Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Spoiler Free Review
Wow. If anyone knows me they know that I'm an absolute Star Wars nut job. I love anything Star Wars, and when Disney acquired Lucasfilm I was like a child again with exciting. The Force Awakens was a great first outing for this new sequel trilogy for a new era of Star Wars fans, and even those of old. The Last Jedi is a tricky thing for many fans and casual viewers though, as The Force Awakens was filled with callbacks and similarities to A New Hope, there was worry that The Last Jedi could follow suit. Does it do that? Well let's talk about that.
I'll state this right away: The Last Jedi is, in my opinion, the deepest and greatest Star Wars film of the 21st century and possibly of the entire history of this franchise. I'm actually just sitting at my desk shaking because of everything this movie does for the world of Star Wars and for these characters that we already are growing to love and realize as major pieces of history for the universe that is Star Wars. But, before we discuss the characters of The Last Jedi, I want to take a minute to discuss the direction Rian Johnson takes and the overall story of the The Last Jedi.
Rian Johnson took the helm of Episode XIII and from the very beginning of this film I could tell that this movie was not going to be a rehash of previous ideals from this world. Rian Johnson wanted to create something entirely new and he did just that. The Last Jedi picks up immediately after The Force Awakens and allows characters to interact and show new parts of themselves that may not necessarily been there before. An increased focus on character arcs and the desperation of The Resistance builds on the events of The Force Awakens and a world without the New Republic. Just as in the original trilogy, the desperation is palpable and real and I never felt more concerned for a group of characters than I did here. How can you rebuild after losing everything you fought so hard for?
There are three major stories throughout this film and while I know one of them did not hit for many people, I found them all to be quite enjoyable but on different levels. The obvious story that will draw most people is the story of Rey, Luke, and Kylo Ren. This arc hit for me in every aspect. The connection of Rey and Kylo is something that is heavily looked into and the chemistry between Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver is outstanding. Their story is so intriguing and different that sequences involving them were just out of this world. Luke also has a huge part to play in the development of Rey as a person and a Jedi and what he does in this film is outstanding. You learn why he disappeared, and what he's been doing since he was gone. That for me was extremely important because if we simply came to this story with no explanation as to why he was gone it would not have landed but again Rian Johnson did it very well.
With Rey, Kylo, and Luke being the main arc there were two other arcs that also managed to play in: Poe and the Resistance, and Finn's overall arc. Poe has a much larger part to play and Oscar Isaac is absolutely up to the task. The beginning of the film establishes him once again as a crack shot pilot who has more of a shoot first think later attitude and that plays into the story majorly. With more focus on him we really are able to get into who Poe is and that he will do whatever is necessary. The story of the Resistance overall was really well done, seeing their desperation and that they were willing to make sacrifices absolutely sold me on them as protagonists. Finn's story throughout this film also diverts from the other two main characters.
Finn meets a girl named Rose early in the film and their chemistry is absolutely fantastic as well. While I would be hesitant to say it is on the level of Daisy and Adam, I believe John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran killed their roles. They travel to a world that we have never seen anything like in Star Wars and while I know some people did not like that sequence much at all, I felt it was absolutely necessary to build on the lore of Star Wars and see something different than anything we had seen up until this point. For all the characters truly in this movie, I was not let down.
Visually, this film was outstanding. For starters there is much more time spent in space than in the previous film. We are able to see space battles once again, and they are jaw dropping. Right from the beginning Rian Johnson challenges your expectations and shows you visuals that have not been done before. There was a specific moment with involving Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Holdo (who I also felt was well done in this movie if not left out of the film a bit) that left the entire theater floored. Simply put: Star Wars has never looked so good.
Another area of this film that, while I knew would be there, I didn't expect to land as well as it did with me was the comedy. Star Wars has never been completely serious and dramatic, there have always been moments of levity. After speaking to some of my friends they did discuss the possibility of the comedy being too much, but I disagree. I absolutely adored the comedy as it felt necessary and true to the characters in the story who use it. If for example though, a more serious character was to use a joke in a place that it didn't fit I would have been upset but fortunately that is avoided.
As I mentioned previously, the tone of The Last Jedi is much darker and bleak compared to that of any other Star Wars film besides perhaps The Empire Strikes Back. The desperation is there and there seems to almost be no hope for Leia (Carrie Fisher) and The Resistance. Throughout the entirety of the film I was nervous for everyone and I didn't want to leave my seat at all for fear that I would miss a critical moment. Rian Johnson does this so well in creating a darker Star Wars story that you are scared to miss even a moment of.
One last point that I feel I need to discuss is that of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Being part of the original big 3 in Star Wars, these characters still have major roles in this sequel trilogy. Carrie Fisher who, unfortunately, has pasted on portrayed Leia in a way I have never seen before. There is actually a few specific moments watching her characters that I was just exasperated and excited. Mark Hamill also portrays a different Luke that we are used to. This Luke is ravaged by time and fearful. He blames himself for what has happened to the galaxy, and we learn why during the second act of the film. I was very impressed with Hamill's ability to channel this character so well after such a long period of time. As I spoke of before, his role as a mentor to Rey is fantastic as it allows us to see a side of Luke that many people wanted to see but never got the opportunity to in the original trilogy.
In reflection of The Last Jedi, I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite Star Wars films of all time. Rian Johnson takes risks here with the force and the overall story that I don't know many of directors would have done with such a well known property and I am so glad that he did. Having such a long run-time of nearly 2 and a half hours allows the story to also breathe and move at it's own pace. I don't believe this story could have actually be done in a shorter time and so for that I am thankful. While I am certain that there are things I have missing from this review, I am glad to leave them out as any film fan should go out and see this movie at your earliest convenience. It is a can't miss film and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't see it soon. The Last Jedi is a fantastic film the shows the future of Star Wars is bright.
