I LOVE this movie. The entirety of TFA and TLJ felt like they were holding on so much. Like they couldn’t cross a line. And then this movie says fuck it!
I went into this movie hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. I hadn’t seen the leaks but knew of the lackluster RT score. But how bad could it be, I said?
After literally 30 minutes of trailers (I checked with my phone - the last trailer got booed) those iconic words Star Wars appear on the screen… followed by…
“It is a period of civil war”?
“Luke Skywalker has vanished”?
“Turmoil has engulfed the galactic republic the taxation of trade routes is under dispute”?
No. Instead we have the dead speak!
And my friends and I start laughing, surrounded by all these Star Wars fans trying to salvage the wreckage of a crawl and get prepared for what must be their perfect movie.
And that’s when I realized this movie was going to be pure entertainment. It’s not here to lecture you like The Last Jedi or speak in mysteries like The Force Awakens. Just fuck it. Have fun.
Poe, Finn, and Rey have so much chemistry! I had liked them in TFA but grown bored of everyone in TLJ. This made me love them. The first half was just a crazy adventure. And then the second half became a genuinely emotional conclusion. Rey isn’t a Mary Sue anymore and Ben getting his redemption early subverted my expectations in a positive way.
The plot was massive but streamlined. It’s a simple stop Palpatine story. It doesn’t give you a moment to consider Palpatine’s return… he’s just back and we gotta deal with it. The action was imaginative. A fleet of Death Stars? Why not!
Now, it wasn’t perfect - this movie in many ways feels as if it should have been two. It was too rushed, but if it means telling this crazy story than sure. Thanks to this, I like the Sequel Trilogy.
8.5/10 my third favorite Star Wars movie.