[CliffFletcher]

What a bloated, overlong chore of a movie. The last half hour I was getting impatient for it to end.

Hollywood seems to have forgotten the art of pacing - how to make tight, focused action and adventure movies. The kind of movie that has been edited down to the bone, where every scene has an essential purpose - to drive the suspense and action forward.



The original was a classic because it's difficult to think of a single scene that could be removed or even tightened up without damaging the film. You could cut 30 minutes from the Last Jedi and it would still be essentially the same movie. And a better one for it.

The latest Star Wars films are following in the footsteps of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, taking a straighforward premise and then stuffing it full of sub-plots, and piling action set-piece onto action set-piece, one after another after another after another after another. Why are the producers of tentpole franchises doing this? Is it because it's difficult to get people to pay $16 for a movie anymore, so you need to keep them in their seats for 2.5 hours or more to make them feel they got their money's worth?