Because you asked, here are my thoughts…..with spoilers so you have been warned if you read more below…
For the most part, it was pretty good…
What I liked:
– Revealing new Jedi Powers. The phone connection ability, space movement (Leia), holograming and creating of even what seems temporary physical objects (dice) by the force, more mind reading from where Episode & left off. All cool things.
– Yoda showing up & chastising Luke.
– Humor, specifically at the very opening, when I first heard it I thought it was going to have more of this, but it seemed to fade after Yoda.
– Opening and Closing Action sequences were really really good. Especially the opening. The light saber fight in Snokes chamber was pretty dang awesome.
What I really didn’t like:
– Luke Skywalker’s attitude and repeated visits to “no, I don’t want to help you”. We got it after the first time he said it. I really feel they stripped Luke of many of his wonderful qualities specifically; hope, initiative, fearlessness, leadership etc. In TLJ he was a shell of his former self, “just waiting to die”. I really didn’t like this. While the ending fight scene was different, and clever, I honestly wanted to see Luke put the full power of the force on display in a way we had never seen, the opposite of Snoke.
– I thought the whole Gambling sequence and even the hacker could have been removed. It slowed the film down too much.
– I thought Captain Phasma was a wasted character probably created to only sell toys. She didn’t do much in either film and her ending fight scene wasn’t that interesting.
– I think about 20-25 minutes of it could have been edited down (specifically around the middle part).
Those were really the biggest things that came to mind, but in the end, being Star Wars, I was pretty happy with it.
What did you guys think?
Thanks for the review MA! I agree mostly with your review. Below are some thoughts and reactions that I have after seeing it 2 times.
This movie is different in the fact that I’ve never felt so good coming out of a screening, and then running through it in the days after, my opinion deteriorated greatly based on the writing. My "what could have been/should have been" written is annoying for most writers, but felt across the die hard fans.
#1; felt it was a cop out that Rey’s lineage wasn’t determined. (should have been a skywalker)
#2; Skywalker lost his Jedi-card. the optimism of the jedi ways was lost with Rian Johnson writing and Kennedy producing. Luke was a defeatist and was dead to me.
#3; the social issues at the casino were not needed (free the animals)
#4; pure kindergarten known physics were completely ignored…I mean how can a BIG ‘ol ship NOT catch up to a tiny cruiser and the last half of the movie be so focused on something like this
4b; would have been a great way to let Carrie/Leia sign off…but to have her float through space alive…cmon.
5. Chewy had virtually no role except for scenes with the porgs, for comical interest.
6. we lost all the potential for Phasma and Snoke, "we’ll never know" who they were. they deserved more backstory or future.
7. Lets face it; there was no real dance. Sky walker could have had one last beautiful saber fight IN PERSON, (ala obi-won style) but was only virtual reality; then dies on his own. c’mon man!
7b – does anyone recall seeing a xwing drowned? that had so much creative potential for luke.
8. overall humor was cute but overdone and cheapened the star wars cannon imo.
9. Yoda, lighting/burning of the tree…?
Ok, I’m done. off to catch some new flicks this long weekend! Happy Weekend!!! David