What Happens When 2 Different People Write Your Trilogy

Rating: 5/10 (26 May 2020)

Can have nothing but mixed feelings about this movie. The constant reliance on nostalgia - every 5 minutes we were revisiting a set from the original trilogy, talking about something that happened in the original trilogy, encountering a character from the original trilogy (or killing them off - oh but no one dies in Star Wars apparently), or seemingly doing an homage to a classic scene from the original trilogy is either a hallmark of Star Wars (i.e. what makes it Star Wars) or proof that there was nothing new here. You have to decide.
Overall, this movie felt like J.J. Abrams trying to write a trilogy and cram it all into one movie but the reliance on nostalgia feels like he lacked the confidence to do it. This wasn't Star Trek the Next Generation, new characters on new adventures, this was the Next Generation who seemingly had to keep going back to the old generation (quite literally when Poe asks Lando, "how did you do it?") to know what to do.
The abuse of nostalgic characters serves more to cheapen our memories of the original 3 classic movies than it does to further any cause. I can no longer make any sense of Luke Skywalker's journey after his treatment in the newest 3 movies, same could be said for Han Solo and Princess Leia. These movies make the Timothy Zahn books of the 90s look like high literature.
Of the central characters introduced, they all feel flat. Even 3 movies in I have little affection for Finn or Poe Dameron or anyone not named BB8. That is what happens when Poe does nothing but spit forth cliches for 3 films.
The fact that AFTER 3 movies we still do not know Rey's lineage and the thought process clearly changed mid-trilogy (is she Luke's daughter? No she's Palpatine's) is an indication that the writers don't even know. How can the background of your central protagonist still be up for grabs AFTER 3 films? It means we don't care about her and Daisy Ridley's performance was completely uninspiring and did nothing to change that. Go back and watch Felicity Jones as Jyn Urso if you want to see a strong female protagonist in the Star Wars universe.
The glimmer of hope in the 3rd film is when Adam Driver gets to play Ben Solo. That was interesting, Driver is a compelling actor and THAT was a character you might have been able to build a trilogy around. Instead he is wasted, spending 7 hours on screen, most of it stalking angrily after Rey, who given all of the new Force gimmicks, is very easy to find.
I can at least trace Ben Solo's journey and character arc. I can't do that for Rey because her origins are unclear. The brief notion of a love story between her and Ben Solo (which could only be explored after we debunk the idea she is his cousin) also offered something interesting, but like anything good in these new movies is fleeting.
The fleet arriving to face an all powerful Emperor, the need to take out a shield generator (or its equivalent), the Jedi going off to face the Emperor alone, all felt all too familiar only done in a far less interesting way.
In the attempts to advance the universe, Disney has also shown a willingness to cherry pick what is and isn't cannon and demonstrate that no one is ever dead, meaning the audience can't ever really know what the rules are or what the universe is. Rather than feeling exciting or making for new twists it feels like the betrayal of a classic.
Going forward, if there is anything more to be done here, Disney will have to find a way to break new ground in Star Wars. They have now literally brought back and killed off every character from the original 3. They made a lot of money in the process but rather than reboot a franchise it feels like they have exhausted it.