Glen Wang

As a big fan of Star Wars, I am usually willing to defend everything from the prequels to The Last Jedi (even the underappreciated Solo movie). However, that can't be said to TROS which is a movie that feels like as if it is, for better or worse, made by 'fans' for fans (indirectly.) The first problems in the latest JJ Abrams film come immediately in the very first few scenes, with shockingly frentic pacing (even by JJ's standards) and 'plot devices over character motivation' storytelling techniques become incredibly obvious as time flies by. But what is even unforgivable is the fact that TROS actively tries to retcon some of the boldest and most subversive elements in The Last Jedi (which I still consider the third best in the entire saga) in the worst way possible, reverting all infinite fresh possibilities established by Rian Johnson to status quo. Even Rose (poor, poor Rose!), one of the many highlights of TLJ, has been unfairly relegated to a background character, thanks to internet trolls that force the filmmakers to chicken out and play things safe for the entire duration. On the flipside, the performances, especially from Daisy Ridley and Adam Drive, are still as compelling as ever, with top notch, spectacular action scenes, and a very satisfying end to the Skywalkers arc that began more than 40 years ago. As a noble closure to that aforementioned arc, I personally think it largely succeeds in that regard. But as a conclusion to the entirety of the sequel trilogy, which is solidly set up in the first two movies (despite its apparent lack of vision. Haha, see what I did here), TROS is an absolute trainwreck.

An absolute disaster from beginning to the end: Venom represents everything that is wrong with not only the superhero genre but also modern filmmaking as a whole. Not even Tom Hardy's unintentionally hilarious dual personality performance can overcome the movie's ponderously generic plot, terrible editing and pacing and shoddy CGI that makes the Symbiotes look like space turds, not to mention some shockingly bland performances from acclaimed actors in the likes of Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed. Suddenly, the prospect of seeing a crossover between Tom Holland and a space turd begins to feels less enticing.

The Crimes of Grindelwald is the first Harry Potter/Wizarding World movie that I genuinely hate (can't believe I actually said that for the first time since the lucrative movie series launched in 2001); a film so dull and aimless it does nothing but just to waste precious hours with pointless subplot upon pointless subplot that lead to a plot twist so nonsensical it really make me roll my eyes in its sheer ineptitude, not to mention complete character assassination in the form of Queenie, one of the stronger and more charming characters in the first FB movie. If I were to have learnt an Obliviate spell, I'd rather wipe it out of everyone's memories, including my own.