Today marks the end of the war... the Star Wars... Nah, not really.  It just marks the end of this particular series of reviews... Palpatine has returned to threaten the galaxy.  Luke Skywalker is dead. Supreme Leader Kylo searches out this new threat to his power while Rey takes her final steps to fulfilling her Jedi destiny... The story for " The Rise of Skywalker " is actually pretty brilliant.  I loved that they brought back the original fantasy tone to the franchise.  While it's a little disappointing that there was not plot line for Finn or Poe to really follow, it does make a lot of sense that for the penultimate instalment of the Skywalker Saga, they would focus more on the two main ones for Kylo and Rey. These two stories run parallel to each other- and echo each other nicely.  This story telling technique really helps to enhance the theme of balance and the fact that the Sith and Jedi are similar in many ways. While I was really quite disappo...

It's Wednesday again- which means it's time to fire up the X-Wing Fighter, and speed off to a galaxy far far away and battle the First Order again... The First Order has destroyed the Republic Senate- and is working it way towards the Resistance headquarters.  The Rebels are forced to flee as hope slowly disappears. Only one person can save the Resistance now: Luke Skywalker- the Jedi Master that defeated the Empire years ago.  But will he come out of his self imposed exile to bring hope back to the struggling Rebels...? I'm not going to lie.  " The Last Jedi " is not my favorite of the sequel trilogy.  Of the various story lines, the one I did like the most was that involving Rey and Luke... though dipping into the "exiled Jedi Master" element makes you wonder why the Jedi haven't learned to deal with failure all that well.  Obi-Wan, Yoda, Luke...  When shit hit the fan, they didn't stay in the fight.  They ran and hid.  Luke's runn...

A long time ago, in a house not so far away, I began to review the Star Wars Movies- starting with "Epsiode One: The Phantom Menace".  I have now worked through to the final three movies.  So, let's board the Millenium Falcon and see if we can do this in less than 12 parsecs... The Empire has fallen- Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are dead.  In the vacuum left by them, The First Order has arisen in it's place- as has Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke. All that stands against them is General Leia, and a small rag tag fleet of Resistance fighters.  The rebellion needs hope... They need Luke Skywalker.. . Even to casual viewers, the story is very familiar in that it resembles the general plot of " A New Hope" .  Given the backlash the prequels got, I can't really blame Disney for revisiting the nostalgia well in the hopes that it'd satisfy fans. Unfortunately, "fans" is short for "fanatics"- and you can se...

It's Wednesday- which means it's time once more to lock and load, and jump into the trenches as I join the Rebel Alliance for their most dangerous mission so far... Times are desperate for the Rebel Alliance as news of a second Death Star reach them.  Princes Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca must go on the attack while Luke Skywalker must confront his father... Darth Vader. The future of the Galaxy... and the fate of the Jedi are in their hands. .. Of the Original Trilogy, I would have to say that " Return of the Jedi " is my 2nd favorite installment.  The series had evolved from a fairly simple fantasy story in " A New Hope ", to something a bit deeper and more complex.  There is a nice weaving together of action, drama, and humour.  I loved how it starts out making you think most of the movie is going to be centered around one thing- only to head in a different direction after the opening act.  While the deeper emotional elements are primarily reserv...

It's Wednesday- which means it's time to get back in the trenches again as we continue to explore the Rebel's battle against the Empire... It's a dark time for the Rebel Alliance as the Empire dogs their trail.  As they hunker down to regroup on Hoth, the Empire searches for them relentlessly.  Lord Vader has two desires: destroy the Rebel Alliance... and capture the young Luke Skywalker... Of the " Original Trilogy ", the second film is often considered to be the best one- and a fan favourite.  I really can't argue with that.  I remember when I first watched it, I was enthralled by it.  More so than when I watched " A New Hope ".  Everything was amped up: the action, the suspense, the drama, mood, atmosphere- everything. The story moved along quick and evenly- building smoothly and tightly up to the climax, and the big reveal.  It was beautiful.  The main plot line wasn't the only story arc that was emotionally engaging and satisfyi...

A long time ago, in a galaxy very near, an iconic franchise was born... Rebels have just stolen the plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon.  The brave Princess Leia has been captured- but the plans are nowhere to be found.  Will she crack under the vicious interrogation of Darth Vader? Meanwhile, a chance encounter with two droids soon propels a young farmer into the larger galaxy... a galaxy in peril as he seeks to rescue the princess... and begin the journey to fulfill his destiny.. . Despite it's age, " Episode Four: A New Hope " holds up extremely well- much better than the prequels, certainly.  It's a well crafted, coherent, and well paced fantasy quest movie in space.  There is an excellent balance between the action, the drama, and the humour.  While the plotline is fairly predictable when examined via tropes used in the fantasy genre, it's still an enjoyable hero's journey type of story. The characters- while also pretty predictable in th...

It's time again for me to take to the stars and fight the good fight.  Today, I get a little rogueish... The Empire's ultimate weapon is nearing completion- allowing the Emperor to rule unchallenged.  But there's a problem: an Imperial Pilot has defected with news about a weakness that had been secretly built into it.  This news drags the a small team into a battle that could be the end of the Rebel Alliance... or the start of a new era of hope... " Rogue One " is one of the best instalments in the Star Wars franchise.  The story is strong and well crafted.  It fills in one of the most pivotal moments in the story, while also fleshing out the Star Wars universe.  I loved that it diverged from the standard Star Wars fantasy genre, by beautifully blending in strong elements of the war movie genre in the vein of " Saving Private Ryan ", " The Great Escape ", etc.  One of the strengths was definitely the fact that it was very character based...

It's time to jump into the cockpit of our Corellian freighter, and do the run to a galaxy far far away in under 12 parsecs... Han is a young man trying to find a way to escape a life of crime on a corrupt planet.  After a job gone wrong, the woman he loves is captured, and he's forced to join the Imperial Forces to escape. Soon, however, young Han Solo begins a journey to become the one thing he never wanted to be... the good guy... The story is actually quite good.  I loved that- as fitting the character, they went with a Western sort of tone.  The plot progressed smoothly, and fairly quickly.  I found there was a wonderful balance of humour, action, and drama that didn't feel forced, and felt very much in keeping with the general personalities of the characters involved.  While the movie started out slowly, it picked up speed, and I found myself fully engaged, and enjoying myself. " Solo: A Star Wars Story " did a great job of capturing the spirit o...

Battle calls again!  My orders are to charge into my next review! Soooo... here I go... I t's a dark time for the Republic.  More and more planets are joining the Seperatists.  The Jedi are once again called upon to save everyone. But the shadowy Sith manipulating events are about to reveal themselves... and get their revenge... I'm going to come out shooting and say that of the prequels, " Revenge of the Sith " is the best of the lot.  Though there are still problems with it.  The story is pretty damn solid.  It's very operatic in nature, and much more emotionally impactful than the first two.  The pacing is also in some ways, much better as well, with a better balance between the action, dramatic, and romantic scenes.  I found it much easier to stay focused on the movie than I did with " Phantom Menace " and " Attack of the Clones ". The characters of Anakin and Obi-Wan are developed much more in this installment- with Anakin hav...

War never changes... oh, wait... wrong franchise. A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I started a journey through the Star Wars franchise.  This week, we come to our second stop on the trip: 2002's " Episode Two: The Attack of the Clones "... The Republic is crumbling.  A seperatist movement has begun, and planets are starting to rebel about the government.  After an assassination attempt on Queen Amidala's life, Obi-Wan and Anakin are tasked with investigating who's behind the attack.  Things get... complicated as Anakin reveals his true feelings for the Queen, and Obi-Wan tracks down a bounty hunter... The plot for " Episode Two " is a nice- and very natural continuation of the threads created in the first movie.  It develops it while increasing the tension, suspense, and drama.  There is a nice amount of intrigue, and I was engaged by the plot developments as the movie went along.  The pace is interesting in that there are some pretty sl...

Last week, I finished my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This week, I start my travels through another cinematic universe.  The Star Wars Universe... T he planet Naboo is under attack.  Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to negotiate a peace treaty... but things don't go well, and they are forced to flee with Naboo's Queen to a small desert planet as they seek answers to galaxy changing questions. Who is behind the conflict?  Who is the mysterious enemy trained in the ways of the Force?  How will a young slave boy put them on a path towards the phantom menace? " Star Wars: Episode One " gets a lot of flack from Star Wars fans.  Since I'm more of a "Star Trek" sort of guy, I can be a bit more impartial in my views.  The story, at it's core isn't bad.  In fact, it makes for a nice space opera.  If there's a flaw with the story and plot, it's more a matter of pacing than anything.  I...