POLL: The Sequel Trilogy is complete--what do you think?

I love the sequels. They created some of the best characters of the SW universe, and this was the most important part. Also:

- The visuals are the best of the Star Wars saga, included the CT.

- The messages that these movies pass to the public are my favorites if we compare to the CT and PT.

So, I voted for " Very Good". They almost topped the CT to me. Maybe if in TROS they should've come with something more original or diferent than bringing back Palpatine the things had been different.

 

'Just okay'

I love/d the 'The Force Awakens', but after that it was difficult. Yes, I like stuff about TLJ and TROS, but in the end it was only medicore for me. But I pretty much enjoyed the ST characters in every movie. Especially Kylo Ren- Adam Driver carried this trilogy on his back.

 

+1

Just OK for me personal. THE HIGHLIGHT for me is that I could experience it together with my son.
Yesterday I went with him to the theater to see TROS a third time in the original version and I have to say that I liked the OV a little more than the German sync.

Ben/Ren, Rey and Han (and Finn in TFA) were the characters that I feeled most related to during watching the ST.

Luke's pacifistic heroism at the End of VIII on Crait and the score from Williams (esp. Spark) during this scenes was the cineastic highlight of the ST for me.
That's how peacekeeping should work.
..
And the (too) short glimpse of Ben Solo, beginning with Leias call, the vision of his father and later in the fight against his former Knights was emotional and pretty cool as well..
and..
..
I liked TFA as a whole for bringing back a real SW vipe for my son and me.

 

I have had a lot of fun with elements of the sequels, and its always great to see New Star Wars on the big screen. But I guess my biggest take away from the trilogy Is I wish they had not rushed them in a way they clearly did and spent bit more time crafting the story from the get go. So I will always look back at this trilogy as a bit of a missed opportunity, and it is my least favourite of the 3 trilogies.

But there are Elements I loved throughout the trilogy. The 20 mins of the Force Awakens is incredible, Finn's journey through that film I adore. The way they built Ben/Kylo and Rey's relationship over Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker was excellent, mainly due to incredible acting. The visuals of Exegol was maybe the best in Star Wars history, I got a kick out of seeing Adrian Edmondson in a Star Wars films. Kylo and Rey's lightsabre duel on top of the ruin of the Death Star maybe my second favourite after Duel of the Fates. Rey's Theme may also be my favourite bit of Star Wars music.

So there is loads to love, I just wish it was surrounded by a better over all story.

 

Rogue One
Original Trilogy
The Mandalorian
Sequel Trilogy
Solo
Rebels
The Clone Wars
Prequel Trilogy

 

so are we only ranking the trilogies as units?

if so this is difficult for me but here goes

R1 - OT (I consider R1 as OT)
Solo
Mandalorian
ST
Clone Wars
Rebels
PT

 

OT
ST
Solo & The Mandalorian
R1
Rebels
Clone Wars
PT

 

I voted "Just okay", it's a mixed bag for me.

TFA - Loved it and have it at number 4 behind the OT on my list of best films.
TLJ - Hated it overall and have it at the bottom of my list.
TROS - Just above average, a decent attempt to conclude the ST but a poor ending for the entire saga.

 

I'll write this both with and without ex-aequo (even though the ex-aequo one is how I actually see it)

Empire Strikes Back
The Last Jedi
The Force Awakens
A New Hope
The Rise of Skywalker
Return of the Jedi
Solo
Rogue One
The Clone Wars
REBELS
The Mandalorian
Resistance
-
-
-
The Phantom Menace
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones


Empire Strikes Back/The Last Jedi
The Force Awakens/A New Hope
The Rise of Skywalker
Return of the Jedi
Solo/Rogue One
The Clone Wars/REBELS
The Mandalorian
Resistance
-
-
-
The Phantom Menace/Revenge of the Sith/Attack of the Clones


With that said, I voted "Excellent" - definitely the best Star Wars stuff since 1980.

 

We are talking about the whole trilogy here right ? Than its "Just okay" or "bad" imo.
I dont know what they did when they started working on these movies, but the starting point was already dumb, with the Empire (First Order) suddenly back in full force.
Overall the movies are beauitfully made and the actors are mostly great, but the story is just crap imo .
2 Directors that got too much creative control are at war with each other and a Producer who seems to not care about it.

My peronal ranking of the movies itself are TFA >> TLJ/TROS

TFA only gets the point, because the first 30 minutes (until the MF appears) are absolute Perfection.

 

I'd say it's very good.

TFA and TLJ work great as a set up but the finale falls utterly flat for me. TFA worked as it was for a number of reasons and TROS tried to recapture what made TFA work but it wasn't what that movie needed.

 

OT
PT
R1
Clone Wars
Solo
Rebels
ST

 

My answer is alittle more complex:

-Very good when it comes to film quality. The acting was great, the cinematography is great, and the characters are relatable as I care for them.

-The story is good but could have been better. I think the micro story is great between Rey/Kylo, but the lacking of a macro story didn’t build on the one thing I liked about the PT.

-In the end, I still contend the ST was worth it for me. It gave me true closure for Han, Luke and Leia in TROS. I actually like Rey Palpatine because it adds layers to Palpatine’s story going back to Episode 1. This guy was covering all bases trying to manipulate anyone in his path!

-Nothing will ever equal the OT so I stopped comparing The 3 Trilogies and just enjoy them for what they are.

Heading to the ATM to withdraw $200+ dollars for the Skywalker Saga 4K Boxset in a few months.... lol

 

In retrospect, I think they tried to do too much with the ST. It was a heavy lift to both do justice to the beloved characters from the OT and develop new ones, and I think that they failed. The ST suffered from a lack of continuity and consistency, too many extraneous characters and plots, and a lack of understanding/appreciation of what had come before.

In addition, I think the siren's song of CGI was just too much for Lucasfilm to resist- but just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Ranking just the movies:

SW
ESB
R1
ROTJ
ROTS
AOTC
TFA

Probably won't watch the others again, so they're not on my list. I've been happily living without TPM for 20 years so I won't miss that one, either.

 

FWIW a co-worker of mine who had never watch Star Wars before watched all the films before TROS Skywalker was released. He really struggled with the OT, but loved the ST. The word he used for the OT was "boring." Perspective matters. This new trilogy introduced a lot of new people to Star Wars.

 

I voted Good. I enjoyed many of the new characters and had a good time. I lean more towards just ok than very good at times, but float around here at Good.

 

I voted excellent. I grew up absolutely loving the OT as a child and did my best to love the PT in college, because I love Star Wars. I will always try to find good in Star Wars whenever I can. Problem with the PT for me, thematically speaking, is a lot of the lessons I learned there seem to be negative ones (warnings about what not to do). That’s still important, and all three trilogies have them, but it seemed to dominate the PT for me. Now I love the new ST for its characters, arcs, and themes. It also brings the mythos of Star Wars to a new generation, yet again. My kids have watched all the star wars movies now (The Mandalorian is what actually got them to love Star Wars, finally, and I am forever grateful).

From what I have seen of this new generation coming up, the problem is that the OT can seem a little slow and outdated in ways (especially ANH). The ST is an updated version on most every level for me, and apparently, my kids. I find some negative thematic warnings in the ST for sure, but a lot of positive themes and arcs to latch onto. And as much as I loved Luke, Han, and Leia’s OT arcs as a child, as an adult I resonate even more with their ST adult struggles and eventual overcoming. Ever since A New Hope, these movies and trilogies have been set up as generational stories, where the older group passes down lessons, wisdom, love, and sacrifice (even failures and warnings) to the next generation. I feel like the ST did an even better job of that than the OT. The characters (Rey, Kylo, Poe, Finn, etc) anchor it for me, I love the way the legacy characters were handled (Han, Luke, Leia, Lando, Palpatine) , the droids continue to shine (BB8, R2, Threepio, DO), and the expanding force developments and themes have only enhanced my childhood love for Star Wars even more now into middle adulthood.

I put the ST now just slightly ahead or equal to the OT for me, but the ST gets bonus points for (in my opinion) better acting, special effects, and direction (except of course Kirshner’s Empire Strikes Back). So I would put ST >= OT > PT (though I love the concept and world building and meta-themes of the PT, characters like Qui Gonn, Obi Wan, Palpatine, Jango, Maul, plus Anakin, Ahsoka in The Clone Wars show, etc).

My specific ranking is similar to some of the other posters above...
RO/TROS/ROTJ (Most satisfying)
ESB/TLJ (Best directed)
TFA/ANH (Most classic)
Mandalorian/Solo (Fantastic side adventures, would be even higher with more trilogy stakes, Mando could possibly be in my top group as well)
ROTS (Needs to be much higher on my list, favorite of the prequels, was in my top 3 before disney era)
Clone Wars/Rebels (Characters and world building and deepening the lore)
TPM/AOTC (Great meta story and imagination and moments, just falls short in execution)

I love all of Star Wars, more than anything else, and it’s always hard to pick favorites from what you love. In a way, it’s like asking me to rank my four children...

 

@BagofSoup what a great post! I am channeling you in much of what you discuss and how you approach SW. Read my information page on my profile and you will see we are in synch in a lot of ways.

 

Great post.

I identify myself reading your words.
Same feelings here.
My first kid will be born on april and I'm very excited to start to watch the ST with her. In my opinion the ST has the best characters, arcs and the "good messages" for the new ones who will grow up with these films.