Unique but still has the Star Wars feel. Visually amazing.

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2017)

I am a die-hard non-elitist SW fan. Sorry to hear that some of the elitist SW fans were disappointed, but what do you expect? Not every SW film can be just like the Empire Strikes Back. It's like if too many ideas from the original films are borrowed, it's a strike against the film; in contrast, if the concepts, characters, etc. stray from the original feel, it's also another strike against them. I guess I am not sure what people are looking for.
Anyway, end rant about that. This movie was exciting, just as I'd expect from a Star Wars film. There is no shortage of awesome fight scenes, wielding of light sabers and other interesting spacey weapons, nor any shortage of space vehicles. There were so many scenes that were so visually pleasing, I nearly melted in my seat. Artistically speaking, it was top notch.
Adam Driver was maybe my favorite part of the movie. Kylo Ren's character really developed in this film, which I appreciated...I felt he developed beyond just the angsty emo kid that we saw in The Force Awakens. And, Driver really played it well.
I also especially loved the strong women/heroines in the movie. Although The Force Awakens already had that going for it, I felt it was more emphasized in this movie. Sorry to all those who are apparently offended by women being heroes or whatever, but it's 2017, so it might be time to crawl out of your cave rather than bash a movie for *gasp* letting women lead the action for once.
I loved Finn as I loved him in The Force Awakens. And, me being a fan of very cute things, I was excited by the introduction of the porgs and the vultpexes. The porgs are maybe not everyone's cup of tea, and I can understand the criticism that some have...but I personally am too in love with their cuteness to be even slightly bothered by it.
Now, being that I loved it, I am not saying that it's not without flaws or...maybe, not even flaws but frustrations for the viewer who has questions and wants them answered. There are still many unanswered questions, and maybe a couple of inconsistencies that were slightly annoying.
I am not sure that the answer we were given about Rey's parents is the truth, and if it is, it is both a mix of being a let-down, as well as it is a relief to know that the story didn't follow an incredibly cliche and predictable approach. That being said, it's not so much an issue for me, as it just leaves me feeling conflicted. Maybe that was the point. Maybe that's a good thing. I think maybe I will have settled whether it's a good thing or not when the next film comes out.
Snoke was the one thing that I was pretty disappointed about. Not only do we still not really know who he is, where he came from, etc... the way in which he was killed, although surprising and exciting, didn't really make sense. It was hard for me to figure out how he could have not seen it coming. And, we didn't really get to see a whole lot of what he was all capable of, as well as learn anything about his character before he was executed. This flaw wasn't enough to make me dislike the movie or give it a lower rating, however, it was bothersome and I hope that some of these questions are somehow answered in the next...although I'm not sure how gracefully they will be able to do tie that in. All that being said, I was relieved that they took the quick turn that they did, with Kylo seemingly having turned, only to reveal that he had a darker ulterior motive. On. Point. in that regard.
Luke's death at the end was pretty anti-climatic for me. So, that was a bit disappointing. I appreciated the creative approach taken to his "stand-off" with Kylo Ren. but then he just looks into the sky and disappears? And, then there's some sadness in Leia's face, a mention of it between her and Rey...and that was it. I mean, it just didn't make me feel much of anything... it was just kind of like "that's it?" Again, not a movie-ruiner for me, but I wish I would have felt a little more emotional about it, and the way it played out just didn't get me there.
This movie was Star Wars, but it was also very unique from any other SW film, including from the Force Awakens, and I appreciated it. Personally, as much as I want to feel the Star Wars feel, I also don't want to watch the same movie over and over again...so I was really grateful that this movie took some bold approaches and didn't follow a predictable path. And that is precisely what made some of the issues excusable for me.