A Non-Dramatic Review of Star Wars 8

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2017)

The other reviews on this page really do seem dramatic, with such low ratings and claims like "Disney ruined my childhood" and whatnot. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it seems many reviewers are focusing only on the bad of the movie. So in this brief review, I will discuss in detail a few elements I liked and some that I didn't.
What I liked:
The direction in this film is wonderful. Ryan Johnson does absolutely everything that he can to make the script come to life, and I feel that he really utilizes his resources well. Every shot feels important and vibrant. While the rest of the Star Wars movies are primarily story based with generic direction, this was the first in the series that had a beautiful cinematic aspect to it. Colorful images and beautiful landscapes kept my eyes entertained and took me back to the wonder that I first experienced when watching Star Wars in my childhood.
Rey is wonderful in this film. Daisy Ridley is the most beautiful woman on the planet, I'm convinced, and MAN can she act! In this installment, we see a lot more of her struggle with the dark side of the force and her character flaw is put into full light; she is naive. Ridley pulls off this character, who is barely learning that everything she thought she knew needs to be questioned, and it's absolutely enthralling to watch. For those who felt she was a "Mary-Sue" after TFA, Disney heard your criticisms. There were points where it genuinely felt like she would give in to the temptation to join the dark side, and you could really feel the confusion along with her. The narrative of Rey is by far the best thing about this film.
Aside from that, as always, the saga continues to handle death perfectly. Each death of major characters throughout the series has been hard hitting, and the deaths of Luke Skywalker and Supreme Leader Snoke absolutely lived up to the standard. Very intense and emotional deaths, respectively.
There are some weird things in this installment, and some of those things really work. For instance, the use of flashbacks is not cheesy or gimmicky at all, which is what I expected when I heard this device would be used. Rather, they are packed with intensity, and it's actually a great storytelling device that's used properly here.
Ultimately, we see characters rise into who they really are. Luke finishes his life a good guy, like he's always been (though he lost himself). Rey ultimately chooses the light side, showing her true colors. Kylo Ren shapes into the full evil that he is, proving that he cannot be turned anymore. Finn overcomes his cowardice. And so on. There is very little wrong with the character development or their portrayals.
What I didn't like:
Like I said earlier, there was some weird crap in this movie, and while some of it really worked, most of it didn't. The scene where Leia uses the force to make her way back onto the ship, specifically, is absolutely ridiculous. Cheesy in every sense of the word.
Yoda's appearance was another weird element. Although I'd always had questions about the ghosts, I guess I wasn't prepared to have them answered and I really didn't like how they were. Especially because the actual appearance wasn't super... good. I mean, Yoda says some stuff that I really can't remember, burns down a tree, and doesn't really do much else. It felt like some fan service thrown in at the last minute.
Everything about Snoke (except his death) was weird. Man was it weird. He shows up for maybe 5 minutes of screen time, tries to convince Rey to join the dark side, then dies. It's not even like he's convincing, either. He just comes off as arrogant, and obviously Kylo is more of a factor in Rey's potential conversion. Nothing about him is explained; how did he entice Ben to join the dark side? Where is he from? How did he rise to power? It's like Disney said "Screw it, let's just kill him."
The musical direction in this installment, too, was terrible. The score itself is fine, but it's so underused! In every other chapter, the music conveys serious emotion and has always been one of my favorite elements. Here, not so much. I'm thinking specifically of the scene where Luke dies. Why was there no memorable music? It was painful to see how generic the score was, especially as it is generally one of the strongest elements in the films.
Finally, my last gripe, and the biggest one for sure. The merchandising is a disease. You have all these new "cute" creatures, which all look like dogs (or porgs), who are only there for the purpose of selling toys to kids. But Disney forgot to make these creatures enjoyable. The porgs are annoying, and all of the other animals are just cringe worthy. I didn't ever mind the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, but I felt like Disney was holding a knife to my throat and forcing me to buy all of their dumb little toys. It was painful to see the franchise sell out again, after so many years of doing well.
The verdict:
There's a lot of good in this movie. The relationships between the characters, the new uses of devices for storytelling, and the development of the overall plot. It really does inspire hope, despite all the defeat, and it makes us feel that everyone in the resistance is part of something bigger. But it's ultimately much flatter than The Force Awakens, and the lack of any sort of score makes it a rather forgettable installment. The weird and risky scenes mostly fall flat, despite the lovely visuals. Enjoyable if you don't expect perfection.