In fairness, Abrams complete lack of creativity wasn't much better. Johnson tried to do something different, it was god awful and 2 hours of nothing, but I have to at least give him that.
He was never going too far in 7 and in 9 he basically had to pretend 8 never happened. If he does all 3 I think 8 and 9 are a lot better.
8 ends with Finn getting frozen in metal and Rey gets her hand chopped off. Maybe the black guy betrays them, regrets it, and then redeems himself.
And people wonder how that fine ideology could lose an election... Huge problem in the world right there.
OK, to discuss. I get if people didn't like it, but I knew it would not be a theatrical masterpiece so I was fine with it. Felt like the first half of movie was trying to steer the ship back on course after 8, but that it had to be done. Things I liked - 1. Finn and Poe's character development (finally). 2. I liked the force connection development. 3. Force lightning. 4. Lando's role. Just enough to make me smile, but not overdone. 5. Leia's role. 6. Happy Luke returns. 7. Rey's internal struggle. 8. The sheer cheesiness of the final battle and aftermath. 9. Chewie getting his medal. I don't care, it was damn time. 10. Han's return. Things I didn't like - 1. Never telling us how Maz got the LS. 2. Snoke, but that was ruined in 8. (I will contend bringing back Palpatine was a last move resort.) 3. It moved too fast, it should have been a longer movie. Have an intermission sponsored by coke for all I care, it should have been longer. I am doing this quick, so I'v forgotten something obvious on either side I am sure.
Spoilers ..... kinda Things I liked 1. The Tenant extended IMAX preview. 2. Lando.....Lando.....Lando 3. Chewbacca’s moment in the sun. 4. The Profundity being recycled. 5. The Paw Kent and Clark Kent moment. 6. The Death Star. 7. Hyperspace Jumping Things that I didn’t like. 1. The Emperor/Clone/Spirit 2. Sith World and that stadium ... Lawd 3. Radio communication is the only way to get the fleet out 4. Force healing a snake to set up force healing 5. First Order/Last Order 6. Rose 7. Ride of the Valkyries 8. C3PO’s those who shall not be spoken of bit 9. Star Destroyer plant killers. Should’ve just trotted the Vengeance out there. 10. The countdown to annihilation.
I thought it was basically 7.2 (Also 4.3, 5.2, and 6.2). The movie was enjoyable but the plot was paper thin. I felt that Abrams recycled all the original movies again. Some complaints of various magnitude: First 15 minutes was choppy due to doing a million things (understand it was because the plot never advanced in 8 so he had to develop something quick) Palpantine's back (which was weak but could have possibly worked if there was another movie to flush it out) Instead of Star Killer Base (Really big Death Star), now the capital ships have planetary destruction power (oh and there's eleventy billion of them) Oh look, how many more cameos can we throw in the movie Luke still has to concentrate to pick up the X-Wing, yet Rey ebrakes a transport ship leaving orbit? Abrams can't move on from the original trilogy for anything Rey being a Palpantine, can the universe be any smaller? In the final battle the rebels are here and also have eleventy billion ships WTF is with Rey and Kylo sending objects through their force connection or the conversations they have regardless? I gave Abrams a little bit of a pass in 7 thinking he acknowledged and made the nod to the originals and now we can move forward, then Johnson proceeded to crash the franchise into the sun (this is the reason the subsequent movies have performed worse at the box office imo), finally Abrams comes back and Dr Strange'd us to the end of 7 and gave us a an unsatisfying ending to an unsatisfying trilogy (basically lost). Things I liked Chewie got his medal (about damn time) Finn and Poe are a fun duo None of the scenes felt wasted (I'm looking at you casino planet pointless side plot/main plot?) Movie tone was good and different from 8 I'm sure there's more.
I thought a lot about the Rey Palpatine thing a lot while driving to baton rouge Saturday. I'm neutral on it, but I would have enjoyed somehow Rey being one of the students when Ben turned, Ben (this snoke...and Palpatine....and whoever else) trying to take her at the time but Luke rescuing her, erasing her memory, and he and her random,nobody parents hod9ng her on jakku from Ben and friends. Her first memory is of them leaving and Ben and friends shortly thereafter kill them when looking for her. Would explain her ability to use force so well and not keep the whole world so small.
I'm not trying to shit on the folks that thoughtfully criticize the new SW movies, but holy hell the folks that drop snarky hot takes on every single one are the woooorrrrrrrrssssssssst