Support NeoGAF

[VulcanRaven]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Ultimate Preview

After four decades, Star Wars is drawing to its epic conclusion. Lev Grossman goes behind the scenes with director J.J. Abrams and the cast for the inside scoop on The Rise of Skywalker. With exclusive photographs by Annie Leibovitz.

www.vanityfair.com

Great article and it has many new photos. A lot more on the site. I didn't like The Last Jedi but I'm still excited.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

@ the first image

@ the second image

 

[Musky_Cheese]

You won’t fool me again Disney

 

[#Phonepunk#]

skipping this pointless movie. looks dull as fuck anyways. they are really running that Boba Fett mask into the ground.

 

[Liamario]

The series is dead. I look forward to Dune

 

[Frank Spencer]

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

I haven’t seen the movie (obviously) but the title still doesn’t do it for me.

Wouldn’t “The Skywalker Legacy” or “The Skywalker Prophecy” been better choices?

 

[Tritroid]

I haven’t seen the movie (obviously) but the title still doesn’t do it for me.

Wouldn’t “The Skywalker Legacy” or “The Skywalker Prophecy” been better choices?

That's pretty typical with Star Wars titles; you don't really understand the meaning behind it still you see the movie (some are way more obvious than others though).

Hell, look at "The Phantom Menace", nobody had a clue in hell what that was til it released.

Anyway, hyped for this. Praise JJ.

 

[EviLore]

Hmm.

 

[Nymphae]

Director J. J. Abrams sets up a shot of Daisy Ridley (Rey) in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert, the setting for the planet Pasaana

Huh, yet another sand planet.

But then a strange thing happened. Abrams remembered that there was some footage of Fisher left over from The Force Awakens, scenes that had been changed or cut entirely, and he dug them up. “It’s hard to even talk about it without sounding like I’m being some kind of cosmic spiritual goofball,” Abrams says, “but it felt like we suddenly had found the impossible answer to the impossible question.”

Will be interesting to see how well that works.

I haven’t seen the movie (obviously) but the title still doesn’t do it for me.

Wouldn’t “The Skywalker Legacy” or “The Skywalker Prophecy” been better choices?

RoS works because it's ambiguous, does it refer to Luke? Rey? Kylo? Leia? A new order?

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

I still see all the qualities that ruined this new trilogy on display.

Hey look, it's a female fighter, get it? That's more progressive, you see.

"The empire is basically just space Nazis, that's the only analogy we are capable of making"

We've seen this battle before. And it only assures me that nothing in the final showdown will match the weight of Luke laying down his lightsaber in willing surrender... instead we'll get more boring "empowerment" of a lead no one has any reason to care for.

Bad choice of costume for reviving that character... it looks like he's at a convention trying to remind people of his glory days. At least give him some kind of age-appropriate shift and role, he can't be some kind of gallant space rogue at this age.

Oh look, the once interesting Luke is still frowning to remind us of his character assassination in the last film's writing.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

real question: does anyone want any of the characters to return for 10/11/12?

I think an older more mature kylo would be cool.

the only way Id want rey to be kept around would be if she turns to the dark side though.

to me everyone is pretty much throw away.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

real question: does anyone want any of the characters to return for 10/11/12?

I think an older more mature kylo would be cool.

the only way Id want rey to be kept around would be if she turns to the dark side though.

to me everyone is pretty much throw away.

Kylo is the only interesting character to emerge in the films, which should be more attributed to his acting than the writing, which often lets him down or weakens what could be a great, complex villain.

 

[iconmaster]

I'll watch spoiler reviews by fans. If they're generally positive, I'll catch it on streaming.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Those guys seen in the first image are Knights of Ren apparently. I'm interested to hear more about them.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

I'll watch spoiler reviews by fans. If they're generally positive, I'll catch it on streaming.

this is how I feel.

when SW was bought by disney and being revitalized I was always on a spoiler blackout, now idgaf about avoiding spoilers and will catch it on a plane trip or something

 

[Ovek]

Is the Luke photo from yet another fucking flash back in order to retcon Luke trying to murder one of his students?

 

[#Phonepunk#]

I haven’t seen the movie (obviously) but the title still doesn’t do it for me.

i don't know. it is a horrible title. it sounds like a direct to video thing. Return of Jafar.

JJ is not a great filmmaker. he is a competent one but i can only take so much of his half assed cool nerd schtick. i never saw the third Star Trek because the second was the lamest Khan ripoff i could have ever imagined. that is on top of the movie having a dumb plot and making no sense. i don't think he is a good writer and i don't care about any of these characters anymore, so I will wait for the RLM take.

this "finally the saga will end" crap i believe as much as Disney's "This is the last chance to own Beauty and the Beast on home video!" slogans from the 90s.

Star Wars was a good movie. the first one. it was too profitable, it was the most profitable movie of all time. George Lucas wanted to James Bond it even then, when he was saying it could be 6, 9, or 12 movies long. i don't need to see every James Bond movie.

 

[Lady Bird]

Hey look, it's a female fighter, get it? That's more progressive, you see.

A fantasy movie featuring female fighters does not automatically means it's trying hard to be progressive. And her costume is aesthetically interesting and it wouldn't work as well if she were a man, imo.

"The empire is basically just space Nazis, that's the only analogy we are capable of making"

They can't do anything about it at this point. This is the third act of a story with nazi-empire as the main antagonist force. They're not suddenly going to be completely different at the series finale. Disney already lost that opportunity with episode VII.

 

[Nymphae]

They're not suddenly going to be completely different at the series finale

 

[Lady Bird]

Is the Luke photo from yet another fucking flash back in order to retcon Luke trying to murder one of his students?

I don't think that shot will be in the movie (Luke in the flashback was younger), but I'm sure we haven't seen all flashbacks of that moment yet.

There's a big missing puzzle piece in all flashback sequences that I believe was deliberate: we have never, ever seen Ben killing other Luke's students. It was assumed that he did, but Luke was unconscious when that happened. The only witness was R2-D2. For all we know, it could very well have been Snoke, or the Knights of Ren, or somebody else. If the writers have played their cards right, this could have been all planned along for an unexpected flashback revelation to appear in the last movie, possibly to set up a Ben Solo redemption.

But this is just a theory.

 

[DeeDogg_]

I honestly dont know anyone who is invested into the "story" of the ST. Its fundamentally broken and filled with inconsistencies and poorly written characters. Who is Rey? what are her motivations? what are her motives? weaknesses? strengths? Same can be said for Finn Rose and everyone else. They're just there. Theres no saving this corporate dumpster fire

 

[J-Roderton]

No thanks.

 

[Mihos]

Just light speed a ship into it.

Watching emo-vader and mary suewalker give me 2 hours of sensitivity training just doesn't sound like something I want to invest in. I would rather be that waitress in the last Brightburn trailer than go through Last Jedi again.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Just light speed a ship into it.

A great tactic to use when all your heroes are on the ship being rammed, because it magically kills all the bad guys, and all of their ships, and plot armor protects the three heroes that don’t even brace for impact

 

[Hissing Sid]

I remember back in the day when Star Wars fans would feel sorry for the Trekkies because of the amount of abuse they were forced to put up with. You’d pass a Trek fan in the street and kinda turn your head away out of embarrassment. Occasionally the Trekker would glance up and catch your eye, revealing the ugly welts and bruises of their latest box office beating. You’d mumble something vaguely sympathetic and rush off thanking your lucky stars that despite the occasional Ewoks and Lucasisms, you were still a lot better off than that poor cunt.

Yeah. Those were the days.

Nowadays of course we’re all chained to the fucking wall taking the rubber hose together.

 

[ConnorDuffy1977]

While I certainly soured on Rian Johnson's vision of Star Wars, I absolutely loved Solo and have a lot of hope for this movie. I think FA was solid and if JJ can continue what he started and wrap things up, I will be very happy.

Also, where is Rose?

 

[cryptoadam]

I haven’t seen the movie (obviously) but the title still doesn’t do it for me.

Wouldn’t “The Skywalker Legacy” or “The Skywalker Prophecy” been better choices?

ROTJ
ROTS

TSL?
TSP?

It doesnt fit.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Lando's face says he would rather star in a new Command and Conquer.

 

[Kadayi]

 

[ConnorDuffy1977]

Lando's face says he would rather star in a new Command and Conquer.

Ehhh, I don't know about that. As hated as TLJ was, it grossed over $1b. I'm sure Billy D will be smiling looking at his bank account. And good for him.

 

[PSlayer]

hard pass for me.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

not gonna fault the older actors for returning and getting that mad paycheck. George Lucas had been asking that of them for decades, for instance Hamill talking about being asked to play an older Obi Wan style version of himself in a future entry way back in the early 80s. i feel the same way as i do about classic rock bands who continue touring, like Judas Priest, you guys were there back in the days, why not celebrate what you have made? but they don't need me to personally pay for a ticket to make money. the nostalgia circuit is a built-in fanbase. it is a money conveyor built.

TFA was a mediocre blockbuster. the tentacle monsters were lamer than prequel lame, they were late 90s Sci Fi miniseries lame. the new planets were dull and Earthlike. the new characters were cool but the plot & setup was sparse and provided no inspiration for the imagination. it trolled too much in OT worship, with the main plot being finding a Luke action figure.

TLJ was actively trolling the audience, and alternated between wide-eyed Disney tv cartoon side plotting and hyper patriot fetishization of military service & particularly suicide bombing. this was a disturbing development IMO and put me off the series for good. it has bad politics. they cover it up by stoking the MRA crowd and making the media talk about that. but the ST movies have terrible politics.

what did our heroes do in the last film? they went to a planet looking for someone, found some slave kids, then rescued the dogs they are forced to tend to, smashed through the casino, and got away patting themselves on the back saying "it was worth it". the kid at the very end of the movie, who is looking up at the sky, this is the most absurd thing of all. what is he hoping for with his Resistance ring? this kid has already had his heroes visit his planet and still they did not save him. he is unimportant to the story, which is about an important war, and fucking up a casino is more important than saving actual human slaves. our brave heroes. what will they do next? i guess that's what that kid is thinking about, as he starves himself to sleep.

 

[ConnorDuffy1977]

i feel the same way as i do about classic rock bands who continue touring, like Judas Priest, you guys were there back in the days, why not celebrate what you have made?

There are a lot of bands that still kick ass in their old age. The current edition of the Dead is packing stadiums. Phish still tours to sold out venues. Point is, they're still definitely still worth checking out. Just like Star Wars.

 

[juliotendo]

I think Star Wars has to disappear for a while, the new trilogy so far has been pretty generic and uninspired. The Last Jedi was extremely boring and the casting is terrible for the new series. All the characters are forgettable with exception of maybe Kylo Ren, but even he is kind of a generic Darth Vader bootleg.

Give it a rest Disney.

 

[Uhtred]

Those pics are screensaver worthy, Jebus!!!!!!!!!

December can't get here soon enough.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I don't even know what to think anymore.

Yeah, I'll see it just because I've seen the other two and might as well see how it ends, but this is sink or swim time for Star Wars.

 

[Ichabod]

Seeing Lando in the same get-up from his younger days made me think of this pic for some reason:

 

[sol_bad]

At least there will be a year time gap between films so that there can be off screen character development.
People seem to be completely happy with off screen character development in the original trilogy so they should be fine with it here.
Thank god.