The Rise of Skywalker: Not With a Bang, but With a Sigh

Star Wars is a franchise that has spanned generations, and when it was announced that The Rise of Skywalker would be the last film for awhile (at least the last one in the saga of the Skywalker story), there were mixed feelings. The Star Wars fanbase is extremely passionate about the story (sometimes to the point of being overdramatic), and the newest trilogy has had mixed reviews on all levels. There seemed like an enormous amount of pressure for it to be good, on top of the usual pressure that the ending of a series has on it to go out strong, powerful, and usually loud. In comparison, the Avengers Infinity Saga finished this year – that’s the level of ending a saga like this is expected to have. That’s not the level of intensity that The Rise of Skywalker had though – not by a long shot. In many ways, this trilogy was doomed by a lot of stylistic choices, and maybe this wasn’t the end for the Skywalker saga that fans would hope for, but I’m not entirely sure it could have gone another way. No matter how hard it tried, the Skywalker storyline was a large part of the issue with the sequel trilogy, and maybe a lackluster ending can open the franchise up to a better future.

In a Marvel Universe Far, Far Away…

Now that both the Star Wars and Marvel franchises are housed under the umbrella with mouse ears, we can expect to see a bit more crossover in characters. Most of the castings are new, but there are a few that were decided long before the two franchises answered to Disney, so it’s interesting to go back and see which actors managed to find a foot in both worlds. With Solo: A Star Wars Story adding three characters to the overall total and several more movies (on both sides) on the way, we can only expect this list to keep on growing.

Rogue One: The Visual Star Wars

*Warning: Potential Spoilers*

I will be the first to admit that I was not nearly as excited for the release of Rogue One as I was for The Force Awakens this time last year. I found it hard to get excited to meet characters that I knew going into the film I would never see again, no matter what happened to them in the story, because we’ve already gone past all that. Other than a possibility for cameos in the Clone Wars TV show, these characters would not be coming back. In the end, Rogue One didn’t make me care about their characters (except for K-2SO, I swear there are no robots they can’t make me love), but I was still watching Star Wars unfold before my eyes. Even though the story was like nothing I had come to expect from the galaxy far far away and I wished they had explored some of the other details they introduced to us, the finale battle alone was enough to remind me that yes, this is the Rebel Alliance. This is a realm missing their Jedi. This is what Star Wars is.

The Force Awakens Receives the Torch with Plenty of Ambition

*Potential Spoilers Ahead: Be Warned*

As a twenty-year-old, I obviously have no idea how it felt to watch the original Star Wars: A New Hope in theaters when it was new. Watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens today can’t be quite the same, considering all of the throwbacks and tributes to the original series, but I can imagine that the sense of excitement, wonder and imagination was very similar to what I felt watching the Millennium Falcon roar back into my life. Though at times the throwbacks were a little too much and the surprises a little too quick, J. J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens has taken the torch George Lucas lit and is running with it towards a future far, far away.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lead-Up

Final countdown everywhere- it’s only a little more than a week before the last Star Wars film premieres! As we entire the final stretch of the wait, fans are discussing the final movie, watching all of the old movies (yes, prequels included, because some people like to be well informed!) and remembering exactly what started their love for the series to begin with.

Looking Back at Star Wars, Looking Ahead to “The Force Awakens”

Star Wars is, arguably, one of the most successful and beloved film franchises of all time, as well as a game changer in pop culture everywhere. It made science fiction more accessible to the general public, rather than just science fiction fans, and it made major advances in cinematic technology, sound design and visual effects.