Anthony Templeton

This movie feels like it should've been split in two. The first half of the movie feels like a sped up version of the second movie JJ wanted to make. The second half feels like a sped up version of his finale. Because of this, the movie feels very rushed and they are just trying to hit the main points within their time limits. I wish they had planned the story out before making the films so we would have a plot that isn't constantly second guessing itself. The MCU has shown us that Disney can work to map out their universe in advance and unfortunately, its painfully obvious that they did not do it for this trilogy and were flying by the seat of their pants. With that being said, the action / set pieces were amazing to look at. We are treated to some of the best action we've seen in the Star Wars franchise. The lightsaber combat was extremely well done and amazing to watch and I will never get tired of seeing Star Destroyers flying through space or the iconic noise of tie fighters flying past the screen. And as always, the music composed by John Williams is spectacular and will certainly always be welcomed. Overall I enjoyed watching the movie and thought it was fun to watch but it seems to struggle with what kind of movie it wants to be. The jumping around leads to frustration where one moment you love the movie and the next moment you are left scratching your head at their decision making. I left happy I saw it, but also happy that this mess of a trilogy is over. SPOILERS: - I was really hoping they would keep Kylo/Ben evil instead of having him turn. The opening 10 minutes with him hunting for Palpatine were AMAZING. It almost seemed like an art film with little dialogue and the audience just absorbing the set pieces and actions. Him slaughtering the forest full of creatures to find the wayfinder really had my hopes up that he was firmly on the dark side. - Since Kylo/Ben turned, I was hoping it would be Anakin talking to him. He had idolized the remains of the Vader helmet throughout all 3 movies, and Anakin going through the same struggles of light vs dark would have made much more sense than having Han show up. - I like that they made Finn a main character again. They made him a general and actually gave him something to do besides just running after Rey the whole time(he still runs after her but at least he is given something more to do) - In the same vein as Finn, I enjoyed Poe as well. There is some remnant of TLJ in his character in this movie. He somewhat puts away the rouge pilot / spy and tries to be a leader (at least towards the end of the movie). He also had some genuinely funny lines sprinkled throughout that made me enjoy his character even more. - I don't mind that the ending was complete fan service, but I also wish it was willing to take more risks. I can't help but feel like if LucasFilms wasn't owned by Disney, these movies would've had a more focused vision and taken more risk(have Rey turn dark, keep Kylo/Ben evil, keep Rey dead, have C3PO ACTUALLY forget everything, etc...), instead of the 'Disney Happy Ending' that everyone knew was coming. That isn't to say it would've be better (see: prequels), but at least it would've been one cohesive vision throughout the trilogy.