What it could've been if JJ x 3 😏

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2020)

I'm a seventies baby, so was raised on original trilogy and loved them. I even loved the prequels but they were missing the originals humour and swagger (mainly Han Solo!). I also didn't enjoy the complete CGI, as it often felt cartoonish. I was buzzing when new trilogy was announced, especially JJ Abrams directing (loved Lost, MI3, new Star Trek) and Kasdan (and Pegg!) co-writing. I loved Force Awakens. Mixing new characters with old and new ideas with nostalgic moments pitched it perfect for me. I didn't mind the end being similar to new hope. I loved bits of Last Jedi but not of the film in it's entirety. I want new ideas and surprises but it was completely missing nostalgia. I understand what Rian Johnson was trying to do but he should've saved the 'taking star wars in a new direction' for his new trilogy and not for the generation spanning (42 years!!!) Skywalker saga. What made Force Awakens so good was the new characters and their chemistry and this was completely missing in Last Jedi. Loved scene where Kylo killed Snoke but felt let down when it finished without Rey and Kylo joining hands. For a director aiming to be new, this then contradicted what went before and the remainder of film was a bit flat. It also meant overall it was confusing and disappointed. It was like he was reigned in by Disney when they realised he was changing too much of the spirit of star wars. Therefore, I feel like Rise of Skywalker is more of a sequel to Force Awakens and I'm left gutted at what a JJ Abrams trilogy could/would've been if he'd written and produced the full trilogy and not necessarily directed all 3. The original trilogy had 3 different directors but George Lucas wrote and produced all three. However, I still loved Rise of Skywalker and left with a warm glow in my heart and a big smile on my face. It flew by but I didn't feel like there was too much to take in. Some bits were rushed and other bits too much crammed in but I expected this being that I believe JJ was almost cramming 2 episodes into one. Tying up 9 films was a big task but would've been easier had he been given the full trilogy to do so. What I enjoyed most about Force Awakens was now back in Rise and this was the new characters chemistry. This also provided the humour, which returned with Force Awakens. I loved the Palpatine twist re Rey and despite it being obvious this didn't play out as JJ originally planned in his loose outline for the trilogy. The Sith temple was a bit too CGI for me but the Kylo and Rey dynamic completely overshadowed it and made for a great final act. The Rey and Kylo characters were very well written and the actors performances completely delivered. I believe Rey's character will be influential on my daughter when she's old enough to watch these films. What a great female role model. However, my favourite character is Finn and despite him having more to do in Rise than in Last Jedi, he was still underused and wanted more about his history. Boyega has so much charisma and screen presence and is at the heart of the chemistry dynamics and the film's most humourous moments. Two of Chewbacca's scenes provided the most emotion for me and getting Hans new hope medal was a great touch. I also had a very bug smile when Rey named herself as Skywalker... ive adopted my children and they have my name, which will help them really relate to Rey's story. Fitting end for the saga in my opinion but also personally 😊