Star Wars: The Last Jedi was not the movie anyone expected it to be. As the lights dimmed in the theater and the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” appeared on the screen everyone became silent, filled with expectation.
When the words STAR WARS burst on the screen and the music exploded and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, waiting to be transported back to their childhood… but they’d be mistaken for thinking that’s what was going to happen.
As Luke Skywalker says in the movie, “This is not going to go the way you think.”
The Last Jedi is the eighth entry in the Skywalker saga and is perhaps the boldest film in the series since The Empire Strikes Back. The film manages to tackle a lot of plots, answer many burning questions, and much more in its nearly three-hour long runtime and it does most of it incredibly well. There are issues present though and we should probably start there.
The clashing visions of two directors results in some things becoming muddled or underdeveloped:
The Last Jedi is directed by Looper director Rian Johnson, a newcomer to the franchise. Johnson was tasked with taking the baton from The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and crafting a middle entry for this trilogy. In interviews, Johnson revealed that there is no overall plan for the story of all these movies and each director has been tasked with building their movie purely off of the emotions and reactions to the film that came before theirs. This is good and bad.
With this, we get fresh takes and new interpretations of what was set up in The Force Awakens, but it also results in a gap in character motives. One director begins a motion, the other completes it without the background information.
Abrams added a lot to the lore of Star Wars by including new characters like Supreme Leader Snoke and the Knights of Ren. Abrams also left behind questions for Johnson to answer in The Last Jedi. While Johnson does his best at delivering a fresh Star Wars movie with those elements, it’s lacking.
There is absolutely no character development for Supreme Leader Snoke in this movie and virtually no information on him, other than he’s pretty powerful which was already heavily implied. Actor Andy Serkis gives a stellar performance as Snoke, but the story fails to make us care about the character or understand him in any way.
There’s a difference between setting expectations for a film and being disappointed by fan theories being more interesting than the answers provided in the film (there weren’t many answers to begin with).
The Last Jedi falls towards the latter when it comes to Snoke, he’s a disappointing addition and the fan theories offered a more enticing portrayal of this powerful enemy. The Snoke issue could’ve been resolved if the creative process was a bit more collaborative or if there was an overall vision for everyone to move toward.
A fresh and interesting take on the Star Wars mythos that will surely divide fans:
One of the benefits of not having this overall vision is that Johnson was able to give us the most creative Star Wars movie yet and delivered something incredibly new and different without losing what makes Star Wars what it is.
This movie will be divisive, but it manages to take risks and doesn’t play it safe which was one of the biggest criticisms of The Force Awakens. We see characters like never before, Luke Skywalker is broken, disturbed, jaded, and at times, genuinely scary. We have arcs that develop characters beautifully, giving them a natural and unforced sense of purpose and progression. We see so many things that are wildly unexpected for a Star Wars movie and it results in a great surprise.
Johnson also makes a great effort in expanding the Star Wars mythos and the powers of the Jedi. Using creative filmmaking techniques, we see multiple very cool untouched Jedi powers play a pivotal role in the film’s story. Instead of simply having people who can fight well and move items with their mind, we see that the Jedi are more powerful than we’ve ever seen on screen.
A key part of the story revolves around the deconstruction of the Jedi and Luke Skywalker himself and it makes you realize that the ways of the Force aren’t as black and white (or light and dark) as it seems. There’s a sense of complexity to it all, Luke Skywalker believes that the power of the Jedi is too much for anyone to behold and attempts to lock its secrets away from everyone. Luke becomes a far more interesting character than ever before. There’s an incredible amount of depth to him, he feels like the most powerful Jedi, he seems like a damaged man traumatized by his failures. Learning about him and seeing him this way made me care about him more than I ever did in the original trilogy.
Another theme in the film is the consequences of war. While Rogue One focused on the actual combat of war, The Last Jedi approaches war from a strategic, tactical perspective. We see the hard decisions being made, the consequences of those decisions and other people’s’ actions. The war aspect in Star Wars is truly emphasized here and it’s done brilliantly.
People will fundamentally disagree with what Rian Johnson has done but that’s not a bad thing. This is going to invoke intense conversation amongst an already very talkative fandom and more importantly, move the franchise forward. The series has been coasting off of nostalgia for nearly twenty years and for the first time ever, fans are asked to abandon their comfort zone and experience something new… the future of Star Wars. Whether you want to get off this ride and never come back or stay on and see where it takes you is up to you, but it signals a new age of an old series that has been hindered by staying in the past for far too long.
It’s important to view this movie with an open mind and drop your expectations of what a Star Wars movie is because this film has a lot to love once you do that.
The most stylish Star Wars film to date:
One of the best things in this film is an excellent lightsaber battle toward the end of the film. It’s probably the most thrilling and well-choreographed action sequence since the days of the prequels. It’s viscerally violent, intense, and fun to watch. It’s almost as if John Wick was given a lightsaber and just went nuts with it. It’s a moment that’ll go down in Star Wars history with the Darth Maul fight from The Phantom Menace.
Part of the reason that scene works so well is due to how Rian Johnson films it and the movie as a whole. He allows the action to unfold without using quick cuts or moving rapidly, it’s beautifully executed and that carries over to the whole movie. This is one of the most gorgeous films of 2017, it’s probably not as visually breathtaking as Blade Runner 2049, but there were so many shots in this film that had my mouth wide open from amazement. The Last Jedi features hands down the best cinematography in any Star Wars ever and is one of the most well-made films of 2017 because of it. The screen gushes with beautiful colors and the framing/shot composition gives you a sense of awe in key moments. It all gives the film a unique sense of style, flair, and pizzaz, it doesn’t want to replicate the ways of George Lucas, it wants to have its own identity.
The Verdict:
Rian Johnson has crafted the most interesting Star Wars movie in decades, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best, but it does mean it’s one that will make you look at the series differently. While The Last Jedi has its flaws, the good outweighs the bad and we’re given something that wants to shake up how you see this fifty-year-old franchise.
Gone are the days of coasting off of your nostalgia, Star Wars: The Last Jedi wants to introduce you to a new era of Star Wars and it does it brilliantly. Star Wars: The Force Awakens felt like it was running in place, but The Last Jedi feels like it’s taking the series forward at an accelerated pace and turning corners you didn’t expect it to turn, it’s up to you to decide if you’re ok with that.
