Star Wars sequels peak before a single scene plays out
The Star Wars sequel trilogy ended on a divisive and disappointing note, meaning it actually peaked before watching a single scene.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy hits its peak early -- before a single scene actually takes place, in fact. A Star Wars sequel couldn't be better for Disney. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" grossed more than $2 billion, making the Mouse House's $4 billion deal to buy Lucasfilm look like an absolute bargain. Financially, it's undeniably a worthwhile investment -- all of the sequel trilogy films have grossed more than $1 billion -- but the returns are diminishing, and not just at the box office.
The general excitement of Star Wars' return gave way to the split of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and then the disillusionment of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Looking back at the full picture of the sequel, it's a trilogy with a lot of problems, and that good start seems like a long time ago. Long ago, in fact, the moment it really peaked didn't even have a scene in any of the movies.
Star Wars' Sequels Peaked Just Before The Force Awakens' Opening Crawl
The exact moment the Star Wars sequels peak at the beginning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in "Once upon a time A Galaxy Far, Far Away" and an opening crawl that started at the same time as theme. The Force Awakens had a genius marketing campaign, with trailers and teasers that cleverly built excitement without revealing much, and this moment finally The climax was reached. It was the pinnacle of anticipation, the final moments of hype (and tension) before actually settling down to see what was in the Disney store. ^Unfortunately, what was in the store was divisive. The Force Awakens Likable in itself, but also too much A New Hope redux; a good but not great movie. Star Wars: The Last Jedi split fans in two; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker had very few Tried to make the audience happy again. But in the moments leading up to The Force Awakens, everything was perfect. Silent theater, black screen, rabid fans totally united in a moment of excited bliss and feeling Star Wars miraculous is back. ^Mileage may vary on my individual films that make up the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but overall, it ends up being a disappointment. In fact, it always will be - much like Star Wars The chances of a war prequel, living up to pre-release hype and expectations, carry very little weight. It's about reviving the franchise a decade later, proving that Star Wars is still alive, and nearly 40 years into the cult. Still, the Star Wars sequels made some fatal mistakes that contributed to their overall failure.
The biggest of these is the lack of cohesion, as there is an overarching vision. Disney had no plans for a Star Wars sequel, which led The Last Jedi to go in some unexpected directions after The Force Awakens, and then The Rise of Skywalker to go back a different way. The big twists are divisive at best, and the character arcs don't land. Sequels have come and gone too quickly, too -- out in four years and only in-universe for one year. With more time and a unified plan, the sequels could have been better -- and they should have been -- but even so, they wouldn't have met with almost unprecedented hype.
Star Wars' Sequels Couldn't Live Up To The Hype (But Could Have Done Better)
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