Mark Mayfield

Ok I love Theron and this movie isn’t terrible BUT there is nothing new here. No way is it 5 star-amazing, like many of these reviews claim.

As a Star Wars fan, I was disappointed in this movie. The main characters seemed “off,” behaving in ways inconsistent with their prior arcs. Yes there were surprises and “reveals” but they seemed random and forced, not part of an overarching scheme or journey. A variety of poorly written but “diverse” characters appeared but added little to the movie. Possibly they were added to cover up bad writing? Plot holes abound. For unknown reasons, many of the mysteries and questions from the prior movie (Episode VII) were ignored or cast aside. Too many times I was thinking “wait a minute, that makes no sense.” The movie was definitely visually pleasing and so is the music. For the most part, it looked like a Star Wars movie. The cast is great but too much of the dialogue and plot was just terrible. The movie ends basically where it began, but only after inexplicably killing off the main villain and ruining the character of Luke. The writer was not familiar with previous Star Wars movies. A solid C-.

Not sure yet. I’ve watched the first two episodes and thus far it is unoriginal in terms of plot and lacking in great acting performances. Not sure if Orlando Bloom can carry this series. I like the premise and the show is visually beautiful. It has a GoT vibe to it as well in terms of the camera work and overall feel. I hope it picks up as it has great potential.