Heavy in theme this confident addition inspires a new perspective on the Star Wars saga, although it won't come without controversy.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2017)

I have many feelings about this film and I do not quite know how to arrange them or how they will evolve with time. It's a film that is dense with theme, legacy and character without drowning in them or looking backwards in order to find inspiration. If The Force Awakens was a celebration of what Star Wars was this one uses the legacy as a jumping off point to criticize, inspire and recontextualize parts of the Star Wars saga.
For me two themes ring the strongest - kill the past and the theme of toxic masculinity. The first one works in two ways. Partly it's a driving trait for characters in the movie trying to define themselves in new ways in new contexts without past actions or relations holding them down or limiting them. It's about strife as well as struggle. Kill the past is also about audience expectation and where the saga is going. Star Wars is no longer going to be something that simply celebrates its past heroes, it will also deconstruct them and criticize them. The Star Wars of the future is not the Star Wars of the past.
The second one is about toxic masculinity and I assume this is one that will get a lot of people riled up in the comment fields of the interwebs. The male characters in this movie constantly think they know better than their female superiors and choose to act on their own thinking it's for the good of the many when really they're acting according to their ego and a selfmade image of heroism. Early on in the movie this is often portrayed as heroic, although it's not entirely black and white, but as it progresses we are shown that this is not only short sighted but that it is also to their own detriment. Kylo Ren, Finn, Poe Dameron and Luke himself are all related to this theme in one way or another. One scene strikes me as especially strong, and subtle, when it comes to this theme (and thus will probably be overlooked) and it's when new character Rose and Finn both try to explain a plan to Poe Dameron. In this scene Finn interrupts Rose and moves in front of her in a way that completely obscures her. Here he chooses to take control in a room that did not require it and which limited the actions of his female counterpart. This is a theme between the two that will resonate later in the film as well.
However, the movie does not simply criticize men, although I'm sure some will claim that it will. Poe Dameron is a great example of this. Even though he time and time again goes against his female superiors choosing to not put his trust in them and their historic expertise that does not mean that he does not learn. By seeing how he made an error, and because they let him see it (not to be forgotten), he is changed by the end of the movie. He goes from impulsive and foolhardy to someone remarkably wiser by the end, mostly by the sacrifice of female characters but also because masculinity does not have to be toxic. The theme of toxic masculinity is not a dogmatic perspective but a pragmatic one.
The performances are strong across the board. I'm amazed by how Disney managed to cast each character so perfectly and I am especially fond of newcomer Rose. I have some criticisms to how Poe is characterized as a witty jokester early in the movie - it did not feel in tone for him or the movie - but his journey and the overall acting is good nonetheless.
Visually the movie is a treat as well. Simple motifs of red and white and red and black work as striking palettes for a surprisingly varied palette in a confident directors hand.
There are many, many things I have not commented on in this review and this is not a perfect movie. I thought that the first twenty minutes or so dragged a bit and that the scenes were cut off a bit too hard. A second viewing might have me reconsider my rating but as of now it's a movie strong in themes that resonate with me and that inspire confidence in future films - much like the very last scene uses a meta commentary and callbacks to inspire confidence in future generations.