Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

Disclaimer: This is a spoiler heavy review, do not read unless you don’t care about any major plot points that are revealed during the movie.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the newest episode in the ever expanding saga and features the return of Luke Skywalker, picking up right where the Force Awakens left off.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about this film and have been going back and forth on a lot of the decisions made with the story and characters. This is a very different Star Wars movie and that’s thanks to writer and director Rian Johnson, who unlike J. J. Abrams did not try to emulate what was great about the original trilogy, but instead bring new ideas to the table. That is where the controversy began for a lot of fans because this departure in tone and story structure made for a different experience than what most were expecting. I believe that The Force Awakens and Rogue One didn’t garner as much hate as The Last Jedi because those films didn’t try to innovate but rather just reinvigorate the franchise with the backing of nostalgic callbacks and retreads of old story beats. Now, I’m not saying those films are bad or lazy because of this, but rather that The Last Jedi makes me more excited for the prospect of more inventive films in the saga going forward (spin offs included). I know that they’re going back to Abrams to direct Episode 9, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So starting off, I loved the Luke and Rey dynamic in this movie. The idea of Luke not being the classic collected and all knowing mentor was great, in my opinion. That scene where he throws the lightsaber over his shoulder really caught me off guard. Yes, it kind of threw away the gravity of the last shot in the Force Awakens now that we know what happens, but I think that it led to a more interesting arc for his character by the end of this film. The scene with Yoda destroying the ancient Jedi texts was also really cool.

It was nice to see Yoda back as a more light hearted old man like he was in Empire rather than the more wooden, stoic interpretation we got in the prequels. It added more heart to his scene and pressed on the idea that the Jedi aren’t as important as they make themselves out to be. This connected to what Luke said earlier about how the Jedi are selfish for thinking that the force dies with them. I could see how this would anger some fans because this movie continually tried to shed light on the fact that the Jedi weren’t always these perfect heroes and that in their own way were somewhat flawed. I think this was a refreshing take on the concept of the Jedi Order and one I respect Johnson for trying to flesh out. It harkens back to that saying - "never meet you're heroes."

Kylo Ren is definitely my favorite aspect of this new trilogy and I thought what they did with him here was brilliant. Firstly, I think it was a great idea to have Snoke force connect Kylo and Rey’s minds throughout the first half of the movie. Lots of films make the mistake of having their villains and heroes be in two different places throughout the entire adventure with barely any confrontation until the very end, always making for a less intimate conclusion (*cough* Thor Ragnarok). The conversations these two characters had through the force made for some great character driven build up that I think really paid off emotionally during those final scenes in the throne room. This is the stuff that makes Kylo such a great villain because he isn’t just some all evil guy but a damaged individual that is seemingly on the brink of switching sides all the time.

This is why I approved of the decision to kill off Snoke because it subverts the idea that with every Star Wars trilogy there has to be some kind of unredeemable Emperor character that is going to be the big bad of the series. Once again Johnson does the unexpected, by making the overarching villain, one that is more complicated than just an old Sith Lord that can't be reasoned with. Now going forward we have even less of an idea of what to expect because of the fact that what we thought would happen in the final film has already happened. This is a recurring thing throughout The Last Jedi, which I understand could’ve perturbed fan expectations. However, I think it makes the whole thing that much more exciting. I like the idea that the identity of Rey’s parents isn’t anyone important, for example, because it once again throws everyone’s theories out the window and also extenuates the overall theme of the movie, which says that you don’t have to be a Skywalker to be a hero. Anyone can be a hero, hence that symbolic final shot of the movie.

On the other hand, seeing General Leia use the force was pretty satisfying. Everyone thought she was going to die in this one, but the way they flipped that scene was so well earned since we knew she has had some connection to the force way back since Empire. So if this is her final performance, it was cool to see her finally unleash that power. I have no idea what they could do with her in Episode 9 at this point (RIP Carrie Fisher), but I'm hoping it was worth keeping her alive.

The Finn and Rose storyline was definitely the weakest part of the movie, in my opinion. I appreciated the look of the casino planet and the commentary on how the rich make a profit off selling to both sides of the war, but I think the more plot connective elements around it didn’t really work. I thought DJ, the code breaker character, was forgettable and kind of useless. The elongated chase scene though the city felt like something out of Harry Potter or the prequels with the heavy use of CGI and the “romance” they were going for with Rose and Finn really fell flat for me. I think it would have made more sense to make Rose the hacker Finn needed but then again that would negate all the casino planet stuff, which would then lead to a less interesting “sneak onto the evil ship” sequence that we’ve seen many times before. I also didn’t like how Captain Phasma was “killed off” again. I feel like they are really wasting the potential of that character because what's the point in brining her back to just throw her away again. The fight between her and Finn was cool though. I did like the other half of that storyline with Po and how Admiral Holdo gave her self up at the end with that light speed attack on the First Order ship. My jaw was on the damn floor when that happened (probably one of my favorite shots in the series). It was that unexpected turn that actually gave more merit to Holdo’s character because the whole time I thought that Po was just going to prove her wrong in the end about the whole thing.

To wrap things up, I thought the final battle on the salt planet was breathtaking. The cinematography was superb, especially with those wide shots of Luke and Kylo’s lightsaber battle. I really think that Finn should’ve died though since it would have been a noble end to his character, especially after killing Phasma, the face of his previous life as a Storm Trooper. It also would have been a better scene than that awkward kiss with Rose and her cheesy line about saving people. I especially loved what they did with Luke here though. That scene where he walks out onto the battlefield with that epic slowed down version of his theme was magnificent. I also think his death was handled really well with that final shot of him looking over the twin suns after he saves the last of the rebels. Seeing Kylo unhinged as the new supreme leader also excited me for what’s to come in Episode 9 for his character.

In conclusion, I had a lot of fun watching The Last Jedi and think that for the most part all the risks that Johnson took paid off by the end. It’s a very different Star Wars movie, which is why I understand the gripes and admiration from both camps. However, I think this is the direction the series needs to take in order to keep surprising us because otherwise if we keep getting pandered to by each annual movie, the series might end up running dry faster than anyone thought Star Wars could. Down below I have my current ranking for all the Star Wars films. Oh yeah and the addition of the porgs was a nice touch.

Star Wars Ranking:

1. The Empire Strikes Back

2. A New Hope

3. The Last Jedi

4. The Force Awakens

5. Return of the Jedi

6. Revenge of the Sith

7. Rogue One

8. The Clone Wars

9. The Phantom Menace

The Verdict: 8.5