Star Wars: The Last Jedi
/"Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you are meant to be."
Filmology Rating: 3.25 out of 4
Honestly as a fan of the entire Star Wars saga I would consider it a miracle if a film could capture the same excitement that I had for The Force Awakens. My level of fandom got to the point where I would consider buying anything with the Star Wars logo on it and then after the film I became even more enveloped in the world seeing the film six times in theatres and watching it a countless number of times on home video. Like most of the world, I couldn’t get enough of the adventures of Rey, Poe, and Finn. This is where the problem with The Last Jedi lies and it’s completely on my side of the spectrum rather than on the films, but two years have past since the world first saw The Force Awakens; and during that time I have been able to craft my own adventures for the characters I had grown to love. Basically no matter what spectacle director Rian Johnson was ready to show me, the adventures I had swirling around in my head over the past two years would gravely contradict the true canon of the Star Wars universe.
After the destruction of Starkiller base the Resistance is on the run. Led by General Leia, played for the final time by Carrie Fisher, who feels that they need to give the rebellion a spark to engage those who are sitting on the sidelines waiting for one side to overpower the other. She believes that Luke, played by Mark Hamill, will bring a renewed sense of hope to the Resistance. Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, finds Luke and tries to convince him that he is needed to give hope to the galaxy while all Luke can see is the darkness growing in those he loved.
I knew going into Star Wars: The Last Jedi that it was going to be a film that I was going to struggle with, not only because of my own adventures which I had created in my head but; because I have been a fan of Rian Johnson’s other films, and have been lucky enough to have a brief correspondence with him before his Star Wars days. The back of my mind kept telling me that I have to like his film because of how genuine and honest he was with me, not to mention that I adore his other three films. I expected that I was going to love every second of The Last Jedi, but my expectations were clearly set too high.
In many ways The Last Jedi feels completely different than any other Star Wars film. This is the first film to feature flashback sequences and it has some rather existential moments that feel like they were ripped out of a hardcore science fiction film, rather than the space fantasy world that most of us have lived in the past forty years. When looking at this film as a solo enterprise instead of a small piece of a greater puzzle, the changes to the formula only help this film feel more memorable. The Last Jedi takes many risks that I would never have dreamed a Star Wars film would take, and honestly that might be why I’m feeling slightly polarized to the film. It’s a feeling that everything I have known for the past twenty years has been a lie, that I’m questioning the universe that I invested countless hours in and loved visiting.
From a structural level this film is perfection. The cinematography by Steve Yedlin, who has shot all of Rian Johnson’s films, is simply breathtaking. Every shot on Ahch-To of the island that Luke has exiled himself to is stunning and will make every filmgoer want to plan a trip to Ireland to see if the island is as beautiful in person. The third act especially has some spectacular visually impressive images that should be framed and put into art museums worldwide. The score by John Williams is yet another fantastic piece of composition, calling back to past themes making many moments in the film more of an emotional rollercoaster ride. The themes that fans of this series know so well make some surprising and emotional charged callbacks that will leave you in a state of awe and for those who aren’t fans of this franchise, I argue that you will still feel an emotional draw to the moments
Much like The Force Awakens, the highlight of The Last Jedi is the characters. The emotional journey that all of the characters you fell in love with during the previous movie are amplified in this film. Each character is completely different from the place where they start the film, which is always what you should be wanting with dynamic characters. The characters who are first introduced in The Last Jedi unfortunately however are rather weak. One in particular played by Benicio del Toro is a complete blank of a character and the manner in which del Toro plays him is questionable to say the least. After his performance in The Last Jedi and Guardians of the Galaxy it should be an unspoken rule that he is not allowed to be in any fantasy films moving forward. Kelly Marie Tran is fantastic in the role of Rose but the only issue is that the character herself doesn’t seem to amount to much. Her first scene is definitely a standout of the film but none of her other scenes seems to compare to that scene, in many ways I find her to just be explaining some of the themes of the movie instead of being an actual three dimensional character. The Last Jedi has so many characters, I would actually argue it has an excess of characters, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you which ones should be on the cutting room floor.
While I cannot say I left The Last Jedi with that sense of complete fulfillment that I left The Force Awakens with, I can say I left knowing that I had watched something incredibly special. The Last Jedi feels completely different than any other Star Wars films with from the craft and narrative aspect, you are given fantastic performances that will blow you away, and you are given some of the biggest twist and turns that it will make Agatha Christie look like Scooby-Doo. The Last Jedi will make fans of the series talk for years to come and it will hopefully bring a new set of fans who are ready to join the fight for the war to come.
Rating: See It
-Jonny G
Rey seeks Luke Skywalker for both gaining knowledge about the force and for training, and to plead for him to return and help the Rebellion defeating Snoke, Kylo Ren, and the First Order.
Writer and Director Rian Johnson has created another solid film in the Star Wars franchise. A successful follow up to The Force Awakens and one that leaves the audience wanting more and counting down the days till Episode 9. Since Star Wars is such a secretive film with its potential spoilers, I will be very vague during this review and for that I apologize; I’d rather say too little than say too much and ruin the film for people. Hopefully you wonderful readers will understand.
As excited as I was for a new Star Wars film, it’ still my job to look at the critically and to try and remain unbiased as much as I can. I can truthfully say that this is a great film but it is not perfect. It will satisfy the masses while frustrating some uber Star Wars fanatics that will question or be ticked off by some things. Now let me tell you why….
The best quality that The Last Jedi has is its character development. This film challenges every single character in a way that was very surprising. There were fantastic character arches throughout that both seemed realistic, genuine, and emotionally captivating. It furthers Rey’s quest for knowledge of the force, the reasoning behind Luke going into hiding, and many more vital stories to build a truly solid character base. And not to give anything away, but the character development, and acting, of Kylo Ren was the in my opinion the best quality of all; he gave a truly captivating performance from start to finish.
Rian Johnson directed the action in such a way that hasn't quite be done before. To put it plainly, the action seemed more authentic and elegant. It’s a subtle change and style that he brought that I truly admired and thought was fantastic. While not quite as action packed as The Force Awakens, the action was excellent. When it had action, it delivered. There is an action sequence that blew me away with its color scheme, coordination, and intensity. For those of you who haven’t heard, after the 9th film which will be directed by J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson will be writing and directing a standalone trilogy that has nothing to do with anything done before. Needless to say, after the success of this film, I very much look forward to what he brings to that trilogy!
This is really all I can say without getting too specific about the film. The Last Jedi has great character development, intense action, great writing and directing, a lot of well-done humor, brilliant cinematography and special effects, and most importantly it was fun. It was everything I wanted in a Star Wars film.
Rating: See It
-Nick