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

  When it comes to reviewing movies in a long running franchise, I always find myself enjoy the films which I have mixed feelings on the most. It's hard to explain, but I love going through all the different peaks and vales, from the good to the less good, and exploring the different elements that leave an impression on me. So, for todays topic, it's the 2017 sequel “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ... which is probably my most mixed of all. Seriously, I can’t think of any other entry in one of my favorite franchise that’s left my emotions tied in more knots then “The Last Jedi”. Truthfully, I find this a perfectly watchable movie ... as long as I don't think about it's ties or connections to any other movie in the series. 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. 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, as here is where all my mixed feelings kick-off. I’m not going to lie, while I loved all these characters in "The Force Awakens", I feel this movie missed the mark to keep these characters as interesting as when they started. I feel Fin was given too little to do, while ace piolet Poe was given too much attention, as well as a subplot that was my least favorite part of the whole film. 

With that said, while neither the characters or their plot lines are that interesting ... I really do love this cast, and they consistently keep me engaged in the viewing experience. Both Oscar Isaac and John Boyega are nothing short of charismatic in their respected roles as Poe and Finn. Plus, I can never get enough of that cute little BB8 droid. Heck, I even feel that the returning cast from the original films are delivering better performances then they did in the past. Also, while I didn't really get on board with the young mechanic Rose, I did find the actress Kelly Marie Tran to be a very likable presence. One major announce I have to get out of the way is that I'm so sick of ordinary 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, aside from some extras in the background, Chewbacca is the only real alien character left, and he too has been reduced to a background role.

  Our lead heroine Rey, as a written character is admittedly 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. That, and despite some emotional hurdles, isn't challenged enough, and can get through obstacles with a little too much ease. 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. Like the majority of the cast in these films, all my positive feelings for Rey come from what the actress brings to the role as opposed to the script. That's really the saving grace of this film ... as I'm frequently underwhelmed by the characters as written ... but I'm absolutely won over by the cast, and how they portray these characters.  

 This brings us to the big one ... Luke Skywalker himself, played again by Mark Hamill. Like many viewers, I didn't really see this as a proper representation of the character from the previous trilogy, and in many respects it was quiet insulting. That being said, as far as performances are concerned, I once again found myself far more engaged by Mark Hamill’s performance, and screen presence in this film over any of the previous movies. 

This is where my opening comment comes in ... if I just push all other "Star Wars" content out of my mind, and just watch this in isolation of itself, I can actually coast on the talents on display just fine. In general, 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. There were also select moments that felt true to the character. I loved seeing him light-up when he reunited with R2-D2, 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 a compelling idea on paper ... but in execution, it just felt a little abrupt, and again, not really in character. 

  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 fantastic, 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 (at least in the flesh), as the actress sadly passed away shortly after filming. This made me savor every single moment she had on screen. Although, I was plenty disappointed that her only use of the force in the film is that one ridiculous moment of her pulling herself back to a ship after being sucked into space. That and for no reason the character was in a coma for most of the film ... which was incredibly frustrating. Everything else regarding Princess Leia was great, as Carrie Fisher looked great on screen, and just had this real presence that's difficult to describe, but certainly felt. 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. On a side note, I love seeing Carrie Fisher's daughter in the supporting role of the blond officer, that was a nice touch. 

  Let’s finally look at the returning villains, who've all carried over from the previous instalment “The Force Awakens”, and this is when things go from mixed to disappointing. 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 conflicted character, so it pays-off to see the emotion in the performance, as opposed to another cool looking bad guy design. 

Unfortunately, while Adam Driver shines in the performance ... there are still some problems with the character himself, most of which carry over from "The Force Awakens". Before I go into my mains issues with Kylo Ren, I first need to address his evil master Snoke. Following-up on a legendary villain like The Emperor, I hatted Supreme Leader Snoke from the start, and found him a feeble imitation of what came before. 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. While this dose happen in "The Last Jedi", it unfortunately wasn't as satisfying as I pictured in my mind, largely because we already saw Kylo Ren loose to our lead hero in the first movie, and this film didn't give him any big victory over our heroes. As such, seeing him as the lead villain isn't rewarding, as he no-longer conveys an imposing presence as a threatening character. When the movie ends, I didn't feel any sense of excitement to see our heroes beat him in the next film, again because I already saw him beaten once. I have nothing to say about either General Hux or Captain Phasma, as neither left an impression on me in the previous film, and this film gave them even less ... although, that one fight scene with Fin and Phasma was okay.  

   The action in general was mostly satisfying, with the thrown-room battle being a big highlight. While the staging isn't without fault, the energy, destruction and ingenuity was still thrilling. The real strength of this brawl was the simple novelty of seeing a hero and villain pair-up in a fight. While it doesn't amount to much afterwards, it's still very exciting in the moment, and allows me to look past the obvious staging issues. The space battles are also riveting ... at least in the opening ... and then they got very repetitive, and did stretch the limits of plausibility. I typically don't let logic get in the way of my enjoyment, as 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 going to let myself enjoy it in the moment ... and then sinker about the plausibility behind it later. 

  As for the comedy on display ... I usually enjoy the levity that comes with "Star Wars", but this film certainly pushed it. I didn't need cell-phone hummer in the opening, and that awful scene with Luke milking the space walrus should have been completely removed. Segueing from that, while I was disappointed in the lack of alien characters, 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, and I even liked the horses with the puppy-dog faces. The sequence with them escaping the city was admittedly an unnecessary detour, but I still liked the creatures on their own.  

 

  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. I loved the concept of “force projection”, as it was both a powerful, yet non-violent means of protecting innocent lives, which fits into Yoda's description of "only using the force for knowledge and defense, never attack", back in "The Empire Strikes Back". The scene where Luke teaches Rey to reach out and feel the force all around her is one of the franchises most spiritual and intriguing 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.

  The final battle on the planet Crait is a mostly riveting sequence on it's own, and makes for a powerhouse climax ... although, not without it's shortcomings. 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. 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 little ships zig zag across the salty terrine, kicking up red debris, and avoiding enemy fire was both a thrill, and a visual marvel to behold. I love the energy, I love how John Williams epic music builds, and the whole sequence was just shot beautifully. I also loved seeing the Millennium Falcon flying though the diamond caves while being chased by enemy ships. The one week spot in this battle is that moment when Fin nearly sacrifices himself, only to be robbed of it, and it's the one moment that derails this sequence. 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 with swords clashing, and that’s when I feel “Star Wars” is doing something special. The twist of Luke being a force projection the whole time was okay, and again a nice example of a Jedi resolving a conflict through non-violent means ... but I hatted Luke Skywalker dying at the end. It was just the wrong time, and the wrong movie to do that. 

  

  Let’s finally talk about the writer/ director, Rian Johnson himself, who in my view was the right talent for the absolute wrong project. As a filmmaker and director, he is a visionary genius, with a unique voice, and the result is arguably the best looking and best filmed “Star Wars” movie yet. Seriously, Rian Johnson knows how to set-up sequences, utilize the camera, giving the film gorgeous wide shots, vibrant colors, a nice balance between digital and practical effects, and the images of characters silhouetted against certain backdrops are a thing of beauty to behold. 

There's many shots heavily influenced by Japanese Anime, which is awesome to see "Star Wars" take inspiration from. Unfortunately, while Rian Johnson absolutely shines as a visionary director, he works best righting self contained stories, with no ties to established continuity. Had he been assigned to helm one of the anthology "Star Wars" movies, or maybe even the first movie in this trilogy, I think we could have had something truly special ... but as a middle chapter in a trilogy, "The Last Jedi" sadly burns more bridges then connects films together. For me, my biggest issue with "The Last Jedi" is that it's fine in the moment ... but it doesn't leave me wanting anything more afterwards. Even the final shot of the film suggests that our story is over, and it's time to look forward to whatever new adventures may lie ahead.    

  In the end, there’s a number of individual aspects in “The Last Jedi” that I love, namely the performances, the imagery, the expansion of the force, and select highlights throughout ... all of which really make me wish this was a better instalment. Alas, for all the great content and talent on display, the film sadly just doesn't work as a whole. The pacing is wonky, the detours drag, many of the character choices are off-putting, and it just feels like it's trying to be it's own thing as opposed to a middle chapter in a set trilogy. Still, I think the film overall is just okay ... I have neither intense animosity or love for the film, it's just there with it's moments I like, and other moments I don't. While I can view it in isolation of itself okay, it did admittedly stop the momentum this sequel trilogy had going for it, and that's why I feel it belongs near the bottom run of "Star Wars" movies. 

Thanks for reading my review of the 2017 sequel “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!