I'm a tad disappointed. TLJ isn't a bad film, but it is a step down from TFA and RO. It needs a sizeable chunk cut out (all of the Casino Planet for a start!) and then a bit of sense used to pull the remainder together without quite so many gaping plot-holes.

I thought Mark Hamill and Adam Driver were very good.

Worst part was Leia going Space Mary Poppins.

retroking1981 wrote:

Not great, disappointed overall. Disney will run this into the ground within a few years for me. I'll go to see IX but after that I'll probably just wait for them to come on Sky Movies.

yeah I think yearly movies... is going to Activision it.

why its got 81 pages ya flange

Ah no its got two pages

She says, “inside me” at one point too, I don’t know why that stuck with me.

I saw this today. I think with more consideration I will probably like it less than my original impression coming out. The final section (well the second to final section) managed to wash away some of the bad taste from earlier in the movie.


I think it suffered a bit from poor writing including too much exposition dialogue (oh that's a bit encrypted tracking beacon or whatever they say) in place of just doing it visually. It's probably my biggest ever film peeve because I feel like if you can't tell it visually or without explicitly telling the audience what it is then you're doing it wrong and should reapproach (Inception is the worst movie ever written for this reason. Not the worst movie, just the writing). It also says you don't trust your audience intelligence.

There's also some awkward pacing throughout which TFA didn't have. But that is probably from telling too many stories which is always hard to balance. I didn't mind the casino planet apart from the terrible dialogue about the 1% that was directed at the audience. That theme of war profits and selling to both sides was great but a lot of that dialogue was garbage apart from the Bene explaining it to Finn. Well just Bene in general was great. Also appreciated the casting of Justin Theroux as the crypto guy to throw you off the scent.

It's just a shame that in all the apparent need for story telling they ran out of breathing space a bit. They managed to add levity and down time when they could but they really needed more open air. The lightsaber rock destroying cart was some great physical comedy, so was Redhead repeating Kylo's instruction and Kylo's look after that and a few of the other points but it did go a bit too anachronistic at times for my liking.

It suffered from LOTR ending syndrome too. I was really expecting it to end just after Kylo and Rey split the saber. The movie built to that point too so all the stuff on the planet (whilst visually shmick) was a bit too far in my book and made the film have a bit of an awkward flow and wind down.

I think Kylo is the best thing about these new movies. He is a very good character and very well represented by Adam. I like how they've explored the pull of the force from both sides. That's why I was a bit disappointed when that last section of the film had Rey seemingly wholly good and Kylo as wholly bad. After their fight scene (best sequence in the film and one of the best fight sequences I've watched in a long time, very well shot and edited together) and splitting of the saber I didn't really feel like either had totally gone one way or the other it was just that they had disagreed at that point. I really hope it's not just light v dark in the last movie and there's still some inner conflict as that's the best part of the whole thing.

It's also a shame they lost Finn as a character too, they didn't really do anything to add to him after they set him up really well in the first. I also hope they weren't suggesting Rose loved Finn like love loved. She could have at least just kissed him because he pulled her out of her pipe job and she got to help the rebellion and then save his life (also apparently taught her how to fly a speeder ship thing unless that was in the pipe maintenance training).

Also, the Leia thing was weird. I thought that was a fairly good way for her to go so having her come back was a bit... awkward and fairly silly looking. It's not like her character did much after that point anyway. I wonder what they'll do now for the last film.


But! Fuck me how cool was that light speed suicide jump thing. Looked fucking awesome at IMAX I gotta say.


Ah see, that's why I shouldn't have started nit picking. It'll slowly sap away from my enjoyment of it. I liked that they subverted our expectations for a lot of the plot points, I liked a lot of the visuals, I liked the moments between Rey and Kylo, I liked Chewie and the Porgs (needed more time for a few of those shots though), I liked the redheaded admiral snivel guy, and I liked a lot of other elements in there.

The Force Awakens is still my fave of the newbies.

OMG just saw you mention Inception! I hated that film cos if the stand-there-and-explain-everything exposition! Was gonna mention it above myself. 

I love you Shabbs!

Inception was bobbins. But even the visuals rammed teh concept down your throat. Hated it.

This was amazing though. I'll have no more nay saying.

Surely they're setting the episode 9 up for a semi re-boot.. hence having just about everyone killed off in this one.

hylian_elf wrote:

OMG just saw you mention Inception! I hated that film cos if the stand-there-and-explain-everything exposition! Was gonna mention it above myself.  I love you Shabbs!

Does this mean you don't want to kill me anymore?


And yes, Gleeson. Forgot his name. Is always good in whatever he's in.

Hey, I never wanted to kill you! I just wanted you to die by some other means (so that I could win on Forza).

Do we also think that was a genuine reveal about Ren's parenting? They where just space wasters? Or was that just Kylo throwing her off the trail?

Rey? I think it’s true. Part of the story/premise in this seems to be force is awakening in everyone and it’s not just Jedi who have good use of it etc. Can be anyone. Rey is that anyone. 

As is the little guy at the end.

I did at one point think Rey and Ren are twins. But nah. Wanted to shout that on way out at the long queues though.