

[@corbinmarkey466]

"As long as you don't ask any additional questions." *the accompanying footage being Anakin with duel light sabers to Count Dooku's neck.* That is some sinister editing, sir.

[@vskane]

Nobody ever said, “This is garbage, but it arrived quickly, so that’s good.” Take all the time you need, Mauler. We’ll be here.

[@KIager]

Bunch of people said; "stop moonlighting as a shitty livestreamer doing months of super chat catch-up videos when nobody fucking cares." I know that's where the easy money is, but maybe have some fucking integrity and do what people are actually subscribed for.

[@Arphemius]

That's the very definition of the fast-food industry.

[@Gradient14]

@@zogwort1522 I don't do EFAP so I can't speak to that point. But the insert shots are part of his style

[@Gradient14]

@@zogwort1522 idk.. maybe. But i'm not memeing. He has done it this way for the other parts in the series. It is as much something he uses as astaple of his work as Plinkett is having little skits about a serial killer

[@dontghostbanmeplz8788]

Yet people are responding to your comment with: Dance monkey dance. Telling him he should put more time into these videos despite not knowing how he can keep himself motivated to work on these.

[@SoCloseToToast]

I got more excited seeing this notification than I did ever seeing the sequel trilogy

[@randomwhittyname41]

Absolutely the same!

[@minespatch]

6 parts is like the equivalent of 6 star wars movies. :P

[@Doutsoldome]

By far!

[@max8m1]

I didn't even get one! Thanks Susan... Thank god I check Mauler's channel every few days for a new video, mostly with slim hopes hehe

[@vitorschein8073]

I got more excited seeing this notification than when my first son was born

[@Scott.Sandifer]

Oscar Isaac: _"I'm tired of always dying in the first act."_ Denis Villeneuve: _"Hey Oscar, I've got a great role for you."_

[@kyon813]

Technically, Leto dies in the beginning of the 2nd act. Trend: broken.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

@@kyon813 Moon Knight: Oscar, this time you will die in second act! And still be in the show!

[@kyon813]

@@user-xx6vy9ri8p But since he's still in Moon Knight, that's a Monkey's Paw wish if ever I heard one.

[@BP-dn9nv]

Ironically, he had a more fleshed out arc in about 40 minutes of screentime than he did in the entirity of the sequel series.

[@themug406]

Sean bean:

[@Joe.Rogan.]

The single greatest finesse move in Hollywood history is the actor who plays Poe sweet talking his character into all 3 movies when he was supposed to die in the first act. Think about it.. he was supposed to be a background character and he said "You know.. I really like Star Wars and I've played people who have died in movies before.. so therefore how about you make my character a main character and pay me a buttload of money to play him okay?" and the writers and directors were like "Good Point!". Amazing..

[@darthkillhoon]

Finn could have just said, "My unit was assigned to Starkiller Base." That's believable because even Junior Enlisted in Militaries gain Intimate knowledge about their duty station over time at least at a basic level.

[@egomania2792]

Then again, we ARE talking about an entire fucking PLANET here. 🤣🤔

[@darthkillhoon]

@@egomania2792 you could go with that and say his unit was stationed as a security echoan at that reactor place

[@ironcladnomad5639]

This canon doesn't have the most basic grasp of military function. Like when an UNSHAVEN Rebel commando passed for Imperial OFFICER.

[@italianspiderman5012]

But then we wouldn’t have the joke,”janitor”,get it? Hilarious!/s

[@hassathunter2464]

@@italianspiderman5012 I was so shocked they didn't finish the Janitor trilogy by having Finn mop Exogal.

[@Pink.andahalf]

"Why has this series taken so long to continue?" "Dark magic. Cloning. Secrets only the Sith knew."

[@salimdeaibes]

A good question...for another time

[@lordofthepizzapie9319]

"The long side of the force is a pathway to many abilites some would consider... toxic"

[@MediumRareOpinions]

@@lordofthepizzapie9319 is it possible to learn this power?

[@lordofthepizzapie9319]

@@MediumRareOpinions Not from an essayist.

[@RossTheNinja]

Have you heard the tragedy of Long Man the Wise?

[@sarius363]

2:21:29 "They do not want you thinking about this. So let's think about it." That's the reason I love this kinda videos 😁

[@sarius363]

2:23:54 Note for me

[@sarius363]

Whoever is reading this, let's see you all around next time, for the next part . I hope it's not as along as a waiting time we had for this one, (around 1 year and 9 months). See you guys ✌️

[@mathiaschristensen8387]

@@sarius363 i Think the reason this one took so Long to release was because of TROS. I really hope the next one comes quicker.

[@sarius363]

@@mathiaschristensen8387 yes you are probably right. The overall passing for an average part of an critique of TFA was around a year, so yes maybe the next one will be already around the end of summer or next winter 😁 Regardless I am really grateful that MauLer is taking his time to carefully plan and film this videos, I wouldn't wish for an rushed version, just to satisfy us - the waiting fans 😅

[@TheAntlionGuard]

I swear, Starkiller Base should have been a Dyson-Sphere sorta thing. It would be huge, intimidating, the name would still fit, AND it makes more sense than a 'tiny' thing sucking in stars and somehow not making a black hole.

[@iainmulholland2025]

Or causing the star to go nova, goodbye starbase, oops...

[@OneGaurdian]

Apparently, Finn was over exaggerating it draining the sun. It's Wookieeprdia page says it only needs to drain a certain amount. Not all of it.

[@ALJ9000]

@@OneGaurdian Then why is the sun gone when the planet goes up in flames? And how does it get dark as the assault progresses?

[@OneGaurdian]

@@ALJ9000 This is taken directly from the page: "As Starkiller Base was charged through the power of stars, it gradually blocked out sunlight until, running at full capacity, it extinguished it completely, leaving the surface in darkness." I know, not a lot in terms of an actual explanation.

[@ALJ9000]

@@OneGaurdian To quote one infamous mercenary: “Well, that’s just lazy writing.”

[@mrSaber79]

The funny thing about Finn being in sanitation, it is actually easily solvable if they had bothered to flush it out. All they would have to do is draw on real life militaries. Real world militaries require soldiers to perform mundane tasks in addition to their soldierly duties when in Forward Operation Bases as it is infeasible to bring in civilians to do all those tasks for the soldiers, especially in conflict zones, and they have an able bodied workforce already available to do it. Performing these tasks helps maintain the logistics of operating these bases while also having the secondary function of training soldiers in either life skills, discipline, leadership, or as a form of punishment. The easiest way to make his current situation reasonable is this: civilian workforces are kept to a minimum on Starkiller Base necessitating the need for stormtroopers to perform many mundane tasks. Perhaps Finn had displayed excellent skill as a Stormtrooper during training (like marksmanship, professionalism, test scores etc.) and had thus earned a place aboard Snoke's Star Destroyer. However, an infraction on his part, (maybe breaking a rule, failing a task, something minor enough not to pop up red flags but enough for a vindictive authority to punish), and thus he was sent to operate in the sanitation unit on Starkiller base as punishment. He did his time and was transferred to Kylo's Star Destroyer (as a measure of his reduced standing/status) and was thus on said ship when the landing party was formed at the start of this film. In this way it would be completely reasonable for him to have been in all these places and keeps him both competent and allows for the joke about it to continue. Unfortunately, I doubt the writers put as much effort into making Finn's character work as I just did for a KZbin comment. I truly feel sorry for the young actors who played in these films. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson all have had their future acting careers hideously scarred by the directing, writing, and production of these films. The same goes for the veteran actors who had their passed work in the franchise burned to ashes in the name of profit; Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. They all deserved to be in a better Star Wars Film. The most heartbreaking for me was watching Poe Dameron's shattered corpse of a character and recalling an interview Oscar had: one where he said that when he had received the news that he was selected to be in the Star Wars film, he spent the next 20 minutes running around his hotel room using a shampoo bottle as an X-wing. This was a dream come true for Oscar, one that many of us share, to be in a Star Wars film, and Disney warped it into a nightmare.

[@pontiusporcius8430]

This is a key plot point in bo time for sergeants.

[@Gradient14]

when I saw the movie the first time and he said sanitation.. I thought he was being sarcastic and that it was a joke

[@Chugargonfan]

Lol. Flush it out

[@2ndlegend125]

@@Gradient14 I thought he was lying and that he was part of a special unit cuz he was in phasma and kylos squad at the beginning. He didn't want people to know how much he was personally responsible for before his defection. But no they continued with it.

[@falionna3587]

Sanitation as humiliation work would have solved alot. And such implication could easily have been made by having hux punish a trooper/officer into sanitation in TLJ. (not to mention, wouldn't Fin have friends in the oversized ball/ship?)

[@kylekatarn5964]

The Han & Leia section really hits hard if you are a fan of the EU novels. Those two couldn't be broken apart by anything, even Jacen Solo becoming Darth Caedus .

[@gwoody4003]

I don't understand why Disney wouldn't have tapped into the extensive literary canon for all these new movies. They were well written, established and accepted by fans. Think how bad ass the Solo origin could have been if they made a trilogy based on the books. You can tell they were aware of the literature. They stole bits and pieces for the new movies, perverted them, assigned them to other characters. The whole series about the Duhskan Leauge and the Vagabond ship would have made an amazing series of sequels that would have shown us whats happened since the fall of the Empire and how expansive their reach was. It would have explained how just killing the emperor wouldn't have solved the problem, that every Imperial loyalist, fleet and facility wouldn't just disappear and still represent a threat, and that a galactic Republic would still have its own fragile political situations.... that all these planets and cultures wouldn't just get along and all be on the same page. And that the Empire wasn't the only threat in the galaxy. And that from a certain point of view... the Republic wasn't all that different. Rey was clearly based on whatsherface... the woman who found luke to help her find her family... and explained how The Force was known by many names and many disciplines across the galaxy, and that there were things even Luke did not know of. They kinda made Luke a Mary Sue too, at least in reputation... cus never has it been established in Canon that Luke was the most powerful and most knowledgeable Jedi ever. He was the most known, and as far as anyone knew, the only one teaching new Jedi... but he wasn't this unstoppable power. The Disney movies treated his legacy as though he was the key to saving the entire galaxy merely by showing up, and then ruined his charachter by making him selfish and brooding, refusing to help when a wave of a hand could have stopped the First Order. Disney really should have hired at least 1 actual Star Wars nerd as a consultant.

[@justmike3018]

@@gwoody4003 I think they still had Leland Chee on board, but even Dave Filoni wouldn't listen to him while he was making TCW. Now, they're going to adapt book 1 of the Thrawn trilogy, Heir to the Empire, on Disney+ as the big conflict uniting all of these shows: Mando, Boba, and Ahsoka at least. I don't know how I didn't hear about it until now, but at the end of Bad Batch, the mountain that Nala Se was taken to is Mt. Tantiss, on the planet Weyland. The scientists there wore the same emblem as Dr. Pershing. All I can think is they're going to butcher it, and worst of all, people will eat it up. They'll say Star Wars is saved and the Sequels are decanonized, when I'm sure they'll just kick the can down the road and change enough to still be on course towards the Sequels, but not say so one way or the other. Disney doesn't want to take any risks, they never did.

[@Elturril]

@@justmike3018 The problem with Thrawn trilogy on Disney+ is that they already butchered him in Rebels. I was exited to see him on screen, even in animated series, but for me they totally messed him up. That was not Thrawn, I would not consider him even as a Chiss.. and what a shame, because he is excellence villain. I is not problem that he lost to Ezra and the team, the problem is execution of that and his demeanor... He should be cold and calculated, we should see that he had counter move for basically all moves that good guys had, and only at the last moment, when all was lost for Ezra and the rest, force would interfere, that would snatch win from jaws of defeat as Thrawn could not predict behavior of the force .. instead, I had a feeling tha they beat him nearly at each turn ... I have hard time deciding between him and Vader..

[@justmike3018]

@@Elturril Right. Thrawn's character has already been damaged in Rebels, just like how General Grievous was damaged in TCW. But I don't agree that his defeat should have been attributed to the Force in Rebels, that sounds too much like a Deus Ex Machina. It's enough that he would be defeated here or there because of something he overlooked or just by the ingenuity of our protagonists. To me, though, I'd rather he just have been on the Outer Rim or Unknown Regions for the duration of the OT and TCW. I would also have liked to see the Outbound Flight project as part of an episode of TCW. All that being said, it seems clear we're also going to see Ezra return, and at some point we should be seeing Joruus C'baoth and probably Luke's clone by the end. Then there's the OT trilogy cast--Lando, Han, Leia, Chewie, Mon Mothma and Ackbar--and characters like Mara Jade and Talon Karrde. I'm not confident we'll get them all, or that what we get will be any good beyond just generating more empty fan buzz and trick people into thinking Disney is changing course.

[@Wolfbane971]

@@gwoody4003 not sure if you ever read any of the EU but a large majority of it wasn't well written...

[@MilsimFanatic]

Mauler you promised this wouldn’t be the end! We can’t handle the lack of closure… The complete teardown of this trilogy is needed.

[@TheKythia]

Here we thought Rey suddenly developing force powers overnight was idiotic, then we got Sabine. We were so innocent back then ...

[@OneGaurdian]

At least with her it took years to finally be able to pull off the simplest of techniques.

[@Ron_Gianti]

Star Wars dominated my life from 1977 until 2015. Movies, books, games, toys, models, imagination, sound track, park rides, the cartoons, saw the prequels at midnight, etc, etc... I did a marathon once years ago, I listened to The Throne Room song as I went across the finish line with tears in my eyes. I could wax on poetic about Star Wars for an hour. When the trailer for Force Awakens came out I was beside myself! I watched that trailer on a big screen in a classroom at work about 20 times. Then, the Force Awakens. I booked 2, back to back tickets for opening day. It was a very big, derivative and boring disappointment, but they promised more and better later. Then, The Last Jedi. I saw it sometime in the first week or so it was released. It made me sick to my stomach. Shaking with rage at the naked contempt for the Star Wars universe and characters. Then, Rise of Skywalker. I watched it "online", unwilling to pay $1 for it. Glad I didn't waste my money or time. These three movies not only were garbage trash, they ruined the END of the story, so now all the original stories end stupid. Now, I haven't watched the originals or the Clone Wars cartoons since 2015, something I used to watch at least once a year. I've spent the last 7 years fighting this sick feeling in my stomach, holding on to vain hope, but I guess it's time to admit it: Star Wars is something that I used to like, and it's over now.

[@lordjimbo2]

I'm sorry, man. Just pretend the acquisition never happened. Maybe write some stories of your own to take it in the direction you would prefer it to have gone?

[@Schmidtelpunkt]

Reminds me of Phantom Menace. I went to the cinema in the midnight premiere with some friends and afterwards we wondered what we had seen. Fifteen years of StarWars fandom were wiped out in a single evening. Lucas was so out of touch with his own universe and in fact with what he originally intended to do that he ruined everything. I was so glad when he was taken out of the equation as the weakest link. I did not bother to watch the last movie, but at least with Rogue One there has been a single Star Wars movie worth being added to the original trilogy. All the other new films are mediocre fan fiction in comparison.

[@2yoyos1]

@@Schmidtelpunkt man the prequels weren't that bad. They get soo much hate and I've never fully understood why.

[@williamflowers9435]

@@2yoyos1 as someone who grew up (born in 1979) on the OT, I really liked the Prequels. Jar Jar was super annoying and kinda ruined the scenes he’s in but he’s more like the jerk in the theatre that won’t shut up so you can enjoy the movie than anything else. He can be ignored. At first it was a shock to see how bright and shiny everything was(the cgi was over done) but it was also symbolic of a different era. Yes the dialogue was a bit dry but Anakin and Obi Wan were both raised in what is essentially a military school. It’s actually more realistic that Anakin has no game and is super awkward when talking to Padme in Ep.2 For the most part I felt the Prequels enriched the OT by providing more context and world building. Episode 3 is right up there with 5 & 6 as my favorites in the saga. Meanwhile, the Sequel Tragedy has virtually no redeeming qualities… the opening scene was cool and it was downhill from there.

[@patricksnoring4739]

@@2yoyos1 I think the prequels get hate because people parade them around to be perfect. They certainly aren't, their execution is largely their downfall. Although the prequels don't deserve all of the hate they receive, not all the criticism is baseless. I can't imagine saying the prequels are worse than the sequels though, which are so broken at a fundamental level. At least the prequels can be largely repaired through minor alterations.

[@UNDEADFIGHTER95]

For a thousand years the long man laid dormant. Who dares awakens him from his slumber?

[@ritenac6770]

A dog in sunglasses

[@grayski3324]

@@ritenac6770 And a green plague doctor

[@bloodysimile4893]

Hi Piccolo 👋

[@deamongimli]

Jay

[@markopusic8258]

@@bloodysimile4893 Well well, another DBZA fan I see

[@0Defensor0]

I think I managed to solve the Poe being alive part. It took me about 10 minutes of mostly conscious thinking, and the result is about 2-3 minutes of extra footage that can explain everything necessary. This is how it goes: - After being hit by the last missile, Poe asks Finn if he is okay, but he doesn't get an answer, because Finn has been knocked out. Poe tries to pilot what's left of the fighter, so their reentry won't be entirely uncontrolled. Once they are in the atmosphere he says "I hope you're strapped in well Finn!" then hits the eject button. The hatch opens, and Poe's seat flies out, but Finn's seat is jammed/damaged, which we get informed about by an error warning appearing on one of the screens. Poe can't do anything at this point but watch while descending. After he safely lands, he checks the emergency supplies included with the seat. Among other things, he finds some food, water and binoculars, which he quickly uses to mark the direction and approximate distance of where Finn should have landed (because he doesn't want to get lost in the desert even more), then picks up everything he can, and start to move towards the crash site. - The part from Finn waking up to him standing on the top of the hill next to Rey's village happens. - Cut back to Poe, being at where the fighter should have crashed. He can't find it, but while looking around he finds the trail of armor pieces Finn left behind. After drinking some water, he start to follow this new lead. (Thanks to the supplies, Poe is able to move much faster than Finn.) - The rest of Finn's part happens, until the fighters are called in. - Poe gets to the same hilltop where Finn was not long ago and sees the air attack. Through the binoculars he can identify Finn and BB-8, and when they take off he tries to get the ID of the ship. When he sees what ship they are on, he just says "Impossible." or something similar. After these, I think it's safe to assume that Poe somehow got a ship and went back to the base and report to Leia.

[@occam7382]

It is truly mind-boggling how easy it would be for so many of the problems in this film to be fixed, but they just didn't do it. One almost has to wonder if J.J. wanted Episode Vll to be a piece of sh*t.

[@paulcarmi8130]

​@occam7382 you think the people that h8 men wanted one of men's favorite series to be good? Oh, sweet summer child.

[@JustTooDamnHonest]

Mauler you have the soul of a true film critic and the mind of an in depth analysis professor. Do not ever change for anyone.

[@Astraeus..]

There should be ZERO mention of Kylo's parentage before the base scene. Leave it unknown till then, and the impact is considerably greater. Han sees Kylo and calls out to him with "Ben". Now that's interesting. After, when Kylo asks what Han expects to see if he takes the mask off, when Han says "the face of my son", that really hits you. And then when it happens, when Kylo actually kills him, the scene now hits as hard as it should.

[@StarMiners0416]

I think we can all agree that there are a billion ways that those scenes could be re-written and still be better than what we got. As Mauler and co. have said, what people can think as fan-fiction in their heads will always be infinitely better than what the writers of these media projects can think of. The key point being that as long as the writing we get is good, we wouldn't have to resort to fan-fiction to get our kicks.

[@Astraeus..]

@@StarMiners0416 Oh don't worry, I'm only suggesting one specific change that would have resulted in a considerably better series of events and more impact in it's result for that one specific thing. I actually think the amount of damage done to Star Wars by the new trilogy is practically impossible to fix with such simple means. TFA broke the Force, TLJ broke ships/hyperspace, TROS broke both of those things exponentially worse than either previous film. And all did their best to break the original characters, figuratively and literally, resulting in all of them dying. Of the 3 films the only one with any remotely redeeming qualities was TFA, but even just that film did enough damage to lore/characters/world that saving the trilogy with the next 2 was never going to happen.

[@llambsauce5148]

It would be a nice parallel to Darth Vader's "I am your father" scene

[@hudsonk1racer]

he also should have NEVER taken the mask off till that scene.

[@Astraeus..]

@@hudsonk1racer Ohh....that's good too, very good in fact. I remember almost laughing out loud when I saw him take the mask off and.....surprise, it's a GQ emo boy underneath...like wtf. I instantly lost whatever glimmer of hope I had for the film to turn out well, and knew right then that I we were in for a shit show.

[@yrooxrksvi7142]

Keep em coming already, MauLer. People are WAY too lenient on this joke of a nostalgia rehash.

[@Galvatronover]

I keep hearing people saying this is the least bad one

[@shawklan27]

@@Galvatronover cause it is which says alot about this trilogy's quality

[@sparkypack]

Mauler's reviews help me to get off Noom. It's a great rehab.

[@SuperHns]

@@Galvatronover yeah before 8 and 9 came out it was, but 8 and 9 retroactively destroyed 7 as well.

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

Nah I think apathy is the ultimate offense

[@ethanjones9765]

Back when part 2 of this series came out, I made a prediction to myself that I would have graduated, gotten a job and be married before this series would have come to an end Currently, I'm 6 weeks away from graduation, have a date picked out to propose on in 4 months and have an offer for work from the lab I had my placement at. There's still time Longman Your move Edit: since I left a comment below instead of updating here: It's good news, longman is in serious trouble I've gotten my career I've gotten my degree And I'm engaged Time is running out, Longman Edit 2: Yeah everythings going great, im half way through a masters now as well and looking to move in somewhere with my fiance by the end of this new year. We have a date in august 2025 set for the wedding. you have 20 months, longman

[@callumpears1523]

You married yet?

[@Pedro_Colicigno]

So, any updates? Did she/he say yes? Did you get the job? WE WANT NEWS

[@tenormdness]

Bro, any updates? I check Mauler’s page and this comment like every month.

[@lordfenix17]

Come on, updates lad.

[@pajtimo23]

So what happened

[@RationalRyan]

I used to be one of those guys on twitter (the first step is admitting you have a problem) that used to make fun of the long man for being long, but lately I've been using these videos in particular as a helpful course in creative writing and world building. So yeah, thanks Mauler.

[@0That_Guy0]

Best of luck to you with your project!

[@tenormdness]

Welcome to the light side of the force. Lol Seriously though, I didn’t get it at first either. LONG. But now I can’t get enough when he drops back and throws a long bomb.

[@noshurviverse8388]

The line "There was too much Vader in him" seems...odd to me, beyond the reasons presented. Even ignoring that Han should know that Vader ultimately chose the Good, it almost seems that he's implying that moral alignment is a genetic thing, that the quarter of Vader blood in Kylo somehow makes him evil. Saying this to the daughter of Vader seems even more uncouth. Actually, after giving it more thought I think what bothers me about it is that it makes Han and Leia seem so detached from Kylo. Like, this is their son, yet instead of any reflection on how they raised him and their own failings, Han just chalks it up to Vader being in him.

[@bertimusprime7900]

BuT iT’s A cOoL lINe!!!

[@SiMeGamer]

Morality and/or thought being based on lineage rather than individual built ideology (Aristotle's "Tabula Rasa" or "Blank Slate") is one of the staple parts of the classic concept of racism that is derived from fundamental logical fallacies in basic epistemology. This basically makes Han Solo a racist which I personally find incredibly hilarious 😂 What a brilliant sequel trilogy 😎👌

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

Maybe Han knew the difference between Anakin and Vader...who are we kidding the writers probably don't realize Vader returned to the light and was redeemed.

[@MikeTall88]

Vader is the dark part, while Anakin is the light part. Saying there was to much Vader in him, I get what they meant.

[@reactiondavant-garde590]

@@SiMeGamer Charactersitics can be inherited, as example IQ, agression or other things so it is not entirly stupid or as you say racist espeically because we don't talk about a group of people but one family/dynasty.

[@tracerichards7213]

You know the critique of a Star Wars film is going to be credible when the producer introduces himself with “Hello there”

[@thedragon133]

"Hello there. I'm the Doctor." ;-)

[@ggrarl]

"General Kenobi, you are a bold one."

[@sparkypack]

@@ggrarl "The fight is done. We lost"

[@rohlankaal9171]

13:16 Finn has the most illustrious career of a space janitor EVER lol

[@themug406]

Genuinely the most wasted character in the past year, if Rey found just some guy on her planet his character wouldve been exactly the same

[@advancedstupidity5459]

I've now watched this series twice waiting for your next upload. Take your time, but know we're all eagerly awaiting part 5.

[@atpyro7920]

The writing in this critique had better jokes than the multibillion dollar movie did.

[@RealCaptainAwesome]

Moley! Moley! Moley! Moley! Moley! Moley!

[@mitchellhouser1572]

Not only better jokes but way more effort, time, logic, and internal consistency. It's almost unbelievable how badly Disney botched Star Wars. It defies all reason that they bought the rights for literally a billion dollars but couldn't spend even spend a few hours to generally plan out the three movies? So then the movies wouldn't literally fight against each other at every turn and be a complete mess? It's incredible.

[@occam7382]

@@mitchellhouser1572, or, you know... not allow your director to throw out the plan you were given for FREE by George Lucas himself. THAT was their worst mistake, by far.

[@simplegarak]

Summing up MauLer's point about contrivance: Storytelling is like a magic show. The better you are, the less the audience will see the strings. The best magicians get you to believe (even if for a sec) that magic is real. The best storytellers get you to be believe that the story is real. Relying on contrivance too much is like being a magician hoping you can get the audience to blink on command. It just highlights your lack of skill at the craft.

[@MrChickennugget360]

yup. its why anyone who says "its just a movie stop complaining" is an idiot. A good movie makes you forget you are watching a movie.

[@calexander7495]

If Disney Wars was a magician, their method of illusion would be, "Hey look over there! Aha, it's gone. Magic!"

[@simplegarak]

@@calexander7495 lol and then insult you when you point out the trick isn't that good.

[@Modification102]

@@calexander7495 If Disney Wars was a magician, their method of illusion would be: "How about a magic trick, I'm going to make this inconsistency disappear" Legacy Character/Worldbuilding/Lore approaches to call them on it Disney Wars slams the Legacy Character/Worldbuilding/Lore into the inconsistency, destroying it in the process and removing the inconsistency "Ta Da, it's, baa, it's gone" Camera pans over to show there are now two more inconsistencies than they started with as blood from the Legacy element oozes on the ground.

[@RyoMassaki]

I would even go further than Mauler and say that great storytelling is like real magic. it becomes indistinguishable from perceived reality. Disney is like a drunk hobo at a train-station, showing a "magic" trick and they/them pisses themself while doing it and then falls over in the yellow snow.

[@Zara-Bari]

As someone who spent ten years actively writing fan fiction, making every attempt to integrate my stories with the world rules and characters that existed (rather than the OCs going to high school with the other characters for some reason), and who now does my own world and character building, I submit to anyone with doubts about it that fan fiction is, in fact, easier. Not only do the rules already exist with many of their consequences and operations detailed in the source material, but they are also easier to double check than that one line of throwaway dialogue you wrote three stories and seven years ago to explain something away which might now be suddenly centrally relevant to the plot. Because, guess what? You forgot to make a note about that one line because it wasn't important to you at the time. Whereas legions of fans are ready to write articles and burst forth with all their knowledge of an existing world and characters, correcting your every mistake (even if they are sometimes making things up, the more reliable ones will give you sources to check) without mercy until you've gotten something passable delivered to them. Whereas, if you have someone beta read an original work, they are operating on blind faith that explanations for things exist, even if the information isn't all there yet, putting the absolute burden for getting it all right on you. There are no wiki articles for your original work, and no one can tell you if a mechanic is breaking its rule set because they don't know it yet. Whereas if you draw blood out of someone with a lightsaber, people will tell you that's not how lightsabers work. It is thus utterly baffling to me how utterly botched this trilogy of films actually is. The rules existed, their operation was demonstrated, the characters were beloved, the world was proven. How do you destroy all of that all at once besides it being an AU fan fic where it turns out Luke was actually Yoda's son the whole time and also his force powers now consist of poofing flower bouquets into existence and turning meatball sandwiches into superglue?

[@ohnothimagen224]

Its 2024. WHERE'S PART 5 ALREADY!?

[@HEAVYDIAPER]

It was inside you all along.

[@necromorph1109]

I love how animated everyone is on that first movie and happy and lucky everyone feels to be there . By the third movie they all just want it to end and try to forget this whole experience .

[@reek4062]

because angry manchildren whined aboot it on the internet for years and even harassed the actors

[@calistoyew1313]

@@reek4062 Or maybe they themselves saw the lack of quality

[@reek4062]

@@calistoyew1313 they were just doing their job. Acting for a movie trilogy is already exhausting. It becomes unbearable when hundreds of thousands of toxic manbabies are constantly complaining aboot you and some are even harassing you on social media.

[@calistoyew1313]

@@reek4062 must be even more tiring when you can’t defend your work

[@reek4062]

@@calistoyew1313 Spending 6 years or so of your life acting for a movie trilogy and constantly hearing complaining and being harassed must be very tiresome. I understand they're sick of Star Wars. The problem with the sequels is the writing, not the actors.

[@bliczb8772]

My God, these interviews are goldmines. When I got to "ashes of his victims" part, I just started laughing like a maniac.

[@niewesoa5299]

It gets better when you realise that every time Kylo dramatically puts his helmet down in the ashtray, he then has to clean it before putting it back on unless he wants ash on his neck and black clothes. No sense, no practicality, but hey, it makes the character look edgy, especially with how aggressively he puts the helmet down, so it's fine, we're all fine now.

[@Fatsaver]

Literally the definition of edge lord

[@Ramsey276one]

@@Fatsaver Darth Triangle ACUTE EDGE XD

[@trillionbones89]

I thought they were Vader's ashes 😒 my bare intuitive interpretation is already above jar jar Abram's plans

[@williamflowers9435]

@@trillionbones89 so did I. It made some sense that if he , at some point in his life, traveled to Endor to collect the burnt mask then he’d have collected the ashes as well or if Luke collected the ashes and the mask after the funeral pyre and stored them in an urn ⚱️ along with the mask, that Ben would have taken them. For the ashes to be anything other than Vader’s is asinine. Makes me think these writers should be burned at the stake for their incompetence and the ashes sold to Star Wars fans in an effort to fund a new Sequel Trilogy

[@swagromancer]

What an achievement. This series is a truly stunning piece of work, a monument to critical analysis and storytelling as an art form, and I will continue to honour it by watching all the parts at least once a year. Hats off to MauLer, and salute to everyone who enjoys this wild ride as much as I do. May the Long be with you.

[@whattheworldneedsiscreativ6421]

And people say that E;R is the only man that’s able to hold a grudge on a piece of media for nearly a decade. Real shit I was either 12 or 13 when I first watched your sequel trilogy critique videos and now I’m 18 years old...

[@6tiple6ix6afia]

Disgusting zoomer

[@r.k845]

Zoomer

[@Farwander007]

It blows my mind that two comedians responsible for a rated R cartoon have a better grasp of writing and story telling than the entire staff of Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm.

[@mitchellhouser1572]

What is this in reference to?

[@hermiekid5543]

?

[@scienceviking4490]

@@mitchellhouser1572 The section about "and then" versus "therefore" in storytelling is presented by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park.

[@KrazzeeKane]

@@scienceviking4490 I've read and re-read this sentence two dozen times, and it still makes no sense to me--is my brain broken? I cannot parse this sentence no matter how hard I try, it just makes no sense

[@Zac_Craig-Claveau]

​@@KrazzeeKane There is a short clip in the video where 2 guys are explaining that you need cause & effect in storytelling (using mostly the words and then & therefore). The two people in this clip are Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the people behind the R-rated cartoon South Park. hope that helps

[@Genericusername1004]

I’m always impressed by Daisy Ridley’s ability to never keep her mouth closed in these films. Every clip I see of her she’s got her mouth open like she’s trying to catch flies.

[@realistic_delinquent]

Daisy has great acting range, being able to play anything between content… with mouth ajar to surprised… with mouth ajar.

[@thebrownwolf]

A fellow E;R fan I see (and if not, I feel his content may appeal to you.)

[@sparkypack]

I did it today guys! I DID IT... 👄👄 I bypassed the compressor.. 👄👄

[@CannonRaw]

Something something Alec from Raiders of the last arc.

[@matthewmuir8884]

Her character was raised in a desert; one would think that she'd keep her mouth closed because you lose more moisture with an open mouth.

[@OriginalDonutposse]

I like that Abrams got the nickname JarJar Abrams, for how universally reviled he is.

[@occam7382]

Jar Jar doesn't deserve to be associated to that hack.

[@Tralfazification]

Just realized from this, since I only saw TLJ once (and don’t plan on ever seeing it again), that they cut off Luke from the force, and yet he was able to reconnect himself back so much that he was able to create a life ending force power instantly to make a projection of himself light years away whenever he wanted to. Yet Kenobi needed to work super hard to get this connection back in his “show”. Inconsistent writing. Or better said “lazy” writing.

[@ironcladnomad5639]

The most depressing and infuriating this about this movie, its sequels, and all of Disney Star Wars canon is that there isn't, and never was, a _singular_ fault. The problems are legion, can be found in every strand of DNA, began when Lucas signed his company over to Disney, and persist to this moment.

[@alexhayden219]

Absolutely. The blame knows no bounds. The rot, as with the watermelon, is all consuming.

[@mitchellhouser1572]

It really is incredible and defies all logic and reason how a billion dollar company could bungle a billion dollar franchise. Just the absolute carelessness and/or incompetence at every level. At least Rian Johnson intentionally wanted to make a shitty movie that fans would hate, hard to see why Disney would want or let him do that though...

[@LoneWolf-rc4go]

@@mitchellhouser1572 The issue usually starts at the top and works it way down. Kennedy had a very clear idea about where she wanted the show to go and brought people in who shared her 'vision'. If you bring in people who are more interested in 'the message' than in Star Wars the whole product is going to suffer.

[@rorrim0]

@@LoneWolf-rc4go Shared vision would imply there was a plan. This trilogy never had a plan. They legitimately hired JJ Abrams to make a starwars movie then winged the trilogy.

[@-JaggedGrace-]

The space between when Han says "now" and when he actually turns the hyperdrive off was enough to have pierced the whole planet and then some. Really makes me feel like the writers dropped out of middle school physics.

[@alexhayden219]

JJ doesn't give a single fuck about how anything works, at long as he feels like it presents as "cool" or puts his "characters" where he needs them for the next "cool" scene.

[@JosephDavies]

Absolutely. See also: viewing planetary destruction -- in real time, no less -- from another planet (TFA & ST2009).

[@alexhayden219]

@@JosephDavies OMG. I know there's a lot of tism in TFA, but that, above all, broke me.

[@mitchellhouser1572]

Why not simply have a computer or droid do it as they could have an exact timing due to all calculations and react instantaneously. The even funnier thing is, as far as I can tell there are no readouts or anything that Han could be looking at to even know when to stop light speed even if it was possible for him to react quickly enough to do so. It's honestly comical.

[@JosephDavies]

@@mitchellhouser1572 Exactly. Even the Solo movie recognized that certain maneuvers could only be done with a droid. It's not a new idea in sci-fi.

[@piratesavvy]

I will never get over the missed opportunity for a reverse "I love you" from Han and "I know." from Leia just before they parted.

[@occam7382]

I feel like that would've almost been worse because they already did that in Return Of The Jedi. Doing it here would've been cheap, lazy, and manipulative. Just like this entire trilogy.

[@TI4438]

​@@occam7382good point. But it could have worked had so much not already been copied.

[@ourotayuun]

That opening quote from Lucas. Man, the weird thing is that I respect that. I respect that side of him. I don't think he really understands what he's saying in light of his failings as an artist, but there's a reason the man survived as a filmmaker and remained in the orbit of other prominent filmmakers. That's honestly a good sign. Someone you viscerally agree with on one thing and disagree with on another means you can *both* potentially learn something from examining the disconnect. I'd suggest this his obsession with modifying ("finishing") his work post hoc misunderstands the nature of art (particularly popular art) as a relationship between artist and audience through a medium. I'd also suggest that Star Wars as a whole, as a concept and setting, would have been served better with him as a steward than creator. Really, the best of Star Wars was when it had freedom, when the reins were in other people's hands. All that said, it's so strange to admit that I'd rather have the prequels compared to any of the Disney era. They weren't *good*, of course, but they at least had cohesion. A vision beyond (but including) selling toys and the next installment. Honestly there was a charm, too. Don't mistake me, this isn't nostalgia speaking. We all bonded over the prequels' mistakes and some of us reveled in the revival at the time, side-content making up a significant portion of some people's childhoods. But they weren't good. But they were at least a natural vs artificial cultural phenomena. The broad strokes were interesting and some of the unintentional consequences led to interesting concepts (that I would describe as "too smart for Star Wars" in a way that I take no pride in). All Disney had to do, imo, is put *one* person in charge of a new trilogy and scale back their pop culture production line. One of the things that people don't talk about (and here it should be obvious that I'm both drunk and not commenting at *all* on this video above) is that I don't think Disney intended this to be a new trilogy. They wanted a new mainline Star Wars film every 2 years for the foreseeable. Someone made some noises to the effect of "don't expect this to be a trilogy" at some point, but everyone breezed past it. In retrospect, that's the only way some of their decisions pre- make sense to me. It's well and good to give each installment wholly to a new creator if you're trying to make an unending chain, each installment procedurally building on the last. But that only makes sense if you aren't trying for an arc, but a serial. Being fair, Star Wars (1977) bears some resemblance to a Saturday morning cartoon. That's... dismissive, and I don't really mean it to be, but think about that ending. The Evil Empire(tm) is thwarted in their latest scheme by a farm boy chosen to inherit the mantle of an ancient order wielded for a group of freedom fighters. The main antagonist and lackey of the ambiguous Evil Empire(tm) is defeated but not killed, a status quo is maintained, and it ends with everyone laughing and clapping. Tune in next week. I feel like there's something full-circle there, but it misses the very real problem that *so much* of what exists in the public consciousness as "Star Wars" comes from Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the mainline installments where Lucas took a back seat and more conventional ideas could come to the fore. A true return-to-form for Star Wars would have been one that saw a singular vision guiding a series executed by a variety of creatives. But to investors that's scary. You see it in every business sector: disempower creatives and workers. Risk is an unknown. Play it safe, consistent. Who cares of it's average or just *bad*. As long as it's predictable, investors can *use* it. You see the *hell* out of it in Triple-A video game development, and software development in general. These names are trading on the work of generations past, long ago sold for profit and now run at the behest of investors disinterested in the risks that come with the artistic expression which drove the initial success of the product/franchise/company they now fund. The mega-corp dystopia promised by late 80s cyberpunk sci fi is here, minus the uplifting empowerment of the knowledgeable/skilled individual. The most boring version of the dreaded future.

[@MaliciousMallard]

So many people think the Longman™️ refers to the length of his critiques. But in reality it’s the amount of time it takes to actually release the videos

[@SIGNOR-G]

Than *long man is indeed BAD*

[@Ramsey276one]

69 likes confirmed XD

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

Can it be both?

[@hatuletoh]

Has there ever been a writer/director so inexplicably well-regarded as jj abrams? He's one of the top talents in Hollywood; he keeps getting hired and paid not just millions, but hundreds of millions of dollars, and yet the man has never once written a decent script from start to finish. He's not a terrible director, but he is a terrible storyteller. Abrams is like the ultimate embodiment of the fear of creativity in modern Hollywood Lucas talked about in the opening clip.

[@NASkeywest]

It’s called soul selling. You sell your souls to Lucifer and get all the jobs. Also, you gotta fiddle kids.

[@hatuletoh]

@@NASkeywest Very true. But at least Spielberg, Polanski, Singer, etc. made entertaining movies.

[@Darkjonny79]

He's a good spectacle film-maker. He makes a good looking film that fills your brain with the good chemicals, until you start thinking about things. He's best watched when you turn your brain off. The sad thing is, because people enjoy the spectacle, top people at Hollywood think he's good enough to attach to big series like Star Wars and Star Trek. Yet, when you go and watch those films, they're not even good films, let alone good versions of Star Wars or Star Trek films. He rehashes what was made before because he can't write stories. He sets up mystery boxes for someone else to solve later. He then won't get the blame.

[@highdefinition450]

Zach Snyder

[@chrisb4131]

Fringe and Lost agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

[@waylonmarble5181]

Here on my third watch through hoping part 5 magically appears once I finish part 4. Alas, it is not to be.

[@albeon_draken]

The hilarious thing about Starkiller Base™©® is that JJ clearly didn't do much research on scale. The original Death Star was 100km in diameter. Starkiller Base was said to be more than 5x that size... 660km to be precise. By comparison, our moon has about a 1,750km *radius* or 3,500km diameter. That means our moon is about the same size compared to Starkiller that Starkiller is compared to the original Death Star. It's not a planet. They put it in so many shots clearly trying to make it look gargantuan, but it's actually tiny. Yet that thing ate a star. Riiiight. There's a certain level of suspension of disbelief you need to have for SciFi/Fantasy movies, but that's a bit ridiculous.

[@boomerb7073]

That also means starkiller base doesn't have enough gravity to establish a breathable atmosphere.

[@einhalbesbrot]

@@boomerb7073 well the gravity on starkillerbase ist dependent on the density of mater from which its made up. If starkillerbase somehow "ate a star" and is that much smaller than said star i'd argue that the gravity would actually be so great that not only would there be an atmosphere, humans and other lifeforms would have problems surviving there (as in crushed to death bei their own weight).

[@boomerb7073]

@@einhalbesbrot true, it would go both ways. With no star it wouldn't have an atmosphere, with a star human bones would break under their own weight.

[@BWMagus]

Where did you get those numbers? Episode 4 makes a deliberate point to state the Death Star is the size of a moon. Moons can come in different sizes but I think it's reasonable to assume they meant an average one, probably OUR moon since that's what the average audience member would think. So if it's 5 times the size of a moon, then yeah, it's large enough to be a planet.

[@albeon_draken]

@@BWMagus Almost all sources put the original Death Star at around120km, but some go up to 160km. I was misremembering when I said 100km rather than 120km. But let's be generous. The absolutely LARGEST size reference I could find for any Death Star was the second Death Star being 900km in diameter, or 450km in radius. The second Death Star was described as being 25% to 100% larger than the original Death Star, so just to be generous (and because there's absolutely no way to salvage these numbers) I'll just pretend they were talking about the second Death Star in TFA despite the fact that the image they showed was *clearly* the first Death Star. They did also explicitly say that Starkiller Base was 5x the size of the Death Star, so 5 × 450 = 2250km for the radius of the largest, most generous Starkiller Base. That puts it at about 30% larger than Earth's moon, or just about 1/3 Earth's size. Again, that is using just one extreme outlier on the given size of the Death Star. Based on most sources, Starkiller Base would be 400km in radius at most. Now, can something that's 2250km, or even 400km in radius be a planet? Yes. The definition of planet doesn't say anything about size, just various characteristics. The problem comes from the fact that they expect us to believe something that isn't even as big as the largest moon in our solar system could eat a whole star. The smallest known star that's undergoing active fusion is 60,000km in radius and has a mass roughly 27,100 times that of Earth. The whole Starkiller Base thing was ridiculous spectacle. They could have showed it just siphoning plasma from a star to power it, but no, JJ Abrams has no self-control, so the whole damn thing had to be swallowed. He also didn't bother to do any research, so the given size of the thing doing the swallowing was absolutely miniscule by comparison. Oh, and as for your assertions, Earth's moon is not average, not by a long shot. Our moon/planet ratio is absolutely MASSIVE compared to most other satellites we've observed. Either way, it doesn't matter. It's not in any way reasonable to just pull something out of your ass to fit a narrative and then "assume" that's what people meant. In intelligent discourse, one generally uses sources or data, and none back up any of what you said.

[@Ghost-fv8gd]

One of the most insane things about how Disney runs Star Wars is how they honestly believe characters just cease to exist when offscreen and are teleported back exactly as they were when we last saw them with no time passing for 'them'. (Or, in cases like Luke, just becoming a completely different character with zero connectivity to their original.) In Book of Boba, Luke just gets his first student after evidently doing nothing for 5 years. Here, C3-P0 just 'forgets' Leia isn't a princess anymore as if she only stopped using that title recently even though it's been years or even decades that she's been in command. Mando insta-travels in a cramped starfighter even though he 'should' be half-insane from being locked in a claustrophobic coffin in the dead of space for days or even weeks (with no lavatory, no less) because the travel-time happens in a cut... All this really is telling of the fact that Disney's 'writers' just do not give a fuck about worldbuilding because it's just 'a show' to them like a literal toy commercial.

[@DrMcFly28]

It's because they treat their audience like they're small children who don't understand object permanence. There's no "worldbuilding" in Disney Star Wars, there's no cause and effect, there's only what happens right there while you're watching it on the screen, and once the scene is over, it doesn't matter anymore, we need to move on to the next exciting scene with lots of pretty colors and fancy effects and if you're lucky maybe a silly joke or two. It's ADHD filmmaking for the modern audience, and it's all fine, because hey, "it's a movie about space wizards for children".

[@benl2140]

My personal headcanon is that C3PO kept accidentally referring to Leia as "princess" for so long that it became an inside joke between them.

[@TurKlack]

TCW was the first to resurrect dead Character *cough* Maul *cough* Fraud Filoni started that mess.

[@eds6755]

They think of the audience as morons and think of themselves as the smartest people ever.

[@exaggeratedswaggerofablackteen]

Honestly, I could see Luke taking 5 years to get his first student, assuming he spent that time tracking artefacts throughout the Galaxy like he did in Battlefront 2's campaign. Or it might just be that he didn't feel wise enough yet, after all, being an accomplished jedi is a thing, but being a jedi wise enough to restart the whole order from scratch is another, that stuff would require lots of expertise.

[@andrewbarker713]

Lucas’ wife’s quote at the end was jaw dropping. Mauler does an excellent job with his research and editing even if it takes years. Moments like that at the end hit home

[@seantaylor6691]

It's been a year, MauLer - your friends miss you (and want parts 5 and 6!)

[@Yodalemos]

Mark Hammil gave us so much context to judge the movie production with. Bless his contribution, wish they'd listened to him.

[@Tak3034]

For when you were talking about “every Jedi can do it” in Star Wars the clone wars series’s it is shown to be very difficult to mind trick people. Ashoka struggled to perform mind tricks and messed up multiple times. We are shown this after she had been trained by Anakin for at least a year. This proved in the established canon that what Rey achieved should take years of training and could easily fail. Yet they just give Rey a new talent.

[@haku8135]

We also know cause we're told multiple times mind tricks just don't work on people with strong wills. Some SPECIES are even immune to it. Troopers were just generic scrubs, either clones or conscripts. In this we know for sure each trooper is a heavily trained from birth programmed perfectly loyal super soldiers, according to what the movie says. Good thing they have very weak wills.

[@penginlord9396]

@@haku8135 that could've been actually interesting, seeing new troopers immune to mind manipulation. Might have even made troopers intimidating. But no

[@ericv00]

@@penginlord9396 Troopers are subordinates to others. Their will must take a backseat to their orders. By the definition of their station, they cannot be of strong will, or they would not be troopers.

[@joshuaslawson9125]

And even then it was never direct orders it was always suggestions, "speed us on our way," "we could use a transport," "these are not the droids you are looking for" it took three powerful Jedi in the Clone Wars series to have a direct order of take us to such and such location, and even then the person led them into a room with lasers as a sort of trap.

[@MikeTall88]

@@ericv00 What? No. You can have an iron will and still be part of an hierarchy.

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

Even Neo had to sit for literally HOURS absorbing information before he came to the "I know Kung fu" conclusion. Tank literally told Morphious how long Neo was under for and called him "a machine" which in their world could be an insult as much as a compliment.

[@Ramsey276one]

Definitely BOTH, from “TF how can he manage?” to “Damn guy is gonna be awesome or CRAZY!”

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

@@Ramsey276one Indeed ;D

[@booperdee2]

I dont know if he was doing just Kung Fu training that whole time. I thought it was implied that he was learning all kinds of things and Morpheus came in at the time he was done with the Kung Fu program. In their fight, it looks to me like Neo switches his style a few times. Trinity also spends about 3seconds to learn how to fly a helicopter, so i dont think it would take hours to learn one fighting style.

[@SilverSpoonRiche]

@@booperdee2 Oh yes indeed, they were downloading several different training programs into his head over the course of like 12hrs if I remember correctly. Point is Rey didn't even have awareness of mind tricks before she just suddenly thought "I'm going to command this trooper to bend over so I can kick his ass" LOL

[@evanhansen5064]

i absolutely did not expect to watch this much of any critique but it’s just such an amazing breath of fresh air to see someone putting in so much time and effort into films. it’s so sad nowadays to see how movies are getting worse and worse in such an avoidable way but this type of content really helps me learn so much about exactly why these films elicit the emotions they do, if any in this case. im not exactly as eloquent as mauler with my praise but in summary, i really enjoyed all of this content and thoroughly appreciate your passion and effort in making them

[@scottwright6822]

At 56 minutes does mauler imply that lazy writing is an expression of the dark side of the force? Quicker, easier, more seductive

[@occam7382]

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

[@Leon-169]

Hearing the echoing ghost of Cinematic Venom saying “FOR NO REASON!” is absolutely hilarious. Well done LongMan

[@sparkypack]

*Cinema Virgin

[@Ramsey276one]

69 likes confirmed XD

[@doommetaldarryl6689]

Fuck, I ruined the count lol

[@michaeldorsey9231]

It’s really frustrating when people try to defend Rey’s abilities by insisting that other beloved protagonists are also Sues; “Luke’s a Sue,” “Obi-Wan’s a Sue,” “Superman’s a Sue,” “Batman’s a Sue,” “Goku’s a Sue,” or”Luffy’s a Sue.” What these people are missing is that a protagonist being prodigiously capable isn’t a problem in of itself, it’s when their abilities break the rules of their story/continuity and/or their abilities overshadow those of the supporting cast. Batman is often shown to be very capable in numerous disciplines, but the best iterations will establish a history of training and aid from capable allies, even the most recent film had him obtain vital information and make connections with the aid of characters like Alfred, Selina, Gordon, and even a lower level cop. Luffy is very similar to Rey in being prodigious in fighting and even gains power mid battle, being able to master different form of Haki through sheer endurance, but he will never be a competent swordsman, cook, navigator, liar, doctor, archeologist, shipwright, musician, or helmsman; that is to say, he will never overshadow his peers, he can’t do his journey on his own and needs his friends to function.

[@CruelestChris]

Granted both Batman and Superman have had visits to the Sue locker in the hands of untalented writers: an example for Batman is the truly abysmal _JLA: Act of God_ where all the superheroes with powers lose them (along with some who don't have powers because the writer is an idiot) and spend the second half talking about how awesome Batman is since he never had powers.

[@michaeldorsey9231]

Right, it depends on the continuity/iteration of the character. It’s been a while since I checked this one out, but both Batman and Superman were pretty good in Alex Ross’s Justice, along with the other heroes.

[@chad_bro_chill]

@@CruelestChris You reminded me of the Justice League episode where Superman is sent to a different world and has to make due without most of his powers, eventually taming some wolf-things to make a sled team. It showed how Superman, even without his powers, was still quite super. Could Rey say the same?

[@Skaldzerker]

The fundamental flaw in their argument will always be that even if they are correct about any other character being a Sue, it doesn't change the fact that Rey is one, and a horrendously written one at that.

[@imadrifter]

@@Skaldzerker they have a galaxy full of excuses but absolutely zero understanding

[@rosamy2017]

It absolutely makes no sense to me that they have Han and Leia being separated. I know it may be relatively realistic, but we aren’t watching Star Wars for realism! We want our heroes to live happily ever after, not get divorced and share awkward custody

[@KellogsR-ny7ug]

At least have their personal growth in tact. Their deaths are already humiliating especially with the context of events but then you got the regression of their character

[@weijingburr2392]

No, when he took the mask off, I thought, "Wow, how did they fit that giant head into that little helmet?!?!"

[@prkr07]

Maybe it's just me, but if I lost a Force battle of wills with my prisoner, implying they might be more powerful than me despite my training, I'd probably...you know, sedate them so they can't use the Force to escape.

[@Vladislav888]

Sedation can be resisted. I would've cut their leg off.

[@michaeldorsey9231]

That’s actually an insanely practical solution in this instance; cutting off the legs would obviously prevent escape, but if they did convert Rey to their side after the fact they can always give her cybernetics to make up for lost limbs.

[@Skaldzerker]

Don't be silly. Rey would've just Force-healed the severed limbs and ran off anyways.

[@atom_gray]

as long as they don't fall down an endless shaft, they probably won't come back to life with robot legs... 👍🏻

[@macgeorge8229]

@@michaeldorsey9231 Ah the rimworld methoid of prisoner contanment. Whats next harveisting her organs.

[@UndeadManifest]

We’ve literally gone through a global pandemic start to finish since this series started. We love Mauler.

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

Year 3 of 2 weeks to flatten the curve

[@libertyprime6932]

We might even get WW3 before he finishes the next part

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

Oh it’s not over yet

[@-PVL93-]

The pandemic is nowhere near over my dude

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

@@-PVL93- Bless his optimism though.

[@BrettonFerguson]

Watch how far his helmet goes in when he slams it down. "The ashes of his victims" are like 10cm deep. With the width of the "ashtray" it's about one person worth of ashes. How could the leader of an evil empire intimidate anyone with one person worth of ashes. If he had all the ashes from everyone in the Hosnian system turned into one huge diamond, then carved into a giant statue of himself 5 kilometers high, that would be properly intimidating for the leader of an evil galactic empire. Not an end table with the ashes equivalent to one cremated body.

[@cubeflinger]

Man, if it's taken this long to do force awakens, the other two are gonna be ready by 2050

[@gueton5200]

there's already a TLJ critique, much shorter and not as good but worth a watch as well

[@BWMagus]

@@gueton5200 It's arguably just as good, it's just focused directly on TLJ and not so much on script writing and movie making in general.

[@four-en-tee]

The "puzzle map" is basically a microcosm of J.J. Abrams's directing philosophy. Really goes to show how stupid it can be when the effort isnt put in, there's more to a film than just putting together a mystery to unravel (not to mention that the quality of said mystery box is only as well constructed as the person who put it together). It seems like Abrams doesn't put enough care into writing an actual, believable world first and foremost. The mystery should still make sense in context of the rest of the world and its writing.

[@anenigma8378]

The map isn't even a good mystery. It's just split into two part that two of the good guys' droids happen to possess. That's not a mystery. That's just hiding information for convenience.

[@antraxxslingshots]

What i always found worst about that map is that it even shows how to travel with a small red line...as if you have no option to move straight to the target planet... plus it looks like 2D... it is space after all, you could come right from the top if you like...i mean ....wtf?

[@barrybend7189]

he also copied the idea from Star Wars KOTOR's starforge maps but didn't understand the context of the reason the maps exist. also the JJ map from senteka you just need to overlay it on any standard hyperspace route maps and match the route Luke took to the galaxy map and plot a course from there. making R2 completely pointless in the story.

[@Emelefpi]

@@barrybend7189 I'd be surprised if he even knew about Kotor to copy from it. I don't think he devoted a single second to the legends canon...heck, I'm having a hard time believing he spent much time with the episodes I -VI...other than a threadbare understanding of Ep. IV

[@petrie911]

Why is it even in pieces to begin with? As far as I can tell, if the thing on Jakku is actually the full map, nothing really changes about the plot points.

[@TheSharkIsWorking_23]

Never gonna forget the helmet ash tray. Opening night, it took me right out of the movie. All I could think was, “Damn, Kylo is one hell of a chain smoker!”

[@dwaneanderson8039]

I always assumed they were the ashes of Darth Vader. Kylo has his helmet, so he must have gone to where Luke burned him on Endor. He could have collected some of the ashes while he was at it. I'm not saying this really makes sense, but it's just what I assumed.

[@joefriday1327]

„It‘s the ashes of his victims“ is even more cringe than the line „This is Katana… Her sword traps the souls of her enemies“…

[@carljohan9265]

@@joefriday1327 On that note, why would he put his helmet in the tray? Does he want it to be full of ash while he wears it?

[@Moshuun]

The gift that keeps giving!

[@reek4062]

Just end it. Nobody will miss you. You're constantly bothering other people by breathing. So end it. We're waiting.

[@vallangaard]

I have always loved Carrie Fisher...and after seeing her verbal backhand aimed at the cackling, untalented freak Gwen Christie at 1:10:49 I love Carrie even more. Rest In Peace, Princess.

[@Galvatronover]

She’s not untalented the reason she was bland in TLJ/TFA was because they didn’t do anything with her

[@vallangaard]

@@Galvatronover "We judge her due to her actions and her character..." She's Alice the Goon. An idiot. A shill. Gives zero shits about anything but her 'merch' and promoting her precious 'pRoGrEsSiVe AgEnDa'. And Carrie was right. She looks the moron straight in her eyes and lets everyone know that Christie has apparently treated the crew poorly enough Carrie felt she had to call her out right on stage. So the Good cackles in response.... but look at Carrie. She looks out at someone in the crowd and mouths the words 'what a Fucking idiot" I agree, Princess. I agree.

[@Verse_Jumper]

Anyone else just want to violent throttle the "it's for kids it's OK to be bad" argument? Are children not allowed to grow up around GOOD art and stories anymore? Fuck I remember every book, game, and movie that made me cry, laugh, cheer, and FEEL something as a kid as something monumental. And just how RAW it felt, I wasn't just cheering for a power ranger or solving puzzles with Dora, I had managed to get sucked into another world, empathized with characters that were not myself, gave a damn about a story and conflict. It helps you grow and inspires you. Now it's just "nah just show flashing lights and maybe a provocative Steven universe dance to the kids. That'll keep them entertained and not confused"

[@highdefinition450]

Idk what Steven Universe is doing there but it's a really emotional and compelling show (except maybe the ending), I feel like you're maybe criticizing it without giving it a fair shot?

[@ArtekGeneral]

Child cartoons that are made good age like fine wine and can be rewatched again 15 years later and still be just as good if not better due to extra perspective and wisdom as an adult. On the opposite spectrum child-only shows age like milk. Is there anyone above the age of 10 who has something good to say about Teletubbies? To an adult that show feels like a 40 degree fever mixed with drugs. Although recently we are experiencing the opposite effect as well. Some children shows became way too adult, with political messaging or inside jokes or references that only the 25 y.o. millenial creators understand, while still rocking that oversatured child friendly aesthetic. SU is one of them actually, and High Guardian Spice being one of the recent examples. Although i will admit that quality of writing in SU is miles above HGS.

[@memememe609]

@@highdefinition450 Steven Universe was kinda bad from the beggining imo, it was stated to sell an ideology (The entire show is basically a metaphor for LGBT, which I find quite unfortunate since it removes some of the passion the writers may have), and half of the episodes are pure filler, with the other half being confusing story episodes in a weird world that's barely developed (Where's Beach City? Is magic just normal in this world? Is Greg not nervous about his relationship with Rose?). And let's not even talk about the ending. Some perfect kids shows are Gravity Falls & Courage the Cowardly Dog. Perfectly developed, written, not afraid to get mature, no ideology, the endings are amazing (Well, GF's ending is kinda forced with Dipper basically being emotionally gaslighted into going back, but it still is quite good).

[@almalone3282]

@@memememe609 did they ever explain why Russia got vaporized? I stopped watching after the "S-U Bombs" Cartoon Network started doing

[@stackflow343]

"iTs fOr KiDs", as millions of teens to middle aged adults line up in cosplay outside theaters overnight to watch it 4 times in a row at premieres 🙄 hmm ok

[@itemwizardd]

150 words. Kylo Ren's entire character was meant to be explained and set up in 150 words. He murdered a surrendered enemy, been complicit in the capture and programming of children as soldiers, and attempted to overthrow the current ruling class to install an Empire via the use of radical and violent force. The son of a smuggler-turned-hero and the princess of a dead planet, trained by the Jedi that redeemed Darth Vader, and turned away from the light towards a cause whose violent methods are undeniably cruel. He is literally the child for whom the galaxy's greatest heroes cared for on a personal level. You could make entire trilogies showing how someone who was placed in the heart of such loving and caring people falls into darkness. You could have him oppose the destruction and persecution of people who acted under the empire due to fear. The execution of people he believes to be innocent could drive him to question if those people whom he has listened to all his life were really in the right. His mother would be instrumental in a government that would want the blood of the people who imposed tyranny upon the galaxy. He would witness his mother sentencing people to death simply for being involved with the empire, and being so young, he wouldn't understand the evils the empire committed. He could have taken up the side of the empire in an attempt to help those he saw as being murdered with state approval. These are people who fight because their alternative is death, or so Kylo thinks. But instead, he's a tattered and shredded rag of a character carried by the talents of Adam Driver's acting. Thank you, Disney, for bothering to write 150 words, you hacks.

[@Ramsey276one]

WOW

[@DaMaster012]

"Oh, thank you!" - Jar Jar Abrams

[@occam7382]

@@DaMaster012, calling him Jar Jar is an insult to the actual Jar Jar.

[@dresdenwarlock7978]

The character arc regression of Han is just so maddeningly upsetting and I just don't know how they could do it and think it was fine.

[@occam7382]

Because J.J. thought that the Han Solo we saw at the beginning of A New Hope was the only CORRECT Han, and that everything else was an unsuccessful variation. So like everything else in Star Wars, J.J. bent Han's character completely out of shape to fit his twisted interpretation of what Star Wars "sHOulD" be.

[@undeddjester]

1:38:24 I find it amusing how Mauler's fix for the Jedi Mind Trick, Kylo accidently teaching Rey while trying to torture her, is still incredibly contrived... if you told me that in isolation, I'd say that is very poor writing... However it is still far better than what was actually given... It blows my mind just how little effort went into the script. Why when you have this much money behind you, would you spend such little time, money and effort on the most important part of a film?

[@occam7382]

And the real kick in the balls is that they had a completed treatment of the film before pre-production even began, courtesy of George Lucas and Micheal Arndt, but J.J. drastically delayed the project, got Arndt kicked out, and wrote an entire script on the fly with Lawrence Kasdan... all so that he could treat Episode Vll as if it was the pilot of a crappy TV show. I swear, I hope I never meet J.J. in person ever, because if I did, I don't think I could reign in the urge to beat him into a bloody pulp... and I don't really want to go to prison for assault.

[@theoriginalman9426]

Money doesn't make you good at writing lol

[@ryleighs9575]

I somehow hadn't thought till now about the element of Rey immediately having all these powers once the story gets going, but having the backstory she has. How... did she not already stumble upon such immense force powers? She just never went into a certain state of mind, even by accident, her whole life, to notice she can like physically do anything with the force? She either didn't know she had the powers which makes no sense, or she did and her backstory makes no sense without a whole extra layer of explanation as to why this knowingly powerful person is choosing the path we meet her on.

[@examiningkubrickphilosofia1530]

Immediate When was she flying in tfa?

[@ryleighs9575]

@bLIZKA You got my point. Like, how can someone already be inherently so powerful with a magic force and just never notice? Especially like you allude to with her living a life where she's done specific things which would both force her to do difficult problem-solving and which would very organically benefit from her being force-capable.

[@wingedyaga2914]

Especially given her job, like she never had a close call while climbing through wrecked ships? Near-death experiences apparently trigger the Force now, so she never had a climbing cable snap, a platform fall, or simply lose her grip?

[@emarythomp]

@@wingedyaga2914 given her Mary Sue status I wouldn’t be surprised if she never made any mistakes doing anything. Probably learned to walk on two feet as soon as she got out the womb.

[@orgywithpigs6]

@@wingedyaga2914 huh… Hearing all this makes it sound kinda neat. I mean, Rey as a force sensitive scavenger and we see her using that while scavenging. Coulda even had her mind trick the junk collector for a little extra food. If they had planned on her being a palpatine the whole time, this coulda been neat.

[@B-MC]

To think, Mark Hamill did everything he could to pass it off as jokes and disney still didnt like that he said anything at all. Thats what scares me most. They fully expected that they could do ANYTHING they wanted with full entitlement for those involved to say nothing but wholehearted agreement and praise. Anything short of perfect, even keeping it as positive as possible without being dishonest, is straight up frowned upon and silencef.

[@logicaldude3611]

A part of me feels bad for Hamill, another part doesn't. He supports all this ridiculous woke shit that completely ruined the only live-action character he's ever been known for. He IS Luke Skywalker and they butchered his character in complete accordance with the exact ideology he supports.

[@loganscott814]

@@logicaldude3611 you can make woke content without ruining characters. I'd say The Batman's a decent example of that.

[@maulressurected4405]

@@logicaldude3611 I feel bad for the character not the actor, love or hate he-man right after seeing his past work desecrated he didn't have a issue seeing it done in revelations.

[@bry-guy4177]

@@logicaldude3611 he’s not “woke” he’s just a good human being. The new trilogy was terribly written but that’s not because of “rah woke culture” it’d because they got terrible writers to write it

[@playerone6995]

@@bry-guy4177 Woke culture had something to do with it, it's not sole reason or even the main reason but it's an element

[@freetshirt_250]

I could watch this every single day🎉

[@gueratom]

Looking forward to part 5.

[@unfilthy]

Dammit, Kylo was raised by Vader/Anakin's family. He should know what Vader sacrificed in the end. He should know what family means. How was this not addressed in any way? Even if the idea was that he's rebelling against that, how badly did the original characters have had to fuck up to produce this kind of incongruously evil offspring, and why did they suck so much? UGH. I thought I was done thinking about how wrong this trilogy was. Damn you, Mauler!

[@Trollificusv2]

Yes, "he should know"...but Rian Johnson didn't and didn't care, either. What an arrogant, selfish, self-indulgent twat that guy is.

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@Trollificusv2 I mean neither did JJ in this case.

[@DIEGhostfish]

As much as I hated Jacen's fall in the EU they at least had it make sense, he fell into the same trap as his grandfather.

[@magicbrownie1357]

When you make decisions that effect your future, do you consider the actions of your grandparents or parents? Because most people do not. Most people act in a way that serves their immediate needs without ever giving a moments thought to what their ancestors did or would do. More realistic that Ben made his own selfish decision. That's humanity in a nut shell.

[@AndreLuis-gw5ox]

@@magicbrownie1357 yeah, but the movie has the guy idolizing his grandfather as Big Evil Wizard when his family would definetly teach him that his grandfather, before dying, decided that being Big Evil Wizard was dumb and that being Big Good Wizard was cool, and how he sacrificed himself to kill Bigger Eviler Wizarder

[@elonmusksellssnakeoil1744]

These movies don't utilize storytelling, they utilize 'moment-telling'. It's all about moments, and putting those moments together regardless of how absurd the path to get there is, because the audience these are meant for only care about those moments - specifically, moments that remind them of moments in other movies. Storytelling, by contrast, is about the path itself, not the moments along the way. It considers the bigger picture. These movies seem to actively and vehemently abhor the bigger picture.

[@lamrethal695]

"Bigger picture? Just buy a bigger screen bro"

[@Adorni]

Worse, they do this and then try to use the excuse of “audiences don’t have the attention span that they did in the original’s days!” I find myself skeptical of that claim, but even if it were true, that doesn’t excuse your poor storytelling. “Attention spans” do not equal “plot holes are okay.”

[@possiblyarose1397]

Beautifully put.

[@oneirotroph]

"Story"telling for the TikTok generation...

[@juniorj8393]

Just found this series and binged all 4 the past two days, this was really fun to listen to. Can't wait to see part 5.

[@Mr6Sinner]

I dreamed the other night that part 5 got released.

[@xalvador7569]

Poe: “Somehow Palpatine returned.” Silco: “From the dead!?” The Silco appreciation society approves of this meme wholeheartedly.

[@555droid6]

Oh my fucking god I just watched this show! And I had this exact line stuck in my head!!!

[@gitarmats]

Well, that was fun. See you guys in 2 years when part 5 is out.

[@MaddBadgerr]

I like that this is a joke but unironically we're halfway there already, years-wise.

[@robonator2945]

didn't he say he'd release the episodes weekly on his first introduction video or am I misremembering? I mean, I get it, it takes a shit ton of time and work, but that's sorta like your dad saying he has to go out for milk and he'll be back in 15 minutes, only to come back 2 years later with the milk; the timescale was sorta off.

[@MaddBadgerr]

@@robonator2945 I'm pretty sure he explained that in Part 2. His estimates were off because he was using the same criteria as his older video series like the TLJ critique and the Dark Souls 2 response, but the editing in the TFA videos is a lot more elaborate than those, so it's just not feasible to knock them out as quickly. Bit odd that he didn't figure this out as we was making Part 1 of the TFA critique, but there it is.

[@robonator2945]

​@@MaddBadgerr I know why I was just making a joke about the magnitude to which it was off; after the first year of you're dad being out for milk you kinda figure it's not coming, so when he literally does come back with milk several years later it's unexpected. He also said he wouldn't be swearing in this series too so, yeaaaah.

[@MaddBadgerr]

@@robonator2945 To be fair, he's only started cursing again in Part 4 (I think), and it's still very infrequent.

[@hariman7727]

..."The Holdo Maneuver only worked because the Hyperspace Tracker was active, keeping a part of the ship's hull in Hyperspace, which means you can ram the ship due to the hull being used as a resonator for the hyperspace tracking tech." They just have to TRY... which is beyond them.

[@JazzAK6969]

I totally missed that this was released but I am so happy I got to watch this for two and half hours. So much better than the movie. Thank you Mauler for the excellent work as always!!!

[@Astroman10]

OMG! Look how much Oscar Issac has aged from the first interview to the "maybe if I need another house" interview! Hollywood wasting his talent is killing the man!

[@raiyanpattharwala]

He should keep his mouth open while acting and grow a Gina... Or atleast start identifying as a woman. Then they'll give him his due.

[@emhu2594]

Isaac choses his roles...

[@Astroman10]

@@emhu2594 Not true. Oscar Issac stated in a recent interview about Moon Knight that he currently chooses roles based on whether his 4 year old son laughs while Oscar does a mock audition. You could say that Oscar still chose the Moon Knight role but he stated there was an ulterior motive behind his decision. Let's ignore that fact for now and move on to contractual obligations. Actors don't always get to choose their roles if they signed an overarching contracts with a studio. Two examples of this scenario are, Jessica Gardner's Elektra role in her standalone movie and Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat. Jessica Gardner was contractually obligated to be Elektra in her titular movie. Even if she read the script and totally disagreed with it, she was going to play that role. I'm sure she could have fought the contract but Hollywood lawyers are pretty concise and fighting contracts wouldn't help her career moving forward in the Hollywood community. In a way, you could make the argument that she chose the role for the Daredevil movie and by extension, chose her role in the Elektra movie. I would agree with you and say that I will get back to sequels in a moment. Now I have an example of someone who never chose his role. Mike Myers played the Cat in the Hat to cover legal obligations set by a studio. Universal Studios and Mike Myers agreed to make a movie based on his character, Dieter, from SNL. After the script was written, some say Mike Myers himself wrote the script, Mike Myers did not approve of it. He absolutely refused to play the role which led to a bunch of lawsuits as other actors were already billed, sets were made, a script was written which involves a group of people, and a lot of money was spent for nothing! Eventually, Mike Myers and Universal settled on him playing another role of Universal's choosing in order to keep people employed and money wasn't wasted. Mike Myers walked through the performance as a result of not wanting to be there. You may ask, "Who cares about other actors?" to which I respond these are examples to show you that not every role is chosen by the actor. Sometimes, Hollywood forces them into a role which could lead to that actor becoming increasingly stressed out. Back to Oscar Issac and sequels. Just because an actor chooses a role doesn't mean they know/control/agree where the writers will take the character. I'm sure when Oscar Issac asked J.J Abrams not to kill Poe off, he wasn't expecting to be an auxiliary character for the next two movies. If there was an actual plan for the Disney sequels to showed Oscar just how poorly Poe would be treated through the sequels, he would have just let J.J kill him in TFA! In fact, the clip I referenced in my original comment proves this claim. Oscar was ecstatic to get the role in the pre-TFA interview and apathetic in the post TROS interview. So your statement "Issac choses his roles ..." (I'm sure I misspelled something up there but you wrote 4 words) doesn't exonerate Hollywood nor is it a factual statement.

[@leonardodavi2695]

Yes, everything that changed from the ending of episode 6 to the beginning of epísode 7 is directly linked to Snoke. It was through him that we should've gotten answers, history, world building, but, as Mauler already said in a previous video: "World building is horrifying as a concept to these writers." they decided it would be easier, quicker and less laborious to just kill off Snoke as soon as they could once he "served his purpose". Killing Snoke in TLJ was a witness elimination, plain and simple.

[@MediumRareOpinions]

You could say he was "too dangerous to be left alive"

[@mycaleb8]

No it wasn't. Rian killed Snoke because he thought he was lame and wanted to subvert expectations and take the story in the direction he preferred.

[@petriew2018]

@@mycaleb8 you're giving Johnson too much credit even with that. Snoke died just for the shock factor of it, and Johnson can't do anything but shock.

[@mycaleb8]

@@petriew2018 I'm not giving him too much credit. I never said his intentions were good.

[@orboakin8074]

Yes, but what exactly was his purpose?! Seriously, broom boy had more character purpose than him!

[@andrewthegeek6522]

And thus the series remained unfinished being rewatched occationally as we wait for it's eventual return

[@chrisweaver7271]

Can we just acknowledge the absolute perfection of editing of this video. laughing out loud with most if not all the cut aways to other shows, especially Tony Stark. perfect layout. bravo!