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Michelle (114 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) in Movies
Mar 16, 2018
Loved this film even though all three of the original films were filmed and seen before the first part of the Star Wars series. Mark Hamell, Harrison Ford, The late Carrie Fisher were the best as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Lai she soon should everyone that she was not some helpless princess who let everyone else do things while she sat back and did nothing. Her costumes were amazing, she was right in there fighting along with them to save their homelands/worlds from the Dark Lord Darth Vada. The ariel battles were fantastic. Storm Troopers were meant to be menacing when in fact they were quite funny at times. R2 D2 and 3PO where hilarious and Chewie adorable. The Jedi training was good. The shock about Luke's father I mean who would not be shocked and disgusted at finding out your father is Darth Vada and the girl you love turns out to be your sister.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) in Movies
Aug 25, 2019
A bonafide game changer
It cannot be overstated how important and game changing A New Hope was/is.
The first Star Wars film (but 4th chapter of course) is a classic that truly stands the test of time.
Everything managed to hook me in when I first saw it as a young child, from John Williams flawless soundtrack (surely the most iconic movie soundtrack of all time) to the engaging characters.
Characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader were iconic from the get go.
The set pieces are truly legendary, especially the climatic assault on the Death Star.
All of the locations and planets seem exciting and magical.
The different droids and alien species that we come across are memorable.
All these things that I fell in love with as a child are still intact when I watch it now.
George Lucas lovingly crafted a classic that will always be important.
The first Star Wars film (but 4th chapter of course) is a classic that truly stands the test of time.
Everything managed to hook me in when I first saw it as a young child, from John Williams flawless soundtrack (surely the most iconic movie soundtrack of all time) to the engaging characters.
Characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader were iconic from the get go.
The set pieces are truly legendary, especially the climatic assault on the Death Star.
All of the locations and planets seem exciting and magical.
The different droids and alien species that we come across are memorable.
All these things that I fell in love with as a child are still intact when I watch it now.
George Lucas lovingly crafted a classic that will always be important.
Darren Smith (1 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Feb 3, 2018
Storyline (1 more)
Not confusing
Better than people suggest
I've been a fan of Star Wars ever since I was a child seeing "A New Hope" for the first time. Having gone through the sequels, prequels, another sequel, another story, its back to a sequel again and this didn't disappoint like some of the other films did.
First off, I can understand why some people don't like the film. I've never been someone who takes films too seriously. If they don't follow a particular arc, or don't follow stick to a book for instance, it's no big deal.
My main regret in watching this film, is that I should have watched "The Force Awakens" again, just to remind myself of who the new characters are.
The pace of the film is just right and leaves the story at the right point for the inevitable conclusion.
The storyline with Luke Skywalker seems to be the main beef among people who hate the film. I just accepted it for what it is, basing his change of mood on loneliness, regret, age (becoming cantankerous) and other factors that might affect him.
I still can't get my head around Kylo Ren. The character is good, the actor who plays him is not.
Hard to write a review without leaving spoilers, but my main advice is just go with an open mind, don't be judgemental and sit back and enjoy
First off, I can understand why some people don't like the film. I've never been someone who takes films too seriously. If they don't follow a particular arc, or don't follow stick to a book for instance, it's no big deal.
My main regret in watching this film, is that I should have watched "The Force Awakens" again, just to remind myself of who the new characters are.
The pace of the film is just right and leaves the story at the right point for the inevitable conclusion.
The storyline with Luke Skywalker seems to be the main beef among people who hate the film. I just accepted it for what it is, basing his change of mood on loneliness, regret, age (becoming cantankerous) and other factors that might affect him.
I still can't get my head around Kylo Ren. The character is good, the actor who plays him is not.
Hard to write a review without leaving spoilers, but my main advice is just go with an open mind, don't be judgemental and sit back and enjoy
David McK (3180 KP) rated The Shu-Torun War (Star Wars: Darth Vader #3) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Third solo entry/story arc in Marvel's new Daert Vader line of stories, which see's Vader returning to the planet of Shu-torun, where he had previously installed a puppet ruler, to deal with a rebellion (small r) on that planet - a rebellion that has nothing at all to do with the Rebellion (capital R).
Having read this, it almost seems like the planet itself is more-or-less a stand in for Mustafar, complete with boiling lakes of lava and a character falling into such (sound familar at all?). Vader also seemingly has completely forgotten about the news Boba Fett brought him previously re. Luke Skywalker, as there's not a single mention of him at all in these pages. There's also nothing like the panels in Vader down, where he single-handedly takes on an entire platoon (and wins).
In short, the story-arc itself is a little forgettable, with no real connection to the films, and with no panels showing just why Vader is so feared.
Having read this, it almost seems like the planet itself is more-or-less a stand in for Mustafar, complete with boiling lakes of lava and a character falling into such (sound familar at all?). Vader also seemingly has completely forgotten about the news Boba Fett brought him previously re. Luke Skywalker, as there's not a single mention of him at all in these pages. There's also nothing like the panels in Vader down, where he single-handedly takes on an entire platoon (and wins).
In short, the story-arc itself is a little forgettable, with no real connection to the films, and with no panels showing just why Vader is so feared.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
Jun 3, 2020
BB-8 (2 more)
Old Cast
Better Than The Prequels
A New Hope Shortly Lived
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Force Awakens- is a excellent, phenomenal movie, no doubt about that. Its the return of old charcters coming back and a whole new cast of new charcters. My favorite is BB-8, he reminds me of R2-D2. The problem if you really think about it is.. Its a copy & paste of A New Hope. Lets look deeper into that.
Case 1- Introducing A Core Trio, you have Rey, Finn and Poe. In ANH, you have Luke, Leia and Han.
Case 2- Rey's beginning. Some one who is lonely, raised in the desert and finds a droid that has important infomation and that sets off the beginning of the adventure. Sounds like Luke to me, cause it is.
Case 3- The Droid Holds The Secret Clue To Everything Important. In this case, BB-8 is holding important infomation on the whereabouts on to find Luke.
Hmm R2-D2, secret message from Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, the farmboy whose future as a Jedi would save the Rebellion and the galaxy, is led to his Jedi. Intresting right.
Case 4- Jakku And Tatooine. Jakku is basically Tattooine. Its where the main charcter is from, where the story begins, where the main charcter finds the droid and where the adventure begins.
Case 5- Starkiller Base And The Death Star. Basically Starkiller Base is the Death Star. The First Order's Starkiller Base is just a complete rip off of Darth Vader's Death Star. While the Starkiller Base can inflict much more damage than the Death Star, it's basically the same weapon. A has basically the same weak point.
So basically what Im saying is that The Force Awakens is a copy & paste of A New Hope.
The plot: Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Han Solo's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire.
I remember seeing this film opening day at 9:15am on Friday. With a packed theater, every seat was full and that was a excellent experience. Seeing it with a crowd full of star wars fans was epic and would do it again.
Its fun, entertaining and overall a excellent, phenomenal movie. Bringing us a new star wars movie after the awful prequels. The Force Awakens brought us fans a new hope after the disappointed and awful prequels. A new hope that didnt last long, but i will get to those soon. But for now this review.
Case 1- Introducing A Core Trio, you have Rey, Finn and Poe. In ANH, you have Luke, Leia and Han.
Case 2- Rey's beginning. Some one who is lonely, raised in the desert and finds a droid that has important infomation and that sets off the beginning of the adventure. Sounds like Luke to me, cause it is.
Case 3- The Droid Holds The Secret Clue To Everything Important. In this case, BB-8 is holding important infomation on the whereabouts on to find Luke.
Hmm R2-D2, secret message from Leia to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, the farmboy whose future as a Jedi would save the Rebellion and the galaxy, is led to his Jedi. Intresting right.
Case 4- Jakku And Tatooine. Jakku is basically Tattooine. Its where the main charcter is from, where the story begins, where the main charcter finds the droid and where the adventure begins.
Case 5- Starkiller Base And The Death Star. Basically Starkiller Base is the Death Star. The First Order's Starkiller Base is just a complete rip off of Darth Vader's Death Star. While the Starkiller Base can inflict much more damage than the Death Star, it's basically the same weapon. A has basically the same weak point.
So basically what Im saying is that The Force Awakens is a copy & paste of A New Hope.
The plot: Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Han Solo's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight in the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, a successor to the Galactic Empire.
I remember seeing this film opening day at 9:15am on Friday. With a packed theater, every seat was full and that was a excellent experience. Seeing it with a crowd full of star wars fans was epic and would do it again.
Its fun, entertaining and overall a excellent, phenomenal movie. Bringing us a new star wars movie after the awful prequels. The Force Awakens brought us fans a new hope after the disappointed and awful prequels. A new hope that didnt last long, but i will get to those soon. But for now this review.
David McK (3180 KP) rated Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron (Alphabet Squadron #1) in Books
Dec 23, 2019
During the mid-to-late 90s (prior to even the Prequels), there was an explosion of Star Wars Expanded Universe novels.
Most of those novels concentrated on Han, Luke, Leia and co.
Most, but not all.
Alongside those, there was also two separate series of books, initially taking Wedge Antilles as a key character, concentrating instead on the fighter pilots of (initially) Rogue Squadron and (later) Wraith Squadron, taking inspiration for the X-Wing and TIE fighter computer games of the time.
And those novels themselves - now considered 'Legends' i.e. no longer canon - could very well have provided inspiration for this, the first of a spin-off trilogy (I think) from a series of graphic novels.
Whereas Rogue and Wraith squadron both had their pilots flying the same type of fighter craft, and both were very cinematic in their presentation, this novel - definitely in the first half (which, I felt, dragged somewhat) - concentrates more on its members psychology, with the so-called Alphabet squadron headed up by an ex-Imperial keen to prove her loyalty to the New Republic. And why is it called Alphabet Squadron? Because the pilots fly a mix of starfighter, from an A-Wing (i.e. that which crashes into the Star Destroyer bridge in Return of the Jedi) to a B Wing (the cross-shaped bomber glimpsed in flight), to an X-Wing (the type Luke Skywalker flies) to a U-Wing (The personnel carrier introduced in Rogue One) to a Y-Wing (the initial bombing run on the Death Star).
Most of those novels concentrated on Han, Luke, Leia and co.
Most, but not all.
Alongside those, there was also two separate series of books, initially taking Wedge Antilles as a key character, concentrating instead on the fighter pilots of (initially) Rogue Squadron and (later) Wraith Squadron, taking inspiration for the X-Wing and TIE fighter computer games of the time.
And those novels themselves - now considered 'Legends' i.e. no longer canon - could very well have provided inspiration for this, the first of a spin-off trilogy (I think) from a series of graphic novels.
Whereas Rogue and Wraith squadron both had their pilots flying the same type of fighter craft, and both were very cinematic in their presentation, this novel - definitely in the first half (which, I felt, dragged somewhat) - concentrates more on its members psychology, with the so-called Alphabet squadron headed up by an ex-Imperial keen to prove her loyalty to the New Republic. And why is it called Alphabet Squadron? Because the pilots fly a mix of starfighter, from an A-Wing (i.e. that which crashes into the Star Destroyer bridge in Return of the Jedi) to a B Wing (the cross-shaped bomber glimpsed in flight), to an X-Wing (the type Luke Skywalker flies) to a U-Wing (The personnel carrier introduced in Rogue One) to a Y-Wing (the initial bombing run on the Death Star).
SoCalEl52 (5 KP) rated STAR WARS Battlefront II in Video Games
Dec 13, 2017
Loot Controversy Aside, Still a Solid Way to Embrace and Enjoy the Star Wars Mythos
Mixing chance and meritocracy, I can get over the loot crate controversy, provided they keep the monetary element away from it, as EA has done for the time being. With an improved campaign mode from Battlefront I, and an intriguing, fanboy-pleasing array of levels and characters in Multiplayer, the gameplay is a fun, engaging time, and I have been passionately addicted. Marking the game down a couple points are some of the technical glitches in the game. One of the Collection rewards I earned twice, then exited the mode in which I was playing to see that the was not registered (it finally worked a third time when I played another level AFTER the one in which I earned it, instead of exiting to the main menu right away). Sometimes when I die, the screen fails to change back to the respawn screen, and some frame rate issues have been frustrating as well.
That being said, I tear it up as Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and the aerial battles. Love it.
That being said, I tear it up as Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and the aerial battles. Love it.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Brigsby Bear (2017) in Movies
Aug 23, 2019
Sweet Flick!!
144. Brigsby Bear. An amazing movie, that's pretty original, therefore no one will go see it. So... one day James' world came crashing down. He lives in a bunker, cause the air outside is poison, the only two people he's ever known, his parents, aren't exactly telling him the truth about certain things. Like everything. Turns out, his parents arent his parents (and considering one of these people is Luke Skywalker, he should know about parent confusion). Ted and April kidnapped James as a child and raised him in this odd universe they created for him. And that includes Brigsby Bear, a TV show (the only TV show) that James has watched since his time here began. Brigsby pretty much teaches James all the lessons he needs to know and creates this whole world full of magic... And then the police come and end it all, now James is faced with the truth, his parents were criminals and the world as he knows it, does not exist. A whole new family, a whole new life... but, Brigsby Bear's role in it is far from over! See it.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 20, 2019
I have very mixed feelings following The Rise of Skywalker, the concluding chapter of not just another trilogy of Star Wars movies but also the conclusion of the Skywalker saga. Starting this trilogy, I was comforted by the familiarity presented in The Force Awakens and I felt that movie got the balance right between it's handling of the past and the introduction of new characters, scenarios and threats. But, I’m one of those people that was ultimately disappointed by The Last Jedi. Not the kind that fanboy rages about Star Wars and my entire childhood being ruined, as there are actually a lot of things I liked about it, but I do feel it deviated too much from some of the direction introduced in the previous movie and the movies prior to that. So I went into The Rise of Skywalker not quite as excited as I've been previously, but still cautiously optimistic following a trailer which managed to give me goosebumps pretty much every time I saw it.
As a final chapter, The Rise of Skywalker has a lot resting on it's shoulders. Concluding, and wrapping things up, while not completely ignoring the ideas put forth in The Last Jedi, JJ Abrams is however clearly more interested in revisiting some of his own ideas from The Force Awakens. But I felt that maybe he was relying a little too much on that familiarity aspect at times, as he tries to please everyone.
In The Rise of Skywalker, the resistance are still outnumbered by the First Order and Kylo Ren is now Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Rey is training with Leia, becoming more confident and powerful, while Finn, Poe and Chewie are out in the Millennium Falcon gathering intel from spies. But an old threat from the past has returned, as a message goes out across the galaxy from an unknown region - Emperor Palpatine is warning of revenge, supported by a powerful fleet of ships.
To go into much more detail would involve spoilers, but lets just say that the first half of the movie involves a search to find something which is going to help them find something else, which is going to lead to the location of the emperor. The quest takes us from location to location, with the odd rescue along the way and the occasional new character popping up. Rey and Ren still have a bond which means that they can manipulate and battle each other from anywhere in the galaxy as Ren and his knights seek out Rey and her team in order to destroy them. There's a lot going on in that first half, and it all felt a bit messy. It's fair to say, I was very bored by this first half.
Around that half way mark though, the journey takes us to a world in the Endor system, where the remains of the second Death Star lies out at sea, among towering waves. It's there that an epic battle between Rey and Ren takes place, which you no doubt will have seen snippets of in the trailers or marketing material. Waves crash around them and the visuals, the choreography, the score, it all came together and really kick started the second half off for me. I still can't quite put my finger on it, but from that point on I felt a real shift (in the force?) and I began to really enjoy the rest of the movie, right up until the huge, inevitable and breathtaking final battle.
As mentioned earlier, there are certainly a lot of characters to take care of in this movie, including plenty of newcomers, all fighting for attention and screen-time. Some of the seemingly important characters introduced to us previously in this trilogy feel a bit lost at times, while we do still manage to find time for a very welcome return by Landon Calrissian. Rey and Ren are both outstanding once again and a special mention goes out to Richard E Grant, who I thought was brilliant as head of the First Order fleet, Allegiant General Pride. Scenes involving Carrie Fisher are beautifully handled, but I felt that the fan service went a little bit too far with some of the scenes involving Luke Skywalker.
The level of craftsmanship and design that goes into a Star Wars movie is always incredible and The Rise of Skywalker is no exception, elevated by a powerful John Williams score and some amazing visuals. I'm really not sure what I was expecting from this final chapter but, despite it all coming good for me in the end, I do feel slightly disappointed overall by the wildly differing halves of the movie. Still, there's nothing quite like seeing a new Star Wars movie on the big screen at Christmas time!
As a final chapter, The Rise of Skywalker has a lot resting on it's shoulders. Concluding, and wrapping things up, while not completely ignoring the ideas put forth in The Last Jedi, JJ Abrams is however clearly more interested in revisiting some of his own ideas from The Force Awakens. But I felt that maybe he was relying a little too much on that familiarity aspect at times, as he tries to please everyone.
In The Rise of Skywalker, the resistance are still outnumbered by the First Order and Kylo Ren is now Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Rey is training with Leia, becoming more confident and powerful, while Finn, Poe and Chewie are out in the Millennium Falcon gathering intel from spies. But an old threat from the past has returned, as a message goes out across the galaxy from an unknown region - Emperor Palpatine is warning of revenge, supported by a powerful fleet of ships.
To go into much more detail would involve spoilers, but lets just say that the first half of the movie involves a search to find something which is going to help them find something else, which is going to lead to the location of the emperor. The quest takes us from location to location, with the odd rescue along the way and the occasional new character popping up. Rey and Ren still have a bond which means that they can manipulate and battle each other from anywhere in the galaxy as Ren and his knights seek out Rey and her team in order to destroy them. There's a lot going on in that first half, and it all felt a bit messy. It's fair to say, I was very bored by this first half.
Around that half way mark though, the journey takes us to a world in the Endor system, where the remains of the second Death Star lies out at sea, among towering waves. It's there that an epic battle between Rey and Ren takes place, which you no doubt will have seen snippets of in the trailers or marketing material. Waves crash around them and the visuals, the choreography, the score, it all came together and really kick started the second half off for me. I still can't quite put my finger on it, but from that point on I felt a real shift (in the force?) and I began to really enjoy the rest of the movie, right up until the huge, inevitable and breathtaking final battle.
As mentioned earlier, there are certainly a lot of characters to take care of in this movie, including plenty of newcomers, all fighting for attention and screen-time. Some of the seemingly important characters introduced to us previously in this trilogy feel a bit lost at times, while we do still manage to find time for a very welcome return by Landon Calrissian. Rey and Ren are both outstanding once again and a special mention goes out to Richard E Grant, who I thought was brilliant as head of the First Order fleet, Allegiant General Pride. Scenes involving Carrie Fisher are beautifully handled, but I felt that the fan service went a little bit too far with some of the scenes involving Luke Skywalker.
The level of craftsmanship and design that goes into a Star Wars movie is always incredible and The Rise of Skywalker is no exception, elevated by a powerful John Williams score and some amazing visuals. I'm really not sure what I was expecting from this final chapter but, despite it all coming good for me in the end, I do feel slightly disappointed overall by the wildly differing halves of the movie. Still, there's nothing quite like seeing a new Star Wars movie on the big screen at Christmas time!
Jordan Binkerd (567 KP) rated Star Wars, Vol. 2: Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon in Books
Aug 9, 2019
Note: this review is transposted from my personal review blog, and so was originally written several years ago. I figured if I reposted it here, someone might actually read it….
I very much enjoyed the first volume of Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars series, but many other reviewers took issue with it for playing things safe and giving us a story like many we’d seen before. These criticisms are not completely unfounded, I’ll admit, but neither are they completely fair. Either way, this is not a problem the series has going forward…. This second volume also includes the one-off flashback story THE LAST OF HIS BREED, featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi adjusting to his exile on Tatooine, which is discussed separately below.
Luke Skywalker has successfully escaped the clutches of the bounty hunter Boba Fett, but all he got for his troubles was the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi–no small prize, but probably not all that helpful in furthering his Jedi training. So what’s the next logical step in learning about the Jedi? Try and sneak onto Coruscant to infiltrate the old Jedi Temple, of course! But when his attempt to find a discreet ship and pilot in a seedy bar on Nar Shaddaa goes horribly awry, Luke finds himself the prisoner of Grakkus the Hutt. In addition to the traditional crime and vice, Grakkus has made a name for himself as one of the foremost collectors of Jedi artifacts. Now Luke faces the battle of his life in Grakkus’ arena, billed as “the last Jedi” and pitted against a fearsome creature for the amusement of Grakkus’ fellow crime lords….Meanwhile, Han and Leia are out scouting potential locations for a new Rebel base when they run across a figure from Han’s past. Her name is Sana, and she claims to be his wife….
As with the previous volume, this was some stellar work. Jason Aaron nails the banter between Han & Leia, to the point where you can almost hear Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford delivering the lines, and Luke’s mix of cockiness and self-doubt is spot-on for his character and situation. Also of note is Stuart Immonen’s spectacular artwork. From the character closeups to the panoramic vistas, this was pure Star Wars. Also amusing was watching our entire cast wade into battle wielding lightsabers. Did Luke manage to salvage anything of value from Grakkus’ stash on his way out? I guess we’ll have to wait and see….
Then there’s the Obi-Wan backup story. It’s been seven years since the rise of the Empire, seven years since the death of the Jedi and the Republic. Formerly one of the greatest Jedi of his generation, now Obi-Wan Kenobi lives a life of obscurity on the desert planet of Tatooine. Where once he protected the innocent of the galaxy, now “Old Ben” forces himself to look the other way lest he draw the Empire’s notice as Jabba’s thugs extort water from the locals. All that matters is protecting the boy, Luke Skywalker, on whose unknowing shoulders rest the fate of the galaxy. But there are limits to the patience of even the greatest of Jedi….
This was a good one. The story was solid, and it’s always interesting to see Obi-Wan’s state of mind during his exile. Was this done better in John Jackson Miller’s KENOBI? Yes. That goes without saying, if only because he had more than twenty-four pages to tell his story. At any rate, KENOBI isn’t canon anymore, so we’ll not dwell on it. Simone Bianchi’s art here was stellar, I must say, and his Kenobi managed to blend Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness superbly. I would very much like to see more of these one-off excerpts from Obi-Wan’s journal appear in future issues of the comic.
CONTENT: Moderate violence, not too gruesome most of the time. Mild profanity. Mild sexual innuendo and flirting.
Original posts: Main story (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-showdown-on-the-smugglers-moon-by-jason-aaron-stuart-immonen/) & Obi-Wan Flashback (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-the-last-of-his-breed-by-jason-aaron-simone-bianchi/)
I very much enjoyed the first volume of Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars series, but many other reviewers took issue with it for playing things safe and giving us a story like many we’d seen before. These criticisms are not completely unfounded, I’ll admit, but neither are they completely fair. Either way, this is not a problem the series has going forward…. This second volume also includes the one-off flashback story THE LAST OF HIS BREED, featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi adjusting to his exile on Tatooine, which is discussed separately below.
Luke Skywalker has successfully escaped the clutches of the bounty hunter Boba Fett, but all he got for his troubles was the journal of Obi-Wan Kenobi–no small prize, but probably not all that helpful in furthering his Jedi training. So what’s the next logical step in learning about the Jedi? Try and sneak onto Coruscant to infiltrate the old Jedi Temple, of course! But when his attempt to find a discreet ship and pilot in a seedy bar on Nar Shaddaa goes horribly awry, Luke finds himself the prisoner of Grakkus the Hutt. In addition to the traditional crime and vice, Grakkus has made a name for himself as one of the foremost collectors of Jedi artifacts. Now Luke faces the battle of his life in Grakkus’ arena, billed as “the last Jedi” and pitted against a fearsome creature for the amusement of Grakkus’ fellow crime lords….Meanwhile, Han and Leia are out scouting potential locations for a new Rebel base when they run across a figure from Han’s past. Her name is Sana, and she claims to be his wife….
As with the previous volume, this was some stellar work. Jason Aaron nails the banter between Han & Leia, to the point where you can almost hear Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford delivering the lines, and Luke’s mix of cockiness and self-doubt is spot-on for his character and situation. Also of note is Stuart Immonen’s spectacular artwork. From the character closeups to the panoramic vistas, this was pure Star Wars. Also amusing was watching our entire cast wade into battle wielding lightsabers. Did Luke manage to salvage anything of value from Grakkus’ stash on his way out? I guess we’ll have to wait and see….
Then there’s the Obi-Wan backup story. It’s been seven years since the rise of the Empire, seven years since the death of the Jedi and the Republic. Formerly one of the greatest Jedi of his generation, now Obi-Wan Kenobi lives a life of obscurity on the desert planet of Tatooine. Where once he protected the innocent of the galaxy, now “Old Ben” forces himself to look the other way lest he draw the Empire’s notice as Jabba’s thugs extort water from the locals. All that matters is protecting the boy, Luke Skywalker, on whose unknowing shoulders rest the fate of the galaxy. But there are limits to the patience of even the greatest of Jedi….
This was a good one. The story was solid, and it’s always interesting to see Obi-Wan’s state of mind during his exile. Was this done better in John Jackson Miller’s KENOBI? Yes. That goes without saying, if only because he had more than twenty-four pages to tell his story. At any rate, KENOBI isn’t canon anymore, so we’ll not dwell on it. Simone Bianchi’s art here was stellar, I must say, and his Kenobi managed to blend Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness superbly. I would very much like to see more of these one-off excerpts from Obi-Wan’s journal appear in future issues of the comic.
CONTENT: Moderate violence, not too gruesome most of the time. Mild profanity. Mild sexual innuendo and flirting.
Original posts: Main story (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-showdown-on-the-smugglers-moon-by-jason-aaron-stuart-immonen/) & Obi-Wan Flashback (https://jordanbinkerd.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/review-star-wars-the-last-of-his-breed-by-jason-aaron-simone-bianchi/)