You know, I sat down and had a long talk about this Star War thing with a friend, and I think I’ve sort of pinpointed the problem with the film, in my eyes, which is that it ultimately doesn’t function well as either a stand-alone movie or a part of a trilogy. It’s obsessed with filling in the details of what has occurred over the past thirty years of no Star Wars, but also convinced that it has to be contrary to almost everything established in the previous film. It also happens RIGHT after the events of The Force Awakens within what could be considered a thirty-six hour period, which means the characters have had little to no time to grow over the course of the narrative, but also that the plot has had a markedly negative impact on this fact because of it’s supposed “urgency.” It also means that, at its core, the plot line of this new trilogy is even more absurd, in retrospect, as all of these events that occur in these first two films- the DESTRUCTION of the REPUBLIC and a COMPLETE RESCAFFOLDING of both the Resistance and the First Order- have taken place over the course of two or three weeks. Like, what?
Again, great popcorn flick, but utterly falls apart as soon as you give it serious reflection. Which, hey, if it’s nothing more than a popcorn flick, maybe it shouldn’t be reflected upon seriously, but there are other smarter action blockbusters out there that actually hold up in comparison.