The Last Jedi

So obviously there might be some spoilers ahead.

With the crowd and critics so divided about the movie, it's hard to not be on one side or the other. If you watched Star Wars for the first time, this movie was probably super amazing and you have no clue why some people are hating on it. However, if you're a true fanatic you're sitting there wondering how Disney managed to mess up your whole life's devotion to this one thing. I get it. I get both sides.

Let me start as a somewhat big fan. I rewatched Force Awakens the night before I went to go see The Last Jedi and was completely and absolutely certain that Rey is Leia and Solo's daughter. Not really "long-lost" as some people theorized but more like hidden away from that world for her own protection. Let's say Ben and Rey are years apart in age and when Ben leaves for training with Luke he was young enough that she might have still been a baby. Seeing what the outcome is when Ben became Kylo, goes on a killing spree, Leia is scared for the fate of her daughter and keeps her in a place like Jakku knowing the force is with her and she'll be just fine. Multiple scenes in Force Awakens almost hinted at the fact that she was, in fact, Han's daughter. When Solo asks what her name is, she says Rey, and he so nonchalantly says "Rey, huh, nice name." Almost as if he knew. Cut to The Last Jedi, when the force allows Kylo and Rey to see each other being planets apart, it's almost like the audience was being teased till they finally reveal her having the Skywalker blood. They show Luke and Leia being able to do it too, so why wouldn't the audience want to believe this theory!? There is, obviously, still a possibility that Kylo Ren lied to Rey to ensure she would join his side. It would be very Star Wars storyline.

As an everyday movie goer, this movie was AMAZING. The cinematography, plot line, twists, new characters, character development and back stories, CGI, acting, direction, production, sound, and score all are amazing. Definitely deserving of the $530 million the movie made globally. In this side of the argument I'm glad they didn't show Rey to be a part of the family, it's amazing that they're starting fresh with someone who is extremely powerful but not related to any of the Skywalker's. This, in my books, is a better plot twist than the repetitive discovery of everyone being related. Finn and Roses' adventure go off on this crazy limb that just leaves the viewers unsatisfied and impatient for the story to go back to the main plot. The movie could have survived without it if not better. Disney's efforts in trying to make this more suited for a new audience and generation is a little corny, trying to demolish an entire city because one girl that works behind the scenes on the ship had a rough childhood, it just seemed a little unnecessary. The cute animals, though, were a delight to watch, can't help but think of how much money they're going to make selling them as toys. The red salt land near the end of the film really gave it oomph, it was like words of a book so detailed and always adding to the scene. It was a great piece of cinematography.

Yoda's return, though a little creepy, was kind of awesome but also can't help but think why they didn't do better CGI? Yoda looked like the puppet they used from the first set of films. Luke's character wasn't done justice either but that could lead to a whole other post.

Half good, half bad, you decide. But what makes the movie great is that it's starting fresh and could potentially go on for another 30 years. Bad for the fandom is that they didn't stick to what happened before or rightfully should have happened.