High School Essay of SW films: 2/3 Fluff, 1/3 Substance

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2017)

Impression of Last Jedi: Good but not brilliant. The nonsensical fluff, lack of fruition and missed opportunities of the first 2 acts had me worried until the 3rd act's redemption--a very satisfying and powerful one at that. I'm afraid this second installment is just not as thrilling or re-watchable as Force Awakens. Snoke makes for a terrible villain (not in a good way), no where near as terrifying or sinister as the emperor and the character design is egh at best--the Gollum-esque Sith Lord doesn't do it for me. And those who compare Last Jedi to Empire have lost their Midichlorians. The most dissatisfying aspect to me was --SEMI SPOILER ALERT-- the Rey / Skywalker training scene or lack there of. I just wanted to love it more but there are moments of brilliance and scenes that will pull on your fandom heart strings.The comical elements are good and scattered throughout but at times at the expense of the plot.
Being non-predictable doesn't necessarily translate to good story-telling. I think it went a little overboard in that vain. I do agree that some of the surprises were refreshing and left me in those "awe" moments. Don't get me wrong, it was solid and fun movie however I don't think we'll looking back a few years from now and considering this one a classic. I just don't see it. When your enveloped in the applause of the audience, its hard to see it for it's pitfalls.