Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Carrie Fisher.
Hype can be both a good and a bad thing for a film. On one hand, it gets the people going to theater and in the seats as quickly as they can get their tickets, and really the interest of the audience is what keeps franchises like Star Wars going. On the other, hype can build our expectations up so high, to a place where after we've seen the actual film, we become almost disappointed with what we've got. That appears to be what's going on with the public's reaction to The Last Jedi.
As this sentence is being typed, Rotten Tomatoes has the film with a 93% Critics' Score, and a 57% Audience Score. That is quite the margin. Having just seen the film Thursday night, I find myself at the middle ground. The Last Jedi didn't quite meet my expectations, but overall I enjoyed the latest chapter
in the Star Wars saga.
The film picks up not long after the events of The Force Awakens. Rey (Ridley) has found Luke Skywalker (Hamill), with the hope of having him train her in the ways of the Force and join the Resistance. Bitter and haunted by his past, Skywalker wants no part of it. Meanwhile the dwindling forces of the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Fisher), face a desperately uphill battle against The First Order…hope that's not too spoilery for you.
The Force Awakens fell under scrutiny because it felt too similar to A New Hope. Comparisons can be drawn between The Last Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back, but in the grand scheme of things the former is very different than any Star Wars film that's come before. The best way I can describe it to you without going into spoilers is by quoting Luke, "This is not going to go the way you think."
Conventions of the franchise are broken down, and new paths are forged. So you can see where the public divide is coming from. Some people are going to like the change, and some aren't.
Like Empire, Last Jedi does separate our heroes' journeys. Rey is training with Luke, Leia and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaacs) are holding down the fort, Finn (John Boyega) and new character Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) go off on an unsanctioned mission to locate Benicio Del Toro's character, and Kylo Ren (Driver) continues his work in The First Order under the supervision of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). Unfortunately, not all of those plot lines are equally interesting, with Finn and Rose's mission being the least interesting. Their quest takes them to a casino-themed planet and they spend way too much time on it. Of course the best parts of the film involve Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo/whatever you want to call him.
So there are clearly a lot of cast members to discuss. Well everyone gets back into their roles easily, taking them to bold new places in the story. Mark Hamill is superb as Luke Skywalker, and Daisy Ridley is so wonderful as Rey. Her performance is both inspiring and captivating. John Boyega does more good work as Finn, but his performance in The Force Awakens might have been better. Oscar Isaacs gets a lot more to do with Poe Dameron this time, and it's great to see more depth with an already fan-favorite character. Adam Driver is amazing as Kylo Ren. Again another character given a ton more development, and an emotionally charged performance to bring it to life.
Carrie Fisher gives a loving, sharp, and sadly final performance as Leia. Andy Serkis is at his very best as Snoke. This time around, Domhall Gleeson's performance as General Hux seems much more hammy and over-the-top. How about the new additions though? Kelly Marie Tran is fine and likable enough as Rose Tico. Same can be said for Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo. It's a strong performance but not a particularly memorable one. Benicio Del Toro's DJ is just…well he's mainly a part of Finn and Rose's arc and I've already stated my thoughts on that part of the film.
Composer John Williams adds even more wonderful music to the Star Wars catalog. It doesn't dominate the film but it's there and you know it. The cinematography of the film is beautiful, from every planet and set piece there's some serious eye candy. The action in the film is at edge-of-your-seat level. The fight scenes in The Last Jedi are probably some of the best of the franchise. One last positive I can give is that no matter your concerns, there are plenty of satisfying moments for all ages.
With The Force Awakens, people seemed to be upset it was too familiar. Now they seem to be upset with The Last Jedi for being too different. So I'm guessing the third bowl of porridge (Episode IX) will be just right for these Goldilocks fans? A good friend of mine described The Last Jedi like this, and I think it sums it up damn well:
"It's sort of like having your eye on the most delicious piece of cake in the display, and you wait to get it and you start to eating it and you realize the filling isn't at all what you imagined. It's super tasty but there's some weird fruit mixed in, and while it's delicious and well made it's just not what you thought you ordered. But you walk away full."
Rian Johnson takes the franchise in a new, different direction, and obviously that's going to be met with some mixed reviews. This is still a damn fine Star Wars film. One could argue that eight episodes in, Johnson needed to stir the pot to keep this 40-year-old franchise fresh and moving forward. As of right now, I still like The Force Awakens more, but there is nothing outright bad about The Last Jedi. It's a wonderful film filled with the same brand of beloved characters, epic visuals, and great storytelling fans have come to expect. I'm very intrigued to see where we go in Episode IX and beyond. The Force will be with us, always.
And…I like Porgs.
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