The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.

***Capsule Review: Full review coming in this week’s edition of The Daily Journal***

This is a special effects film that far exceeds expectations in that category. If only it could have been equivalent in the story telling category as well! This lackluster continuation of a saga that has been a part of generations pulls at our nostalgic heartstrings, but even this isn’t enough to keep us focused on the shell of a story and its “new” characters. When you connect more with Chewbacca and the emotional trauma he or any of the droids go through than with the humans, it’s not a good sign. While Daisy Ridley portrays Rey, a strong woman attempting to be the next Jedi, her co-horts comprised of Poe (Oscar Isaac) who is completely miscast, and Finn (John Boyega) who finds one note throughout the film and plays it, unfortunately she can’t carry the film. General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) have some of the best scenes, but there aren’t enough of them. With a couple nostalgic twists and turns, this newest and very long final (?) installment will be as memorable as “The Phantom Menace.”

1 Star