I wasn't nearly as excited for this movie as I was for the force awakens and I actually forgot the movie was coming out. I wound up seeing it though and man I had a lot of mixed emotions. There were some good elements of the film like the special effects and music but the story was really weak. Disney is already doing what I thought was going to happen to the Star Wars franchise after being sold. They are going to milk the series for every cent they can get. During the previews I saw Ron Howard talking about making the Han Solo movie and that just looks like it is going to be another hastily thrown together movie just trying to get more money from Star Wars fans. The Last Jedi really went overboard with new types of beings in the movie. From characters that actually speak to just random animals, the amount of CG animals was just too many. The worst was the casino scene. It completely reminded me of when Lucas Films remade the Jaba the Hutt palace scene and added the horrible singing alien. It went way too far into the realm of small child movie. There is certainly more comedy in the new movies and I honestly don't mind it but it was just too much this time. The scene where the little drunk alien is trying to stick coins into BB8 was just over the top. I know that a lot fewer people go the movies than they used to and getting families to go the movies is a great way to make money but look at this photo of the Return of the Jedi release. What do you think if the average age here? From the ice foxes to the care takers on the Jedi island, there were simply too many weird creatures that didn't seem like they needed to be in the story. I can even list more, the weird things that Luke drank milk from, the porgs and the weird horse like creatures on the casino planet. There were creatures in the original trilogy but they didn't take center stage like the creatures do now.
There was truly a lack of story. I am still waiting for someone to truly explain who the hell Snoke was and how the first order arrived. I know that Rey talked with Kylo Ren and basically described that her parents were no one special and probably just drunks that sold her into slavery for drinking money but can that really be true? I feel like nothing was really expanded upon. Then there princess Leia using the force. Don't get me wrong, I know she is the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and probably has some force DNA over whatever but having her just randomly, out of no where float back into the ship was just out of character for her. Did she train with Luke after Return of the Jedi and we just never heard about it? Wasted chances for more character development. I think that Finn was my favorite character is the Force Awakens and the fact that he really wasn't in the Last Jedi that much was kind of a waste. Also, after being captured by the First Order I think that Phasma and Finn could have had some great dialogue together but that never happened. Also Gwendoline Christie is a great actor and I would have loved to see more of her in the movie. It was also strange to see yes another GOT character in a star wars movie. Kate Dickie who played Lysa Tully made a brief appearance on the bridge of a First Order ship. One of the other weaknesses of this movie is how much they are using story elements from the original trilogy. The walkers from empire strikes back, and basically Luke becoming the new Yoda on the Jedi island, or however you want to call it. Seeing Yoda again was awesome though. I thought they should have just used a puppet instead of CG but that is just me. I am just so used to the original Yoda that seeing a CG version just throws me off. All and all it was better than any of the prequels but at certain points I got that bad taste in my mouth feeling that I was watching one of the prequels. The characters verged on breaking the fourth wall with their bad humor. The weak story and me actually wondering how long this movie is. The huge amount of new creatures was just distracting at points. How can the Cantina scene from a new hope still be the bench mark of good creatures? It is 40 years later and that scene is still the bench mark for creativity in terms of making good looking aliens and creatures that seem like they could actually exist. The Michelin man looking opera singer from the casino had to be the worst thing in the movie. I think that when you are creating new creatures you should ask yourself, "what about their environment made them look that way?" Because if you don't you wind up with distractingly awkward creatures that take away from the scene. They ruin the suspension of disbelief factor. If you are a Star Wars fan you should see it on the big screen, there is no question there. However is terms of ratings I would put this below Rogue One. I liked Rogue One but would say that it is a flawed movie in some regards. The Last Jedi is even more flawed. I would give the movie a 70%. It is a passing grade but just barely.
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