Worse than the Prequels

Rating: 2/10 (25 December 2017)

This movie, apart from major plot holes (a whole side mission to nowhere for no ultimate reason), some laughably bad scenes ("Leia Poppins"--you really don't ever want to scar your brain with that image), and deus ex machina contrivances everywhere (BB8 solves many problems instantly), has a serious problem with characterization. Rey has no backstory. (The movie takes pains to point out that she has no real story--weird.) Kylo is not intimidating, just a dithering weenie. Worst of all, Luke is no longer Luke. If you make the mistake of seeing this one, you'll find out what I mean. They absolutely trash Luke, the hero of the original trilogy. That's just mean. The movie is boring whenever it's not frustrating. Yeesh! All of this adds up to a movie that is actually WORSE THAN THE PREQUELS. Do not waste time, money, and your good faith seeing this at the theater. If you want to take the family out over the break, Jumanji (surprisingly) and Coco are both very good.