SW: TROS
I wanted to post some initial, largely spoiler free, thoughts about the final movie in the Skywalker saga having seen it last night.
Firstly, let's get out of the way the obligatory shortcuts and plot devices; the Star Wars films are just good yarns and never written to win best original screenplay. You just have to let the contrivances go, accept them and enjoy the spectacle. And what a spectacle it is: it's a visual wonder and quite possibly the most consistently visually impressive Star Wars film to date.
I can see why some people have said that it panders to the audience but, to be completely honest, I don't think they could have really done it any other way and it made for a suitably satisfying end to the series.
There was a twist in the "I am your father" mould and the usual redemption story to round things out and tie up all of the loose ends but perhaps the most poignant moment was the death of Leia and the manner in which it happened. It was said that the scenes involving Carrie Fisher were unused footage from The Last Jedi but, in the context of the story, it seemed much more than that and felt like they might have filmed parts of the two movies at the same time.
It's weird to think that we've reached this point after 42 years, the majority of my life, but it will be interesting to see what other stories they pursue now that the Skywalker series has ended.
