I was watching The Phantom Menace and realized how underrated it can be for a SW film. It's no masterpiece but if any movie had the same anticipation as TPM did, it would be bashed too.
One thing I noticed with the Prequels are the characters working together as a unit like in the OT. One problem with this Sequel Trilogy is that none of films has them working in a group like the previous trilogies did.
A New Hope
Luke, Obi-Wan, Han, Chewie, Artoo, Threepio.
Then subtract Ben and add Leia .
The Empire Strikes Back
Han, Leia, Chewie, Threepio, then Lando with Luke, Artoo, and Yoda in Dagobah.
Return Of The Jedi
Luke, Leia, Lando, Chewie, clueless Threepio, Artoo to get Han back. Threepio did finally become useful in Endor.
The Phantom Menace
Qui-Gon, Padmé, Jar Jar, Anakin, Shmi at Boonta Eve. Then most of them minus Shmi worked together at the end with the Gungans.
Attack Of The Clones
Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé, droids, then Jedis and Clone Troopers came in. How come Jango was beheaded by Mace but his clones came in to help?
Revenge Of The Sith
Anakin, Obi-Wan, Artoo to rescue Palpatine. Then Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa at the end. Leia's adoptive father is half-Puerto Rican (Jimmy Smits), so fanboys shouldn't act racist or sexist towards the current films.
The Force Awakens
Poe and Finn just to escape. Then Rey, Finn, and BB-8 with Han and Chewie later.
The Last Jedi
Finn and Rose. Rey with Chewie and Artoo but Luke is reluctant to help. Poe and Leia. Poe barely met Rey at the end..
There is no family unit working together as a team. Finn was going to be a deserter on both sides. I see mostly pairings. I've never seen a scene with Daisy, John, and Oscar working together as a team. We saw that several times with Harrison, Mark, and Carrie and Ewan, Hayden, and Natalie.
Luke was a team player. Hamill is a team player. Rian took a big dump on the script and made Luke fly solo, no pun intended. The characters are whack anyway. Hard to believe new characters in Rose, Paige, Holdo, and DJ outshined Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo in TLJ. Ditching the ship because it's running out of fuel is not heroic, Finn.
I actually prefer the Star Trek cast in the reboot than this current SW cast. Chris Pine watched alot of Harrison Ford films especially of Han Solo and Indiana Jones. That's why his James T. Kirk is fairly likeable for me. That crew works well together even with some bickering. This new SW group doesn't. The group isn't cohesive enough to care about them.
I remember back in 2015, JJ Abrams said Kylo Ren is a Vader fanboy and not a Sith. He and Kasdan were saying Kylo was going to be an interesting character. This character sucks, period. It's like when Lucas and McCollum kept praising Ahmed Best. Then gave Jar Jar less screen time in AOTC.
Kylo Ren was only interesting for like the first half of The Force Awakens when he kept his mask on. He was Force freezing a blaster shot and Rey. Then when Rey asked him to take off the mask, he didn't hesitate and it looked like Rey got turned on by it since living in Jakku alone keeps her very dry down there.
I used to defend Kylo for losing to Rey because Chewie shot him in the ribs. Nah. Kylo is weak. He couldn't even handle a guard from strangling him. Rey who doesn't throw like Tom Brady needed to toss a lightsaber to help him. So Rey ran off again to fight with The Resistance after being captured twice. The second time she was willing.
Kylo Ren can't be redeemed. He can not fall in love with Rey and be saved by her after Rey saw Han murdered by him and critically wound her buddy, Finn. Writers simply can not kill off our old favorite heroes and reward a family-killer like Kylo by winning Rey's heart.
Doesn't make any sense to kill off relatives and be back on the good side because he fell in love. I don't want another trilogy featuring him again after IX. Kylo Ren was supposed to be the character to sell merchandise because he looks cool only to become such a huge disappointment.
It's becoming Star Wars newbie fangirl service. The shirtless Kylo was a prime example for one. This SW trilogy (VII-IX) is pretty much forgettable because it lacks characters as cool as Vader, Han, and Obi-Wan.
Disney, please give us -
Rated-R Star Wars. Think Game of Thrones content set in the SW universe. It's Disney and it is not happening.
The Knights of the Old Republic
Prequels Remake
Looking forward to Solo and Kenobi films as those are two of my favorites. It's Disney and they can still ruin it but something beyond talking about the Skywalkers.
Hoping Obi-Wan's 19 years between ROTS and ANH had some adventures. I think they can make Obi-Wan as a detective like he was in AOTC. The Sherlock Holmes of SW.
I'm a lone wolf at heart but I can flow in groups if I wanted to. I come from a big family, and being in groups is more beneficial and fun. Stronger together as a family unit than being alone. Current SW doesn't have that family unit vibe for me.
OT
Luke
Han
Leia
Chewie
Artoo
Threepio
Lando
PT
Obi-Wan
Anakin
Padmé
Artoo
Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Shmi, Yoda, Mace, & Bail for one movie.
ST
Rey
Finn
Poe
BB-8
Rose?
Chewie, Artoo, and Threepio are barely there. Han, Leia, Amilyn for one movie.
Poe just barely met Rose. And Rose never met Rey yet.
Vader, Sidious, Dooku, Maul, >> Snoke, Kylo
These new SW characters suck. Doesn't matter if most of the SW characters were white males. They suck. Kylo is a white male and sucks the hardest. Hux sux and he's a white male. Kylo is nearly 30-years old and still acts a child.
Newbie fangirl service, birth of Reylo fans, and the moment Kylo Ren stopped being interesting...
Team work
By ruining Luke's character, Rian also ruined Rey's character in TLJ. This girl had potential to be more likeable than Luke and Leia if you weren't sexist. If Luke was willing to help her in TLJ, it wouldn't make Rey's motive to help turn Kylo look so idiotic. Luke & Rey should have fought together against Snoke & Kylo...