Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Director: Rian Johnson

Writer: Rian Johnson

Composer: John Williams

Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Billie Lourd, Laura Dern, Oscar Isaac, Benicio Del Toro

More info: IMDb

Plot: Having taken her first steps into the Jedi world, Rey joins Luke Skywalker on an adventure with Leia, Finn and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

NO SPOILERS HERE

In a word?  Disappointment.  After the copious cribbing THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) took from STAR WARS (1977) regarding major plot points, I was worried they'd do the same thing with this one but with THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980).  They didn't.  There's a silly scene in the beginning of this picture that feels out of place in a STAR WARS movie and more at home with something like SPACEBALLS (1987) and that bothered me.  It didn't take long before I realized that this film isn't thinking about fans like me who were there in '77 but more about the much younger fans.  It hurts in some small way but such as life.  Some of the funny business in this film works and some of it doesn't.  If you've seen it then you might know what I'm talking about.  Like in JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017), which I saw yesterday, some of the humor is forced and it doesn't fit in naturally.  That's only one problem this film has.

Two characters take a side mission that ultimately could've been handled in seconds in what took them many, many minutes.  The movie is two and a half hours long, the longest in the franchise, so the only logical reason that little adventure existed was to give so and so something to do.  It also allows Maz Kanata to show up for a couple of minutes for an unnecessary cameo.  For as much time as Luke has on screen I wanted so much more.  He's got some nice moments but ultimately he's underused.  I get that Rey and Kylo are the focus but it's almost disgraceful how little the top brass at Lucasfilm care about Luke and Leia in what they've been relegated to become in this new trilogy.  I've got so much more to say and I'd love to talk to someone about it.  I didn't expect to see it tonight and it was practically a last minute thing.  I'd already obligated myself to see it with some friends and also with Mrs. Scorethefilm so I've got two more views coming my way.  I hope it's like how it was with AWAKENS in that I found it more enjoyable on repeat viewings.  The weakest link in the film is the screenplay.  It's got too much filler, comedy and some unusual language that doesn't feel at home in this universe (count how many times characters say "snuffed out" and "godspeed").  And too many things happen only because "this will look cool".  Remember how EMPIRE didn't rely on any of that?  I still don't own a copy of that movie and I don't plan on getting this one.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  In one of the funniest moments of the film, there's actually a great HARDWARE WARS (1978) reference.  I'd like to shake whoever's hand who came up with that one.