Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud
I have to disagree here.
After the second viewing, some of the plotlines became clearer and I don't feel like the story "shit on the characters from the OT".
1. Luke admitted to the same hubris as the original Jedi Order. That's the type of honesty that made Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker. And in the end, he once again saved the Rebellion, his sister and this time, his apprentice, Rey, who will carry on the Jedi Order.
2. Leia was the strong leader that she'd always been. She was feisty and strong willed, even to the point of using a laster blaster against one of her allies. I don't see how that conflicts at all with the OT.
3. Chewie was Chewie. A loyal friend that at times, provided a comedic element.
4. R2D2, again, was R2. BB8 was pretty awesome, too.
There's been fair criticism of the subplot on Canto Bight but I think it's been misguided. Sure, what was in front of us was pretty silly and fun and the mission itself was a failure. But what hasn't been discussed is that Rose apparently gave a little boy a ring with the Rebel Alliance symbol and also uses The Force. I think those scenes and sequences are more about the future of the Rebellion and the Jedi Order. It also allowed Finn to kill Phasma.
The "fuel" aspect is still a bit weird as a plot device but whatever. The film seemed somewhat plodding to me on the first viewing but the second viewing went by laser-quick, most likely because I knew exactly what was coming next and the pacing seemed fine.
The Throne Room scene with Snoke, Rey and Ren was amazing. I'm not quite ready to say that it equals Qui-Gon and Obi Wan versus Darth Maul but it's damn close. I'm sure once I've watched on Blu Ray a dozen times, my opinion might shift to where I rank it #1. But that's a silly quibble.
All in all, while it wasn't the story that I was expecting, nor where some of the character arcs what I expected, the film stands on its own very well. I'm not ready to rank it in Star Wars movies but for my money, it's better than the Prequels, better than the Force Awakens, better than Return of the Jedi but at this point in time, behind TESB, Rogue One and A New Hope.
That could change upon subsequent viewings.
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