Jenna Young

In trying so hard to please, the movie, characters, and even the Force itself, have lost their way. You will like this film if: (1) You are a casual viewer - it looks gorgeous, it's jam-packed with lightsaber fights, pew-pew battles and a mind-numbing amount of starfighters. Its frenetic pace will keep your eyes entertained for 2.5 hrs. (2) You like nostalgia. There are many Return of the Jedi resemblances - the final battle with scrappy rebel air and ground forces, Lando + Millennium Falcon, Palpatine cackling away at the protagonist, as well as villain redemption. There are Easter Eggs and callbacks galore. (3) You hate The Last Jedi and want to see everything retconned. However, if, like me, you value good writing, with character development and compelling themes, you will not like this movie. If you are knowlegeable about the lore and mythos of the Star Wars galaxy, or au fait with canon content outside of the movies, you are also likely to come away extremely displeased. In the mad scramble to please the "fans", the themes of the sequel trilogy were lost. There is no character growth. This is not a coming of age story, a Bildungsroman, which is what Star Wars is at its heart. The writers did not seem to care about the characters, and did them all a huge and disappointing disservice. It is very clear the writers were ticking off boxes, addressing the angry "fan" complaints from The Last Jedi. Rey's parents, more Rey/Finn/Poe time, wise/awesome Luke, Chaotic Evil villain, no Rose Tico and no women telling the men what to do - tick! tick! tick! to all of the above. There are so many retcons, the story is convoluted and confusing. ---- HERE BE SPOILERS ---- Rey's character arc has regressed. This movie is about her past, not her future. She hasn't let go and she hasn't moved on. She learns you are only worthy of the Force if you are a Skywalker or a Palpatine. At the end of the movie, she is shown in a desert, essentially alone. Finn's growth from First Order deserter to Rebel scum is largely glossed over. You'd forget it ever happened, if it weren't for a literal few seconds of expository dialogue. The compelling themes of Real People behind the Stormtroopers, Man vs Machine, stolen and brainwashed children - all forgotten. Finn is reduced to a guy with a blaster, who makes eyes at Rey all the time. Seriously, what? Poe has forgotten the necessary lessons in humility and responsibility required of a good leader. His ethos is: they started this fight, so they must keep going, even if it is a suicide mission. He may as well have arrived at the movie straight from Jakku. Ben Solo dies. There, I said it. This was a huge punch in the gut. He was targeted by Snoke when he was a fetus. As a child, his untrained Force powers terrified his parents, resulting in being dumped with his Uncle Luke, who then tried to murder him in his sleep. Snoke groomed him like a pedophile and made him kill his father. When he meets Rey, he finally has a chance at healing, at a good life. But it was not to be. Han, Luke, Leia died to give him hope - all for nothing. How is this a hopeful, uplifting ending for the Last Skywalker? Balance in the Force - forget it. Winning not by fighting what you hate, but saving what you love - nope. Force-sensitivity for all, and therefore a chance to be the Hero of your own story - definitely not. In summary - in trying so hard to please, the movie, characters, and even the Force itself, have lost their way.