david-meldrum

Random List Of Things Noticed On A First Rewatch In Ages, As Part Of Chronological Rewatch:

1) I know I'm old, but the first half is a little dull. I fell asleep.

2) Pretty much everything about Jabba The Hutt is straight out of the mind of an uncomfortably horny 13-year old boy.

3) The Ewoks are just as childish, but obviously in a different way. Of the original trilogy, it's the most childish by a long chalk.

4) After three films in a row, I'd quite happily punch C3-P0.

5) Death Star 2.0? Really?

6) On reflection about my first half sleep, it's possible I slept through the best bit.

7) The last 45-minutes or so is well directed to always give you handle on what's happening to who, where, and when.

8) ILM really knocked it out of the park on this one.

9) I enjoyed it more than much of this review might suggest.

10) Even so, it's still the weakest of the original 3.

One of the most reliable franchises in recent years is - allegedly - coming to an end with this bloated sequel to the bloated previous instalment. There's a lot to enjoy - jaw-dropping stunts, mostly, and a reliable sense of fun. It's too long - far too long - and could have saved at least twenty minutes of run time with fewer portentous speeches about how much it all means, and 'it all coming down to this'. Or something. Granted, my level of frustration with this may have been exacerbated by seeing it in the bone-shaky, air blowy 4DX format. Not my preference, but my son loves it. Getting thrown around that much at my age isn't the best. But it's a decent, spectacular action thriller that does round off the franchise with a sense of flair.

A film with more than a passing resemblance to Pretty Woman has Mikey Madison in a brilliant, star-making performance as a sex worker and the young adult son of a Russian oligarch in the Richard Gere role. The first half of the film follows Pretty Woman's template, and then in the second half takes an all together different turn when the young man's parents get involved, taking exception to the relationship and intervening. What could be a very uneasy mix of comedy and dark drama is held together by Madison, brilliant direction and editing from Sean Baker (who also wrote the film). The final scene is powerful and not a little disturbing, leaving a potentially strange taste in the mouth, but this is a film with heart, soul, and brain all functioning with aplomb.