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Reviews
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
A start of a great disappointment
When in 2015 they announced a new Star Wars trilogy that will take place after Ep 6, I thought it was either going to be the best or the worst.
Turned out it was the worst.
The setting, the characters, the plot, did not feel like Star Wars at all.
I think they brought old cameos like Chewie, Han, Leia, C3-P0 and R2-D2 only to remind themselves and their viewers that this IS IN FACT still Star Wars and not some generic space fantasy movie with a non-existing and contrived plot.
I sat through the movie hoping for things to improve, but around the second half I had already given up hope and simply did not care at all anymore. I didn't even felt sad, or disappointed or betrayed, I just gave up on Star Wars in an instant and could not be fazed by these horrible movies one bit.
I was a Star Wars fan ever since I was 5 year old and my parents brought me to the cinema to see Star Wars Episode 5. I was too young to understand what was going on and not understanding English or being able to read subtitles meant I was just looking at fancy images, but even so I was immediately captivated by it and remained a Star Wars fan ever since. Every game about Star Wars I could get my hands on - I played it, every movie or TV series - watched it, every merchandise I could find - bought it, but these movies succeeded to completely evaporate my fandom of Star Wars and just make me not care about it anymore. Sure, there was a period when I was extremely angry and disappointed that this is how things turned out, but as they kept going in the same direction with subsequent movies and whatnot, I just cared less and less and if tomorrow they say "Star Wars as a franchise is shutting down", I wouldn't care one bit. Yes, it would be unfortunate, but it would not be like beating a dead horse, like what Disney have been doing for the past 5 years.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
If it was a standalone space fantasy movie, it would've been OK
After being exposed to the original trilogy as a 5 year old and then watching the prequel trilogy during my tween and teenage years, I cannot accept or enjoy the sequel trilogy.
When in 2015 it was announced that new movies were releasing, I thought to myself "These are going to be either the best of all or worst of all". Turned out they were worst of all.
I could not identify with any of the main characters and at times I was questioning myself "Am I watching a Star Wars movie or a generic space fantasy movie?", because this did not feel like Star Wars at all.
The plot is all over the place and nothing makes sense and things happen for the sake of happening, taking in consideration the internal conflict of ideas between the different directors and higher ups at Disney. They really made a mess of things I really wish things were not this way at all.
This, as a conclusion to the Skywalker saga is completely unacceptable. My personal take is that I do not consider myself the sequels canon, but that's just me. I don't know or care whether they will be officially removed from canon and be changed as part of Legends or the Expanded Universe, but for me the story after Episode 6 continues in the books of author Timothy Zahn. I bought those books back when I was 13 and reading them felt like the only logical continuation of the series, I even expected the sequel movies to be based on Timothy Zahn's books, but I was wrong.
For me this is not what Star Wars is about and it definitely does not qualify as a Star Wars movie, if it was a generic space fantasy movie, it would've been more acceptable. But carrying the name "Star Wars" is a huge responsibility and this sequel trilogy did not manage to deliver on it one bit. They had all the money and all the resources to create something amazing and they completely blew it.
Black Box (2020)
It's not bad, but it's not that good either
I put it on last night on my phone while in bed, the tags of Sci-Fi, Mystery and Horror giving me hope that it will be something mind-boggling and a bit scary that will keep me on my toes.
I was wrong, though. The movie started out OK, but later on became quite predictable and around the middle or right before, I already had figured out the mystery and the second half of the movie was rather boring.
It doesn't help that at around 60% of the movie, I started falling asleep and left it to finish it the next day and it actually managed to feel even cheesier in some parts.
The acting was for the most part OK, except for the protagonist's daughter that seemed way too mentally and emotionally mature for her age to the point where I started questioning is this a Horror or a Comedy/Parody.
The rest of the movie was almost spot on, except that it was too predictable and not scary at all, if I started falling asleep while watching it alone in the dead of the night, it says how "scary" it is.
Overall, I don't regret watching it, but I could've definitely watched some better and more rewarding Sci-Fi Mystery that I was originally looking for.