Adam Pleasants

I went out of the theater thinking this was the best Star Wars film since the original trilogy. The Internet apparently did not agree with that, but I still think it's the best Star Wars since the original trilogy. I could point out the visual splendor of it all, the beautiful John Williams track, the excellent acting -- or I could point out the pacing issues, the occasional bad lines or the at-times ham-fisted subplot -- but the central story is what makes it great. "Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to." It has been decades since the films that started it all, and while the characters may be timeless, the actors that played them (Hamill, Fisher, and Ford) aren't, as has unfortunately already been demonstrated with Fisher. At some point, the wonderful universe of Star Wars either has to die with its founders or give them a graceful farewell while there is still time left, and eventually move on. Both directors of the new films have chosen the latter option, but to me Rian did it slightly better than Abrams. When Abrams did away with the man who shot first, simultaneously, or slightly after, he embedded his death in a story that was a hybrid clone of two original trilogy movies. This enraged much of the fanbase, elements of which had not yet recovered from the destruction of the old EU, and stoked fears that the Almighty Mouse Megacorp was going to churn out bland remakes for all the sequel trilogy with Rey as the bland Mary Sue replacement Luke. Then came Johnson, taking this film and being original. He took the familiar aspects of Star Wars and twisted them around. Luke is a Jedi hermit like Yoda and Ben before him... but a cynical recluse rather than an enlightened ascetic. Leia has actual Force powers (which should have been a non-issue, considering how it was mentioned in the Force Awakens trailer). The obviously evil villain is offed with less pomp than Greedo. The morally-conflicted villain chooses evil over good. The "bad commander" is really a good one. There are actual consequences for the hotshot young pilot being a hotshot young pilot. The "new Lando"... isn't. The bad guys and good guys hire some of the same people to do the same jobs. The redemptive sacrifice by a main character not only is pointless, but it is stopped just in time. The master learns from the student. The hero is actually someone who had no relation any of the characters in the previous trilogies. Obviously, this has enraged a large section of the fanbase. To them, it feels like a betrayal, especially with Luke here being so antithetical to the paragon of Jedi philosophy found in prior films. Many of the mysteries J.J. set up but didn't think of a solution to by the time he handed the creative reins over to Rian are resolved in a manner they find unsatisfactory. But as a film, it works. Because it can predict what you predict will happen, it can do the unexpected. Because it knows who and what you attach meaning to, it can give you the most emotional farewells or shock you out of the blue. And unlike Abrams's Awakens, it doesn't drag on well past the climax. It's new. It's bold. And it's good.