Strike One

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2016)

5 seems harsh, but on a scale of 1 to 10, it really does, or should, mean take it or leave it. This movie was bland and boring, and this is coming from someone who watches Collider Jedi Council and has read most of the new canon novels, including "Catalyst," the book that sets up this story. The characters in this movie are very forgettable save for Donnie Yen's blind monk or guardian of the whills character. He at least shows varied emotions. Everyone else is one-note. Story-wise, this movie is very choppy as we're dragged from one locale to the other. I wish they'd stayed on Jedda and perhaps used that planet as a base for recruiting old Force worshipers/believers and training them to be a fighting force a la "The Dirty Dozen" or "The Magnificent Seven." TFA had its problems, but at least the first act was great and most of the new characters were likable and memorable. There's fan service galore in this movie, but all that did was remind me of how rich and fulfilling the OT is. I honestly can't imagine anyone but a SW nerd liking this movie.