If you are reading this, I assume that you either have already seen the new movie or that you do not care about any the plot being spoiled. I will be addressing a few things in this post.
For some context, I am a Star Wars and have been ever since the prequels came out. I have seen every movie and have even messed around with some of the formerly canon story lines of the expanded university. Ultimately, I am not happy that Disney said ALL of the expanded universe is non-canon. I would be okay with everything post Episode 6 being non-canon but not have everything that happened before Episode 1 be non-canon is ridiculous and it allows for Disney to get away with blatantly copying certain elements of the expanded universe. If you ever played Knights of the old Republic ( referred to as KOTOR and you really should if you want to understand more about the plot direction), it is clear that Rey's character is at least somewhat based off of Bastila Shah (appearance, conflict, and personality).
Additionally, with few additional points you can make the argument that Kylo Ren as a character is highly based off of Revan and Malak from KOTOR. Similarly, I could go on about this in regards to the Star Forge, the Jedi Order's failures, etc. These elements that are copied are kind of disgusting to be honest and made Episode 7 seem like a blatant attempt at profiting off of the old Star Wars universe by copying past archetypes.
I will start to address Episode 8 now that you have an idea of the bias I have going into it. Counter to what you may be thinking, I actually enjoyed most parts of it. There are certain elements that appear new to the Star Wars universe but are actually borrowed from past archetypes. However, these ideas were rejected in the past and honestly they lead to a lot of dumb things happening in the prequels. Let's address each one by one
- The Gray Jedi
This has been a long time coming honestly.
If you recall Episode 1, you will remember the character Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gonn was an insanely lovable character who was known for questioning the actions of the counsel. Liam Neeson did a phenomenal job portraying him and shines as at least the second best actor in the prequels despite being in only one movie. Qui-Gonn as a character is the most relevant to Episode 8 as we see that the lines between Jedi and Sith are becoming thinner and thinner. Why does this matter? Because being a Jedi or Sith if often considered a black or white thing but people fail to understand that there is a transition period between the two. This period is not difficult to observe (at least for force sensitive beings) and can easily be addressed. We see that these lines are important when we consider both Kylo Ren and Rey. These lines of good and evil are not clear as it seen that the personalities and actions of both characters can be perceived as good or evil. Kylo Ren having uncle issues (I had to say that) is his main motivation for leaving the Jedi Order). Obviously, this was a difficult situation for him seeing how the one person he trusted was betraying him. I am glad that Snoak was killed and that Luke subscribed to the notion of change within the teachings of force sensitives. Imagine if this way of thinking was supported in Episode 3; there would be no need for an additional plot.
- Force Bonds
This conversation is going to be somewhat based on KOTOR.
To be blatantly honest, this element of the film was ripped off from KOTOR. Revan and Bastila share a force bond after they battle on the Leviathan. When they again come into contact, their fates become intertwined. Revan can even go as far as seducing Bastila in KOTOR which may be a plot point of this new trilogy. Additionally, in KOTOR 2 Kreia and the Exile communicate from away using the force to have explicit and meaningful conversations. This is important for the series not only because we know more about Kylo Ren and the audience can sympathize with him. I am so glad this confrontation happened now rather than in the last movie because at least we diverge from the standard archetype that was present in The Original Trilogy.
Display of Force Abilities
Let's just be blunt about it; the Skywalker force moments in this film make you want to jump out of your seats and scream "IT'S ABOUT $@#ING TIME." There were too many movies in which Luke and Leia just come off as weak. Not weak in acting or portrayal, but weak in legacy. You ask yourself "Are they REALLY Skywalkers?" We see Anakin and Darth Vader show intense displays of skill and destructive abilities. Nothing like that of any Jedi. Finally we get to see both of these characters have their moment. The one we will not remember is Leia using the Force to bring herself back to her ship and allow her to survive while floating in space. If you did not freak out during that, you are not a fan of the franchise. That scene has now solidified Carrie Fisher's legacy as Leia as a badass. Now, the one that we lost our s*@# over forever. How strong is Luke? "Oh he can portray himself and real life objects from light years away. No big deal." What an absolute legend. He made Kylo Ren look like such a fool (which he is in this movie).The Unnecessary Plot
Great message, decent acting. That's all there is to that plotline. This subplot has almost no payoff unless those children end up helping the Resistance in Episode 9. In that case, I just ruined the plot of the last movie for you and I am sorry. How else does this make relevant Star Wars sense? I am not going to talk down on the political messages associated with this plot because they were not necessarily bad. However, I have a lot of issues with throwing something in that has no bearing on the storyline unless we have to wait a movie (or three if we end up having a later trilogy). I expected to see more of Fin and Rey together. Now, we need to wait for another year or two to see this iconic duo be an iconic duo.
Overall, I liked this movie a lot more than 4/8 Star Wars movies (I, II, VII, and Rogue One) so I guess you could say this is average in my book .
Thank you for reading this and if you enjoyed my review, feel free to leave me a like and follow.