An Absolute Blast, giving Everything you Love about Star Wars and More!

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2019)

A LOT has already been said about this movie, for the good and the bad. Mostly the bad, because that's what the internet is changing into nowadays, but there is still good. I am pretty confident that I love Star Wars just as much as every other fan, and will solely judge this movie on my own experience while I watched it. "agenda's", Disney and SJW won't be discussed here. Now, my immediate thought on this movie? FORCE, I LOVED IT.
Acting:
Mark Hamill returns after decades long absence as Luke Skywalker, and gives the best performance of his entire career. He may not agree with his character, but he did everything he could to give us a compelling Luke Skywalker in the way Rian Johnson envisioned. The range of emotions he goes through, from shame to rage to desillusionment and grief are all wonderfully executed, and his character goes through a compelling journey with an epic finisher.
Daisy Ridley's second time as Rey might even be better than the first time, throwing everything she has into her performance as an optimistic yet frightened woman who desperately tries to do the right thing by herself when she feels so alone. There are still some cracks in the relatively inexperienced actress's acting, but they are completely overshadowed by the powerful emotions she shows when it's needed. I absolutely love her character, and can't wait to see what is done with her in IX
John Boyega's Finn is a welcome change, providing a lot more levity and groundedness in this crazy universe. While his arc is not nearly as compelling as the likes of Luke or Ben Solo, he is still a very fun character and John plays him excellently.
Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is a fantastic performance, perhaps the best in the whole movie. The inner rage, frustration and heartbreak are all crammed up inside a complex and fascinating character that is brought to life with the skill of a master actor. The same goes for his physical performance in what might be the most epicly filmed lightsaber fight in all of Star Wars.
Oscar Isaac plays once again as Poe Dameron, the badass and funny and charming pilot of the Resistance. His character gets a relatable and fun arc that is perhaps the most underrated one of the bunch. Isaac gives it his all and gives a realistic and very solid performance for the hot-shot pilot.
Carrie Fisher as Leia is a very warming swan song to our princess, who passed away too soon. She gives a very compelling albeit small performance as a leader who gets burden upon burden in an exhausting chase by a relentless enemy, including her own son. We will never forget her,
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico is a nice and grounded addition to the world of Star Wars, giving us a capable and strong, yet soft and relatable girl who supports Finn's character in his journey. A real arc can't be described to her character, but she has a warm presence that I am looking forward to experience in IX.
Laura Dern as Admiral Holdo is also a nice addition(plot hole aside), portraying a calm and confident leader in the moment of high crisis. Dern radiates a warmth and secure feeling, and tries hard in succeeding in this role. She absolutely does.
Benicio del Toro plays DJ, and I have to say that this is one of the weak characters. He is just goofballing around most of the time, and although he has an interesting personality and motivations, it feels all kind of shallow in the end. Benicio isn't trying that hard in my eyes.
Domnhall Gleeson as Hux is also a bit of a disappointment; his character went from strict, toe-to-toe with Kylo Ren, to a frustrated goofball who gets bullied by others around him. Domnhall's performance is great, but the character not so much. It does however create interesting opportunities for the future, given how the movie ends on his relationship with Ren.
Direction:
Rian Johnson, despite being not the best of writers out there, gave one of the best directed Star Wars movies I have ever seen. His keen grip on things and understanding of what matters in a scene are visible, and he gave us a gripping and entertaining experience throughout the whole runtime. The one thing he kind of fails in is comedy: a lot of it feels somewhat unnecessary and ill-timed.
Cinematography:
This is without a doubt one of the better shot Star Wars movies. Some establishing shots are particulary breathtaking, and interesting camera movements are used for focus. It's not groundbreaking, but certainly pretty.
Plot:
Now this is difficult. The more you pick this movie apart, the worse it gets in terms of plot holes and nonsensical things, but as a Star Wars movie, it is absolute masterclass writing. Every relevant theme and symbolism that makes Star Wars interesting and attractive is used in the best way possible, and by the end I was filled with joy I had not felt in a very long time. Rian loved these characters, and wether you like his take on them or not, the passion and admiration is clearly visible. A lot of characters get a fascinating arc and get equal parts emotion -and action filled opportunities. The section of Canto Bight is the weak spot in here, which feels like a missed opportunity for a more interesting location and events.
Music:
While John Williams has held back these last years in terms of variety in his music,(the prequels were filled with this)his work has lost nothing of its overall stellar quality and this is no exception. Old and new themes arise, and fill you with joy and excitement throughout.
Production Design:
This movie lives and breathes Star Wars in a lot of ways, including set design like the Rebel fleet and First Order ships, Luke's Island, Canto Bight and Crait. I simply can't offer a greater compliment. Canto Bight, although nicely designed, never quite feels like an interesting location because it looks like Star Wars on earth rather than truly a different planet. A casino might not have been the right choice.
Costumes and Make Up: Even Canto Bight succeeds in this department. Every character, alien or human or droid, is beautifully designed and adds something unique to the movie.
Sound:
Excellent all around. Familiar and new sounds are executed, most working to great effect. The sound mixing is most impressive(where the sound is put in the movie, rather than the actual sound itself), and deserves the academy nomination.
VFX:
VERY impressive. Particulary the motion capture for Snoke is exquisite and the battle sequences are jaw-dropping. Not everything is blended as well as it could be, but it hardly distracts.
Editing:
The main gripe I have with this movie. The movie drags sometimes, not just at Canto Bight, but a lot of time is spent in one location, while transition could have been done earlier. It is nod bad, but certainly a step down compared to the Force Awakens, which deserved it's academy nomination.
Tone:
While the humor only works two-thirds of the time, the tense and emotional scenes work brilliantly every time, and around the third act I was struck with awe at how amazing the story and it's execution was. It felt like everything I have ever loved about this universe.
Overall concensus:
A very unpopular opinion, but this is in my top three of favorite Star Wars movies, and that is not likely to change if IX is not better. The characters are great, the action is great, the design is great, the story is great, and it FEELS like Star Wars in pretty much every way. This is an amazing movie and it truly saddens me how much hate it is still getting, partially for issues I never would think about when watching it. 8.7/10