Tragically flawed by laziness

Rating: 2/10 (21 December 2017)

Writing or directing a SW is a sacred trust. I can't tell if Rian didn't get that or didn't care. There are some novel and compelling aspects to this film, but unfortunately they are swamped by so many clichÃ©s and recycled scenarios, that there are times I found it hard to watch. The rag-tag rebels running from the big-bad empire thing is expected of course, and I could almost forgive another "its a big gun let's take it out" ploy, but after awhile the short cuts stack up, heaped on each other. No scene exemplifies this more than when the Jedi apprentice who is unready (Rae) and the Sith apprentice she is convinced she can turn (Kylo) come before the Snoke/Emperor figure and Snoke attempts to turn her by showing the rebel fleet getting destroyed. Did we have to keep watching to know the Snoke/Emperor would be killed by Kylo? This is a deeply flawed addition to the canon, and it just feels like Rian just didn't take the audience seriously enough.