WARNING: THE SPOILERS ARE STRONG IN THIS ONE
I didn’t like The Force Awakens (TFA), I found it utterly disappointing, despite the plethora of movie remakes and sequels (and the fatigue that came with them) we've seen in the past few years, it purposely managed to avoid any real form of originality; A New Hope rehash, with only a female protagonist to distract us from the glaring similarities it shared with the original film; Force sensitive young person who becomes the hope of the fight against an evil regime. Check. Rebel movement against the evil regime. Check. Masked evil villain dressed in all black with sinister mentor pulling the strings. Check. Planetary weapon of mass destruction. Check!!! but still, it was critically acclaimed and a box office success based on nostalgia and obvious anticipation. I guess the age-long adage of not fixing it if it isn't broken still applies, safe to say, the first Star Wars movie under Disney's helm jaded my enthusiasm for the new trilogy and anything else to come, but here we are, with the third Star Wars movie in 3 years (with two movies lined up for the next two) in the guise of The Last Jedi. I didn’t know what to expect going into this one with where the prequel left me but I felt obliged to see it, what can I say? when you're a fan, you're a fan.
It's no surprise that The Last Jedi has been largely divisive, Director Rian Johnson clearly attempted to wriggle his film out of the corner J.J. Abrams had written it into, stirring very strong and diverse opinions after the movie's release to the public, most fans of the original trilogy weren't thrilled, while some fans of the second trilogy and casual viewers didn't mind it much. The diverse reception of a Star Wars movie will always be a given - Between the first trilogy (40 years ago), the second and now third, there is a three generational strata of fans who consider themselves an authority on the franchise and who have a myriad of opinions on what a Star Wars film should be, so its no surprise that Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi strikes at the heart of this, given its removal from the familiar. Realistically speaking we can't and shouldn't expect or want every Wars movie to strike the same chords that the original trilogy did, that would be retrogressive and redundant to say the least. Personally I would have loved the franchise to explore timelines far far away (long before or after) from the Skywalker Legacy, frankly I just wanted something 'new', a thought Rian Johnson obviously shared.
Lets get into it.
The Last Jedi...Really She Is
Rey's character has been a bone of discontent for many fans since TFA; the character seemed to be a manifestation of feminist movement more than for actual story telling reasons. She is so perfect that she doesn't have any need for a character arc. She becomes versed in the use of the force within what felt like a few days without any formal training, defeats her nemesis Kylo Ren with relative ease, even after the former has spent years learning the force , and is vital in destroying Starkiller base in the TFA. She is simply flawless, save for a childhood fear of being alone, and although the Last Jedi tries to ground the character a little bit, she virtually comes out unscathed. She goes to find Luke so that he can train her but they literally have just one training session together. Her 'connection' with Kylo Ren being one of the most interesting parts of the movie brings some humanity to the character and it was almost all right to think she might have been seduced by the dark side of Kylo's gym bod but she becomes 'Rey' again after Kylo assassinates Snoke and they defeat his personal guard. Rey's journey in the The Last Jedi ultimately doesn't do much to endear us to the character even as she literally becomes the last Jedi.
Darth Vader 2.0
Since his appearance in TFA, Kylo Ren has drawn several comparisons regarding the similarities to his grandfather albeit mostly in footing and appearance than character, while Vader was cold, calculated and calm, his grandson is the complete opposite; petulant, spoilt and hot headed. These differences though made the character quite relatable as much as annoying, However it would be easy to say that unlike his nemesis Rey, Kylo has grown, and he's becomes a vital part of Rian Johnson's paradigm shift in the Star Wars universe, he is more mature, more calculating and more ambitious as he attempts to disperse with the old and carve a new order and galaxy in his name, even losing his Vader inspired mask in the process is symbolic to this. Grandad Anakin would be proud. It was a shame to lose the Mask though, I liked the mask.
The Last Jedi...Really She Is
Darth Vader 2.0
The Penultimate Jedi
Last Jedi saw the erstwhile protagonist of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), subject to a character somersault which sees the formerly eager, hopeful young hero who risked everything for his friends become an old, tired, selfish, recluse who abandons them and attempts to assassinate his nephew in his sleep because he believed he was lost to the dark side, in which it is also suggested that the Jedi Master has dabbled in himself, making him not only an attempted murderer but a hypocrite. Considering Luke saves Darth Vader from the dark side at the very end, why doesn't he believe Ben Solo can be saved? While it can be argued that this change in character can occur, after all, we are all susceptible to losing the brash confidence and hope that comes with youth as we become older, its one that just doesn't stick with Luke.
Harvey Dent's immortal words of dying a hero or living long enough to become a villain ultimately comes to the fore as his destined encounter with Rey gives the Jedi Master a chance at redemption, Luke sacrifices himself to save his friends once again in the most audacious show of Jedi power in any Star Wars ever! Its a shame Luke will be nothing more than a force apparition in the sequel, with better writing he could have gone down to the series conclusion and still wouldn't have felt like baggage.
Harvey Dent's immortal words of dying a hero or living long enough to become a villain ultimately comes to the fore as his destined encounter with Rey gives the Jedi Master a chance at redemption, Luke sacrifices himself to save his friends once again in the most audacious show of Jedi power in any Star Wars ever! Its a shame Luke will be nothing more than a force apparition in the sequel, with better writing he could have gone down to the series conclusion and still wouldn't have felt like baggage.
Princess Leia
With Carrie Fisher's passing away last year, Princess Leia's future in the franchise became an evident concern was always going to be a source of concern, after Han Solo's death in TFA, were they going to kill another legacy character? A thought almost confirmed when Kylo Ren hesitates to fire at the Rebel ship's bridge after feeling his mother's presence, before its blasted open by a random First Order pilot and sends Leia and other the Rebel force leaders into the void of space to a freezing demise...a somewhat peaceful end to our beloved Leia?...Not on your life! The other Skywalker shows off her force abilities as she force glides (in a temperature of -270.45C) back to the rebel flagship, and as ridiculous as this scene was, I was definitely surprised by this new level of Jedi Power which I had never seen before. But at this point, it may not be too callous to think Rian Johnson was just making things up all in the name of change rather than actually writing a cohesive scene within what has previously been established as Jedi powers. In the Last Jedi, Johnson escalates Jedi capabilities beyond what is acceptable in any canonical or non-canonical storylines, making it simply unfounded, unfortunately Leia is prevented from having any real powerful scenes and it remains to be seen what will be done with the character in Star Wars IX.
Up in Snoke
After the build up of Supreme Leader Snoke in TFA as the ominous puppet master behind Kylo Ren's strings it was a pretty WTF moment to see him halved in two so soon after his very recent acquaintance with the audience, whats worse? for the few minutes he was on he'd managed to peak more interest than Rey had in the first two films. A gutsy and pseudo-revolutionary move by the director, which may have been brilliant if it wasn't so unnecessary. The scene which served to reveal Kylo Ren as the real threat, is one without precedence in the franchise, sure if it was Game of Thrones it would be in line with the show, but not Star Wars. It was probably disappointing most of all, that Snoke never gets fleshed out before his untimely death and in that one move all the questions about him and the First Order that got swept under the rug. Similarly Captain Phasma is just as indispensable, after her limited appearance in TFA she's just as underutilized in this one, enjoying only a few minutes of screen time before her suggested death and while she may be back in the sequel its definitely a waste of Gwendolyn Christie's talents.
What Happens in Canto Stays in Canto
Holdo'On to Your Ship
Newcomer and apparent control freak Admiral Holdo's leadership skills were obviously sub-par as she alienates Poe Dameron, while hatching her escape plan in secret. It just didn't make sense why she would not tell him what she was up to, sure he's a hot head but he's not that stupid. She did Redeem herself though with most kickass Kamikaze you'll ever see.
The Knights of Ren
Where in the cosmos are are the fucking Knights of Ren?, I feel the Last Jedi missed a great opportunity to introduce us to this infamous group of force users, Luke tells Rey that Ben Solo leaves with twelve of his best students after killing the others the night he turned, frankly any scene involving these guys would have been better than the Casino planet fiasco (if this concept art is anything to go by), hopefully they show up in the 3rd installment, after all it would be a shame to waste such a cool name...The Knights of Ren...The Knights of Ren..sounds badass every time.
Sure Misses
It was also quite appalling that a Legacy character like Admiral Ackbar would only get an off screen death only to be mentioned quite casually but there was time for over twenty five minutes of screen time in Canto Bight and for Luke to squeeze green milk from an alien sea cow. Humour and comedy has gradually become a mainstay in action adventures and we have come to accept that, however there are times when it has no place in a scene or movie and The Last Jedi was guilty of this as the infused jokes were ill timed or totally unnecessary. For example Poe Dameron's jibe at General Hux reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon villain, a precedent which was not set in the first film. Sure there has been humour in the prequels but Han Solo's humorous charm and Obi Wan's dry humour never felt distracting or out of place.
In all fairness Rian Johnson attempts to give us something new, taking us away from the familiar status quo that The Force Awakens tries so much to hold on to, to its detriment or success depending on which side (of the force) you're on, and many of the things wrong or right with The Last Jedi are a direct consequence of that. He attempts to remove his film from the stalemate that the franchise has been locked into, whether that involved reinventing the old, exploring what existed or giving us something new entirely, although the execution may have been a bit more extreme than required, the shock value is what the series desperately needed. The plot could have been better, but the Last Jedi still does enough to be entertaining while laying the ground work for future films in a galaxy far far away.
Reject Rating: 7/10
Sure Misses
It was also quite appalling that a Legacy character like Admiral Ackbar would only get an off screen death only to be mentioned quite casually but there was time for over twenty five minutes of screen time in Canto Bight and for Luke to squeeze green milk from an alien sea cow. Humour and comedy has gradually become a mainstay in action adventures and we have come to accept that, however there are times when it has no place in a scene or movie and The Last Jedi was guilty of this as the infused jokes were ill timed or totally unnecessary. For example Poe Dameron's jibe at General Hux reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon villain, a precedent which was not set in the first film. Sure there has been humour in the prequels but Han Solo's humorous charm and Obi Wan's dry humour never felt distracting or out of place.
In all fairness Rian Johnson attempts to give us something new, taking us away from the familiar status quo that The Force Awakens tries so much to hold on to, to its detriment or success depending on which side (of the force) you're on, and many of the things wrong or right with The Last Jedi are a direct consequence of that. He attempts to remove his film from the stalemate that the franchise has been locked into, whether that involved reinventing the old, exploring what existed or giving us something new entirely, although the execution may have been a bit more extreme than required, the shock value is what the series desperately needed. The plot could have been better, but the Last Jedi still does enough to be entertaining while laying the ground work for future films in a galaxy far far away.
Reject Rating: 7/10
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