Uninspired end to a great movie saga

Rating: 5/10 (21 December 2019)

A lot of people will see this movie. Some people will really enjoy it, when there's big explosions and characters running from scene to scene, from world to world, with barely a chance to catch breath. There are many jokes that somewhat lighten the mood. There's lightsaber battles. And who doesn't love seeing the old favourites back on the screen?
To an extent Star Wars is about action and effects, big space battles and lightsaber fights. But it is also about characters, about tension, about exploring an exotic, but believable universe shrouded in ancient mythology, of character development and redemption. Cutting edge effects are a given for any new Star Wars movie. What makes a great movie is everything else.
I feel somewhat for the producers who had a very difficult task, to come up with something fresh that continues and concludes the most famous story arc in cinema history. Undoubtedly some people were going to be disappointed whatever they did. However, I feel they copped out by basically recycling the characters and story from the original, and to add "a twist" just killed off a character (or not...they're still alive!), or just upping the stakes (let's just keep miniaturizing the death star and make more of them!) Easy way to solve the problem, but also lazy. The acting and pacing in this movie is better than the prequels, which were much maligned. However, despite the flaws they felt like works of imagination, of a story that needs to be told. I can't say the same of the new trilogy. Pretty much everything in this new movie is forgettable or unbelievable. The droid designs are the only cool thing. Even the special effects aren't all that great. There are few nostalgic, tear jerking moments, but these are almost inevitable given the stakes.
On the issue of diversity, I think they did the right thing by having a female lead and having a cast of different backgrounds. It is the future after all. But the cast lacks chemistry and due to the non-stop action we never get a chance to see them develop. Finn is relegated to bit part player and seems criminally underused, as is the other engineer, Chewbacca grunts a bit, and Rey wins of course. The jokes are jarring at first and rapidly become annoying - an easy way to get a laugh at the expense of tension.
In any case, Disney are on to a winner. They know people will see it just to have an opinion on it, because its Star Wars, and to pay homage to the cast of old while they are still around. But make no mistake, this is dangerously formulaic and uninspired, and eventually the whole franchise risks becoming obsolete as die hard fans find no substance between the set pieces and rehashed story lines.
As movies go this is okay, but doesn't feel inspired or magical, and that seems a shame given what it might have been. By playing it safe under the guise of "introducing a new audience", whilst diminishing much of the significance of the original trilogy, they have left many fans feeling dissatisfied and concerned about the direction of the franchise, of whether to keep investing in new movies, and whether they really care anymore. And I can honestly say I'm not sure.