Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4.5 out of 5
Two years after J.J. Abrams re-ignited the Star Wars franchise with “The Force Awakens,” Rian Johnson takes over the helm with “The Last Jedi.” The pressure has been building since everyone got their fix with Episode VII. All eyes turned from the movie screen directly to Johnson, wondering if he could carry the ball down the field or if he would fumble…
Doing my best to let you know if the movie is any good — without giving anything away is challenging — but I will tell you that this movie is really good. Does it give you the nostalgic feel that “The Force Awakens” did? No. That film almost felt as if we had been transported back to the beginning of it all. It felt familiar, comfortable and right. “The Last Jedi” doesn’t have that kind of feel. It is different from any previous Star Wars film. There is nothing to compare it to. Whereas Episode VII traced the plot and storyline of Episode IV very closely, this film doesn’t do that with any other chapter. It has echoes and occasional shadows of “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi,” but that’s it. There are several instances when you think it is following a storyline from a previous entry — and then you are shocked with the complete 180 it takes. The film is uncomfortable at times — but in a good way — if that makes sense. The story arc is now pointing in a completely different direction. Where there was potential for redemption — it is gone. Where there was hope for some sort of reunion of the old legends — it is dashed. The baton has been passed onto the new characters almost in full, and it will be up to them to complete the story, and the mountain they have before them seems insurmountable. While “Empire” was a darker sequel to “A New Hope,” this film is even darker. The loss of all-out war, and the burden it casts on those involved is present and felt throughout the movie.
As you would expect with any Star Wars film, the worlds visited are spectacular and what is on the screen is something to behold nearly the whole way through. With the exception of a very few instances where the CGI was jarringly bad with some of the characters that are on screen for a second or two — we are introduced to several new locations and characters that will expand the universe greatly.
If there are any unsatisfying aspects to this film — again trying not to give away too much — it is that some of the questions fans have been chewing on since 2015, are given answers that felt underwhelming. I was hoping there’d be more to them, unless the answers given are meant to throw you off the path. I just remember thinking, “Huh. That’s it? That’s the end of that? I was really hoping there’d be more…” There are also parts in the film when the story goes back and forth, and the gravity of the varying situations at that moment are very different. The result is an uneven feeling to the movie — especially early on. And due to the fact that this film features more from all of the characters (such as Luke, Leia, Finn, Poe and new characters introduced for the first time), that means less of Rey and Kylo — though their story is still a significant part of the film, their characters don’t develop much passed what we already know of them. Let me emphasize these critiques are pretty nit-picky though. This film is very good, filled with action and more humor than you’d expect — though it never seems out of place.
I left the theater and ended up thinking about the movie for a good part of the day, processing all that I saw. No other Star Wars film has really done that to me before. There are always questions when you’re watching movies that you know will have sequels, but I’ve never left a Star Wars movie with the feelings I had with this one. Even now — it is hard to explain. One thing that is similar to “Empire Strikes Back” is that desire to know what is going to happen next. There are still questions about what transpires in the story, to characters, people’s past and even though some of those are somewhat resolved — you’re left wanting to know more and hungry for the next chapter.
With all of that said, Star Wars fans should not be disappointed. They might leave the theater feeling differently about this film that any of the others before it, as I did — but this is a good thing. Next up is the Han Solo standalone film, and the long wait for answers in the conclusion of this trilogy — and I can’t wait.
