Can we talk about this Ben Solo thing?

Hello friends 🙂

I don’t usually do “Star Wars News” posts, at least not in a separate post, but I have a few thoughts about this latest news. If you haven’t already heard, Adam Driver recently stated in an interview that he and director Steven Soderbergh had developed a script about Ben Solo that takes place after The Rise of Skywalker called “The Hunt for Ben Solo.”

Whaaaa????

As a sequel trilogy fan, a Kylo/Ben fan, and an Adam Driver fan, this is hugely exciting. The two brought the script to Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm and got a green light there. But when they brought it to Bob Iger (head of Disney) he said no. His reason? He can’t see how Ben Solo is still alive after TROS. End of story.

Excuse me? Disney Star Wars, where somehow…Palpatine returned? Not to mention Maul, Asajj Ventress, and Boba Fett all made miraculous returns after death? Adam freaking Driver, perhaps one of the best actors of his generation, and who brought his considerable acting chops to Star Wars, wants to do a movie, which was greenlit by Kathy Kennedy and Lucasfilm, and you’re just like, “Nah” ????

I know that the sequel trilogy wasn’t perfect. It was, in fact, Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren who carried a lot if it with his performance. And one of the things that hugely disappointed me was Ben Solo’s death. Yes, I get it, he’d been a monster as Kylo and even though he turned back to the light, how would the galaxy ever forgive him, blah blah blah. Easier to just kill him off, like most redemption stories in Star Wars. Crosshair in The Bad Batch was a great exception to this rule, as he has to live with his sins and try to atone for them somehow. We need to see more of this.

But Ben’s death left a huge hole in my heart. We only got a short, tantalizing glimpse of Ben Solo, a few amazing scenes in which he says nothing at all (and yes, actions speak louder than words, but his last word was “Ow.” Come on, man!) I NEED more Ben Solo in my life, please, yes, please. And I was content to maybe get some books or comics about him; lately all we’ve been getting are comics about Kylo Ren. I’m not complaining, exactly, I just want more Ben. But to have Adam Driver actually want to reprise the role in some way and bring him back to the big screen–dreams do come true! I was under the impression the guy was done with Star Wars and Kylo, but no, it looks like Driver had some unfinished business with Ben himself. And that’s just amazing to me!

But Bob “I’m an idiot” Iger said no. Now, there is a question as to how Ben would come back. As we don’t have access to the actual script, we can’t really know what Driver had in mind. But based on all the other characters who have been raised from the dead, in a sci-fi fantasy story, no less, there are endless possibilities.

At the end of TROS, Ben disappeared into the Force. Maybe he’s in the World Between Worlds and needs to learn some lessons there? Maybe it’s about young Ben Solo and his childhood and Driver isn’t in it at all, he just has the idea for the character and wants to executive produce? I don’t know. But I’m sure there’s an answer there.

He’s a complicated man. Sorry, he WAS a complicated man.

Anyway, I’m very disappointed and a bit flummoxed as to why it was shot down. It seems to be a huge missed opportunity. I’m sure there are other fans out there who feel “He died, end of story. He sacrificed himself for Rey, and if he comes back that would cheapen it, blah blah blah.” I get it. As someone who is a big Bad Batch fan and has been embroiled in the whole #TechLives thing on social media, I get it. The point is valid. The thing is, I don’t care, lol. If I can’t have Tech back, give me Ben Solo. I’d forfeit Maul, Ventress, and Boba Fett, all of them, in an instant to get either one back. Anyway, that’s my rant on the whole Ben Solo thing.

What do you think? Should Iger have agreed to this? Or did he do the right thing? Let me know how you feel about #thehuntforbensolo in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Thoughts On The Movie 65

So I finally got around to watching the movie 65, starring Adam Driver. My impression about this movie was that it was about this guy from Earth that was on a spaceship, something went terribly wrong, and he ended up going back in time 65 million years and ended up back on Earth with dinosaurs.

Nope.

What it’s actually about is this: it takes place 65 million years ago, and is about a guy from another planetary system who is on a spaceship, something goes terribly wrong, and crash lands on Earth, which is only at the dinosaur phase in its development.

Ohhhh. Interesting.

Captain Mills is a pilot who is transporting a group of cryogenically frozen people from one place to another. He’s taken on the job, even though he’ll be gone for at least two years, because his family needs the money to help pay for his daughter’s medical care, who has a serious disease.

While on the trip, the ship is hit by an unexpected meteor shower, and it crash lands, killing everyone on board except Mills. And, as he comes to find out a bit later, a young girl named Koa, who speaks a different language than him. The two must navigate this strange land that is dense with foliage, dangerous lizard-like life forms, and geothermal explosions, in order to reach an intact escape pod fifteen kilometers away (for some reason, this alien culture uses the metric system, lol).

The survivors must learn to communicate, trust each other, and help each other as they’re attacked by an assortment of dinosaurs that want to eat them. To make matters worse, Mills uses his technology to find out that a big meteor is heading toward the planet. Yeah, THAT one, the one that wipes out the dinosaurs, and its impact is imminent.

Mills also has to deal with multiple injuries, the fact that Koa reminds him of his daughter (who had died while he was on the trip), and that he lied to Koa and made her understand that her parents were on the mountain they’re heading to, to get her to go, while he knows that they’re dead.

So this movie is your classic “throw in every possible obstacle to the goal, make it worse, and add a ticking clock, as well psychological and emotional trauma” story. Oh, and dinosaurs!

It was actually pretty enjoyable, a great popcorn movie that did have me on the edge of my seat. At only an hour and a half, it was just the right amount of time for the nonstop intensity. And as always, Adam Driver gives his all in whatever his role requires.

I recommend it if you’re looking for something that’s pure entertainment, but something a little more interesting than your usual Jurassic Park dinosaur/human matchup.

Have you seen this movie? What did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!