You know that feeling of awe and excitement when you leave the cinema after a great movie? It didn't happen after TLJ

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2017)

Interesting film from Rian Johnson due to the decisions he made throughout the film. I have been an avid SW fan since the early days and have followed the story with a very close eye. Although The Force Awakens wasn't a major movie in some people's eye, I felt they did a good job with the production and storyline and successfully used it to prepare us for this film. However there are some big issues.
1. Rey is now a bit by bit character that I dont really care about anymore. In TFA I loved her and was excited by her. She was refreshing and delivered as a female protagonist. After this film however, I know don't care. She has a lot less screen time and her backstory still hasn't been answered, or if it has, is a pathetic story (Kylo Ren told her that her parents were junkies from Jakku). JJ Abrams did so well in creating a lead female with such power all for it be blown away.
2. Snoke. My my how pointless was he? Dubbed the next big super sith and more powerful than both Vader and Sidious? From seeing his hologram in TFA I was excited to find out about him and to have the fear and awe I had with Vader. After watching this film, Snoke is as useful as a diet water. I thought Count Duku was an average sith, however he makes Snoke look like a schoolboy.
3. Finn & Rose. Finn and who? Someone I don't care about that's who. After giving us minimal background information about Rose I found it hard to feel empathetic with her. Her character was used as a time killer rather than a credible one. As for Finn, well, what a waste of time. Similar to that of Rey, I know do not care what happens to him. The hour or so I watched of Finn and Rose travelling to an American looking casino to then stumble across strange political messages such as child labour and animal cruelty was utterly pointless and embarrassing.
4. Luke Skywalkers decline is steeper than Mount Everest. Quite possibly one of the most iconic and famous characters in the history of cinema has now resorted to hating and being a coward of the force. Something which he arguably made his character so poignant in the original trilogy. To see him milking strange cow looking animals on his island summed it up really. Not only that, he has also turned into a failed comedian. I cant remember a time where more jokes were made and each time they got worse and worse? Oh, and what an amazing death he had?! What a complete offence to the Star Wars legacy to kill him off like that. I know don't want to watch the original trilogy as I know that he turns into the equivalent of a homeless drunk looking for a pint of special brew. Desperate, pathetic and embarrassing.
The sad thing is, I could go on and on. I haven't spoken about the matter of there being 0 lightsaber duels, the poor choreography, the stupid Harry Potter like creatures that appeared on too many occasions, and Leia's new ability not only to all of a sudden use the force, but to help her survive in outer space (her ship explodes and she drifts off into space only to survive).
What i can't get my head around is the critic review hasn't been too bad. After reading the reviews, the general feeling is that the film boasts strong acting, amazing graphics and cinematography. But my argument for this is a simple one. In 2017, with the budget they had, isn't this the bread and butter?
To finish with, what saddened me the most is that when I left the cinema, it was as if the Star Wars magic that has encompassed my life since I was young, drifted out of my body, much like Anakin's did when he turned into Vader haha! This is the most un-star Warsy film of them all. I didn't completely hate it, as there were aspects that were quite cool. However so much wasn't answered and so many exciting stories that they created in TFA were just dropped.
I remember watching Rogue one, and thought 'this was OK, not my favourite and I probably wouldn't be too fussed if I didn't see it for a while'. However TLJ isn't much better at all.
Sad to see it go this way!
If Rian Johnson is employed for the last film of the trilogy, which I believe he is, may the force be with him! As he is going to need more than just the force to turn this saga around.
Josh

.