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I really enjoyed the movie even with the flaws. Leia in space was the big one for me, but at least she still required medical attention once she got back aboard the ship.

Regarding Laura Dern's character... Yes, Poe's mutiny could have been avoided if she had just explained her plan, but I just took it to be a flaw of the character. That she was a stuck-up jerk and just didn't like Poe because of his recklessness in the opening battle.

I was kind of hoping the code-breaker Finn and Rose find on the casino planet would be Lando Calrissian. But, I don't think that whole subplot was completely useless. They did meet up with that force-sensitive child, gave him the ring, and now he has a glimmer of hope. I felt that was nice way to end the movie.

Kylo Ren killing Snoke and then setting himself up as the new supreme leader was a nice twist. And General Hux wrestling with him for the position. Some interesting possibilities there.

Luke becoming a Force Ghost has some interesting possibilities, too. I wonder if we'll have a Force Ghost reunion in Episode IX. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Luke.

Only two things REALLY bugged me.
1) space Leia... because yeah
2) the craptastic tactics used by the bombers

I was partially annoyed at the feeling that the plot moved along just to meet the next punchline. Some were good, but others felt forced.

Everything else I could except or even enjoyed.

I really like the possible setup for a civil war within the new order between Ren and Hux. This would also provide the smattering of rebels a chance to hit back without be swatted.

Yoda's scene was enjoyable.

Astral projection has been in old canon for years so I had no problem with it being used here.

Having watched the RLM review, they bring up an interesting point. What if Rey had actually agreed to side with Kylo Ren? (I learned his name!!!)

I mean, what he said to her wasn't "come be evil with me", but "let's forget all this old light and dark stuff and just go run things our way". Why not really shake things up and have her actually join him and turn the New Order guys into a force for good government and order? It certainly would have shook things up!

Also they make a good point that at this point, this whole Empire/Rebellion thing has been going on for what, well over thirty years? Leia and the others of her age must be soooo tired of it all. Imagine if we'd still been fighting World War II in the mid 1970s!

Here's their review. It's neither a ringing endorsement nor a hatchet job, but they sure find plenty to talk about.

Graham Kennedy wrote:

Mikey wrote:

Graham Kennedy wrote:A New Hope has a critic rating of 93% and a fan rating of 96%.

ANH was also the baseline for comparison.

Indeed.

Now if you want divisive... my favourite Star Wars movie is Return of the Jedi.

It's mine, too. Doesn't hurt it was the first piece of SW media I had ever seen.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:It's mine, too. Doesn't hurt it was the first piece of SW media I had ever seen.

I don't know if it was the first, but it's the first I remember seeing in the cinema. I have fond memories of queueing for like four hours to get a place.

Similarly, ANH was my first experience with SW. ESB, however, remains my favorite.

Honestly, trying to choose my favorite among the OT can sometimes be... difficult. Take away the "Saw it first!" and all three line up pretty damned well for me.

Empire Strikes Back was the first I saw, at least in its entirety. I might have seen bits of A New Hope on the television or on a home-recorded VHS tape. It was around the time that my interest in Star Trek was starting to bloom. Star Wars and Babylon 5 (which was just starting) were both secondary. It wasn't until I saw Return of the Jedi that my interest in Star Wars was affirmed. That one remains my favorite.

I just saw it today, on IMAX (which I cannot tell the difference and does not impress me...waste of six dollars), and I enjoyed it. Space Leia did bug me a bit, even if I knew something like that was going to happen when the bridge got blown into space. The other things that people here have noticed did not bother me as I liked it overall and do not usually worry about such things. Seemed to be alot more funny moments and lines then either of the first two trilogies combined. Instead of those furry things, I want one of those crystal dogs.

Something I noticed (or maybe I'm imagining I noticed) that the first X-wing pilot killed in the opening fight was a big, burly guy with a blond beard, same as the first X-wing pilot to die in the assault on the death star in A New Hope. Do not know why I thought of it. Maybe it is just a coincidence, or I'm seeing things.

This whole series, despite all the characters and the events in the galaxy, is centered on the Skywalker family. From Anakin to Darth Vader and the twins, Luke and Leia, to Kylo Ren, it is about the Skywalker's place in this grand space opera. Which is why I have to believe in the third installment it will be reveiled that Rey is a long-lost daughter of Luke, and she will face her cousin Ren in the final showdown.

I noticed that no one here is lamenting the death of Akbar in the bridge destruction scene. It seems to be that the characters that survived the first two trilogies and quickly dying is this series. Solo died in the first one, Luke died in this one. Lando has not even showed up yet, if he will at all. Who knows what they will do with Leia now that Carrie Fisher is dead. As far as I can tell, that leaves just Chewbacca and the two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. Could this be Disney getting rid of the "Old Guard" to make the franchise truly theirs?

By the way, is the Laura Dern character new? I do not remember anyone with purple hair from any of the earlier movies. I agree with everyone here. Absolutely no reason to keep the plan secret. Other then for the writers to give the other characters something to do while they wait it out and get closer to the hideout.

And Daisy Ridley? That is one beautiful face.

Of the first trilogy, Return of the Jedi was my favorite. I saw all three in the theater, but that was the only one I truly remember as I saw it for my birthday.

Yeah, we never saw Laura Dern's character before. There was also no need for us to know her sexual orientation either, unless there was supposed to be more in her scenes with Leia than simply friendship.

Never heard that the Vice-Admiral was a lesbian. But it does explain the long, meaningful look she and Leia had when Leia got on the shuttle. Guess Han Solo ruined the Princess for other men.

I can't find myself particularly arguing with much of what's been discussed above.

In the cinema, I groaned when Leia had her force moment. I think it was less that she has force abilities (frankly given her Family's apparent strength with the Force I've always been surprised she doesn't develop them over time) but more the incredibly overdone frozen face, looks to be dead and then miraculously isn't. If it had been a lightning reaction thing where she desperately dragged herself back with the force then maybe I'd go with it. *shrug* Still Star Wars movies are all about people doing the seemingly impossible right?

I thought there were some rather pleasing touches showing the team had at least thrown a cursory effort at continuity; Hyperspace tracking being used which was mentioned in Rogue One as a prototype project, for instance. I really liked the ending with the force sensitive kid being given hope; I like to think they're laying the foundations for a new generation of hopeful children vowing to take the fight to First Order. We can hope, right?

I quite like that something that's been mentioned from the very first film around getting accurate hyperspace coordinates or you'll hit something actually came to fruition and on purpose! She may have been a bit of a bitch for no real reason beyond plot line, but that was a bad ass way to take Snoke's fleet down a few pegs. Who wouldn't want to go out turning your nearly derelict space cruiser into a light-speed WMD?

Kylo Ren and Rey's story continues to puzzle me. There's constant inferences that they are each fighting a side to them which they aren't fond of (whether it's an element of dark side temptation for Rey or Good side morality for Ren) and yet when I start to think the director might have grown some balls and shook things up a bit, he doesn't. They could have completely turned the films on their head and gone into truly uncharted territory if they were brave; it'd be like the Space-Opera drama you get in The Old Republic era and that is no bad thing.

Frankly the cleaner and Finn's storyline was utterly pointless beyond filling time. Poe's little rebellion was amusing of sorts but could all have been avoided if Vice-Admiral Queenbee had been less of a standoffish cow about it.

I thought it was good until the last act. The Space Leia was lame but not too bad. But what really irked me above all else is how they ruined Luke Skywalker just like they ruined Han Solo. What is the point of the original trilogy if Han shows zero character growth, Luke shows zero character growth and the Galaxy is still in trouble. It was pointless. And you're telling me that Luke Skywalker sensed good in the second most evil man, the man who killed billions or even trillions of innocence but he wanted to kill his nephew for having a bad nightmare? Bullshit. Absolute garbage. Same thing happened with Han, the selfish smuggler who became a selfless general then suddenly reverts back to being selfish? Stupid character arc.

Oh, and red under salt is due to bacteria in an aerobic environment. That ticked me off too cause I had known about that cool visual for years but Star Wars beat me to it!

Is light speed ship ramming now the ultimate power in the universe?