This movie was lightyears ahead of the prequels, which let’s keep in mind is not impressive given the quality of the PT. After being really pretty angry after leaving the theatre I started to mellow out, but now I’m pissed off again; maybe it’s just because I’m bipolar. I actually think that Han Solo’s demise is what ruined the movie for me. I’m not bothered by the fact he was killed, I just hated that it was so pointless and ultimately lame (in my opinion of course). It wasn’t heroic and it wasn’t with a fight, it was just his dumbass son being a coward and liar. It really soured the movie for me because up until that point it had been pleasant enough (although pretty shallow), but that just made me so mad that I couldn’t help but rip apart the movie for all of the problems that I had noticed but was willing to forgive before then. This is a sad comparison but it really reminds me of Halloween Resurrection starring Busta Rhymes, where the beloved main character of the franchise was killed in a completely anticlimactic way. I also will agree that with the exception of the Empire’s design and the callbacks, it really didn’t feel like Star Wars. It just felt really off and almost completely lacked all of the religious element regarding the force specifically that the OT had, even going so far as to attach some sort of cosmic importance to Luke’s blue lightsaber, which neither Luke or Vader cared about losing in Empire so it couldn’t have been that important. I did enjoy some of the humor though.
I think the ultimate problem that keeps this movie from being enjoyable for me is that I don’t think Star Wars translates well into the 21st century. The visuals, other than recycled designs from the OT, just did not feel like Star Wars to me. Maybe it just all looked too polished or something. All of the aliens (again, other than the recycled designs and the old lady) just looked fat and ugly and lacked all charm of the original cantina scene. Star Wars and Empire just scream 1970s filmmaking, even though Empire came out in 1980 it was still filmed in 1979. That look of Star Wars and Empire just seems so real and quaint compared to this and I think that its budget and popularity have just made it too big for its own good. I’m not even sure if any of that makes sense as it’s 5:00 in the morning and I’m exhausted, so forgive if it sounds contrived.
I really hate that I’m being so hard on this film because I really did want to love it, and for a little bit I thought I would, but I just can’t get past all of the problems I had with it. Maybe it will grow on me