Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) (Movie Review)

       Of the ten plus “Star Wars” movies, there are three select sequels that are each middle chapters of set trilogies, and each in turn represents a definitive status in the franchise. 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back” will always be regarded as the most positive, 2002's “Attack of the Clones” will always be regarded as the most negative, and for the subject of today, we have 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ... which will always be regarded as the most mixed. Seriously, I can’t think of any other sequel in a popular franchise that’s been more divisive in resent years then “The Last Jedi”. There are some who love this movie with a passion and consider it one of the series absolute best, yet there’s just as many who hate this film with a vengeance and consider it the absolute worst. As for me, I’m caught right in the middle of the two extremes, because there’s a lot I both love and despise about this film in “almost” equal measure. Truthfully, I take more positives then not from this movie, and find it a mostly good sequel, albeit not one of the most re-watchable either. As I’ve said before in other reviews, I actually love reviewing films that I have mixed feelings about, as I just find it more interesting to go through all the different peaks and vales of a film as mixed as this. I know I’ll probably be in the minority about my opinions in this review, but weather you agree with either the positives or negatives of the film, here are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the most divisive installment in the “Star Wars” film franchise. 

        So, for the first time ever in the “Star Wars” saga, this movie picks up right where it’s predecessor “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ended. We see the young heroine Rey has finally tracked down the legendary Luke Skywalker in hopes that he’d return to fight alongside his sister Princess Leia to defeat the over powering First Order, and more specifically his evil nephew Kylo Ren. Unfortunately for Skywalker, his spirit has been all but shattered as it’s reveled that his failures in training his apprentice are what lead to the creation of this new villain in the first place. Now Skywalker wants nothing more then to just die alone on his secluded island. Meanwhile, Princess Leia along with daring ace piolet Poe, and the defected Stromtrooper Finn are fleeing the First Order, who’s ships can now track them through hyperspace, making it all but impossible for our heroes to escape. This leads to Finn going off on a side quest to bring down their tracking device by any means necessary. As he sets out on his venture, his best friend Poe is left behind, and is at the mercy of his strict superiors, who’ve lost their trust in him after his reckless actions got countless people killed during a previous attack. Finally, we have Kylo Ren himself, who after killing his father Han Solo in the last film is only feeling emptier than ever before. Yet, amidst his melancholy state, Kylo Ren through mysterious means finds himself connected to his nemesis Rey and aims to use it as a means to chart his life down a new path of either good or evil.

      Let’s start by looking at the characters, and in this regarded the new “Star Wars” sequel trilogy actually parallels my exact feelings of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Let me explain, I found the characters of the original “Star Trek” series to more multilayered and interesting, yet by contrast I was always more engaged by the performances and on-screen chemistry of the cast of “The Next Generation”, and thus preferred to watch them over the originals. 

I’m not going to lie, while I firmly believe the characters of the original “Star Wars” trilogy are superior and more well-rounded, I also find myself having more fun watching these new characters, as I adore the cast, and their on-screen chemistry. Heck, I even feel that the returning cast from the original films are delivering better performances then they did in the past. Both Oscar Isaac and John Boyega are nothing short of engaging in their respected roles as Poe and Finn. Plus, I can never get enough of that cute little BB8 droid, who might just be my favorite droid character of the franchise. There's also some new faces, but I have to say ... this has to be my least favorite group of new characters to be introduced in a “Star Wars” film. First of all, I’m so sick of plain human characters. This series is set in a galaxy far, far away, let’s have some fun with alien characters, unique designs or maybe even nostalgic alien designs. Like, is a grown woman with purple hair really the height of creative new character designs. Actually, Chewbacca is the only real alien character left, and he’s been reduced to a background role. While I loved seeing Laura Dern in a "Star Wars" movie, her admiral character didn't do a thing for me. The young mechanic Rose at least had some potential to be a likable screen presence ... but I feel she just didn't do enough to leave an impression. Perhaps if she was a little funnier and less preachy she might have worked, but then again, the film has enough comedy as it is. Oh, and that scene with her crashing her ship into Finn's was really dumb.  

      The best and most obvious example I can give in regards to setting these two franchises casts apart is comparing the original Luke Skywalker to our new lead heroine Rey. Without a doubt, I felt that Luke Skywalker had the more compelling story of the hero’s journey and was all around a better written character. Yet, I truthfully never found him to be the most engaging screen presence of the original films. In fact, I always went back to the originals for the likes of Han Solo, Lando, and Darth Vader, even though Luke played his part respectfully in those films. 

Rey by contrast as a written character is lacking in parts, as she never feels like the center piece of her own story and is more like an active character in everyone else’s story. I will at least defend the criticism that she shouldn’t fight with a lightsaber without any previous Jedi training, because previous books and shows like “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” already established that anyone can use a lightsaber as a weapon, they just won’t be using any force techniques to coincide with the blade. Whenever Rey fights with a lightsaber, she uses it no differently than her metal staff, and never once fights with any force abilities, so I don’t see this as a problem. Now what is a real flaw with the character is how she can walk through challenges with a little too much ease, and it’s hard to cheer for your hero when she isn’t being challenged. With all that said, I am absolutely in love with Daisy Riddles performance as this character. She brings so much passion, energy, likability and heart felt drama to the role that I never once feel like I’m watching an actress. Rey feels alive and is electrifying to watch whenever she’s on screen. After so many years of “Star Wars” prequels that featured nothing but monotone performances, it’s immensely satisfying to see this character just leap off the screen. Quick side note, I loved Rey’s subtle re-design, and I hope she keeps the long-haired look for future films.

      Now let’s talk about Luke Skywalker himself in the context of “The Last Jedi”, as this seems to be the most polarizing topic of the film. Well, even though I’ve never been the biggest fan of the character, I can absolutely respect why the majority of fans where not pleased with this portrayal of the iconic hero. It’s admittedly quiet depressing to see Luke in such an empty state, especially on repeat viewings when you know the characters eventual demise, but I’ll talk about the ending later. Now with that said, speaking personally, I’ve always loved “the concept” of the old mentor who acks like a cranky uncle, and I found it a treat to see Mark Hamill bring that kind of characterization to life. 

Despite being bitter, I felt he still had some humanity on display and even appreciated his reserved sense of hummer. As far as performances are concerned, I once again found myself far more engaged by Mark Hamill’s performance in this film over any of the previous movies. Also, I liked that he wasn’t just playing a cliched, beaten old-man stereotype, as this was most definitely an aged Luke Skywalker. I loved seeing him light-up when he reunited with R2-D2, I also liked seeing R2 show the original Princess Leia message to Luke, and one very little detail I loved was when he recaps taking Han and Leia’s son as an apprentice, in which he refers to Han as being “Han about it”. I thought the backstory of how Luke accidentally created Kylo Ren was very compelling in concept, but in execution it just felt a little abrupt. My only real issue is that the film doesn’t take the time to create an engaging relationship between Luke and Rey, which is a wasted opportunity. While the two absolutely have some great individual scenes, I just never felt much of a connection between the two characters, which is a shame because the actors both have chemistry, and I could see the potential for an engaging comradery between the two.

      My favorite returning character of the movie by far was the force ghost of Yoda, which was a very welcome surprise that I didn’t see coming, and despite only being on screen for roughly three minutes, this was absolutely the best portrayal of the character sense "The Empire Strikes Back". This once again was puppet Yoda, goofball Yoda and the Yoda with deep morals to convey. Seriously, his statements on how “Failure is the greatest teacher” is his best statement sense “There is no try”. Oh, and I loved that image of seeing Luke and Yoda just sitting down together with that fire blazing in front of them. 

Of course, the most tragic aspect of the film is that, through no fault of the filmmakers, this is the last time we’ll ever see Carrie Fisher in her iconic role of Princess Leia, as the actress sadly passed away shortly after filming. This made me savor every single moment she had on screen, even with something as goofy as seeing her pull herself back to a ship after being sucked into space. While that was an admittedly silly image, I’m choosing to look at it in a positive light as it’s the only time we’ll ever see Princess Leia use the force, and that’s something I’ve wanted to see ever sense “Return of the Jedi” revealed her to be Luke’s sister. Thankfully, everything else regarding Princess Leia was great, Carrie Fisher looked great on screen, I loved her wardrobe design in this film, and her performance was just very admirable as she found that perfect balance between a battle hardened general, and the loving Princess we’ve all come to know. It does beg the question of “what are they going to do with her character, and how will it affect the story?” On a side note, I love seeing Carrie Fisher's daughter in the supporting role of the blond officer, I really hope she gets a bigger part in the next film. 

     Let’s look at the returning villains who've all carried over from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Adam Driver returns as the villain Kylo Ren, and I think it was a daring move to ditch his trademark helmet and cape for a more human approach. This is after all a more tragic and compelling villain, so it pays off to see the emotion in the performance, as opposed to another cool bad guy design. Unfortunately, while Kylo Ren shines ... all the other villains suck. 

Truthfully, I never took General Hux seriously, so I didn’t mind seeing him get reduced to a comedic looser. Captain Phasma once again is a great design, but she never did much for me as a supporting villain. At least she had an awesome showdown with Fin in this film, and I felt that her death added a great deal of triumph to Fin’s character. Now in general, I loved all the new characters from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, that is with one exception … I hated the new villain Supreme Leader Snoke. I will give Any Serkis credit for infusing the character with something of a sinister presence, and even the digital makeup effects for Snoke looked uncanny in this film. 

Still, following-up on a legendary villain like The Emperor, I hatted that we got yet another creepy, frail old ruler who’s pulling the strings of our main villain. In order to avoid repetition, I wanted Snoke to die the second I saw him, and then the thought occurred to me, wouldn’t it be great if Kylo Ren killed him in the next film and took center stage as leader of the First Order. It would make for a surprising twist, it would add a new dimension to our villain, and it would make for a dramatic highlight to see him potentially turn good only to go up to the next level of his evil status. Upon watching “The Last Jedi”, I was thrilled to see my wish come true, although I’ll admit, there should have been some kind of backstory to this guy. It didn’t have to be a lengthy story, or even tie into past characters, but something to just establish how the guy came to be. To the fans waiting in anticipation for a big twist reveal as to who Snoke was, I’m genuinely sorry you guys didn’t get anything. Still, I was immensely satisfied to see Kylo Ren kill Snoke, as it reassured me that the next film will be different from “Return of the Jedi”.

      Also, that thrown room battle was easily my favorite scene of the movie. Considering that "The Last Jedi" is only the middle chapter in a set trilogy, I didn’t think the main villain would reform this early, but it sure was satisfying just for a moment to see both our main protagonist and lead antagonist team-up for an all-out brawl against heavily armed guards. The setting, the fight choreography, the relentless energy, the stylish editing on display … it’s all one big feast for the eyes, and arguably one of the greatest fight scenes in all of “Star Wars”. However, beyond being a riveting spectacle, it’s the novelty of just seeing a hero and villain team up for once, and give us a fleeing hope that maybe Kylo Ren can reform. Of course, this only makes the drama hit home when Kylo Ren reveals that he has no intention of changing sides, and it was such a welcome twist I didn’t see coming. I also loved when he had the chance to kill his mother Princess Leia, but chose to spare her life, which further indicated that he might not be too far gone. The action sequences in “The Last Jedi” are among some of the best ever featured in the series, but unfortunately their all pushed back to the ladder half of the film, and all we have in the mean time are repetitive space ship battles. Now on a side note, I’m never going to complain about the science-logic of space battles in “Star Wars”. If I wanted something grounded in some form of reality, I’ll watch something like “Firefly”. Ever sense the first “Star Wars” movie, spaceship battles have been all about the spectacle. So, when I see a ship lightspeed it’s way through a fleet of enemy ships, I’m not going to question the logic behind it, I’m just going to sit back in “aww” at how awesome that was.

    Well, I've been delaying it long enough ... lets quickly address the films over abundance of hummer. Now I usually love when “Star Wars” sprinkles some comedy into the adventure elements of the film, and so far, I think “The Force Awakens” did it better then any of them. "The Last Jedi" on the other hand can’t seem to go five minuets without some kind of funny gag, to the point where it was reminding me of the overly jokey nature of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. I’ll admit I liked most of the hummer in this film. I loved seeing ghost Yoda bopping Luke on the head with his stick, Poe and C-3PO have some funny interplay, I especially love C-3PO’s comment that “it’s not proper protocol to aid in a mutiny”, and I absolutely loved that random visual gag of a clothes iron resembling a landing space ship. Still, it really needed to cut back on some jokes, especially when segueing into a serious moment. Personally, I think all the comedy involving Luke and Rey on the island, like Rey coming close to accidentally killing those fish nun’s, teacher slapping student on the wrist with a leaf, and especially that awful scene with Luke milking the space walrus all should have been completely removed.

      Let’s try and segue from that to a more positive topic, namely the force itself. For all this film’s shortcomings, I think it’s the absolute best at exploring, and even expanding the force in new ways. One of my biggest issues with the prequel trilogy is that it merely reduced the force to a science, it had no sense of wonder, and the only thing the Jedi used it for was over blown, superhero style acrobatics. Because of this, I loved the introduction of “force projection”, as it was both a powerful, yet non-violent means of protecting innocent lives, and saving the day. Whenever I listened to Yoda’s description of the Jedi back in "The Empire Strikes Back", I never pictured Jedi as violent people, they came off as more spiritual and would do their best to avoid physical combat unless pushed to it. I also love how “The Last Jedi” highlights the force as something connected to nature, that life itself is one cosmic force all bound together. The scene where Luke teaches Rey to reach out and feel the force all around her is one of the franchises best and most spiritual moments. We also have a multilayered vision in a cave where Rey looks at herself in a mirror, and see’s an endless reflection of herself, which was very deep and clearly took inspiration from the cave scene in “The Empire Strikes Back” without being a cut and paced job.

       My favorite new addition to the force by far was Rey’s connection with Kylo Ren, as this was a very unique dynamic that built an engaging relation between the hero and villain. Truthfully, my favorite moments between the heroes and villains in the original films were when we just had Luke and Vader talking to one another and building that connection. So, I was very pleased to see the same kind of love and attention given to the hero and villain of this film. My only problem is that we learn the villain Snoke was the one bridging their minds together, which I felt spoiled the mystery of this dynamic. Personally, I wish that Snoke was only aware of their connection but was just as much in the dark as our two leads, which would have given the audience something to ponder. While on the subject of exploring the "Star Wars" universe, I loved that this film featured a wide variety of alien animals. Usually creatures in the “Star Wars” universe only serve as monstrous obstacles for our heroes to battle, but this film highlights the simple animal creatures that live in distinct habitats. I loved those diamond skinned foxes, I liked the horses with the puppy-dog faces, and I really liked the Porgs. I thought they were a very cute addition to the film that never once felt obnoxious, unlike certain Ewoks or Jar Jars.

      Let’s finally talk about the writer/ director himself Rian Johnson, who like the movie itself is a mixed blessing. As a filmmaker and director, he is a visionary genius, and the result is arguably the best looking and best filmed “Star Wars” movie yet. 

Now when I say best looking, I don’t just mean the impressive special effects, I also mean the technical merits of how Rian Johnson plays with the camera, and the way he lights and edits certain scenes. Seriously, Rian Johnson directs the shit out of this movie. I love those gorgeous wide shots, I love the balance between digital and practical effects, and the images of characters silhouetted against certain backdrops are a thing of beauty. There's many shots heavily influenced by Japaneses Anime, which is awesome to "Star Wars" take inspiration from. Unfortunately, while Rian Johnson absolutely shines as a visionary director, he wouldn’t be my first choice for writing the script. Clearly, Johnson is a man with great ambitions, and aims to fill this movie with moral subtext, daring plot twists that break the familiar franchise formula, and in-rich the characters with thoughtful story arc’s. The problem is that he just doesn’t know how to fit all this into a single flowing narrative. He wants Poe to learn that he isn’t always right, and some times he just needs to trust in the plans of others, but unfortunately, someone has to make the really stupid choice to withhold information in-order for this plot thread to take shape. We analyze the real costs and casualties of the war, only for Rose to make a statement at the end which goes against the heroism of everyone who previously gave their lives.

   

    Then we have Fin go on a journey in which he learns the value of thinking for others needs before his own, but we need him to go on a derivative side quest that doesn’t really fit with the film. Truthfully, the side quest on the casino planet didn’t bother me as a sequence in of itself, as I felt it offered a refreshing change of scenery, and I’ve always wanted to see an establishment in the “Star Wars” universe where all the rich aliens of the universe can come together. Plus, I know I’m in the minority about this, but I actually liked that scene when our heroes freed all the horses. It was a different action set piece then anything else in the series, it was short enough that it didn’t overstay it’s welcome, unlike a certain pod-race, and I loved that image of them ridding on the beach at night with the twin moons as a backdrop. The problem with this side quest is that it, along with many things in the film throw off the passing. Actually, this leads me to my biggest issue with "The Last Jedi" as a whole, the passing is really rough, and there’s way too much meandering. Whenever I watch either “The Force Awakens” or any film from the original trilogy, I feel engaged and invested from start to finish. “The Last Jedi” by contrast is a movie I can watch, but I don’t feel truly invested until the scene where Luke is visited by Yoda’s force ghost, which is way late into the film, and getting to that point is a rocky climb.

        However, once we get that wonderful scene of Luke talking to ghost Yoda, the film suddenly soars, and everything else is like perfect 10 out of 10 “Star Wars” material. The final battle on the planet Crait in one of my favorite action set-pieces of the whole saga, and a powerhouse climax to boot. The last of our heroes are boarded up in a cave with a massive steel door being their only defense against the First Order army that’s just outside. The villains are equipped with super walkers, and a cannon that will melt right through their mountain sanctuary. With no options left, Poe leads our heroes in a fight, with their only weapons being these beaten up old ships that can’t even fly and instead need to skate on the surface of the planet. Seeing these ships zig zag across the salty terrane, kicking up red debris and avoiding enemy fire was both a thrill and a is a visual marvel to behold. The battle is also set to one of John Williams greatest scores he's ever composed, as it carries so much momentum, and builds with every beat of action. I also loved seeing the Millennium Falcon flying though the diamond caves while being chased by enemy ships. Then finally, the big show stopper is when Luke Skywalker confronts his fallen apprentice Kylo Ren. Like everything in this film, the scene was shot, lit, and acted beautifully. I especially love that this confrontation was more of an emotional conversation then it was a strait up fight, and that’s when I feel “Star Wars” is doing something special. The twist of Luke being a force projection the whole time was brilliant, and another great example of a “real Jedi” resolving a conflict through non-violent means.  

       

                      

      Now of course, this all leads to the controversial death of Luke Skywalker, which I have very mixed feelings about. I will say that I absolutely loved the sequence in of itself, as the twin suns in the background illustrated his journey coming full circle, and seeing him just peacefully become one with the force was about as perfect a departure for the character as he could possibly have. The problem is that “The Last Jedi” is the absolute wrong movie to kill off Luke Skywalker. This is coming right off the heels of Han Solo’s death, and two major original trilogy deaths in a row just feels both tedious, and not even that daring anymore. If this film really wanted to take a risk, it should have killed off one of the younger characters. In fact, there was a perfect set-up for Fin to honorably give his life for everyone else during the final battle, but the film just didn’t have the courage to go through with that. Plus, after all these years of waiting to see Luke Skywalker again, the movie only highlighted him in a very depressing and joyless light, with his only real act of heroism coming at the tail end. While I still love the scene of Luke’s death, it really should have been saved for the last film in this new trilogy.

       One great thing "The Last Jedi" absolutely got right was it’s running theme that greatness can come from anywhere. This is illustrated best at the very end of the film when we see a nameless orphaned boy use the force to pick up a broom, who may one day become someone important despite his dirty upbringings. 

Following the cliff hanger of “The Force Awakens”, I was really worried that Rey would have a predictable tie-in to either Luke Skywalker or Han Solo, but having her come from nothing parents was a daring move, and one with a great deal of substance. In the end, there’s so much I love about “The Last Jedi”, which is why it pains me to say that it’s not one of my favorites to watch. For all the great content of this film, it is still poorly paced, has pointless detours, and is trying to be its own individual thing as opposed to a middle chapter in a set trilogy. Still, I choose to look at “The Last Jedi” as more positive then not. I still adore this cast, I love the overall film-making on display, and while I didn’t support all the decisions made, I still admired the film for it’s ambitions. It felt like a sequel that needed to happen, one that could challenge viewers who’ve grown comfortable with a familiar formula, and it’s gotten me mostly excited for what may come in the future. Let’s just hope the next film knows how to iron out it’s story with a firm narrative flow and no more of those meandering detours.

All my "Star Wars" movie grading's reflect how I personally feel when comparing this film to other installments in the franchise, and not movies in general, so with that said ... I give “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ... 3 ½ stars out of 5.