Star Wars: The Last Jedi thrills fans and entertains everyone else

   Movie Title:   Star Wars: The Last Jedi (With Bonus Content)

Grade:  A

Rating:  PG-13, 152 minutes (That’s a whopping 2 ½ hours!)

In a Nutshell:  YES!  This is the EPIC movie we were hoping for!  I admit it...I almost cried when that famous musical score and crawling script began.   

Fans have been waiting with great anticipation for The Last Jedi (Star Wars) I love it when movie-goers dress up in costumes to watch the film in theaters.  It makes it so fun for everyone.  I knew I was in for a great time when the entire audience I watched the movie with erupted in cheers as soon as all of the trailers ended and the words “Lucas Film Ltd” appeared on the screen.  So fun.  Yes, if you’re not a nerdy fan like me, you’ll still be entertained.

As the umpteenth movie in the franchise, you’d think they would start running out of cool ideas, but this movie packs a powerful emotional punch and features new characters and creatures that will leave you wanting even more.

Rian Johnson really adds his unique voice and perspective to the franchise.  There are plenty of thrills, laughs, and twists to add to this canon.  Yeah, I used the word canon….this film franchise is practically scripture.  Ha ha  The movie itself even refers to the Jedi “religion.”  Godspeed Rebels!

Uplifting theme: 

• Hope.   
• “Strength is mastery. Weakness is folly.” – Yoda (Frank Oz)
• Heroes and leaders
• Good vs. evil
• Power, control
• “The force is energy between all things that creates balance.” – Luke
• Hubris vs. humility
• Peace and purpose

Things I liked:

• Great action sequences.  Really great.  Satisfying lightsaber fight scenes.
• Lots of humor.  Yay.  I appreciate it when movies don't take themselves so seriously and can poke fun at themselves to play with the audience.
• Mark Hamilton as Luke Skywalker said he was kind of surprised by the direction and unique vision of the director for his character, but he does a fantastic job, probably his best performance ever.  Just when you’re wondering how Luke Skywalker could have possibly survived on that rugged island, he shows you!  Ha ha
• Adam Driver gives a compelling performance, as always.  There is an impressively deep level of his performance.
• Tons of cool surprises!
• Porgs.  Totally adorable.
• Several respectful nods to past movies and their content.
• The scene with the red salt ground was striking.  All of the locations are really stunning and imaginative.
• I thought it was so sweet and touching at the very end of the movie when the credits were rolling and the screen said “In loving memory of our princess, Carrie Fisher.”   I remember seeing her perform on stage when she was a young teenager.  She sang a song with her talented mother Debbie Reynolds.  My mother was a nightclub singer many years ago.  Too bad I have a terrible singing voice.  It would have been so much fun to sing with her on stage!
• Daisy Ridley was great, of course.
• I've always liked Domhnall Gleeson. The banter between him and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) towards the beginning of the movie was hilarious.
• The wonderful cast includes Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o, and Laura Dern. 

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s sad to know that Carrie Fisher will not get to enjoy all of the movie release parties and fanfare for this new movie. 
• In the beginning of the movie, it looked like Kylo Ren had stickers on his face or something.  Futuristic bandaids?  I liked it much better when they  showed how his face was (sort of) repaired.

• Movie critics seem to have mixed feelings about the side story with Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran).  I thought it was fine.
• Two of my sons said that the more they thought about the movie, the more they decided they didn't like it.  Hmmm...
• SPOILER: I thought it was interesting that they decided to "save" Princess Leia by having her use special powers of the Force to have her fly Mary Poppins style back into the ship after dying out in space.  Given that Carrie Fisher has died in real life, I wondered why they didn't just end her character as well.  I know, I know...she had to have more scenes for the story.  Still....
• I have a lot of unanswered questions.

                                 

Funny lines:

• “Read them, you have? Page turners they were not.” – Yoda, talking about the ancient Jedi manuscripts.    (I thought that line was awesome.)
• “Every word of what you just said was wrong.” – Luke Skywalker

Interesting lines:

• “I know one truth – it’s time for the Jedi to end.” - Luke
• “The greatest teacher is failure.” - Yoda

Tips for parents: 

• Children who haven’t seen prior Star Wars films may be confused, but they’ll still be entertained.
• All of the Rebel leaders are women, including many shots of young, 20-something females flying planes and bombers.  Girls will feel empowered that they can do anything.
• A LOT of destruction, shooting, and high (yet bloodless) body count.
• Shirtless Adam Driver in a scene.
• Some profanity.
• Snoke is pretty scary looking.  Of course he's played by the amazing Andy Serkis who also brought us Gollum the Lord Of The Rings 1/4 scale figure.

Fun, new Star Wars Merchandise:

Funko POP! Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Porg - Collectible Figure (styles may vary)

Star Wars Star Wars: The Last Jedi Deluxe Figure Play Set

The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi 2018 Wall Calendar

LE3D 3D Optical Illusion Desk Lamp/3D Optical Illusion Night Light, 7 Color LED 3D Lamp, Star Wars 3D LED For Kids and Adults, Death Star Light Up     
           

                                            @trinaboice 

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is everything you wanted it to be!

Movie Title:     The Force Awakens (Star Wars)

Grade:  A+

Rating:  PG-13, 2 hours 16 minutes

In a Nutshell:    YESSSS!   Episode VII is everything you hoped it would be!  I loved it!  The fans that filled the theater to capacity where I watched it cheered and cried and loved it too.  It has just the right amount of “old stuff” with respectful nods to the past, yet it’s also full of new, interesting characters, creatures, and special effects.  It's beautifully shot and will saturate your eyes with awesomeness.  Every frame could be turned into a popular movie poster.

With plenty of humor, action, lightsaber duals, space chases, and exciting thrills, it FEELS like a great Star Wars movie.  Everything looks real, not a bunch of hokey CGI or fake green screen trickery.  How do I get to be an Extra in the next movie?!!  Did I ever tell you when I played an Extra on a telenovela that never made it to the screen?  It was called "Saints and Sinners."  I played a Congressman's wife. So fun!

In the words of Supreme Leader Snoke, “There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it?”  In a word, YESSSS!

Uplifting theme: 

•  “Don’t give up hope.” – Rey
• “The crazy thing is it’s true.  The Force.  The Jedi.  All of it.  It’s all true.” – Han Solo
• “Feel the light.  It surrounds you.  It will guide you.” – Maz
• “May the Force be with you.” – Leia
• “Hope is not lost today.  It is found.” – Maz
• Like Rey, we don't realize the greatest inside us.

Things I liked:

• The audience immediately liked the new characters, yet applauded and cheered like crazy when former characters made their appearances on the screen.  Director and writer J.J. Abrams has successfully created new characters that you care about.  He has done a great job with the Star Trek franchise and now the Star Wars phenomena.  He shows great respect for what has been and knows how to make new episodes fresh and new.
• Familiar characters, but with a new twist, like a Storm Trooper with a heart.  It's seriously impressive how well they kept the secrets about this script and cast before releasing the film.
• I love the small details.  For example, Rey makes this really cool bread that only appears on screen for about 10 seconds, yet it’s memorable.  She also eats a really cool piece of fruit in the bar scene.
• Cool new creatures we haven’t seen before.
• I love that Daisy Ridley (Rey) can cry so easily without having her entire face turn red like mine does.  She just releases dainty, yet believable tears at the perfect time, a director’s dream.  She is an unknown actress who is brilliant in this film.  She is the heart and soul of this movie.  How refreshing and wonderful to have a female heroine and one who is good and kind.
• Supreme Leader Snoke is pretty darn cool.  I want a bad guy to look creepy and amazing at the same time.  Mission accomplished.  Even more is that he is voiced by Lord of the Ring's talented Andy Serkis who gave us the unforgettable Gollum.
• Maz is awesome!  My fave!  She is voiced by the lovely Lupita Nyong'o.
• The scenery is beautiful and believable with great sweeping vistas.
• See it in 3D if you can! 
• It makes WAY more sense to have a droid with that roller ball base, so he can get around on the sand and even stairs, unlike R2-D2.  R2-D2's unrealistic transport mode always bugged me.  BB-8, the new droid, also has some fun features, like the cigarette lighter that elicited laughter from the audience when he holds it up to show his enthusiasm for something.  Did you know funnyman Bill Hader is the voice of BB-8?  BB-8 is cute, but not overly like Jar Jar Binks who annoyed the heck out of everyone.
• Welcome to stardom, John Boyega (Finn).  He does a great job and is quickly likable and enthusiastically charismatic.
• SPOILER ALERT:  It was great to see Mark Hamill again as Luke Skywalker.
• Great sound effects and that epic sound track by John Williams!  Check out this fun video that Jimmy Fallon and "The Roots" made with some of the cast to pay tribute to the epic music:

Things I didn’t like:

•  It cracks me up how everyone can understand what BB-8 says. 
• Some things are brushed off without explanation.  That being said, fans have been critical of some of the previous episodes that told us what was happening, rather than show us.  I like that this movie shows us!
• Leia (Carrie Fisher) should be dressed more like the queen that she is, but doesn’t until the end of the movie.  I used to adore her mother, the talented Debbie Reynolds.
• Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has some serious anger management issues.  Ha ha  He does an excellent job and I appreciate the good script-writing that gave us a villain with motivation and depth.
• Don't be impatient that there is a cliff hanger at the end.  You already know that there are more episodes coming to complete the trilogy, so don't leave the movie disappointed.  Enjoy this one.

Funny lines:

•  “Women always figure out the truth.  Always.” – Han Solo
• “I’ll show you the dark side!” – Kylo Ren
• “So, who talks first?  You talk first?  I talk first?  It’s just hard to understand you with all that apparatus.”  - Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac)
• “Look how old you’ve become.” – Kylo Ren

“Something far worse has happened to you.” - Lor San Tekka played by award-winning Max Von Sydow, who was also featured recently in the movie "The Letters", which is also in theaters currently.

• “Don’t do that.” – Leia

“Do what?” – Han Solo

“Anything.” – Leia   

• “You know you can’t trust those little freaks.” – Han Solo
• “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” – Han Solo
• “This is not how I thought this day was going to go.” – Han Solo
• “Whatever you do, don’t stare.” – Han Solo

“At what?” – Rey, Finn

“Any of it.” – Han Solo

• “That light saber…it belongs to me.” – Kylo Ren

“Come get it.” – Finn

The line that got the audience to cheer the loudest:

“Chewy, we’re home!” – Han Solo when he steps onto the Millennium Falcon.  It's so great to see Harrison Ford revisit his role as the lovable Han Solo.  He and Chewbaca banter back and forth and it was more than wonderful to see the two of them together on screen again.

Tips for parents:   

• The language is clean and there is plenty of action and fun creatures to keep young kids entertained. 
• There is a lot of violence and fighting.  Umm…it’s a Star Wars movie.  It might be interesting to talk to your kids about which kind of fighting affects them more or has more of an emotional impact: close-up light saber duals or the big space battles?
• There are plenty of heroes in this film.  Ask your kids who they are and how they show bravery, courage, loyalty, teamwork, and hope.
• There are common themes that run through all of the episodes.  Help your kids identify some of them: good vs. evil, fatherhood, power, loneliness, hope, mentorship, etc.
• Ask your kids how marketing affects them.  Invite them to point out all of the merchandising they have seen.

'STAR WARS' MAKED OVER $100 MILLION: Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke box office records, raking in more than $100 million on its first day in theaters, according to studio estimates. The previous record holder was the second installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which made $91 million on its first day. The Force Awakens also broke preview records, selling $57 million in tickets.