CarrieOnForever

Date seen: Thursday 2nd January 2020

Venue: Everyman Oxted

WARNING!!! SPOILER ALERT! This post is dark and full of spoilers. Read only if you’ve seen Star Wars Episode IX or if you don’t care…

I won’t bore you with a synopsis or any kind of critical analysis of this film. I think we are all familiar enough with the Star Wars franchise to know that these movies are not to be taken too seriously and that you either like them or you don’t. Personally, I am a fan. I love all the Star Wars films including Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor. Even Phantom Menace, now viewed through the pink hued lens of nostalgia and in the presence of my young children, has its redeeming qualities. So it was with mixed feelings of both excited anticipation and sadness at the end of an era, that I sat down to watch Star Wars in the cinema for the last time… maybe.

That’s the thing with Star Wars. There’s always another sequel, prequel or spin off to be had and I will be there for it. There is one character we will never see again and that is Princess Leia Organa played by the legendary Carrie Fisher. The scenes in Episode IX featuring the late actor were brilliantly crafted and I saw genuine tears and anguish in the eyes of her co-stars as they interacted with her iconic character. I could wax lyrical for hours about how great this film is. It was a good ending. That’s all we could have hoped for. On the day I saw this film, I posted an Instagram Story saying I loved everything about it. This was mostly true. However, since then I’ve realised there were a few things that bugged me so let’s unpick those shall we as it will be more fun.

1. I was a little annoyed by how it turned into Harry Potter. I know the force is strong in those Ren-Rey lovebirds but come on there’s using the force and then there’s plain old magic. The climactic scene with the Emporer hanging from the weird crane thing reminded me of Voldemort sticking out the back of a turban in the Philosopher’s Stone. Ok fine if it works why not but meh…

2. What the fuck happened to Rose and Finn? I want a prequel just to tell me why Rose and Finn didn’t get it on. Rose carried herself like she had been seriously burned and are we supposed to believe that’s just because Finn has the hots for Rey? That it ends with Finn happy to just hang around in the “Friend Zone”? And I do not buy the “oh Rose’s scenes were mostly with Leia and they didn’t work so they were cut” excuse. If you are making a film with a budget running into the hundreds of millions then if a scene doesn’t work you RE-FILM IT. It was like everything that made The Last Jedi so brilliant had just been ignored, which leads me onto my next gripe…

3. Not only was the first woman of colour in a leading Star Wars role from the previous movie totally shunned, the twist at the end of Episode 8 was just swept aside like it didn’t even matter. The revelation that Rey was of no noble pedigree was groundbreaking. She didn’t come from a privileged background. Her parents were nobodies, yet she was born special, with the force stronger in her than anyone before. It said to us that you don’t have to come from a rich family to succeed. That you can be born into nothing and still save the galaxy. Turns out that was not the case and the Emperor had a secret family all along. It’s like if in Return of the Jedi Luke had asked “is Darth Vader my father?” And Yoda had turned over and said “LOL NO! He was just screwing with you!”

I’m a bit disappointed is all I’m saying.

So when’s the next Star Wars movie coming out???