“The Last Jedi” Review
(Left) Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, face off in the climax of “The Last Jedi.”
When it comes to “Star Wars” films, the one that remains the most controversial among the fanbase is “The Last Jedi.” “Star Wars” fans have, at this point, lost their minds to the point where I want to say “dear lord, it’s only a film.” People either seem to really love this film or despise the hell out of it, which is the last I will say of the controversy.
As for me, I not only think that this is the best “Star Wars” film Disney has made, I think this is my third favorite “Star Wars” film ever behind the original “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” From the rich character development to the exhilarating action and impressive cinematography, this is the kind of “Star Wars” film I didn’t even know I wanted.
Set immediately after the events of “The Force Awakens,” the film tells two separate stories that come to a head in the third act. The first centers on Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, who travels to the planet of Ach-To with Chewbacca, played by Joonas Suotamo, and R2D2 to find Master Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, who has closed himself off from the Force and become a bitter man after his Jedi Order was destroyed by former apprentice Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver.
Despite his reluctance, Luke agrees to train her and Rey begins to discover much more about herself and her abilities through the Force. This includes a connection with Kylo Ren which allows them to see and interact with each other despite being light-years apart.
The other part of the story centers on the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, played by Carrie Fisher, as they try to escape the First Order which has found a way to track them through lightspeed, rendering them helpless. When they have no options left and a low amount of fuel, Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Issac, sends Finn and a new character named Rose, played by John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, along with BB-8 on a quest to find a way to escape the First Order.
Mark Hamill delivers one of his best performances in years as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
Because of how “The Force Awakens” was similar to the original “Star Wars,” I was worried that “The Last Jedi” was going to retread “The Empire Strikes Back,” but thankfully this film has a much more original plot. The best aspect of the story is anything having to do with Luke, Rey and Kylo’s arcs. Director and Screenwriter Rian Johnson, adds so much to these characters and manages to create a story that I felt challenged me as much as entertained.
The handling of Luke’s character in particular was phenomenal. Seeing this character who was so full of hope in the original trilogy reduced to a broken man was powerful to watch which is not only due to Johnson’s strong writing, but to Hamill’s perfect performance.
When Luke was presented with the lightsaber and threw it away, it made sense to me. Because if I was a Jedi who had his entire mission destroyed by his own nephew, I’d probably become reclusive and bitter too. This makes Luke’s decision, near the film’s end, to go back to the Force and to help the Resistance so much more powerful.
His relationship with Rey is also well done, especially when he and Rey examine The Force. When Rey meditates and Luke asks her what she sees, what follows is a philosophical dialogue about the Force which reminds me why I love “Star Wars.”
“The Last Jedi” also delivers one of my favorite “Star Wars” moments ever when the ghost of Yoda, once again puppeted and voiced by Frank Oz, visits Luke and reminds him that failure is the greatest teacher. It’s quiet, touching and contains just the right amount of humor and heart.
Rey and Kylo’s relationship is also very complicated because Rey hates Kylo for killing Han Solo but also sees some good in him. This makes their scenes together filled with confusing emotion and makes the film more interesting to watch. Everytime Luke, Rey and Kylo are on-screen, I am entranced.
The connection between them is also well done and adds to what I love the most about this film: the way it evolves the franchise and The Force as a whole. So many new ideas are introduced including being able to project yourself across planets using The Force and The First Order being able to track The Resistance through lightspeed. These ideas change the franchise by moving it in a different direction which is what I wanted so much from the new “Star Wars” films.
The relationship between (Left) Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, and Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, is one of “The Last Jedi’s” many positive attributes.
I also love just how much Rian Johnson subverted my expectations. Now, by itself, subverting expectations isn’t always a good thing. Lots of films have done this to disastrous results like having most of the survivors in “Aliens” killed in the opening of “Alien 3” or having Dr. Grant and Dr. Satler split up in “Jurassic Park 3.” What matters is what a filmmaker does when they go into a different direction than you expected.
Rian Johnson does this quite well and the best example of this can be found when Kylo Ren kills his master Supreme Leader Snoke, played by Andy Serkis, and proceeds to kill all of Snoke’s guards with Rey in an incredible fight sequence. After the fight is over, Rey expects Kylo to come with her so they can fight The First Order but Kylo stays to become the Supreme Leader. This works not only because it subverts expectations, but it also adds new depth to Kylo’s character and helps cement him as one of the best characters in “Star Wars.”
“The Last Jedi” also is one of the most beautiful looking “Star Wars” films and that can largely be attributed to cinematographer, and frequent Rian Johnson collaborator, Steve Yedlin whose use of wide shots, particularly for the lightsaber duels, gives the film an Akira Kurosawa/samurai film vibe (which is fitting considering that George Lucas was highly influenced by Kurosawa’s films during the making of “Star Wars”). Much like “The Force Awakens,” the use of practical sets and creatures also gives the film an authenticity that the prequels were sorely lacking.
Director and Screenwriter Rian Johnson created a visually stunning and challenging “Star Wars” film.
The action sequences are also incredible to look at and are well structured. There are moments in this film that give me the chills like when The Resistance Command Ship rams through the First Order’s Command Ship and the film goes quiet, leaving a startling image in the mind of the viewer.
The opening and closing battles between The Resistance and The First Order are also well realized with the opening having an exhilarating fight in space as a fleet of Resistance fighters try to take out a Dreadnaught with bombs. More and more of the Resistance bombers are taken out until one remains. The tension in this scene is flawless and, when a film puts you on the edge of your seat in the first fifteen minutes, you know you’re in good hands.
The climactic battle of Crait is well shot and visually stunning with Resistance speeders skimming across the salt covered surface to reveal the red ground of the planet. This type of imagery makes me thankful that “Star Wars” films are continuing to be made.
While I do love this film, I do have issues with it and much of it concerns the story involving the Resistance. While I love most of these characters, they just aren’t given that much to do. Poe’s arc seems to be learning a lesson in humility by being demoted by Leia and being kept out of the loop of the Resistance’s plan of escape by Vice Admiral Holdo, played by Laura Dern. However, since the fate of the Resistance is at stake, keeping Poe out of things was not the best idea, especially when he believes that Holdo is a traitor and tries to mutiny.
The final Battle of Crait is visually stunning with a brilliant combination of a red and white color aesthetic.
On top of that, the quest Rose, BB-8 and Finn are sent on isn’t that important or even that fun to watch. When they travel to a casino on Canto Bight to find a master codebreaker, the location feels less like a “Star Wars” film and more like a casino you’d be able to find in Las Vegas.
When they manage to find a code-breaker named DJ, played by Benecio Del Toro, the sub-plot becomes even more unnecessary because he’s not that interesting of a character. He just kind of stutters and eventually double-crosses them which is a shame because there’s a good scene where DJ tells Finn that their war is pointless and that the idea of “good and evil” isn’t that simple.
I just wish that Del Toro had portrayed the character in a more memorable way. Imagine if Del Toro acted more like a wild card who couldn’t be trusted (not unlike Dr. Gonzo whom Del Toro played in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”). It would have made more sense if the codebreaker had been someone already established like Maz Kanata, played by Lupita Nyong'o, who is shown in the film being held up by a blaster fight. I’d much rather see Finn and Rose help Maz escape from murderous brigands than see them on a boring casino planet.
Fortunately, this subplot does pick up when Finn and Rose are captured by the First Order and Finn and Captain Phasma, played by Gwendolyn Christie, engage in an epic duel. This not only wraps up an arc established by the two in “The Force Awakens” but breaks the last ties Finn had to the First Order.
The film also does have some pacing issues and, at times, can drag on, which isn’t surprising seeing as how “The Last Jedi” is the longest “Star Wars” film clocking in at two hours and 32 minutes. But these problems are few and far between with the film containing enough epic sequences to keep me satisfied.
Overall, “The Last Jedi” is a groundbreaking film in the “Star Wars” franchise that adds plenty of new ideas to the franchise, has incredible character development and was the first “Star Wars” film since the original trilogy that I felt challenged me as a fan.
The imagery of “The Last Jedi” is some of the finest seen in “Star Wars.” One example, is when Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, looks in a cave for answers about her past and becomes part of an infinite loop of Reys.
