I'm still parsing this film... it wasn't what I expected, but also by no means bad? I think?
They did a thing I explicitly didn't want them to do but then executed it well enough that I couldn't really be mad at them.
I wrote a bit about expectations that the audience might have going into this, and how I felt some of those expectations were unrealistic and were hopefully not going to be addressed.
*throws up hands in dismay*
This is hard to talk about without spoilers!
Let's see if I can get some bullet points together, at least.
- The film works.
- I had fun, but it's definitely not The Last Jedi. (That might be a good thing for some)
- Most of the cast doesn't really have much of a character arc.
- There are elements that bug me, small niggles where the plot doesn't really make sense or where they could have pushed for slightly more Heart and improved a scene ten-fold.
- But I truly and definitely did have fun.
- The nods to older films are numerous, but subtle and I appreciated them.
- The ending... let's just say the scene(s) on the last planet we see, really worked for me, even if they could have cut to the credits 1 word earlier if you'd ask me. Not "crying in the theaters" worked, but I appreciated what it accomplished.
- The way they handled Carrie Fisher's absence was thoroughly respectful... but did have some seams showing. Don't worry, they didn't generate her with computer graphics.
- The Last Jedi did a spectacular job subverting expectations. The Rise of Skywalker... ...doesn't try? God, that sounds negative. I'm pretty sure it's where my feelings will land though. It's playing it safe.
Wow, that list comes across as very apologetic and/or negative.
There's a lot to like as well though. Everybody puts in excellent performances, the set pieces work, I like the way they treated the Knights of Ren, Babu Frik is a delight, any callback cameos work (though one that was teased in the media a lot is almost laughably minor).
It's just... I don't know! I felt like The Last Jedi managed to reach and display the heart of what Star Wars is about, at least to me.
And this didn't. It says the right things, wears the right clothes, doesn't miss a step, works as a film and capstone... but doesn't quite reach into the truth.
Like a machine trained to perform ballet, it does impressive things well, but there's not quite enough soul in the performance.
Round two, fight! / That helped
So, I saw it a second time the evening after. It helped.
The thing(s) I had a problem with the night prior are still big, glaring issues, but not being actively flabbergasted by them allowed me to appreciate the little things that do work.
The performances, the sets, the costuming, the new designs, the lighting (except one place that flickered too much), so much of it really works.
I will eventually write my planned "all three trilogy finales" piece, but this will need an article of its own first.
Not a triangle review, an article. Full of spoilers, to really dive into the shape vs. texture problems this film has.
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