So I finally watched the latest Star Wars.

I always like to give new movies a few weeks to cool off. I hate the press of the crowd and the feeling of claustrophobia that comes with masses of humans all jostling to get to the same end point.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, given the mixed reviews of late.

People crying out that the director murdered their childhood.

That they killed the series.

Others describing a more mature focus for the movie as the natural progression of a story.

Even some of the actors expressing their disappointment.

So I went into it not expecting to like or hate it. A blank slate, ready to make my own opinion.

As a blockbuster, it had extravagant special effects as expected, although perhaps not as many as usual- I couldn’t really tell.

What stayed with me was the message about the force, and the Jedi, as a religion.

How all religions have their dogma, their good and bad. Balance. Light and dark.

This movie may not stick in my head they way some others have over the last year, but I would say it is worth watching, even if it’s just for the message of hope in desperate situations.

Even if it’s for the idea that god (the force) is all around us