Ok.. I am sure I will be repeating myself for many who have been reading any of my post right along. But I will try and explain it.
Let me start with what i liked about the ST before I ever saw TROS
1. Rey. I liked Rey as a character even though I did not like her being a Mary Sue.
2. Kylo Ren. I found him to be one of most interesting characters since the OT
3. The Performances of Ford and Hamill. I have no issues with how Luke was treated in TLJ. I liked him just fine. But I get the issues.
4. Finn in TFA
Now let me say what i hated.
1. Rey being a Mary Sue
2. The Death of Han Solo
3. The made for TV feel of TFA and the lack of imagination
4. Pretty much everything that was not Luke / Rey / Kylo in TLJ
In all honesty I kind of liked TLJ after my first viewing for about 10 min... But after thinking about it I pretty much hated the nothingness that film offered. So really the only SW film I did not enjoy with my first viewing was TFA.
I was checked out after TLJ.. I just figured nobody could make a SW movie anymore. Even though I liked RO. How much would I have liked it if not for that Vader ending. I mean it was OK.. it was SW but nothing special. I stopped Watching TCW. I stopped looking at collectibles. I felt a bit empty when I watched the OT.. I was in this state of SW depression.
So I went into TROS with expectations at an all time low for a SW movie. I had never been this way for a SW film. Was I just too old. Was I just done with A Galaxy Far Far away..
Before I saw the film I herd a major spoiler.. Rey was a Palpatine... I ****ing loved it!!!!
That bit of info got me excited for the film.. For me this is all I needed to explain why she was so good with the force. I know there are many who hate it or dont like the idea that she was good with the force without much or any training but I am fine when a power comes from a Villain. For whatever reason that gives it a pass.. If she was Obi Wan or Lukes Daughter.. i still would have hated her Mary Sueness.
So I sit in the theater Kind of excited but keeping myself in check as I am sure I will still be disappointed. So what ends up leading me to love this film?
1. So the film starts with Kylo finding the Emperor. The scene is a straight up Horror movie. The sound design is brilliant. I love hearing Palps voice and for the first time in the entire series I actually find him kinda scary. I turn to my best friends and all of agree its a great scene.
2. Poe and Finn together on the Falcon and the chase. Its just good to finally see them together on an adventure. It fun watching them BAnter with Chewie and its good to see Finn confident while manning the Falcons Guns.
3. Then we see Rey training under Leia. That is great also.. Why people cant accept Leia, who was almost a full jedi herself, could not teach someone is beyond me.. Anyways So now, not only is she a Palps but she has gotten some actual training.. More training then Luke ever got. cool with that.
We then get the McGuffin plot.. Its silly but I am able to look past it because
4. The Cast is all together and they have chemistry. I enjoy watching them play off each other. I enjoy the desert chase.. Its fun, its adventurous, Its Star Wars
5. Lando!
Ok Now we get to my least fav moment. The cave scene. I hate it because of the McGuffin Knife and the snake.. I dont hate Force healing with Rey and Ben but It should have been something different then the snake. Just takes me out of the movie a bit.
6. Rey vs Kylo on the desert planet. That move she puts on his Tie Fighter. He Force lightning making her think she killed Chewie. Great stuff.. I am having fun again.
7. Babu Frik
8. The Rescue of Chewie. Yep its a New Hope rip off but I had a blast because our heros are all together. Its something we should have gotten before this in the other two films.
9. Rey Vs Kylo on with her on the Star Destroyer and him on the planet.
10. I forgot to mention.. Freaking Everything Kylo Ren.. Its my fav version of him!! Love all of his Solo finger pointing also
11. Rey finding out she is a Palps, almost taking Kylos hand and the Rescue with the Falcon.. Love that whole scene.
12. Rey and Kylo's saber moment in the Death Star. You say no major set pieces or Wow moments.. Its my third fav light Saber duel. After ESB and TPM. I love the look and the setting. I love the sound design. I love that Kylo is handling her and that she knows it. I frealing love that back flip over the wave that she does.. One of the to 10 FX shots in the entire saga IMO. I love that Kylo is about to kill her..
13. Leia calls out to Ben, Rey is flirting with the dark side when she stabs Kylo, Leia's death wakes Rey up. It was all done perfectly and gavre me goose bumps.. Thought it was all great... Rey heals Kylo and leaves.. Kylo will turn to the light for sure. Right?
14. ****ing Han Solo! yes its just a memory but its perfect. its Kylo replaying the moment that changed him more then any other choice he made. He sees his father forgive him because he knows his father loves him... He calls him Dad.. Its the first and only time he says it. All other times he calls him Han Solo. He calls him Dad. He tries to utter the words and Han gives his the "I know" Kylo throws his Saber.. Ben Solo is Born!!!!! This scene also saves one of the parts that I hated in TFA. Han's death means so much more then Harrison just getting out of his contract.. When I watch that moment now knowing how Kylo really feels about Han I find myself so much more emotionally invested now.
15. Luke is back.. That is always a win for me. Hamill is just great in this role.. Despite it not going the way we may have thought it should in this ST Hamill shows up and nails it.
16. The raising of the X-Wing.. I would say this is the first real Nostalgia scene in the Entire ST that I enjoy just for Nostalgia reasons. The Yoda theme and seeing Luke do the thing he couldnt do in ESB.. Yep its corny but I like it.
17. Ben vs The Knights of Ren. Great stuff seeing him with a Blue saber and the Han Solo gesture he gives the Knights.
18. Rey Vs the Emperor Guards.. Reys theme is used here and I love it. Its a fun scene. I wish both this and the Kylo scene went on Longer.
19. The Emperor Using his force lightning on the ships.. The freaking sound design on that is epic.
20. Lando's "On you left moment"
21. Lando
22. Wedge Antillies - I find it corny now.. But I loved it the first time. I like having him there but the line delivery is corny
23. The battle overall looks great. I love the ground level view of all the ships flying overhead.
24. The "Not as fast as this ship" rescue of Finn
25. The voices of all the Jedi
26. "I am all the Jedi"
27. Rey Skywalker
I have had 4 viewings now.. Along with watching some of my fav scenes several other times.. I can say this is not a case of what i had with the PT.
What TROS did was bring the joy of SW back to me. It was not burdened with the Politics of the PT, the redo of the ANH with TFA or the stupid side plots of TLJ. It was a fairly straight forward adventure that was fun.. IT WAS FUN. Fun in a way that ANH was to me. It made me feel like a kid again. My two best friends who were with me felt exactly the same way. We all loved it. They both had been feeling like I was before seeing this. They both loved everything that I did about the film.
I have heard this by more then one person.. Both fans and non fans.. Its the most Star Warsy film since Star Wars.
I guess I needed that.