No. That's why I was disappointed he was back as director. But I was hopeful he'd try harder and bring his A-game.
Instead…
Rey rebuilds the destroyed lightsaber exactly like it was.
And Kylo is back in his lame performance-hiding helmet.
And we're returning to a planet we've seen before. Or two.
And now the villain seems to be recycled.
I was giving him the benefit of the doubt but now my expectations are loooooow.
Well again, its the third movie of three - so he has to make sure to tie up loose ends rather than create new ones...except insofar as they might want to set the stage for the next trilogy (e.g. maybe the Knights of Ren escape and become villains for later on).
On a side note, I don't mind Kylo getting his helmet back as he is more imposing that way. I really like Adam Driver as a quirky Indie movie actor (e.g. Paterson, What If, etc), but for me he was miscast...his greatest strength as an actor is his comedic presence which is, by necessity, entirely lacking as Kylo Ren. Actually, his limitations as Kylo Ren makes me realize just how difficult it is for actors to play the tortured soul with immense powers...I'm wondering how Sophie Turner is going to fair as Dark Phoenix.
Which makes Palpatine returning more of a problem.
This was Ren's movie. He was the big bad. It was his time to shine, restoring him as a menacing threat and a worthy villain. But having to share the spotlight as villain with Palpatine just makes it harder for him stand out.
I don't want to see him redeemed. Because we saw that already with Anakin. We've done that story.
And ending the film with him alive doesn't end the Skywalker saga. He needs to die and the bloodline needs to end. There needs to be finality.
Maybe, but I wouldn't hold your breath. Even if they kill the bloodline in this film, they're going to bring it back somehow, somewhen. Anyhow, one version of redemption we haven't seen is that he is redeemed and lives - including has to live with what he did. Or maybe he was just going deep undercover, even to the point of killing his own father, so that he could finish what his grandfather started and kill Palpatine, once and for all.
Snoke would have been more interesting if he wasn't just "The Emperor Redux". Making him CGI was at least something different.
The most interesting and original thing Snoke could have done was die suddenly.
I think something is always lost with CGI. Always. Even with nonhumans (e.g. Smaug was great, but I still prefer the dragon from
Dragonslayer).
There are cool things they could do.
It'd be interesting to have Palpatine be a Force Ghost, whispering evil suggestions and guidance to Kylo in a twisted reflection of Luke and Ben.
But I seriously doubt they'll go that route.
(But it'd be neat to have a Force Ghost battle between Luke and Palpatine. Possibly with Anakin there too. Having the protagonists of all three trilogies duel it out with a Kylo Ren infused with Ghost Palpatine would be a lovely end to the Saga. But that also feels like cheap fan service.)
That would be so ridiculously over-the-top and gonzo that I'd like to see it. But can we really stomach seeing Hayden Christiansen back on screen? And don't forget Yoda! There'd be no way he wouldn't be part of the action, unless they do some big reveal that Yoda has transcended the duality of Light and Dark and follows a more Taoist style approach.
I don't mind that simplicity. Because there's still the Knights of Ren and possibly rebuilding the Jedi or something new. And defeating the First Order. This should focus on wrapping up the plot threads, and not adding more.
My guess is that the FO is defeated, the Knights of Ren make their debut but they and a new Jedi Order are more part of the next trilogy.
