Okay so this review has been pondering my mind ever since the Saturday viewing and I don’t know why. Is it that I enjoyed the film so much that I can’t stop thinking about it? Is it that I thought it wasn’t good enough and that’s why I keep thinking about it? I can’t quite put my finger on it. One of the things that completely took me out of enjoying the film to its fullest is that the audio mix of the film in my theater was not good. The dialogue was way too low to comprehend unless the actors were screaming lines. I felt myself straining to hear what was being said especially during Kylo Ren’s scenes. This hopefully will improve once I see it again. With that being said, I really liked it and I would give it a solid B+ or a 3.5 out of 5 stars. There are so many things I liked/loved about the film but there are still grips as well. I’ve read several “hater” tweets and listened to several podcast reviews about the movie and I understand the issues and have some of the same feelings however NO STAR WARS FILM IS PERFECT and I don’t think any of the issues or concerns give any reason to HATE this film. This film does everything in its power to do something different with the franchise and that can rub some people the wrong way. At first it rubbed me slightly wrong. There is a scene in the beginning of the film that the director lets you know that they are going in a completely different direction and it totally flew over my head and caught me off guard at first! (Send me a DM if you want to know what scene I’m talking about) Not until after I saw the film did I realize and except it. The older generation such as myself should just learn to except this is the new era of the franchise and things can change. I think what this film does is get the audience to talk and debate which is what you want from a film. If it doesn’t spark conversation whether it be good or bad, then you really have lost the point.
It really did feel like the first true sequel of the original trilogy. The Force Awakens basically re-established the Star Wars franchise by repeating a lot of what happens in A New Hope. This film branches off from Return of the Jedi (while mimicking Return of the Jedi) but adding so much more to continue the franchise. I really liked that they did that. For the last two years I keep waiting for answers to certain questions that The Force Awakens presented. Those answers were given in this film but not necessarily how I wanted them answered. That’s part of the problem that I had with this film. There are so much more deeper approaches to this new Star Wars franchise that this film filled me with joy and surprise. There were so many times that I thought they would go one way and ended going another. Luke and Leia gave the best performances of the film and it was quite possibly the best performance Leia has given of the entire franchise.
Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron who I loved in The Force Awakens disappointed me the most, along with Supreme Leader Snoke. Snoke really didn’t pay off enough for me. I expected Kylo Ren to be more of a threat and achieve that power or presence that Darth Vader had and his character didn’t do that for me. I’m not sure if it’s Adam Driver’s acting or just the way they have that character portrayed. The three main characters that I care for the most are Rey, Finn and Rose which makes sense because if you think about it the three characters that you care about the most in the original trilogy are Luke, Leia and Han. I look forward to seeing how these new characters continue to carry the franchise moving forward. I thought the special effects of the film were fantastic, the score was amazing and the comedy hit on some accounts.
All in all it was a great film, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see it on multiple viewings. This film is so different from any Star Wars film you have ever seen and it can be a good thing. Who wants to know what is going to happen at every turn. If they had just basically mimicked what happened in Empire Strikes Back (which is what I thought might happen) I would have been disappointed. It’s hard to really talk or review the film without spoilers so if you care to discuss spoilers I would be glad to do so in direct messaging. Go see it and May The Force Be With You!
Go see it! 3 1/2 Stars!!
