"This is not going to go the way you think!"

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2017)

Ok I've seen the screeds upon screeds of negative reviews for TLJ all over the net, not just on IMDb! I can understand why a lot of people will be negative about this movie. In fact I feel theres been more negativity aimed at this installment of the Star Wars Saga than even any of the prequels!
The first thing I will say is it's different. VERY DIFFERENT!
This is perhaps why a lot of people aren't quite so enthusiastic about it. I have to admit that I left the cinema with A LOT of questions and a sense of WTF just happened to the Star Wars Universe!?
However after digesting things for a few days I have to admit I do like TLJ. I'm not gonna say it's the best Star Wars movie. Not by a long shot. However this installment has in fact broken a cycle that in many ways has hindered the Saga since the release of the prequels.
I have to say that since 1999 and the release of Episode I theres been a strange sense of deja vu within every Star Wars movie. The other two prequels, TFA, and Rogue One all suffered from it too! There was a comfortable familiarity within them all but at the same time it also brought an air of predictability to them!
Now TLJ does have some of these echoes throughout - Lost Jedi Master in Exile reluctant to teach a new pupil reeks of Empire; The separation of the main protagonists and their temptation to the darkside also has undertones of Empire and of Jedi (and ROTS to an extent); Crait looks like Hoth and the battle is a very similar set up; Slave children also play a big part in the overall story too!
However there are many new elements that have been brought to the table which whilst they may not sit well within the franchise now does mean that it's future will forever be broken from the deja vu cycle that Lucas had underwritten into his parts of the series.
Now I will admit that some of the new elements are perhaps not as well introduced as they could be! There are characters who I feel should have had a more expansive role in the story than they did. Also some of the new elements related to The Force are just sprung upon you with no real explanation given. That being said it does expand a lot on the new characters such as Rey, Kylo Ren, Poe and Finn. Its gives us more insight into their personalities and potential for the future.
The humour is another bone of contention with the fans. Personally I quite enjoyed a lot of the funnier parts of the movie. Some of the gags where perhaps lingered upon a little too long in some cases but again it was a fresher approach to some of the situations that could otherwise have been very repetitive if handled as they always were in Star Wars.
The Porgs I have to admit were fun and funny. Theres also a lot of humour in a particular scene with an old friend that put a smile on my face! Yes some may consider it a deja vu moment like the ones I was slating earlier but I can forgive this one as it was probably the highlight of the movie for me being a life-long fan!
For once I now face the coming of Episode IX with a genuine sense that I have absolutely no idea what it will entail. For some that will be a scary prospect. Many people are already saying that Star Wars is dead after this movie but I say give it a chance!
The one thing I always wished for from the Sequel Trilogy is that we would get something different. TFA was criticised for being too similar to all that came before...now TLJ is being slated for being too different, Maybe, just maybe EP IX will get the balance right.
I know I may be in the minority of fans who actually like this entry to the Saga but I hope that in time people will realise that just because its different doesn't mean its bad.