Vaibhhav Sinha

This is definitely a Star Wars movie. Attempting to write a spoiler-free review, I would like to say that this one had a much more nuanced treatment of its characters, morality, The Force and story progression than most in the franchise. It felt like they wrote a mature script, but then also diluted it with moments where Deus Ex Machina comes to save the day. I suspect they will get more flak for the former than the latter, but the years ahead will be kinder to this movie. All the Star Wars movies rely on building moments of tension and suspense in a quest and then releasing that in a moment which pays off for most audiences. But a simple version of this build-stretch-slingshot can get old for the veteran audiences, who are tired of expecting obvious plot points. The writing has really matured, keeping even us veterans guessing and the payoff feels rather satisfying when it happens. There are still some bits which seemed like pandering and some bits which seemed exasperating. But to reiterate, this is definitely a Star Wars movie worth watching. For older audiences and younger ones.