what is happening in *THE RISE OF SKYWALKER*?

[@NatalieGoldReacts]

Click here: www.helixsleep.com/nataliegold for up to $200 off your Helix Sleep mattress plus two free pillows! Better sleep = happy me! #helixsleep

[@Fizbin1701]

Natalie, I was wondering why you bleep your swear words when you can swear on KZbin. Also, the putting the wavefinder icon over your mouth is a bit redundant since we clearly know the word you're bleeping every time.

[@axlgonzalez6652]

​@@Fizbin1701 from what I understand YTers can still be demonitized for cursing on YT. apparently YT isnt very specific on how much or little you can swear without being demonitized so it's probably safer to just censor it all together. personal note: bleeps are funny so it always gives me a good laugh. 😋🤙🏽

[@supermelonbread]

If you need a new movie to react to, I highly suggest Everything Everywhere All At Once. I'd love to see what you think of the film

[@Fizbin1701]

It's weird. Some reactors bleep their swearing. Some just bleep the movie. Some bleep both. Some don't bleep. I hate all forms of censorship, so I'm against all forms of bleeping.

[@doro626]

I know a lot of people like the Family Guy parodys of Star Wars, but can I recommend the Robot Chicken version? Maybe not as much of a direct story parody ( spoof?), but in my opinion, vastly funnier.

[@Keanine]

Not so fun fact: Palpatine's message described in the crawl was recorded and officially played on a virtual stage in Fortnite. They used Fortnite as a platform to give people that context. Crazy.

[@antecave]

HOLY FUCK! He is not lying. My just soul left my asshole.

[@peytone5387]

What has the world come to

[@Keanine]

@@antecave lmao needed that chuckle today

[@MilkT0ast]

“Hey y’all, it’s Palpi, I’m back baby! Throwing a big bash at Exogul. (Yes that Palpatien) Be there or be square. #darkside #dewwit #defaultdance on the rebels.”

[@isacctavares1368]

On paper its great marketing, in practice, it was a disaster.

[@AdmiralKnight]

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." This line about sums up my feelings on this movie. Some fantastic visuals. I was blown away in the theatre a couple times, but man..

[@racool911]

To be fair although it sums it up, the dialogue itself makes sense within the context. Mostly it's the meta implication

[@juvandy]

Yeah, my reaction in the theater was a big WHAT THE FUCK

[@Eidlones]

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." - Poe "But that's a story for another time." - Butthole eyes lady I forgot the name of cause she's barely a character

[@41tinman41]

They could have worded this differently, and I hate that it was a simple change that could have been done. While in the story, they don't know anything about Palpatine's plan they could have at least given us, the moviegoers, the timeline from when Vader threw him down the pit and how he ended up on that planet. Did he have droids setup to retrieve him as a failsafe?

[@foilhattiest1]

With the emotion in that delivery he could just as well have announced that "Somehow, I got my underwear on backwards this morning".

[@Jaeden_Phoenix]

For the record, all of Carrie's scenes were ripped from The Force Awakens deleted scenes, which is why some of the dialogue feels weird or like they're talking about something else.

[@sfodd1979]

They used footage from other movies, too. Luke training Leia was footage from ROTJ.

[@frenchtoast1759]

@@sfodd1979 yeah ok 😂

[@crickitobs]

@@frenchtoast1759 He's talking about their faces, they were CGI'd onto Billie Lourd (Carrie's daughter and double) and Luke's double.

[@Heavensrun]

@@crickitobs That's not "footage from RotJ," that's deepfake technology.

[@BlamoStramo]

but they didnt sound like that though.

[@EmberQuill]

"A Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect." “Well, you threw it away in the last movie.” I think that moment perfectly sums up why this movie was such an absolute mess. It spent so much effort on refuting every point made in The Last Jedi that it wasn't able actually tell a coherent story.

[@coin3720]

It's almost like Luke realised he was wrong in The Last Jedi...

[@Marcelinho98]

@@coin3720 More like J.J Abrams wanted to retcon everything Ryan Johnson did like a little toddler whos toys got stolen

[@coin3720]

@@Marcelinho98 how is Luke's scene in TROS not consistent with his character at the end of TLJ?

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

@@coin3720 People who criticize the scene on the grounds of this point are just being plain dumb. Nothing else to it. How else can you be so narratively illiterate?

[@andrewmcmillan229]

@@coin3720 agreed, Luke was poking fun at himself at the beginning of TLJ because by the end of TLJ he had realized he was wrong. JJ retconned several things about TLJ but that wasn’t one of them.

[@Toidi630]

I love how Natalie was all of us trying to rationalize and make sense of anything in this movie lol

[@TheAOTSdude]

"us"

[@Depth217]

They really needed a cohesive plan for this trilogy, that would’ve resolved a lot of its problems. Not all, but a lot and that’s something everybody seems to agree on even if they liked, hated, etc.

[@UTU49]

I think the entire sequel trilogy is the biggest failure in the history of story-telling. #1 problem: no plan going in. #2 problem: Han and Luke never appear together. #3 problem: Rian Johnson thinks subverting expectations is some kind of accomplishment. #4 problem: The Last Jedi has a suicide-bombing fetish. #5 problem: The Last Jedi tries to elevate female characters by making male characters look stupid. ... There is no end to the nearly unforgivable writing problems in this trilogy. 3 people could list their 3 biggest problems with the trilogy... and name 9 completely separate problems. The more you think about this trilogy, the more it becomes apparent that they put barely any thought or planning into it at all. Almost nothing makes sense.

[@cassieo]

JJ had a cohesive outline in his brain. You can see a great episode seven, then his last half of his episode eight is crammed into the first half of episode nine and he crams half of his episode nine into the remaining time and drops all the fluff that would have paid off. If the Mouse had been effing patient enough to let JJ do his job and craft a trilogy, then it would have been fine. But no. They needed episode eight delivered on THEIR time schedule. He laid the groundwork in episode seven for stuff to be paid off in episode eight and nine. It was pretty clear what he was doing. Rian Johnson tools a few of them, but left the others out to dry to make his own story in episode eight.

[@x3xmattsonx4x20]

@@UTU49 OR the problem is Star Wars fans who consistently hate everything Star Wars. Unless its a cartoon lmao

[@redsands1001]

@@cassieo jj doesn't follow through and likes Easter eggs more than he likes actual plot

[@drakeredwingofficial]

Indeed. I'm a dirty rotten sequel lover and I am more than eager to agree with the honest criticisms of the trilogy. Still, doesn't make me enjoy it less

[@mau.moncayo]

Natalie's reaction to every "dramatic" or "important" point in the story being an unfazed "oh, well bye Hux" or something of the sort is the exact feeling I had watching it my first time. It all felt so... meh SPECIALLY the scene where C-3PO meets R2 without his memories and she was having a genuine reaction, but then turns out R2 has the memory banks and sucks out any repercussions for what happened. Natalie herself says it best "oh ok, no need to cry" No need to feel or care or anything

[@robertanderson6929]

Both TLJ and this movie suffer from a similar malady in that there are no consequences and nothing actually happens. In TLJ, destroying the Dreadnaugh didn't allow them to escape. Rose and Finn's side quest to Las Vegas didn't result in the fleet escaping. Poe and Finn's attack on the walkers didn't result in the destruction of the canon. Everything they did was rather pointless and they'd have actually been better off and spent fewer lives if they'd have just sat quietly on the ship running away for 2 hours. In this movie every dramatic event is immediately counteracted. Chewie dies, no he doesn't. Kylo dies, no he doesn't. Rey dies, no she doesn't. Lando is back, no he's gone. Hux is now on Rey's side, no he's dead. 3CPO loses his memory, no R2D2 restores it immediately. Rey throws her lightsaber away, no Luke catches it and hands it right back. Rey burns her only means of leaving Luke's island, no he gives her his ship so she can leave immediately. There are no consequences to anything the characters do. And if they hold with the new tradition, Palpatine will be reconstituted and back for the next trilogy.

[@darfnader]

Nat really has come a long way. I love it when she sees right through the laziness.

[@jainelson8840]

Just no stakes, I agree. I actually really like TLJ, and I don’t like how much they undid from VIII. Rey being a no one worked for me. Luke deciding the way of the Jedi should end is a conclusion I came to way before TLJ, watching episode III and The Clone Wars.

[@rekkwaffle7668]

@@jainelson8840 cool you came to that conclusion. i did to. why did luke though? the actual character who is doing the thing? oh his character never would do that? got it.

[@blairpenny1526]

​@@robertanderson6929 pretty much 100% what I came here to say. Literally nothing they did matters at all. I would also add none of the moments are earned like Rey just being awesome at using the force immediately despite it taking everyone else tons of training or after the infamous "they fly now" and they wreck losing their transport in search of the next maguffin they just so happen to find it in the quicksand that wasn't a threat at all. It all just feels so cheap and poorly written, the fact that they didn't have a plan when they started this last trilogy (if you can call it that) just shows how little effort they put into it

[@abovewater6918]

It took the whole empire working on the death stars many years to build each one. Yet somehow Palpatine builds a full fleet of Star Destoyers secretly (way more work than a death star), without all the empires or First orders help. Make it make sense.

[@mappes1]

Not to forget that each of these ships can destroy planets while beforehand they always had to construct a giant oversized ball for that.

[@NotoriousMinion]

@@mappes1 next trilogy: each blaster a stormtrooper holds will destroy a planet.

[@ryanparker4996]

​​@@NotoriousMinion but they never manage to hit one 😂

[@unincognito3689]

30+ years between episode 6 and 9. In Battlefront 2 we learn that the Emporers after death plan was to retreat to the unknown regions. So the final order is the remnants of the empire that managed to get there. And the Sith cultists were already at Exogol as part of his after death plan. Does that make enough sense for ya or?

[@DCFCfanatic]

from what I can remember reading, it also took many many years for that fleet of Star Destroyers to be completed secretly by the Sith cult that follows Palpatine. Palpy's spirit was just transferring from one failed clone body to another during this entire time. Everyone that is on those Final Order's ships were raised as cultists and separate from the First Order. So basically the first order had no clue they existed. the moment Palpy died on the Death Star, those cultists went right to work. both creating that army and in trying to bring back Palpy fully restored. That's about 34/35 years between ROTJ and ROS. so they had enough time to build all that. they were finally ready to reveal themselves. of course all this was written in haste so many of it still does not make sense. also I'd like to know how many of those cultists, some of which were actually a part of the Empire, existed that they were able to get all that complete and without anyone knowing. although I have a feeling it'll take shows like Mando, Boba, Ahsoka and the rest to maybe fill us in.

[@mccpcorn2000]

The problem with Finn, Poe and Rey is that they never had a "bonding" period, like Luke, Han and Leia did in the first film. It's kind of shoehorned into this final film and it feels - well, forced (pun not intended).

[@ShadowWizard]

this are just aprt of the issues but this are waht i disliked the most I have issue with them making ray a mary sue and that they sh on solo and luke, luke would have never thought to attempt to kill ben he was hopeful and would have thought he can save ben after saving hes father from the dark side (it made him more confident and hopeful) and so he was confident enough he could turn most so he was out of hes char in Disney trilogy he was jake skywalker not luke and if any1 starts with he just changed sry but who is this confident that he could save most who's that positive won't change without reason (if they would have made a tragic incident before incident with Ben then it would have made sense sort of) just cause he feels dark side in hes sister son it makes no sense it makes sense only to ppl with blindfolds ofc last movie story was a mess to worst mess in sw history So if the conflict with ben solo could not have happened cause he was hopefully and optimistic then rest what we se in the movie could have not happened as well, no1 looses hope with no reason no1 chances like this with no reason sins the incident with hes father had opposite effect Then about solo, suddenly a newbie with no training shows up and is better pilot and smarter then him and is finishing hes sentences when solo is more experienced then her and more experienced pilot then her yea right makes a lot of scene 😆 and after sh on both chsrs if u kill off heroes u don't sh on them, if u do u will get a lot of hate cause this are loved chars by old fans

[@RippanCSGO]

I actually think Finn & Poe worked pretty well in Force Awakens but sadly they didn't deliver on the other two movies.

[@andothersuchnonsense2685]

@@ShadowWizard "luke would have never thought to attempt to kill ben he was hopeful" So was I at 19. Not so much at 40. My biggest issue with core SW fan's most common issues on the new trilogy is this one, no one, as an adult, is the same as they were at 19. SW fans want Luke to have been the same person for 40 years with the same outlook, just wiser and more powerful with the force.

[@ShadowWizard]

@@andothersuchnonsense2685 sure some fans want it but not all

[@ItsAv3rageGamer]

@@andothersuchnonsense2685 Mark Hamill wanted that too, but what does he know I guess, or George Lucas for that matter.

[@davidmr11able]

37:04 The best and most genuine reaction I've ever seen 😂😂😂

[@philipsheppard4815]

One (of the many) things that bugged me was they were flying around the galaxy to all these different planets in a day, hyperspace isn't teleportation, it still takes time to get from one place to another.

[@RatedRLoquender]

Yeah, Han explains Luke and Ben how hyperspace works in episode 4.

[@highstimulation2497]

indeed, it ain't like dustin' crops, boy.

[@e.markmitchell211]

We all know that space travel happens at the speed of plot, but that is unsatisfying to people who want a fictional story world to be consistent in some manner, so we tie ourselves into contortions to justify fake travel requirements or whatever bullcrap is on the discussion. So much effort and anger would be circumvented by going "because we needed a twist at this point in the story" and letting that be enough reason. Never going to happen, of course, but if it COULD, can you imagine the paradise that would be?

[@Malysari]

Kylo Ren was easily my favorite part of this trilogy. The series was a total mixed bag, but Kylo had such a great story going throughout the whole thing. There's so much I wish they did differently, and better, but it is what it is.

[@Fordo007]

You could go read the old EU books with Jacen Solo... they pretty much stole his entire dark side story from Jacen when he became Darth Caedus. You'll get 20+ years of a character before they fell to the dark side... not a great reason for falling mind you... but still.

[@tastyneck]

Agreed. I really liked mostly liked the writing and definitely liked Driver's portrayal.

[@js0988]

He was the biggest snowflake in the entire series and people are crying about how Rey beat him in a lightsaber duel.

[@mamalannightshyaman]

Kylo was the best bit for me. I wish the Star Wars fan base would stop shitting on the actors they were just doing their job

[@mamalannightshyaman]

@@js0988 what made him a snowflake? Even as a kid, although I loved Luke, I found him a little whiny

[@Pit_Wizard]

Following along with you on this sequel trilogy journey has been so cathartic. You aren't a "legacy fan", or particularly obsessive about the franchise, and yet you had a lot of the same conclusions and guesses that many of us did.

[@J_Rossi]

You called it. Ben was about to say: "I love you". Han answered 'I know', just as he did when Leia (Ben's mother) said "I love you" during The Empire Strikes Back, in the carbon-freezing area.

[@szdan2k]

Hey Nat. Don't you remember? - Leia felt Luke's presence in the Sky city in episode 5. - Yoda said himself that Luke is NOT the last hope of theirs. And he referred to Leia. - Later, in ep 6, Luke told Leia that she has the same power as him, because they are sibling. - What's more, Leia said that she had felt it, that they are siblings. There were a lot of occasions when we saw that Leia is force sensitive too and it perfectly makes sense that Luke taught her the way to use it. :)

[@TheAOTSdude]

some people aren't smart enough to connect that apparently

[@Nick.Georgiev]

"He looks the same, just older, you know." Natalie discovering the linear nature of time.

[@mathies3598]

I was like, "yeah, it's still Billy Dee Williams... ofcourse he does"

[@merchillio]

29:21 it was absolutely a reference to Leia’s “I love you”. Retroactively, it shows that Han’s “I know” wasn’t smugness but understanding

[@Braincleaner]

i love that Nat nails every single issue with the movie as they come up.

[@morpho5539]

Ikr she must be a white sexist man child

[@robertreichle1]

Almost like she knew what to complain about ahead of time...

[@pwnnr13]

@@robertreichle1 almost like people can spot issues while it's happening..

[@davidpax]

@@kjonguerrette3614 yeah, that's why she keeps looking to the right...

[@AT_BASE]

Na I just think it’s easier to spot the issues when you’re not a fan that wants to love it

[@phoenixdzk]

Kylo smashing her wayfinder is the quintessential relationship fight of 'no I know where I'm going, I don't need directions, put your phone away!'

[@isayahkelly7913]

Leia has always been able to sense the force, they just never emphasized it I guess. But it makes sense considering her family.

[@TheMsLourdes]

She was just as strong in the force that Luke was, but it wasn't her path, so she never pursued it, outside a few lessons from Luke as I recall when she decided it wasn't for her. But that they at least picked up on that to put in these movies are a saving grace.

[@davidbergfors6820]

the seem to hint at this in the newer materials released about her. (keeping it vague like that to avoid spoiling) do I mean the books i've read about her, (Leia & Bloodline)? or what we've seen in the animated shows of her? or something else, something newer?

[@SergioArellano-yd7ik]

She was able to resist Vader's interigation on the Death Star

[@joshuawells835]

The main problem with this film was that JJ Abram was trying to make everyone happy following the divide in the fandom caused by Episode VIII and a general lack of planning or vision for the entire trilogy. Disney really just winged the whole thing.

[@imbarmstrong]

That was Disney's second greatest crime (the first was not reuniting the original cast at any point). Disney just didn't plan a coherent trilogy. The continual changes in style, plotting and themes across the fragmented sequel trilogy just led to everyone being disappointed in one way or another

[@sirjedisentinel]

I mean, not planning has been a thing since the OT

[@rustybarrel516]

Good summary. It’s what happens when studio executives don’t give a 💩 about the material or its fans and are confident it will make tons of money anyway.

[@kratosGOW]

Plus, JJ is infamously known to not know how to write endings for movies and series.

[@Carabas72]

The main problem is that somebody at Disney panicked at all the angry and loud weirdos on the internet. Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX script proves that had a plan and a vision, but it got thrown out for pure fan service of the worst kind, aimed at the perpetuably unserviceable part of the fanbase.

[@ogrejehosephatt37]

The original trilogy seeded the idea of Leia having force powers, from her showing exceptional intuition, to Yoda's response to losing Luke by saying "there's another Skywalker". I like seeing Leia use her force sensitivity. I think she's someone with a ton of raw power, but not nearly as much training. I imagine she spent a little time training with Luke after Return of the Jedi, but decided it was too much of a distraction from her political career and starting a family. I let ghost Luke grabbing the lightsaber slide because Ahch-To is a site of where the presence of the force is particularly strong. Yoda was able to call lightning down to strike the tree in Last Jedi as well.

[@jor89088]

Lol!! I loved seeing how you changed moods so frequently when Rey "died". Seeing you worried, then happy, then confused, then like wanting to cry, but still laughing at how ridiculous that was haha

[@davididiart5934]

Her reaction to Ben dying literally made this whole rewatch for me. It's such a bad sign for your movie when the dramatic death of a character leaves the audience in stunned, apoplectic laughter.

[@LukeMaynard]

As "hit and miss" as this finale was, I do love how some of the hits worked out: if you remember the end of Episode III, Bail Organa has C-3PO's memory wiped, but not R2-D2's. That's on-brand for a Senator's protocol droid, which would be privy to all kinds of top-level government secrets-including, in this case, the birth of Luke and Leia which C-3PO was present for, and which Bail and Obi-Wan wanted wanted to hide from the Empire.. He doesn't care about the memory of an astromech, which wasn't present for the births anyway. So in this film, when R2-D2 restores C-3PO's entire memory, he restores the WHOLE memory... not just the part from the memory wipe forward. It's the first time in the entire trilogy that C-3PO has a full and complete memory of the Skywalker saga, from the day Anakin built him as a child to the final chapters of the saga. George Lucas always envisioned R2-D2 and C-3PO as the point-of-view characters telling the story-a point that begins to develop in Episode IV when C-3PO says he's "not very good at telling stories," straight through the scene in Return of the Jedi when he basically tells the entire story of the original trilogy to the shocked Ewoks and wins their tribal membership as a result. Out of all people's favorite "cool" characters, there's never anybody who gives C-3PO an MVP award for his 70-year role in the struggle, and this is the first movie that reminds us how important he really was in all of this. It's got to be a nice moment for Anthony Daniels, who is the one cast member who's been in virtually everything, had to deliver a fairly thankless performance in an unbelievable uncomfortable suit for his entire life, and mostly plays a character not too many people like that much. If anyone got redemption in this uneven film, it wasn't Kylo; it was Threepio.

[@joshuapiggott-smith5837]

Had such high hopes for this trilogy, but just goes to show without a coherent plan just how messy things can get, killing snoke completely derailed this whole trilogy, all of a sudden they didn't have a big bad to fight... Couldn't make it kylo because they need to redeem him, couldn't be rae going evil (which would've been way more interesting) just had to shoehorn in palpatine in a completely non-sensical way. Hiding out on a hidden planet with about 1000 star destroyer that got manned and made without anyone noticing. It gets worse the more you think about it..

[@mikeid3067]

They didn't have to redeem Kylo, snoke was a terrible character and the third movie was perfectly set up for Kylo to be the big bad,

[@joshuapiggott-smith5837]

@@mikeid3067 he could've been, if they didn't spend two whole films showing how conflicted he was about being evil all the time

[@mikeid3067]

@@joshuapiggott-smith5837 but then in last jedi he made his choice and was no longer conflicted after killing snoke and then trying to turn Rey to the dark side. That set him up perfectly to be the big bad in the third movie. its just Abrams sucks.

[@brandonvang2893]

@@joshuapiggott-smith5837 Not really though. By the end of TFA and Han's death, Kylo had already teetered over the edge. He was setup to be the perfect Sith Lord same as every major sith who came to power, by betraying their master. Sidious to Plagueis, Maul to Sidious, Tyranus to Sidious, Vader to Sidious. They had a prime opportunity to continue showing the sad end for all Sith in the Rule of Two, betrayal. If they had just committed to it, he could have ended up as an equally terrifying villain as Sidious and Vader.

[@joshuapiggott-smith5837]

Yeah that's a valid point, I just think the fact he was a skywalker always meant they were going to make him redeemable villian from the start. But you're right he had all the ingredients to be a big bad. A lot of wasted potential and good characters. Thinking about it I like more of the characters in the prequels than this one, obi-wan, qui-gon, maul, windu, padme. I'm just a bit meh on everyone in this, apart from maybe kylo

[@damienjohn]

As someone who isn’t a major SW fan (outside of the OT) but is still able to casually enjoy the spectacle, this is one of the few movies I’ve wanted to walk out of at the cinema. 😅

[@bobbyybouchee]

THANK U!!! (a Star Wars fan)

[@matheussanthiago9685]

I cringed so much a kiss scene

[@squares4u]

I’m a huge Star Wars fan and that ridiculous kiss of life scene practically made me walk out of the theater

[@nina-thi]

@@squares4u I’m a Star Wars fan who watched the movie with two reylo shippers and they loved the kiss… to say I was frustrated would be a huge understatement

[@bobbyybouchee]

If you ignore all the nostalgic stuff that makes you feel something, it might actually be one of the worst big budget movies of the 2000s. From a directional and storytelling point, this movie is a complete disaster. For me it's so bad, that I literally asked myself, how it's even possible that this movie got greenlit by Disney.

[@kratosGOW]

I love the fact that Natalie is sick of bad writing like some of us. 😂 “Oh, how convenient!” *sees Han appearing* “That’s not fair!” *takes tissue box, frustrated* (Your son is dead.) “No, he’s not. Bullshit! You’re a loser!” (A Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect) “Well, you threw it away in the last movie” etc 🤣

[@Queenof09Nicole]

Everything and nothing at all, all at once I’ve waited for this video, this is where the fun begins.

[@Donkeypunch182]

In the novelization finn is trying to tell rey that he is force sensitive. Which is hinted at when we first met finn

[@AzaMinis]

Leia has been force sensitive since episode 5 (when she sensed Luke was in danger dangling underneath Cloud City), and then again in Episode 6 when she sensed Luke was her brother. That's not a particularly new plot development to the sequels.

[@dogman6687]

Theres a difference between being force sensitive and blasting doors off hinges with it lol. Han solo was force sensitive too, he couldn’t consciously use it

[@augustw.8315]

Luke made out with Leia. Did she sense it then.

[@AzaMinis]

@@augustw.8315 that’s a result of the lack of planning, even back in the original trilogy. Star Wars has never had a plot-hole-free continuity, even back when the movies were good.

[@augustw.8315]

@@AzaMinis but they still made out.... Do u think... This entire Rey is the kid of Leia and Luke?. Holy shit. I'm on to something

[@sleeper-cassie]

The whole “tell don’t show” thing really feels like the writers knowing that this was the last movie, and desperately trying to tie up every last loose end, logic and story be damned. Like, you can just leave something ambiguous. It’s 100% acceptable to do that. Like, you don’t need a scene showing Leia doing force-training to explain her powers. It was thirty freaking years since we last saw her; you’re allowed to draw the obvious conclusion on your own.

[@Pink.andahalf]

He had to show her training because Ryan Johnson did interviews where he said she never trained in the Force.

[@amitydestroyer338]

Except you’ll still have those people that’ll complain about the explanation not being in the movie even when it’s blatantly obvious

[@sleeper-cassie]

@@Pink.andahalf Sorry, but if it isn’t onscreen, it isn’t canon. Movies aren’t allowed to come with homework assignments.

[@rustybarrel516]

It played like a video book report done the night before, having not read the book.

[@zammmerjammer]

@@sleeper-cassie I think the point is that this entire movie exists to refute every single decision Rian Johnson made in his previous movie. Making the tone of this one so unpalatably petty. That turned me off more than anything. ...no wait. The way they treated Rose and totally sidelined her character -- that turned me off more than anything.

[@jimmyrocha8417]

This was the first Star Wars anything that made me feel like Star Wars was losing its magic with me. The other movies might have their problems but I still feel like there’s heart in them. Some of the ideas just don’t work. This one however feels so fabricated because it tries to undo everything the internet hated about Last Jedi. This movie left me feeling….empty inside.

[@chrisallen9638]

When Last Jedi "undid" stuff from TFA, it did it to at least attempt character growth (even if it was badly executed), but Rise of Skywalker undid stuff just to please the "fans."

[@christopherplummer1299]

TFA was the coffin being laid out. TLJ saw the body of Star Wars placed inside the coffin and the lid closed. TRS saw Star Wars laid to rest.

[@ann2574]

@@chrisallen9638 I still don't understand what TLJ "undid" from TFA tbh. Scenes like Kylo getting rid of his mask because Snoke ridiculed him for wanting to be like Vader but instead being "a child in a mask" was amazing and helped Kylo's character development. TLJ has many interesting concepts like Rey being nobody (which this movie ruined), seeing the political situation of people through scenes in Canto Bight, Kylo becoming Supreme Leader, etc. which TRoS undid. TLJ was executed poorly in some places but this movie is just utterly garbage.

[@lokithecat7225]

Disney: Let's Pander to the Loudest Voices on Twitter. Disney: Well that failed horribly. Now that a new Group is Loudest, Let's Pander to the Loudest Voices on Twitter. Wouldn't it be nice if they had someone Competent with their own Ideas, and stopped listening to Twits?

[@Caseytify]

@@chrisallen9638 yeah, God forbid we keep the people _who spend their hard earned money on the fanchise_ happy. Rian Johnson should be recognized as the man who very nearly wrecked a fifty year old franchise.

[@everettadkins3530]

I respect the Last Jedi because it tried to do something, even if I don’t agree with the choices that were made. Rise of Skywalker didn’t try anything

[@bratsmovies17]

When you have a big fan base of a product you don't change it! You will lose customers, which they did.

[@tortoiseoflegends4466]

I do resent The Last Jedi for throwing out a lot of really good character stuff in Force Awakens. Mainly the relationship between Ray and Finn. Ray spent her whole life waiting for people who abandoned her to come back. Then when kylo Ren takes her, Finn does come back for her! That shock followed by a hug, and them defending eachother in the finale, is awesome and I really wish it actually got expanded upon as a found family story instead of Rays new motivation of "finding her place in the galaxy"? Is wanting to protect her new family not enough? Also they trust Po with the map to Luke Skywalker but not with the plan in this movie lmao.

[@moriquendi32]

I agree with this. I think it’s quite a good movie - but not necessarily a good Star Wars movie.

[@everettadkins3530]

@@moriquendi32 This is a really good way of putting it! It doesn’t seem to fit in well with everything else, but on it’s own, I can appreciate it. The same does not go for episode 9

[@matheussanthiago9685]

​@@bratsmovies17 that's just dumb, peter jackson basically wrote his own version of fellowship and everybody loved it then years later he tried to do the same with the hobbit, but poorly and people hated it the moral of the story is: having a fanbase does not make a properties stiffed to change, only bad changes

[@ImNotHereEither]

“I’m so confused.” Hmmmmmm. You’re not the only one. This trilogy should be a lesson on how to destroy a beloved franchise, alienate your fans and kill some of the most iconic characters in film history with absolutely zero emotional resonance or service to their arc or the story. Notwithstanding ending the entire saga by focussing on killing a character that was already dead during a poorly constructed Macguffin hunt.

[@randyvalgardson774]

Isn't it canon that Lea was at least partially trained by Luke and would almost certainly made her own lightsaber, so that part was one of the few parts that made SOME sense.

[@djlow9915]

Somehow Natalie returned......... with her final Star Wars Skywalker Saga movie reaction. Was there ever any doubt 😊 Your reaction to this movie was both fun and savage, in equal measure Nat 😄 and I loved how, for each of these 3 sequel trilogy movies, Cameron came up with a different way to interpret your narration of the title crawl 😊

[@BwillsAlwight]

I don't understand why you were so surprised by leia being able to use the force. It was established in the OT that she was force sensitive.

[@BwillsAlwight]

@FUM3TO K33M That's a little harsh, she's done a great job with these reactions.

[@PervySage723]

@FUM3TO K33M U defending the sequels right now? 😂

[@BwillsAlwight]

@@NiclasLoof luke heavily implied he would train Leia in return of the Jedi.

[@JahanMisra]

@@NiclasLoof it wasn’t implied Luke outright said she was force sensitive

[@jabecker21]

I agree with you on most everything, especially the lightsaber pass at the end. One of the few things I really enjoyed in this movie.

[@danielledragulia]

The whole connection between Rey and Kylo is the only thing I liked inthsi trilogy... I loved that fight scene. Ben's death made no sense and Rey basically having no reaction to losing that connection makes even less sense if possible... I hated this ending

[@jabecker21]

@@danielledragulia Are you talking about their lightsaber battle in Snoke's throne room in TLJ? That's one of my favorite lightsaber battles in all of Star Wars!

[@wolf9walker]

How does Leia use the force? Remember in return of the jedi, before Luke went to see his father. He told Leia that the force was strong with his family, his father had it, he has it and after a pause he says "my sister has it.". She's always had it. At the end of jedi, when the deathstar blew up, she could sense Luke was not on it, he was alive

[@K1NG0FW0LV35]

I'd recommend watching Star Wars: the clone wars as it is one of the better star wars shows and explains the origins of a lot of characters that you may or may not see in future star was shows. Also check out rebels as it ties directly to the mandalorian (won't say how for spoiler purposes). Your reactions are amazing and we know there is a lot on your plate. I just want you to know we appreciate everything you do.

[@Ghost7511]

SW: the Clone Wars has also ties to Rebels and The Mandalorian. And both have to Rogue One. 😉

[@K1NG0FW0LV35]

@@Ghost7511 did you forget cad bane? Or ahsoka tano? Or the mention of grand admiral thrawn? I suggest you rewatch both book of boba fett and the mandalorian.... Not to mention Kenobi has 2 of the inquisitors from rebels.

[@Exlegion19]

Nah. TCW is highly overrated and not worth the time investment. Let’s just move on from Star Wars reactions now. There’s so much better stuff out there.

[@K1NG0FW0LV35]

@@Exlegion19 okay you clearly have no idea what clone wars is.... So imma just... Ignore that entire bs statement.

[@lordbromash7353]

Clone Wars has some of the best development of beloved characters and introduction of new ones, it's just in between too many filler and meh content, absolutely worth it nonetheless and season 7 is the best Disney Star Wars content. Rebels is more miss than hit in my opinion, but has a handful of stellar moments. I'd say skip Mando, has Star Wars vibe but feels generic to me, still better than the trilogy, by far.

[@thedoctor4327]

I’m a hard core Star Wars fan to the point that even Last Jedi didn’t upset me that much (it’s not a good film but the cinematography and occasional moments held my interest). This is just a sloppy mess Ithat not even Ian McDiarmid’s return xould save. Considering how much you enjoyed Avatar the Last Airbender I HIGHLY recommend checking out The Clone Wars as it’s co creator Dave Filoni worked on Avatar. It starts off uneven but over the seasons becomes a phenomenal show

[@joer3720]

I absolutely blame you and everyone like you for the fact that I watched the whole of Clone Wars. Everyone promises it gets good later on and I remember getting to about the middle of season 6 and thinking “so when does it get GOOD?” I hated it, oh dear lord I hated it good. I didn’t like the writing, the style, the animation, the characters (most of which I’ve liked now that they’ve appeared outside Clone Wars), the voice acting, literally none of it. I think I hated it much more than my general dislike for Episode 9. So yeah, I blame you and the Clone Wars crowd for your endorsement 😂 Nah, I’m kidding, to each their own. But for real I HATED Clone Wars 😂

[@Xackadee]

@@joer3720 Goshdarn, dude. To most of us, TCW is some of the best Star Wars content ever made, especially Season 3 onwards. How could we not endorse it? Nothing else to say other than I'm really sorry you didn't enjoy it.

[@joer3720]

@@Xackadee I really thought I was going to like it too! I read loads of the EU stuff before Disney turned it into “Legacy” or whatever. On paper I should have loved it. It just never clicked for me.

[@ryanparker4996]

​@@joer3720 you gave up before the best part, weak

[@ryanparker4996]

​@@joer3720 put on your anti-cringe shades and finish it

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

"Somehow, Palpatine returned." I love how the script writers just kinda gave up lol

[@dsfddsgh]

Poor Oscar Issac with the way he delivered that line and looking like he wanted to die. LOL Well at least Marvel did right by him.

[@merchillio]

We needed him to come back, but we needed the last two movies to build up to it. Palpatine was there at the beginning of the Skywalker saga, it’s just that he’s there at the end. He was alway the master puppeteer behind everything

[@mysticsaxophone4181]

@@merchillio We really didn't need or want him back. His return makes the OT and Anakin's story arc null and void.

[@britlitsch6571]

@@merchillio No we did not need him to come back. Him coming back destroys Anakin's redemption, everything about episodes 1-6. This isn't the Skywalker saga. It's the Palpatine saga. All the Skywalker's are dead and his grandfather/daughter steals their name. As far as I'm concerned he won.

[@merchillio]

@@britlitsch6571 how does it destroy Anakin’s redemption? His redemption was saving his son after failing to save his wife. You come back to the light side by saving, not by killing.

[@macattackk]

This film was on of my favourite cinema experiences. Because I saw it with my best mate and we were just pissing ourselves laughing at how bad it was lol

[@bernhardtsen74]

I had such a bad experience too, but with the Urban Legend 2 movie!we predicted about 90 percent of the next moves she did running away from the baddie!

[@bouncybubble]

Saw it with my cousin and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that much since

[@Sweetish_Jeff_]

Natalie, now that you’re ostensibly done with the “Star Wars” films, at least the Skywalker Saga, I highly recommend you watch the “Star Trek” movies with the OG crew. I truly think you will enjoy them immensely. 👍👍

[@toddvergith9485]

Agreed! Those are some incredible films.

[@Sweetish_Jeff_]

@@toddvergith9485 “Wrath Of Khan” is phenomenal. Natalie will love that one.

[@lokstir4568]

Well the even numbered ones are really good

[@Sweetish_Jeff_]

@@lokstir4568 I think 1, 3, and 5 are vastly underrated. The Directors Cut of 1 is very good. 3 is a lot better than people think and 5 is not great, but it’s not bad. At least they came back with 6 to finish the story.

[@Dhaem16]

Ben's shrug is lowkey one of my favorite character bits. Yep, that's Han Solo's kid alright.

[@VandelYeIndustries]

Everyone forget Leia’s been able to use the force and sense things since the original trilogy

[@DarthCompton]

This right here.

[@dpapad202]

I am a lifelong star wars and cinema fan. I have never once even thought about walking off in the middle of a movie in the theater. This one did it for me

[@dariusthegreat_ent]

My soul left my body watching this again, if even in cut down form. Natalie's reactions made it bearable.

[@captainchaos3667]

I like the twist of Rey being a Palpatine. But the emperor didn't need to still be alive for that. I wish they would have just kept it at that.

[@rogeliolarronda]

Leia can use the Force because it runs strong in the Skywalker family, as Luke said in Return of the Jedi. Also, in the meantime between episodes 6 and 7 Leia could’ve and did train with Luke to improve her ability with the Force.

[@huskar97]

They imply Leia is force sensitive back in Return of the Jedi when her and Luke talk about being siblings and Vader being their father, she says she has kind of always known or something along those lines. And in the old Expanded Universe lots of stories revolved around Leia being a Jedi or connecting with the force in various ways.

[@Windupchronic]

Well, it's implied in Empire, too. When Luke calls to her and she hears, as well as Yoda's line "There is another." While the "another" isn't named, the implication is that he's talking about Leia.

[@huskar97]

Yeah thats true as well, forgot about that. And how she is able to find luke when he is hanging from the bottom of bespin city.

[@LordVolkov]

Yoda tells Luke to pass on what he has learned and Luke promises he will. What more do people need?

[@MrZackavelli]

@@LordVolkov I'll answer that for you: people need AN ORGANIC SHOWING OF LEIA BEING TRAINED AND ESTABLISHED AS A POWERFUL FORCE USER Rian Johnson said in interviews that Leia had never been trained before her little Mary Poppins stunt in TLJ So the fact that she's all of a sudden a powerful Jedi in TROS doesn't do it for most people. If Leia's such a powerful force user, why did the Resistance (or rebels, or whatever they're calling it now) have to wait for Rey to show up and lift the rocks to let them escape on Crait? Why couldn't Leia just do it herself?

[@MrZackavelli]

@@LordVolkov And "Luke promises" that like 20 minutes before he dies. How does he have time to act on it?

[@Ironoclasty]

I got the impression that the writers looked at the Star Wars universe as if, "the force is just BS we can use to do whatever we want," instead of an important underlying mechanic of the setting. So they just went through a series of "I think this would be cool," while being completely tone-deaf to what the fans actually appreciate. I loved how you were telling the whole story just before it happened. It was that cliched.

[@josemorales5117]

Of course the force is bullshit, the Jedi area religion lmfao

[@nomohakon6257]

@@josemorales5117 This better be a joke.

[@Lucargia1]

to be fair this is how every star wars project ever has used the force, lucas fully just randomly went "yeah fuck it force lightning makes sense" (which it literally doesn't but we all went along with it) and then decades later feloni decided spinny lightsaber + force = ability to fly? there's never been any REAL mechanic or laws to how it works beyond serving a story (or just looking cool)

[@RyoHazuki224]

Man, you never read any of the expanded universe novels or comics in the last 40 years huh? Do you know how much absolute bullshit that the writers of those things came up with for what the Force could do over the years?? Cuz I'll just say, NOTHING done in these new movies haven't been done before in a book or comic in the past.

[@cashewnuttel9054]

I really don't like fantasy where characters can use magic or a variety of magic; it destroys logic and just creates plot holes. If a character did this or that in that scene, then why didn't that character do this or that in this scene?

[@tskwerl]

Between the three films, it feels almost like a tug of war. They claim they had a plan, but that isn't what we see on screen. It feels like J.J. set everything up, Ryan tossed most of it out and then, after they nixed Colin Trevorrow's story, they got J.J. back in and he went, "Okay, now I've got to fix this." Just a few examples, Kylo repairing his helmet, Rose and Finn's romance dead stopping, Luke catching his lightsaber and saying, "This should be treated with more respect" in direct contradiction to his actions from the last film, Snoke being dead and J.J. having to find a more evil big bad by pulling the clone thing out of his butt... yeah, it was all the plan all along.

[@DaviniaHill]

*Rian

[@robertreichle1]

Rose and Finn never had a romance. She liked him. She kissed him. That's all that happened. The "clone thing" is exactly what happened in the Dark Horse comic in the 90's. They didn't explain that part enough, but it wasn't from out of nowhere. As soon as the intro crawl happened, I thought to myself, "he must have done the clone thing like in the comics."

[@paulbruno4894]

If you watched Lost, you'd know JJ never actually has a plan. He makes "mystery boxes" to intrigue audiences and lets other creators figure out how to pay them off. When he does have to actually conclude something, we get what we got here. Rian Johnson didn't toss anything because there was nothing to toss.

[@cassieo]

I do think JJ laid the foundation for some great payoffs. I also think he used his own ideas for episode 8 and 9 and tried to force as many of his ideas for those stories into the one film he was allowed to produce. I can see where his episode eight ended (Endor on the ruined Death Star) and where his episode nine begins (on Ach-To). There was an entire act of his ideas between Ach-To and Exegol that got cut out to make the ending work. The accelerated timeline of “36 hours” or whatever is just a plot device that had to be added to make his stuff work. I wish we could have seen JJ’s 8 and 9.

[@chrissonofpear1384]

@@cassieo Worse actually - it's 16. Sixteen hours, to crisscross the galaxy three times. Yeeaaahhhh. But I do kinda like your theory, on the script, anyway.

[@juvandy]

Your reaction when you just started laughing when Ben died is SPOT ON. Perfect. It doesn't get any more perfect than that. A moment presumably meant to be the emotional climax of this cash-grab abomination of an ending to an iconic series, and the reaction is to burst out laughing. Chefs kiss.

[@briansview2886]

It was emotional. Loved it

[@Jitterzz]

That’s how I reacted in the theater too. Not to ruin people’s experience, but I just couldn’t stop myself from laughing pretty hard.

[@petesolo70]

If you’re wondering what was happening in this movie, so were a lot of us watching it. This is the first time watching this since it came out. You hit it on the nail with the team of Rey, Finn and Poe, there was no chemistry with Luke, Leia and Han or even with Obi Wan, Anakin and Padme. Plus Rey was way too overpowered that’s why she was called a Mary Sue. The new trilogy had no overall plan or outline and it shows. The new trilogy divided the fan base so badly and all I can say is, thank God for The Mandolorian.

[@philipsheppard4815]

It would be like Luke, Han and Leia or Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme not sharing any real screen time until the third film of their trilogies, and C-3PO saying about his friends, has he even had any significant screentime with them?

[@turricanedtc3764]

The problem is that the toxic fanbois (and they were mostly bois) kvetching about Rey and calling her a "Mary Sue" largely didn't understand what the "Mary Sue" trope actually is. While it's true that the "Mary Sue" (and distaff-equivalent "Marty Stu") trope often represents a character given abilities and traits well in excess of the other characters, that's only a single facet of the trope. More often than not, a true "Mary Sue" tends to be a poorly-disguised self-insertion on the part of the writer. A "Mary Sue" will usually befriend established characters (or somehow already know them), their progress through the story will come across as conspicuously effortless, and - arguably most importantly - there will be no story-based justification for their talents. It follows that fanfiction is particularly prone to "Mary Sues". When we're introduced to Rey in TFA, it's clear that in spite of her latent Force-affinity, her life has been a struggle for several years and she lives hand-to-mouth for the most part. A "Mary Sue" would usually demonstrate unusual levels of "savvy" (or "cool") to get around those issues; Rey does not. Over the course of Episode 7's story, we discover that the First Order is on the verge of re-establishing the Empire, Leia's trying to muster a resistance effort, Han is a shadow of his former self and their son - the last scion of the Skywalker line - has turned to the Dark Side. As if that wasn't enough; to complete the shit sandwich, Luke is nowhere to be found and we're not going to find out why until the next movie. Remember - the key trait of a "Mary Sue" is that there is no story-based justification for the abilities that make them "special". In Rey's case, the justification is right there in the episode title - "The Force Awakens". Unlike Luke in the first movie, Rey has no equivalent of Obi-Wan looking out for her, and Kylo Ren has no siblings or cousins - as the only Skywalker of his generation, there is ostensibly no-one with similar Force affinity who can oppose him. The reason Rey's powers manifest as strongly as they do (and without training) is because whatever sentience exists within The Force has taken matters into its own hands in order to avert a catastrophe. A "Mary Sue" would take manifestation of (effectively) superpowers in her stride; if anything, Rey's somewhat frightened of them, which is why she tries to track down Luke. Ironically, probably one of the most prominent examples of a scene that categorically refutes the notion that Rey is a "Mary Sue" is one that the toxic fanbois went particularly ballistic over - namely the opening scene of TLJ where Luke tosses the lightsaber hilt Rey just reverently offered him. If Rey were truly a "Mary Sue", Luke would have hailed her as the new-new hope and told her he'd been waiting all that time just for her to find him so he could train her.

[@jamesliggins891]

it was such squandered potential with the core 3's chemistry. finn and poe were great together in TFA. Finn and rey were also pretty great together in TFA. why they didn't capitalize on this and keep building the core dynamic between all three of them i'll never understand. that's always been what has anchored these trilogies.

[@ThreshmanEntertainment]

Just as something to keep in kind, as you know, Carrie Fisher had died by this point so there was only so much they could do with Leia, unfortunately. I think they did pretty good with what they had to work with all things considered

[@MilkT0ast]

They did her dirty my dude. If Rian Johnson and JJ Abhrams actually had a plan and could actually work together, then we wouldn’t have to have that ridiculous space Mary poppins scene, and then her interrupting the fight on the Death Star , only to die from the strain? That was a really dumb way to send off Carrie Fisher.

[@blairpenny1526]

Or they could have just had her die instead of flying Marry Poppins style back into the ship

[@Mauther]

The making of story for this trilogy is far more interesting than the movies themselves. Despite what people say, there was actually a plan for all 3 movies to logically flow together, but it was out the door after the first movie. Each succeeding writer/director threw the previous one under the bus. This film (originally titled Duel of the Fates) I think actully had a pretty workable script considering the 8-ball the Last Jedi left them behind. However, Collin Trevorrow had a falling out with Kathleen Kennedy so JJ Abrams was brought in to "save" the day, and I think the general consensus was he fell short. A lot of the details of just how they managed to screw up the franchise this badly still haven't come to light yet. It will be interesting to see what comes out in 5 or 10 years. I just think it must have been really weird to be working at Disney, where Marvel churned out 23 movies with a reasonably coherent storyline and Star Wars struggled with three movies.

[@SimonWakefieldUK]

Duel of Fates may be a really good script but it’s actually unfilmable under the circumstances. There is just too much to do and the character’s need way too much development to reach where they need to be to pull off some of the extreme stuff in that script. If RJ had of done a better job it could have worked really well but when this movie felt rushed Duel of Fates would have seemed even worse. TBH the issues aren’t just with this trilogy but also with Rogue One and Solo. Lucasfilm have the story team whose whole job is keeping everything consistent, not just in the movies but in TV, books, comics, video games and anything else. JJ did work with them extensively, some changes to TFA came from them, one of the biggest being to push the Palpatine reveal to the second movie to give Snoke, Kylo and the first order time to grow before revealing the puppet master. The problem was while the other mediums saw the story team being the most important people with the movies the directors ended up being given priority and with, TLJ, Rouge One and Solo the directors sidelined the story team. Rogue One didn’t go so far off the reservation so when issues were discovered and they had to bring someone in to fix it, the fixes were minor enough that less than 20% had to be reworked hence why Gilroy didn’t get the director credit, solos was much more major, hence why Ron Howard had to come in and reshoot over 80% of the movie. TLJ wasn't caught at all. Duel of Fates issues were caught scripting stage, it seems by this point they were getting way more on top of directors rather than ignoring what they were doing until later but they took so long that JJ had to rush to almost rework the whole script and get it filmed. The story team should have been overseeing everything and had the final say, either that or if they didn’t want to do that there should have been one person overseeing everything, someone like Folini (who is now basically in that role) or Favreau who could have seen the bigger picture and would have been way more open to listening to the story team

[@TrueKoalaKnight]

IIRC The falling out was due to Trevorrow needing Luke to be alive at the end of The Last Jedi in order for his script to work, but they killed him off anyway. However, it is also my understanding that Trevorrow at least got the satisfaction of having George Lucas read his script after the fact and getting the creator's approval.

[@wonderpossum3295]

"Somehow, Palpatine returned" Oscar Isaac deserved some kind of award if he managed to get that line out in less than 5 takes without pissing himself laughing.

[@metetural9140]

Would you say he deserved... An Oscar?

[@LazzyVamples]

No, I think that defeated and frustrated expression on his face was just how he felt about that line. I don't think he delivered it as Poe, he just delivered it as himself.

[@deadshot5007]

​@@LazzyVamplesPretty sure he just acted because there is nothing wrong with this line.

[@LazzyVamples]

@@deadshot5007 That's all you had to say for me to know that you don't know anything about writing or filmmaking.

[@deadshot5007]

@@LazzyVamples Actually it shows how YOU and every other mindless hater doesn't know anything about filmmaking or writing. Poe doesn't know how he returned and of course he would look frustrated as now they have to deal with yet another gigantic enemy. Again, there is nothing wrong with this line or scene and the actor understood the assignment. A shame majority of people can'tm

[@00rabbit7]

It honestly feels like JJ Abrams saw Endgame and was like okay we need to reshoot this climax real quick and do this

[@rostoff]

Leia as Jedi is developed in the novels that were then disavowed as canon when Disney bought the franchise. Timothy Zahns 5 novels are fantastically good.

[@joeldykman7591]

If the sequel trilogy was supposed to be a passing of the torch of sorts, i always thought that Disney could have used material from the old extended universe- a story i thought could have worked is the Yuuzhan Vong invasion storyline. For those who don't know what that is, let me massively paraphrase: The Yuuzhan Vong are a civilization of extra-universal invaders who are cut-off from the force (essentially a more humaniod version of tyrannid from Warhammer 40k) that Palpatine was building his massive war fleet to combat. The new republic is ill-equipped to deal with the Vong and lose massive swaths of planets to the invasion before theres eventually a truce. I think this story could have easily given the orginal trilogy hero's consequences for their actions while simulatenously being able to pass the torch onto the next generation, as Han and Laia's children both play pretty important roles in that story if i recall.

[@stonerviking4079]

I really wish they would've done the books version of things. Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin were such better characters and the Vong would've been amazing with their living ships and weapons that were all Bio engineered

[@andreshalders4633]

@@NiclasLoof Well, I'd say that, with Disney, we're way past the "what would George do?" being used as reference lol. Also, didn't Vector Prime get a tv ad narrated by Mark Hamill? If I had to guess, I'd say George wasn't that oblivious to this series. Even if he disagreed with some things he still gave a green light nonetheless (he had to authorize the death of a main character in this book too). We have some awesome cases of Jedi being cut out from the Force by other Jedi in other Legends media as well (I'll avoid spoiling them). I agree with you, it's a very interesting and useful asset in some of the best Star Wars stories we got to this day. It's a shame New Jedi Order and the Thrawn Trilogy weren't adapted. If only George had waited until the series model became huge...

[@MrBazBake]

@@andreshalders4633 George killed Luke in Episode 8. George had Luke train Rey. George never considered the EU canon. George wanted Leia to be the real Chosen One. We don't know everything he would have done but we have his treatments for the sequels.

[@BunchaNothin]

@@NiclasLoof but the vong series later establishes that they're not separated from the force, its just different. Like being used to a specific area of the light spectrum, and then discovering the spectrum is wider than you thought. The implications for the force ended up being profound in the vong series.

[@andreshalders4633]

@@MrBazBake It was non-canon when it suited his ego or when he wanted to clap back at the fans legitimate criticism. It was canon when it gave him money to keep Star Wars alive for almost 40 years, while hiring people at Lucasfilm to do the hard work of keeping continuity. He even respected the established EU canon when making the prequels (like using Coruscant's name). In my opinion, a sequel trilogy was never needed. He only made his script to increase the value of his company pior to the purchase. I disagree with most of his treatment for the sequels. That's why I cringe when someone says George would be saving Star Wars right now. Would it be better? Certainly, specially when it comes to quality, artistry and originality. Too much different ideologically? Not really. In any case, I think we can all agree he would be more understanding and classy than Kennedy ever will be towards criticism.

[@johnjones4426]

Force Awakens: too familiar Last Jedi: too bold Rise of Skywalker: too desperate

[@kokosilenzio]

Obi Wan: Too much

[@vtastek]

@@kokosilenzio Too much what?

[@ochayethenoo]

@@kokosilenzio Obi-Wan is great.

[@deadshot5007]

Nope. Rise was the perfect combination

[@EOMReacts]

"What is happening?" We're still trying to figure it out a few years later.

[@rustybarrel516]

Some are. I gave up.

[@dstojano]

My thoughts on how Palpatine survived. I the prequels Anakin foreshadowed that Padme would die in child birth and he didn't want to lose his love. Palpatine sensed his fear of loss and enticed him to the dark side by promising him the ability to keep people alive. Palpatine spoke about a Sith Lord so powerful he couldn't die. His apprentice (presumably Palpatine) killed the Sith Lord and took his power. Anakin went to the dark side out of necessity to save Padme. The Jedi could not save her as Yoda told Anakin that he had to learn to let go and that death was a natural state throughout the force & universe. Later, of course, after finding out that Padme actually died and that Anakin lost everything he loved including his child* he turned full Vadar. Since the original Sith Lord had the power of immortality it makes sense that Palpatine also would know the secret. However that came at a cost. From what I can gather he needed other Sith to survive (Sloke, Kylo Ren etc.) ultimately using both Rey and Kylo to revive himself. That's probably why he was originally looking for his granddaughter(Rey) to use her to fully revive himself. So Rey's parents hid her and were killed for it. At the end of the movie Palpatine says "I'm all the Sith" and Rey says "I'm all the Jedi" meaning whoever won would be the last survivor. Kylo Ren was still alive but he was neither Sith nor Jedi as he renounced the Sith after speaking to Han (throwing away his lightsaber). So Palpatine should be completely dead now as he could no longer preserve himself. As for Kylo's death, I think Kylo's death is supposed to mimic Vadar's. Anakin turned to the dark side out of necessity to try and save Padme. It wasn't for power or might like Palpatine killing his master. That's what allowed Anakin to still have love for his son and save Luke from Palpatine. Same for Kylo he turned to the dark side out of self preservation because he thought Luke was going to kill him. I think that's why he idolizes Vader. As Vader sacrificed himself to save Luke out of love for his son so did Kylo sacrifice himself out of love for Rey. I hope this helped a little.

[@icasabar]

Hiya Natalie! Lovin the vids! Keep up the great work! Here’s a lil context for Leia when us fans first watch The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker in theaters: We knew that Carrie Fisher passed after the production of TLJ. So in theaters, fans were on the edge of our seat when she was on screen because in the back of our minds, we were concerned how her arch would end with her actual passing. For me, it was emotional seeing her floating in space because it was sad seeing that knowing someone we loved for years couldn’t return. In TRS, fans knew that that Leila’s scenes were spliced cuts from TLJ. You may notice that some of the dialogue were obviously adjusted to attempt to fit in her likeness in the film. So, again, her on screen death, when connecting and turning Ben was a beautiful emotional ending the Leia arch without Fisher shooting any scenes. Hope this helps put into context our emotions with the Princess when we watched on opening nights!

[@Lord-Cyrus]

Speak for yourself. Leia's scenes in TROS are not good, because they just don't fit in the movie. They chose to end the arc of one of the most iconic SW characters with chopped up footage that barely held together. Just so they wouldn't have to recast. I really don't think this end to Leia as a character is respectful to Carrie Fisher and her legacy...

[@DJMaul1031]

Before even getting into YOUR reaction: I'm a lifelong SW fan since 1977. I've always been ...forgiving...when it comes to some of the flaws in these movies. But TROS is the hardest to forgive. Whatever your reaction to TLJ, pro or con, we ALL can agree that Disney backpeddling on everything only made it WORSE. And I utterly HATE the retcon of Reys parents and the "shipping" of Rey and Kylo. Sigh. In the end Disney really is to blame for not having a plan. They've managed to course correct with the series, thank goodness.

[@marcofernando9058]

Course correct with the series? The first season of Mando (and the first half of s2) perhaps… everything else has been average at best.

[@chrisallen9638]

@@marcofernando9058 Average is still better than this.

[@DJMaul1031]

@@marcofernando9058 agree to disagree. I've been enjoying all the series very much.

[@marcofernando9058]

@@chrisallen9638 touché

[@Sweetish_Jeff_]

Here’s how I would describe this movie: I think “The Rise Of Skywalker” was accused of something bad and at sone point it decided to plead guilty. I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. The trailers looked amazing. Then I saw the film in the theater and all of that excitement and optimism vanished in the haze. 😔 That ending. Why??? Why not just end the movie with no dialogue, just a John Williams score, as Rey looks out and sees the spirits of Luke, Leia, Yoda, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and last but not least, Kylo-Ren?

[@Needler13]

The sequels were truly the worst, that's for sure

[@nerddwarf]

If Force-healing exists, why did Anakin allow his mother to die in his arms?

[@ElKamaleon777]

@@nerddwarf He didn't have that power

[@ochayethenoo]

@@nerddwarf Force healing has been a thing in every Star Wars Jedi game. You like it in that but not in the films? Don't be so nitpicky.

[@nerddwarf]

@@ElKamaleon777 AND NEITHER SHOULD REY

[@ryand34561]

I gotta say, your editing, commentary, jokes, and little cartoons and funnies on the screen have become really quite good! 35:59 to 36:16 is hilarious lol

[@daveblackman816]

This movie just treats the force like a writing board superpower where it makes everything convenient.

[@javiercarbone2574]

The reason why R2 didn’t stay with the ship when luk told him to, is because the last person that told him to stay didn’t come back and that person was Anakin

[@CrazeeAdam]

"He was able to grab the necklace?" yeah...actually that was shown in the last movie too...it's just a bit weird Also Leia has always kind of had a sense for the Force weather you realized it or not. She connected with Luke in Empire Strikes Back when he was in danger after his fight with Darth Vader and a couple other times. It'd only make sense for her powers to grow as she got older and used them more. Like some stuff doesn't make sense but her being able to use the force does. Like she's had 30+ years of training and some of it was with Luke as well....how would that not make sense she's pretty strong? Considering she is the daughter of Darth Vader, possibly one of the strongest force users ever? yeah....makes pretty good sense to me at least.

[@MrZackavelli]

But, as an audience member, the whole "30+ years of training" was essentially presented to us as a throwaway line. That's what irritates people.

[@stevenfriedman2902]

I think a lot of the not so intense fans forgot she's force sensitive when this came out. I remember before I saw The Last Jedi I was saying I wanted to see Leia use the force and when she did I thought it was bitter/sweet because of the fact I got what I want but had rather see the character die in the movie when the actress died. I think it would have been better to see Leia use the ship to do the hyperspace crash into the fleet instead of that other one we cared so little about to make the sacrifice feel more heavy

[@Ryu62Alpha]

I think you pretty much nailed it, the sequel trilogy was really disjointed narratively. It doesn't help when you have one director that is aimless focusing on the "mystery box" style of storytelling, while you have a second who just did whatever he wanted. There was no cohesion between these films, or even to the older films. A lot of narrative is told to you, rather than shown which sucks.

[@F_Karnstein]

"Mixed bag but fun" is exactly how I felt. One of the two things I found most problematic was the unwillingness to commit. Chewie's death could have been a very powerful moment, but then they chickened out as if they feared fan rage. Very similar with 3PO. There could have been some real stakes, some pages actually being turned, but they didn't follow through with it. The other was the obvious way in which they tried to undo some things The Last Jedi had done and many people disliked. I think Rey Nobody would have been a far greater message, but everyone was so obsessed with their petty little theories of Red Skywalker/Solo/Palpatine/Kenobi... that they wanted to give them something like this, no matter how stupid. And the whole "a Jedi's weapon deserves more respect" was such a cringe response to people freaking out about Luke throwing the thing away in The Last Jedi...

[@qs4177]

Weird cause those that followed legends had already semi accepted Chewies death decades ago

[@tragicallyhypno3158]

@@qs4177 R.A. Salvatore got death threats because of that at the time.

[@qs4177]

@@tragicallyhypno3158 yeah I remember, fun times lol...but it did grudgingly become accepted as star wars lore after....yeah I remember the controversy, people were not happy

[@tragicallyhypno3158]

@@qs4177 Star Wars fans basically just receive everything by giving out death threats and then wonder why we get shit like Rise of Skywalker. I imagine nobody who is doing Star Wars stuff actually wants to do anything that will really rock the boat because nobody wants to be the first one to be killed by a toxic fandom :(

[@qs4177]

@@tragicallyhypno3158 last I checked I took Star wars being sold to Disney for chewies death to be unmade. So this change to Chewies life had very little to do with what the fans wanted.

[@wutsittoya]

babu frik is one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie

[@LandBark]

- I am Rey. - Rey who? - I don't know, I don't have a family name. - Okay, so I'll call you Rey Solo.

[@neomoscoso10]

Whenever I see your impression described on the thumbnail, I assume it is your definitive take on what you are watching. I assure you; the way you feel about this one is the same as the majority of the fandom (if not all of it).

[@30noir]

There's always a few ppl who love everything with the star wars label on it.

[@roxas4]

Or at least the vocal part of the fandom. Whether it's the majority or minority is up for debate.

[@MrZackavelli]

@@roxas4 Bra, you're in denial. It's clear as day that this trilogy has failed to hit with fans. The merchandise sales can tell you that.

[@SlipperyPeteClassic]

This reaction is just someone being yanked back and forth between several different emotions, showing how this movie has no consistent tone at all. "Oh so R2 can restore 3P0 and I didn't need to cry" perfectly exemplifies it. The way Nat goes from sadness to happiness to laughter during Rey and Ben's final scene as well.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

Also imagine doing that whole tragic scene when it all could be avoided if they simply downloaded a backup to a fucking USB stick first and then restored it.

[@extantsanity]

Yeah, you've reached "The Room" status when the main character dies and the audience laughs.

[@xxmarjaxx]

@@extantsanity It's just so absurd and sudden the way it goes from happy to sad. Like they're both giggling and then all of a sudden he just drops dead. SO BAD.

[@extantsanity]

@@xxmarjaxx Yup! JJ's original trick was "mystery boxes". When that lost its appeal from people making fun of him for it, he switched to his new gimmick of "emotional whiplash" because he saw Endgame and figured he could have the victory and sadness back to back, no matter how it's achieved in-story.

[@DigitalJediMaster]

I'm somewhat surprised at the newer Star Wars reactors watching these who completely missed Leia was Force Sensitive in the Original Trilogy. Like, there's three conversations about it in Return of the Jedi alone.

[@johnnyringo80]

I find it quite interesting that you mapped out the story potential with the characters in your opening musings while the actual writers obviously didn't get any of it.

[@calarahilbaggins1928]

The lightsaber grabbing with mark was a nod to the disrespect Ryan Johnson did with luke in the last Jedi when he threw the lightsaber was more a joke than anything.

[@andrewharrison5288]

"I don't wanna go to Kijimi," in that resigned tone like _The Rise of Skywalker_ is taking Natalie to piano lessons. 😆

[@patrickcromwell7554]

way back when Episode 7 was called "Heir to The Empire," a novel written by Timothy Zahn back in '92 I believe Leia was beginning her training with Luke 5 years after Return of the Jedi. She was also Pregnant AND the leader of the New Republic, so her training wasn't very strenuous. Given her political responsibilities and her motherhood looming it fell to the side. Luke eventually sought out 12 new Force Sensitive people to train and they became the first New Jedi Council. But Leia was able to at least maintain SOME level of connection due to her blood as a Skywalker. She was never very Powerful in terms of skill and abilities, but she had a very deep well of Force energy to draw on if needed. Just FYI: she named her first children - twins - Jaina and Jacen Solo. Later she had another son which she named Anakin. Luke won the heart of a former bounty hunter employed by the Emperor (possibly some form of inquisitor) named Mara Jade and they had a son named Ben Skywalker. Which makes 1000 times more sense than Han's son being named Ben. I NEVER felt there was any sense in that. Like why would Han just accept that name for his only son? he really didn't like Obi Wan, like at all. and Leia hardly even knew him at all - until Disney retconned their relationship with the show; giving them a logical reason for Ben Solo to exist.

[@johnyshadow]

I´d say we need Mara in canon, but I dread what they´d do to her...

[@BlarghMeow]

It was always clear in a New Hope that Leia knew Ben personally. We just never got anything to say why until Kenobi

[@patrickcromwell7554]

@@BlarghMeow Well, I disagree; it wasn't "clear.". All we KNOW is that, and I quote " Years ago, you served my father in the clone wars.....". Nothing in that statement tells us that SHE knew Obi Wan. And as I said, the show is literally retconing their relationship in order to correct was was unclear. Just like Obi Wan's line to Luke when he says "I took it upon myself to train him(meaning Vader)". According to EP. 1, he didn't actually "take it upon himself; he was fulfilling the dying wish of his Master. That's not "upon himself." EP. 4 dialogue between Luke and Ben is essentially a lie, when compared to the a trial events of Eos. 1-3. Even Luke and Leia's conversation about their mother is wrong. None of their exchange makes sense when compared to the event in the prequels.

[@BlarghMeow]

@@patrickcromwell7554 in the Death Star Luke says that he's there with Ben Kenobi and she freaks out. That's pretty clear to me

[@nerddwarf]

Just dropping this comment incase somebody else reads this and is confused All of this was from The Extended Universe, when Disney bought LucasFilms they announced that all Extended Universe media was now Non-Canon. Extended Universe is now called Legends. Star Wars Legends is the Old Canon. (It was better) Star Wars/Disney Star Wars is New Canon

[@d.j.mulcahy1657]

Watching Rise of Skywalker made me feel similar to how Game of Thrones fans felt when season 8 wrapped up. It's disappointing to see something I've loved for years turn into this incoherent mess.

[@dsfddsgh]

Thank God for Marvel sticking the landing on Endgame or we would have had 3 of the biggest disappointments in pop culture history in the same year.

[@d.j.mulcahy1657]

@@dsfddsgh I have some nitpicks about Endgame, but at least it felt like a conclusion. The character arcs reached a logical end point (minus Thor) and it felt like the storylines from prior movies were wrapped up in a way that satisfied long-time fans. Rise of Skywalker also made me somewhat appreciate films like Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith. I previously disliked those films, but at least they had an end point in mind and wrapped them up in coherent way.

[@nerddwarf]

@@d.j.mulcahy1657 They changed the name part way through production Endgame should have kept its original title "Infinity War Part 2" Because that's what it is. It's the conclusion to the Heroes losing in Infinity War

[@rockyseverino9230]

at least with star wars we had two great endings to the two previous trilogies. i don't feel like i can ever revisit Game of Thrones with that ending. bummer.

[@MilkT0ast]

Rian Johnson kinda made it unsalvageable. JJ originally had a different script with George. But it was probably Kathleen Kennedy that shut it down. And made them tell a specific story. Finn was supposed to be the Stormtrooper turned Jedi. The knife of Mortis was supposed to be introduced (hence the stupid knife thing in this movie) And the antagonist was suppose to be Admiral Thrawn. Could have been way better.

[@tonyharrison2112]

Adam Driver fucking carried the sequel trilogy on his back mans a damn legend.

[@AZURAKAZ]

"Now step on up to dance the dance, and touch the hand that heals. Like the tallest hog on wall street, I'm a wheelin' all the deals. They'll carve my face in marble, they'll etch my name in stone. They'll paint my noble portrait, and historify my home..." Primus "Puddintaine"

[@eddiejravannen]

This is what happens when you make a trilogy, and just wing it. No planning, no cohesion. Just subvert expectations. I love how Hux became the mole. He killed several PLANETS worth of people, just to maintain his cover.

[@RaiderNic99]

To be fair, Force Healing has been a power in Star Wars for a long, long time. It was just never in the movies previously. It has been in multiple games, comics, books, and other media for Star Wars.

[@araisikewai]

On the other hand, we get Force Transporter now. Force Projection was one thing, but to hand each other a physical object with Force Postal Service (TM)?

[@bidwell13]

It could be said that force healing was first seen in a New Hope just not said. The scene where Obi-Wan tends to Luke after the Tusken attack. The way he puts his hand on his head.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

It was never in the movies because it's stupid broken. It was in the games because they needed a healing mechanic. Disney doing away with EU lore being canon was a good thing, but then they had to reintroduce stuff in from the window anyway. Story writing is easier if you place clear limits on what your characters can do.

[@iapetusmccool]

@@HaganeNoGijutsushi I always thought that a lot of the "force powers" that got introduced in the old EU, and especially in games, were simultaneously OP _and also_ arbitrary and restrictive. I know a lot of people complained about how the Force was depicted in TLJ, but it seemed to me to be making a return to how it was depicted and described in the original trilogy, and removing all the "game mechanic" type abilities that the EU had added over the years.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

@@iapetusmccool games gonna be games. I don't think there's anything wrong with them introducing those powers but I also don't take them as "canon" - you have to understand them within a "game design trumps story" perspective. It'd be hella boring if you couldn't do that; characters in movies don't magically recover from near fatal wounds by picking up first aid kits either. And the EU always was essentially just overstretched fanfiction, if you try to squeeze too much content out of a limited setting, especially if you always try to up the stakes, that shit is what you get. It's also the mistake the sequel trilogy made, ironically. The Last Jedi doesn't do much in terms of the Force, true, though Luke force-projecting a hologram from half a galaxy away also feels like bullshit to me. Like, he could talk and see people clearly as day, that's an amazingly broken communication technique, it could be used for spying, ffs. A Jedi could have just infiltrated the Empire and taken a look at the Death Star plans with that, no Bothans risked (and couldn't you just project the hologram of someone else, and masquerade as them?). But most of TLJ's problems in terms of breaking the lore are elsewhere - specifically the Holdo manoeuvre scene, which while extremely cool also completely breaks the setting forever. And even so, breaking the lore and power ceiling of the universe isn't even the worst problem TLJ has.

[@sjonne9731]

The fact that she called an X-wing a star destroyer kills me

[@CJmonkee]

Going through all the emotions at the end there with Rey and Ben... haha. Laugh crying. Hilarious!

[@kaygee2121]

I held it together until chewie's reaction to Leia's death and then had the same reaction as you when Han appeared.

[@Gdank72]

Han Solo "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?" ROS : Fuck that ... lets them have the skip through planets for the shits and giggles.

[@cryptc]

and why was every skip right close to a planet, you'd expect them to mostly be in empty space XD

…nah, just for the bad writing… unprofessional employees.

[@McGreasyjesus]

your reactions are the best out there, I wait eagerly for every one, but your ability to call pretty much everything before it happens is INSANE. I feel like you dont even get a lot of the best reactions because you always call it beforehand!

[@yuchiachen3075]

it's also just how predictable this film is. but yeah nat does get a lot of plots right since she always invest in whatever she watches

[@robertreichle1]

@@yuchiachen3075 Or she's aware of all the constant complaining about these movies all over the internet and went in already prepared to give the haters exactly what they wanted. Make people happy with your views and they'll be more likely to subscribe to you.

[@MilkT0ast]

@@robertreichle1 well, not really. There are plenty of movies she can and does predict. And not seeing any kinds of spoilers (she said herself) It’s partially due to her intelligence, Her paying attention, and mostly her background in theatre. I guess your point would be valid if you think she’s lying, and only doing it for the clout.

[@Joshua-xh6bm]

Somehow, Palatine Returned.

[@Randy-Wright_Edt]

You said you were never really invested in Rey, Poe and Finn as a trio of friends. Is that why you left out the scene near the end where the three of them hugged? That's one of my favorite scenes.😥

[@rodprime79]

37:00 Yup, your reaction was the same as everyone in the theater. It made for an unintentionally funny "WTF" moment.

[@mahoutsuguy863]

"Somehow palpatine returned..." sums up the amount of thought and effort that went into Disney Star Wars and still is

[@danielallen3454]

You can *see* Oscar Isaac struggling to make that line believable.

[@samuelclayhills3298]

The rise of skywalker: every pureblooded skywalker dies and a Palpatine takes their place. Kylo what most agree was the best part of the sequels dipped so that he didn't have to be apart of it anymore.

[@iapetusmccool]

Not only are all of Anakin's descendents dead, but Han's as well :(

[@waltw9818]

Here's a recommendation - an easily overlooked movie: "The Last StarFighter" 1984. Great Story! Probably will have to purchase/rent.

[@Alniemi]

I think youre right about the "fun" and AMAZING art in the movie. But There was waaay too many moments where I thought WTF, this doesnt make sense given the last 6 movies. Sometimes i wonder if the creators have seen the original trilogy more than once.