MidSouth Explorers

NON SPOILER TAKE ON SKYWALKER: So I liked it, but I think it has a lot to do with the adjustment of expectations. If you walk in expecting to get the same feeling you had after watching Empire (or really any of the original trilogy), you’ll be disappointed. But after the prequels, and the fact that Force Awakens is really just a remake, AND the atrociousness of The Last Jedi, my expectations were NOT high. But it’s really not a bad film.Is it grossly overplotted? Kind of. Is the dialogue sort of awful? Check. But the character arcs of Kylo and Rey are really impressive, the light saber duels are equally entertaining, and hey. . .space battles. In making sequels to films 40+ after the fact, the writers have been faced with a difficult challenge: how do we reinvigorate an enormous and aging film base while capturing the attention of whole new generations? That’s a tall order. With the newer trilogy, Disney plays it safe. The new films revisit A LOT of the same themes and plot lines as the originals. It can leave you scratching your head thinking "Wait, this all seems SO familiar. . .". The newer films (including ‘Skywalker’) also face the difficult task of introducing new characters, all while trying to develop and ‘wrap up’ character arcs of existing characters. That’s likewise not an easy thing to do, and there are some clear hits and misses in ‘Skywalker.’ I hate to compare it to the series finale of “Game of Thrones,” but there are some plot lines and characters who just get shoved off to the peripheral. That being said, I cannot praise the performances of Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley enough. In my opinion, they’ve carried this entire trilogy. The worst thing that can happen in a movie is simply not caring about the main characters. Even when given subpar dialogue, they churn in earnest performances, and ‘Skywalker’ gives them the sendoffs they deserve. Although ‘Skywalker’ is a highly entertaining film, I don’t believe people will be watching the newer films in 40 years the way that the original trilogy is viewed today. And really, it’s not fair to ask for that, b/c the originals were extremely anomalous. This is no way perfect ending to the series. But this IS an ending, and one that old guys like me never thought we would have. It’s been an enjoyable journey.