I love this scene for so many reasons. the visuals are part of them obviously because holy FUCK, but also just everything how it's relevant to the story https://twitter.com/VinnieMancuso1/status/1338901717392482306

happens when
- finn is about to get executed (and then completes his character arc for that story by declaring himself a rebel)
- the skywalker lightsabre is destroyed

which is just mmm, the character writing in this is already super great I don't need to talk about it

but also what I do enjoy is just, in this film, a male lead is denied traditionally masculine martyrdom by a woman (Rose stops Finn), and then it's a woman who ends up with that martyrdom instead

like, jesus, what? that's admittedly almost radical

when I saw that scene for the first time, "this is Star Wars" just flashed into my mind for a split second. Never really put much thought into it, but man, it is Star Wars, isn't it?

Like, sure, Star Wars is lightsabres and Luke Skywalker and weird cantinas, but imo it's about something more than that. it's about how it was a cultural phenomenon that did a lot of new things, in special effects, but also elsewhere too

One of the reasons Star Wars is lauded is because of just how new it all was, and bringing these fresh takes to a humongous audience. Even in microcosm, Empire Strikes Back is usually rated the top of the core film canon because it does push and force the world into new territory

CG has admittedly become more and more samey over time especially in mainstream cinema, so to see the hyperspeed ram as this new, never seen before visual concept realised on the big screen in front of you? literally breathtaking

I think I can safely say that for a lot of visual artists, the hyperdrive ram is one of those once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece moments you often only dream about. I can only imagine how stoked and proud the visual team were at that

love that film to bits