The movie begins with the classic Star Wars symphony booming through the speakers. A brief synopsis of the previous film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, scrolls across the screen, reminding the audience of the battle waging between the force, or the First Order and the Rebels. It is off to a quick start as a battle rages in space between the two forces, many of the Rebel people are lost, but they escape the First Order fleet with their primary ship untouched. Though they escaped, they were not untraceable. The First Order connected to the Rebel ship and tracked them through light speed until the Rebel base was at a stand still. The majority of the movie took place in ships, but then changes setting to a Rebel utility base on a nearby ship.
The movie contained many of the classic Star Wars movie elements- the characters, humor and a power struggle between the dark and light sides of the force. It also introduced many new elements and was revolutionary in the world of Star Wars.
What I was really impressed with was the development of characters, new and old, throughout the movie. Characters like Rose, a rebel who Finn meets while trying to abandon the Rebel force in pursuit of Ray. She brought life to the film, a constant source of light and humor that was much needed in the chaos of the conflict. A different side of Ray was revealed in the film– a more dark, insecure side of her. The same was true for Kilo Ren. His backstory with Luke and his struggles between the light and dark sides of the force were explored and ultimately revealed. One thing I really loved was the connection between Ray and Kilo. They spent much of the movie mentally connected, conversing with each other telepathically about the struggles between light and dark within them.
[Spoiler Alert] My only problem with the movie is that nothing felt satisfyingly resolved. Rose’s final moment in the movie was brief and revealed an odd romantic inclination towards Finn, something that was not explored anywhere previous in the movie. Luke’s story did not resolved at all for me. I was very underwhelmed by the ending to his story. He had this great moment of redemption, facing Kyle Ren, only for him to perish without a trace. I must admit that the symbolism was beautiful, him disappearing and leaving a simple robe blowing in the wind, but I really was looking forward to what he could have done in the next movie. I always thought that he would be the last of the original three (Han Solo, Leia) left, given he was the leading hero in the original trilogy. Additionally, the end of Supreme Leader Snoke was a nice twist, though I think his character could have been explored more. All we know about him is that he is the Supreme Leader and bad guy, and nothing beyond that.
I would rate this movie 4/5 stars. I thinks that it was different than any of the Star Wars movies prior to it. It broke many of the Star Wars stereotypes, breaking down the order of the force, and putting an end to the main character in the original trilogy. I loved the movie, but it put an end to many things that had potential to add tremendously to the story.
