I published a new In the Frame piece at Escapist Magazine yesterday evening. This is one is a bit topical, the constant narrative patching of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
The Rise of Skywalker was released to something of a collective sigh. It was a spectacular mess of film, one full of dangling plot threads, unnecessary revelations and mountains of fan service. However, that messiness left a number of awkward lacunas, that were gradually filled in with supplemental material that revealed the nature of Lando’s arc and the identity of Rey’s father. All of this stuff radically alters the experience and understanding of The Rise of Skywalker, and the decision to strip that stuff out of the film itself illustrates how horrific the production process truly was. The awkward efforts to shoehorn this stuff back in are arguably comparable to the day-one patching of Cats to cover terrible special effects. This is not a flattering comparison.
You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.
Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: escapist, skywalker, star wars, the rise of skywalker |
Hey Darren, I just wanted to say two things: That last scene with Lando and his daughter was understand by me and the people I went to see the movie as “of course, the only two black people are related, because everyone in that universe is related to someone from the OT”-moment. I was really surprised to read that you understood it otherwise.
And the thing about Palpatine having sex. He is a man of power. Of course, there would be someone having sex with him. The society in that world is presented as a clear feudal system where you as a poor woman can gain something from it. Not everyone wants to be left alone without their child in the dessert. But anyway, nice read, like always.
Given how horrified the film seemed to be at the prospect of Finn pairing off with Rey or Rose, it seems fair to suggest that the subtext might also have been, “of course, the only two black people are going to f&!k”, especially considering that the closest thing that the film has to a central theme is “old dudes like to f%!k!”