Fun Ride

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2019)

As a big star wars fan that was a kid when Episode 1, 2 and 3 came out. I remember cringing at some of the acting and directing in those movies. although I enjoyed them because I wanted to enjoy them. This movie was easy to enjoy - the action was fine, the special effects were fine, everything I would expect from a Star Wars film was in here, there were twists and turns, lots of science type things that aren't explained, but of source it's Star Wars, it's not sci-fi, so it tends not to make sense. I really enjoyed it overall. It felt emotionally satisfying to me, I like the characters - Poe Dameron was less annoying on this one than the previous two. Finn seemed more mature, although less involved. Rey was great, and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was great. They don't waste time - bringing in the first twist of the story during the opening crawl. This continues right through - with lots of additional info that adds a bit to the Star Wars canon. I think it complemented The Last Jedi and the Force Awakens quite well.
I will definitely watch this one again. It had a pretty nice conclusion - leaving lots open for further exploration/speculation/interpretation.