Spoilers The Force Awakens Vs. The Last Jedi Vs. The Rise of Skywalker

[Saul]

We're finally here. We know how Disney's sequel trilogy has played out. I think it's safe to say that it didn't go as we expected it to. So out of the 3 films which did you like best and why?

I'm going to have to go with 'The Force Awakens'. It's not perfect, it is something of a rehash of 'A New Hope' but it does capture the magic of Star Wars a lot of people yearned for. It features Han Solo in a sizeable role and I felt the portrayal of the original characters was true to their nature.

'The Last Jedi' is a well made movie but it drags in parts. I didn't like how it threw out some plot elements set up in the previous movie and I didn't like the portrayal of Luke in it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't part of the trilogy.

'The Rise of Skywalker' unfortunately feels bogged down with answering and re-answering questions from the other movies. I think mystery box movie making got in the way and sometimes I felt the characters hadn't earned their relationship with the original trilogy characters.

 

[BillJ]

I honestly don't know? I found them all entertaining.

 

[Relayer1]

The Last Jedi, although not perfect, was very good and easily the best of the trilogy.

Pretty much every criticism of Rise of Skywalker discussed here is justified and it's a terribly flawed piece, but enjoyable.

The Force Awakens I've commented on elsewhere.

 

[EnderAKH]

The Force Awakens (most fun), very closely followed by Rise of Skywalker, then The Last Jedi. I love all three, but in that order.

 

[JD]

I really enjoyed all of them, but The Force Awakens was my favorite, with The Rise of Skywalker second and The Last Jedi third. I did enjoy The Last Jedi, but of the three it really does feel the least Star Wars.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

TFA was my favourite, if only because of the build-up, hype, and utterly raw nostalgia that it brought. TROS second, and TLJ third.

 

[Campe]

The Force Awakens brought back the nostalgia for me.
The Rise of Skywalker, while imperfect, brought the saga full circle.
But The Last Jedi challenged my preconceptions of Star Wars. Definitely the best of this trilogy in my book.

 

[DigificWriter]

I ultimately came away from the ST enjoying each of its installments, but The Rise of Skywalker is not only the best of the three (and better than The Last Jedi, which is a extremely good movie), it's also the best of the Saga as a whole.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

I ultimately came away from the ST enjoying each of its installments, but The Rise of Skywalker is not only the best of the three (and better than The Last Jedi, which is a extremely good movie), it's also the best of the Saga as a whole.

I feel ROTJ is the best of the saga. Never been a fan of the PT, and the ST is sort of a rehash of the OT (not bad, but not original by a long shot).

 

[Mage]

I'll take all three and just enjoy them.

 

[Claudia]

I'm going to have to go with 'The Force Awakens'. It's not perfect, it is something of a rehash of 'A New Hope' but it does capture the magic of Star Wars a lot of people yearned for. It features Han Solo in a sizeable role and I felt the portrayal of the original characters was true to their nature.

QFT - I remember sitting in the cinema smiling because that feel of adventure, of "Star Wars" (as I perceive it) was back. I had such high hopes after TFA...

TLJ was simply a catastrophe IMO - too splintered, Luke forgetting the lessons he learned so painfully in the OT, Finn's utterly unnecessary trip, the show of female power not because they're powerful but because Poe's seemingly stupid, Snoke's demise... literally not a thing I actually liked in this movie (except for the end credits). Took over last place in my SW-ranking from AotC (which had it because of the stupid dialogue and Anakin's poor acting... creepy gazes which make me very uncomfortable included)

ROS... rallied a bit from TLJ but still can't really turn the ST around for me.

 

[fireproof78]

I'll take all three and just enjoy them.

Same.

 

[StarMan]

It's tricky because I don't particularly rate any of them. If I go by initial reaction, then I'd have to go with TFA. The hype, the nostalgia, the excitement for what was to come. An unabashed rehash of ANH for sure, but I could forgive it as they were kick-starting the franchise again after the prequel era. However, it hasn't held up as well on re-watch.

I was perplexed after TLJ - unable to reconcile the 90%+ RT critics' score with what I'd just seen. It has improved a bit on re-watch (if you skip the casino planet scenes). Still, a bit of a disjointed and peculiar edition to the franchise.

As for TROS - an overstuffed mess. This was where they had to stick the landing. Unfortunately they stuck it about as well as the super star destroyer did at the end of ROTJ. YMMV, of course. This was the most disappointed I've felt leaving a Star Wars movie - and that includes the prequels.

So I guess TFA. Overall, the Sequel Trilogy has been a swing and a miss for me and not something I see myself revisiting any time soon (except for TROS when that becomes available for home viewing) - which really sucks for me, as I had high hope for it (TROS especially). However - on a side note - I've started watching The Clone Wars for the first time on my Disney+ subscription and I've enjoyed it so far. And, of course, The Mandalorian was top notch.

I'd be very interested to learn what George had mind for VII, VIII & IX ...

 

[Turtletrekker]

I like them in descending order from release. The Force Awakens, despite being extremely derivative of A New Hope, is probably the most consistently entertaining.

The Last Jedi has moments of pure brilliance and moments of utter crap. If the highs could have been maintained throughout the entire movie, it would've been the best of the bunch.

The Rise of Skywalker was just a middling "meh" all the way through, with neither the highs nor the lows of the previous movies.

 

[Kelso]

The Last Jedi

 

[Bad Thoughts]

1) The Last Jedi. The script and the cut needed better editors in order to control pacing and remove some of the stranger story choices. However, the ideas behind the story are strong, and would have allowed the franchise to tell more diverse stories. Disenchantment perfectly explained Luke's hermitage, and his ultimate sacrifice somehow fit into the orientalism that inspired the original trilogy. Snoke was a boring villain, and dispensing with him for one played by the more dynamic Adam Driver was smart. Democratizing the force could have allowed new villains and new heroes to emerge. Of course, problems, but fixable problems. At the very least, Mark Hammill offered an amazing performance.

2. Rise of Skywalker. I'm down on this film, and I think less of it now than Force Awakens, but I suspect that my impression will improve over time. Pacing here is worse that The Last Jedi, and unfortunately, the problem is entirely unforced: a useless, meaningless treasure hunt. The story also lacks courage:everything can be undone to produce a happy ending. The story seems to have a number of FUs aimed at Rian Johnson, but few of the changes he made are completely rolled back. Yes, the democratic element seems to have been pushed to the side, but there is still a strong critique about how one exercises power, and a suggestion that special talents must be used with humility. More interaction between Finn and Rey was welcome (I cared less about Poe). Finn had silly dialogue, no doubt, but the part was played with great intensity.

3. The Force Awakens. The characters are beautifully crafted, but the story feels increasingly hollow. I find it difficult to see places where the overall narrative is moved forward in a way that is fresh. Conversely, everything seems small--I can't describe it, but the universe seems more limited than in all the previous films.

How do I rank all films? From best to worst, ESB, ANH, RO, TLJ, ROTJ, TPM, TROS, Solo, TFA ROTS, AOTC.

My thought leaving the theater: less than a month to Picard. I'm ready for Star Trek to takeover when it comes to the premier science fiction franchise (even if others might be better and bolder).

 

[HugeLobes]

1. The Last Jedi: Kinda the most frustrating movie I've ever seen. There was so much about it I liked but also so much I didn't. I think Rian Johnson understood the underlying mythology and that not every movie needs some ridiculous lightsaber duel, but he also spoiled so many moments with pointless jokes that just didn't land and some truly terrible dialogue. Every time I felt something good it was followed by feeling something bad. I don't think I've ever cringed harder at a movie than when Leia said: 'I know what you're thinking. I changed my hair'.

But it also felt like the first Star Wars movie since maybe ESB to really try and be something original, and if it had some of my least favourite moments it also had some of my favourites. Everything between Rey and Kylo stands out as the trilogy's best moments. I'd much rather watch something that tries for greatness and falls short than something that just plays it safe, so TLJ easily comes out ahead.

2. The Force Awakens: The exact opposite of TLJ. Safe, predictable, and at once entertaining and boring. Nothing I really loved and nothing I really hated. It was Star Trek 2009 but for Star Wars - just a popcorn movie that strove for average and relied upon the franchise's popularity. The only saving grace was Rey. She wasn't a perfect character, but she was the only part of the universe that felt new. On the other hand, I couldn't stand any of the returning characters.

3. Rise of Skywalker: An apology movie that needs its own apology movie. Just an absolute stinker that seemed to unite everything bad about the previous two movies and pandered way too hard to TLJ's detractors. I haven't enjoyed previous Star Wars movies, but this is the first one that I really wanted to see fail.


Ultimately where Johnson understood the deeper levels of Star Wars but flubbed the surface stuff, JJ got the surface stuff but failed at the deeper meaning. I feel like even if you loved each of these movies individually you'd have to admit they didn't really hang together as a trilogy, and that might be the worst thing about them. Put them all together and you get something worse rather than something better.

 

[DigificWriter]

I feel like even if you loved each of these movies individually you'd have to admit they didn't really hang together as a trilogy, and that might be the worst thing about them. Put them all together and you get something worse rather than something better.

How about "No"?

This trilogy very much does hold together as a cohesive whole and also serves as the perfect capper to the Skywalker Saga as a whole, which is exactly what JJ Abrams wanted.

 

[HugeLobes]

How about "No"?

This trilogy very much does hold together as a cohesive whole and also serves as the perfect capper to the Skywalker Saga as a whole, which is exactly what JJ Abrams wanted.

Honestly, I feel like any individual sequel movie could have been replaced by Flubber and you'd still be here telling us how actually it was the perfect choice.

 

[Crewman6]

TLJ: A-
TFA: C+/B-
ROS: D-