The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003
The gold standard for sticking a trilogy's landing, though the hosts note it had a source text to work from that Star Wars doesn't.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Emergency Deep Dive (SPOILERS) | The Big Picture
December 20, 2019/ 91 min/ Sean Fennessey · Mallory Rubin
Sean Fennessey and Mallory Rubin, one viewing deep, process the end of the Skywalker saga the morning after seeing it.
6 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
How do you end a saga?warming up before the spoilers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2011
Another ending they call satisfying, with a side gripe about splitting the last book into two movies.
Ocean's Thirteen 2007
Cited as a trilogy that closed itself out well.
Ocean's Eight 2018
The proof the well can still be revisited without ruining the original ending.
Avengers: Endgame 2019
Called the real winner of the week: the same job as 'Rise of Skywalker,' closing out a sprawling, multi-filmmaker saga, done with a coherence Star Wars couldn't manage.
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'spoilers throughout
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019
J.J. Abrams closes the sequel trilogy by reviving Palpatine with no real explanation and making Rey his granddaughter, a twist the hosts can't fully get behind even as they try to talk themselves into it. They fault the breakneck pace, fake-out deaths (Chewbacca survives an explosion minutes after 'dying,' Kylo Ren gets resurrected) that drain the stakes, and a script visibly reverse-engineered around the Carrie Fisher footage available after her death. What works: Rey and Kylo Ren's force-bond scenes, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley's performances, and Rey igniting her own yellow lightsaber at the end.
Also mentioned raised along the way
The sequel trilogy Star Wars: The Force AwakensStar Wars: The Last Jedi
The wider saga Star WarsReturn of the JediStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom MenaceStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithRogue One: A Star Wars StorySolo: A Star Wars Story
Rian Johnson, elsewhere Knives Out
Franchises that couldn't let a trilogy stay finished Alien 3Alien Resurrection
Tomorrow on the show Cats
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV WatchmenThe MandalorianStar Wars: The Clone WarsStar Wars RebelsAndorObi-Wan KenobiGame of Thrones
Podcasts Binge ModeThe RewatchablesThe Watch
Ads Bose ARNHTSA drunk driving PSA