I watched the movie again last night, and it constantly fluctuates in quality for me. I love all the bits with Luke, Rey and Kylo. It's truly top-notch stuff, which contain some of the best scenes in all of Star Wars.
Having said that, it's the stuff in between those scenes that are really jarring, because TLJ handles Finn very poorly. Not only is his subplot boring, but it's useless to the overall story while making things worse for the good guys. Finn, Rose, and Poe should be in jail for being inadvertently responsible for nearly the destruction of the entire Resistance. To be fair, I liked Finn's arc in the film, which was going from someone who only cared about Rey, to fighting for the whole Resistance. I just wish he was given a subplot that was interesting and relevant to the overall story.
I can't tell you how much I loath the "saving what we love" scene. It's absolutely nonsensical, easily the worst scene in the film. It completely kills the moment and it's way too corny, even for Star Wars. The worst aspect is it actually contradicts what's shown in the film, as Holdo had previously done a similar sacrificial run and it worked to spectacular results, and Luke sacrifices himself at the end to save the Rebellion.
Speaking of Luke's death, I found it to be very powerful, and with the rest of the Resistance boarding the Falcon, it was the perfect way to end the film. But then it keeps going, and we go back to broomstick boy on Canto Bight. I always feel bad about criticizing child actors, and it's hard finding really good child actors. But I felt the kid was mugging for the camera in all of his scenes, which is unfortunately a trap a lot of child actors fall into. The film ending with him was so bizarre, and completely detached with what was going on.
That's my biggest issue with TLJ, for every 20 great scenes it has, there's always one scene around the corner where I'm just like "Huh"? Ultimately, I do like TLJ, but it's frustrating because with a few rewrites it could have been a truly great movie.
Having said that, it's the stuff in between those scenes that are really jarring, because TLJ handles Finn very poorly. Not only is his subplot boring, but it's useless to the overall story while making things worse for the good guys. Finn, Rose, and Poe should be in jail for being inadvertently responsible for nearly the destruction of the entire Resistance. To be fair, I liked Finn's arc in the film, which was going from someone who only cared about Rey, to fighting for the whole Resistance. I just wish he was given a subplot that was interesting and relevant to the overall story.
I can't tell you how much I loath the "saving what we love" scene. It's absolutely nonsensical, easily the worst scene in the film. It completely kills the moment and it's way too corny, even for Star Wars. The worst aspect is it actually contradicts what's shown in the film, as Holdo had previously done a similar sacrificial run and it worked to spectacular results, and Luke sacrifices himself at the end to save the Rebellion.
Speaking of Luke's death, I found it to be very powerful, and with the rest of the Resistance boarding the Falcon, it was the perfect way to end the film. But then it keeps going, and we go back to broomstick boy on Canto Bight. I always feel bad about criticizing child actors, and it's hard finding really good child actors. But I felt the kid was mugging for the camera in all of his scenes, which is unfortunately a trap a lot of child actors fall into. The film ending with him was so bizarre, and completely detached with what was going on.
That's my biggest issue with TLJ, for every 20 great scenes it has, there's always one scene around the corner where I'm just like "Huh"? Ultimately, I do like TLJ, but it's frustrating because with a few rewrites it could have been a truly great movie.
