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Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024)
Not as mind blowing as Tales of the Jedi but still solid
Slightly disappointed we didn't get as much of certain things but still consider myself satisfied. Especially satisfied with the conclusion(?) of Barriss Offee's story which we've been waiting to see since she disappeared from Star Wars after season 5 of the Clone Wars. Some might not like it but I thought satisfactory. Morgan Elsbeth's story is pretty good as well and nice to see Thrawn again this time in Clone Wars animation style (and looking more like his actor Lars Mikelson). Great seeing General Grievous and the further aftermath of the genocide of the Nightsister clan and how it set Elsbeth on her path to becoming an ally of Thrawn and the Empire. In all it's not the best Star Wars ever but I consider it solid (more so than other Disney era projects like the Acolyte).
Navalny (2022)
US Empire propaganda
Anything that's a favorite of Lindsey Graham, the Russophobic imperialist neocons I automatically dismiss. It's astonishing that this crap gets all the Hollywood accolades. If there any documentaries that should be celebrated it's Oliver Stone's Putin Interviews or the Ukraine documentary films he produced. You don't have to be pro-Putin (not asking nor demanding such thing). But if you're on the same side of the people who are responsible for starting the unlawful destructive invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen that resulted in the deaths of millions over the last 30 years and the various color revolutions financed by George Soros in the Middle East and Eastern Europe you are on the WRONG side. Navalny was a pawn of the CIA, MI6 for regime change in Russia which along with China are the main bulwark against American empire hegemony. Also I suggest taking a look at his very early YouTube videos where he called certain groups of people 'cockroaches'. Let's just say it's the kind of rhetoric not even half as strong if it came from an upstart politician in the west they would be labeled with every possible negative word in the book and pushed out of polite society.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Truth and Consequences (2023)
Back-to-back killer episodes!
These episodes remind me of the Phantom Menace but this is even more devious. Senator Chuchi and Admiral Rampart were both pawns. Rampart in creating and pushing for the stormtrooper program and Chuchi in exposing his role in destroying Topoca City on Kamino. The way he gets thrown under the bus I get a Lee Harvey Oswald feel. The efforts of Clone Force 99, Omega, and Senator Chuchi were for not. Sidious always plays everyone like a fiddle to get what he wants. The Jedi Order, the clone wars, the Galactic Senate, the clones themselves. In the end the biggest victims in this whole affair are the clones themselves. Their entire purpose was eliminating the Jedi Order, transforming the Republic into the Galactic Empire, and they get thrown aside like bantha fodder.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part I (2022)
Strongest storytelling I've seen in Star Wars in years (besides Mandalorian or Clone Wars)
Best acting I've seen from Ewan McGregor yet. I grew up watching the prequels. I was 5 when the Phantom Menace came out, 8 during Attack of the Clones, and 11 during Revenge of the Sith. Star Wars has been mostly mediocre it not outright awful during the Disney era (other than Mandalorian, Clone Wars season 7, Bad Batch and the best parts of Book of Boba Fett). I think Star Wars is making a real comeback contrary to all the influencers on YouTube and social media who've been making money for years on bashing Star Wars and Disney. Many instances where that was justified but increasingly it's increasingly cynical and destructive to the genuine efforts on part of Jon and Dave to fix the sinking ship. Book of Boba Fett was a slight misstep due to behind the scenes drama with the Gina Carano firing but otherwise they've been increasingly successful. These two episodes of Obi-Wan are thoroughly enjoyable. Debra Chow should be committed for this success as well as Ewan. I can't wait to see Vader show up in the coming episodes.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
A very nostalgic (but flawed) film
I remember first seeing this film when it came out in 1999. I was five years old then and I enjoyed. Over the years as I've become interested in film reviews and watched the film multiple times, I started the significant flaws of the movie particularly the dialogue. I understand there's a vocal crowd who passionately hate it, but I never could bring myself to doing so. I can't even dislike. I guess part of it is the nostalgia of the experience, but there's stuff to legitimately like in this movie. Some of the performances like Liam Neeson do a very decent job and while Ewan McGregor doesn't do much as Obi-Wan in this film, he gets better as the Prequels go on. The pod race I very much enjoy (though it could've been shot more interestingly) and the lightsaber duel at the film which saves it for many people is my 2nd favorite lightsaber duel in the film saga (first being the Luke/Vader duel in Empire). Admittedly many performances in the movie don't pan out too well like Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker. Though to be fair he was only 8 years old at the time he was in front of the camera and he got REALLY unnecessary hate after the it came out. In fact due to the hate he went through for his performance it forced him to retire from acting and hasn't been in front of the camera in over a decade. Kinda makes me wanna give the guy a hug for all the visceral hate he got over the years. Then there's the Midi-clorians; honesty I never had any negative opinion about them is I was never so picky with details in movies and pretty much just accept it as is. The one criticism I'd have (at least in Phantom Menace) is that they weren't explained enough. The Clone Wars TV series and the Darth Plagueis novel actually give a really interesting study on midi-clorians. I understand those who despise them feeling it ruins the mystery of the Force (a reason I suspect why J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy decided to completely exclude any mention of them in The Force Awakens), but it just never edged the wrong way. The Phantom Menace is 100% canon anyway and so are Midi-clorians so people who hate them will have to accept them. A huge mistake I feel Phantom Menace made was killing off Darth Maul (though The Clone Wars later retconed that bringing him back and is 100% canon). Ultimately I hold a lot of positive nostalgia for it even with its flaws. 6.7/10