Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It is the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It is also the eighth instalment in the episodic saga and the ninth instalment in the Star Wars franchise. The film stars Gwendoline Christie, Anthony Daniels, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, Domnhall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set in the immediate aftermath of The Force Awakens. The Resistance is on the run after the annihilation of the New Republic by Starkiller Base. The Resistance did destroy Starkiller Base in retaliation. Nonetheless, The First Order has now begun its conquest to take control of the galaxy and crush The Resistance. The only hope for the galaxy is Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last Jedi. Rey (Daisy Ridley) seeks to learn from Luke. However, she struggles to convince a damaged, bitter Luke to overcome the past, teach her and save the galaxy.
My Knowledge and Expectation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story were my most anticipated films in the years they respectively came out. Hence, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was my most anticipated film of 2017. I think The Force Awakens and Rogue One are great films. They restored my faith in Lucasfilm after the dark days of the Prequels and the Special Editions.
In addition to Lucasfilm, my faith in Rian Johnson to deliver a great Star Wars film was through the roof. I loved his work on Looper and I expected a fresh, different take on Star Wars from him which is what I wanted. At the same time, I wanted The Last Jedi to still have the feel of a Star Wars film.
What I mean by that is the lived-in look of the Star Wars universe. This comes from using practical effects and filming at real locations. You know, the approach to filmmaking which was established in the Original Trilogy. I adored how The Force Awakens reintroduced us to the original feel of Star Wars. Rogue One then followed suit and I could not wait for more of this in The Last Jedi.
Obviously, I knew CGI was going to be used in The Last Jedi just as it was in The Force Awakens and Rogue One. I have no problem with that. As long as it is blended in well with the real locations and practical effects, I am cool with CGI being used. I never want an over-reliance on or overabundance of CGI in Star Wars. That is one of the many reasons why I do not like the Prequels. Thankfully, The Force Awakens and Rogue One had the right blend of practical and digital effects.
The Trailers Promised Us A Unique Star Wars Film
As long as The Last Jedi had that same lived-in feel that the Original Trilogy, The Force Awakens and Rogue One had then Rian Johnson could take the film in any direction he wanted too from a story perspective. This itself was guaranteed to happen. Looper is evidence of how original Rian Johnson is as a director and writer.
That is why I did not understand the view that this film would be a clone of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Just from the trailers for The Last Jedi, you could tell this would not be the case. The film looked different and original from a storytelling perspective which I loved and wanted to see.
Once the positive reaction for the film was coming out after its world premiere, every day felt like a week. I could not contain my excitement, especially when it came to the return of Luke Skywalker. To see Luke return to the big screen and get more insight into how he got to a state of mind where he wanted the Jedi to end fascinated me. Luke’s relationship with Rey looked interesting too.
Seeing the development of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the final performance of Carrie Fisher as Leia also added to my anticipation. Certainly, Kylo Ren is a villain with a lot of depth and complexity. I wanted to see that developed more. Moreover, watching Carrie Fisher for the final time as Leia would stir a lot of emotions in me. Her passing was tragic and to see where Leia would go in The Last Jedi played on my mind.
Where I Expected/Hoped Star Wars: The Last Jedi Would Rank Amongst Other Star Wars Films
After hearing so many good things about The Last Jedi, I thought the film would be good. If The Last Jedi was better than The Force Awakens and Rogue One, then I would be delighted. Obviously, I never expect any Star Wars film to be better than the films in the Original Trilogy. The films in that trilogy are my Top 3 favourite Star Wars films.
For me, the Original Trilogy, in its original form, is as close to perfect as you can get. Yet, I know my view on the Original Trilogy is embedded in nostalgia. Hence, it is very difficult for any new Star Wars film to eclipse the films in the Original Trilogy. However, if The Last Jedi somehow managed to achieve the near impossible feat and crack into my Top 3 favourite Star Wars films, I would be over the moon.
Evidently, I had high hopes for The Last Jedi. As I said above, I wanted The Last Jedi to be different and original with its storytelling. Simultaneously, I wanted the film to still utilise real locations, practical sets and practical effects so it would have the same lived-in feel that I love in Star Wars. If this happened, then I was confident that I would, as a minimum, regard The Last Jedi as being a good film and a worthy sequel to The Force Awakens.
My Thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi
As I am writing this, I have seen The Last Jedi twice. I needed a second viewing before writing my review. Truly, the film gives you a lot to process. For me, it was essential to see it a second time so I could let the film sink in. After my first viewing, I thought The Last Jedi was a great film. It was so great that I ranked the film above The Force Awakens and Rogue One without hesitation.
Still, I needed to see it a second time so I could watch the events that occur in The Last Jedi in a calm manner. I could then appreciate the film for what it was on a greater level. Indeed, shocking moments are plentiful in The Last Jedi. In your first viewing, the film takes a lot out of you. It eradicates any belief about how you thought the story would unfold but in the best possible way.
A second viewing would allow me to watch the film knowing these moments are coming. I could just let the whole film envelop me in its quality. After my second viewing, I have come to a conclusion; I LOVE The Last Jedi. I absolutely love it. It is an outstanding Star Wars film. It was even better seeing the film for the second time because I could watch it without fear. Certainly, processing events when you know they are coming really improved my experience with the film on my second viewing.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Is In My Top 3 Favourite Star Wars Films
In fact, seeing The Last Jedi for a second time led me to another essential truth. Remarkably, Rian Johnson has accomplished what I believed was a near impossible feat; The Last Jedi is one of my Top 3 favourite Star Wars films. In fact, I rank The Last Jedi as being second only to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as my favourite Star Wars film. Yes, I prefer The Last Jedi to The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: A New Hope.
I understand if you are shocked by this statement. Still, it is just my opinion. No Star Wars film has emotionally impacted me this much since I watched Return of the Jedi for the first time as a child. This became apparent to me during my second viewing of the film. As I said, I needed a second viewing because I was somewhat in shock after my first experience with The Last Jedi.
Truly, The Last Jedi is a ballsy, unique film which, in a great way, left me stunned. Indeed, on my first viewing, my mouth was agape during certain moments in The Last Jedi. Some of the moments in this film rank amongst the best of the Star Wars franchise. I appreciated those shocking moments and the emotional moments of this film so much more during my second viewing.
You better believe that they are plentiful in The Last Jedi. Still, if a film does not have great acting from its cast, it will fail in its emotional moments. Thankfully, this is not the case with The Last Jedi. The performances are immaculate. Indeed, I would argue that no Star Wars film has ever had the quality of acting that is on show in The Last Jedi.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Every single cast member brings their A-game to The Last Jedi. For me, the performance which shone above all the rest was given by Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill has never been better as Luke Skywalker. Never. The performance he gives in The Last Jedi is so layered and has so much nuance that I was captivated by him from beginning to end. I loved seeing how much Luke has changed since Return of the Jedi. Indeed, you see that Luke is bitter, broken and filled with regret at his failings.
To see how Luke became so broken and a shell of his former self was heart-breaking to see. Yet, it felt completely believable once you see why he became the way he was in The Last Jedi. Luke was no longer the impatient, naïve, good-willed farm-boy we saw in the Original Trilogy. Certainly, people change as they get older and traumatic events can drastically change someone’s beliefs and outlook on everything.
As we saw in The Last Jedi, Luke has been through a lot. Therefore, to see such a radically changed Luke Skywalker made complete sense to me. I was enthralled with the arc of Luke Skywalker in this film. Mark Hamill did a great job at portraying Luke in the way he was in The Last Jedi. The direction Rian Johnson took with Luke in The Last Jedi was outstanding. In fact, for me, it was perfect. I would not change one thing about it.
Luke and Rey
In addition to the way Luke Skywalker was handled and Mark Hamill’s brilliant individual performance as Luke in The Last Jedi, the scenes involving Luke and Rey were also fantastic. We have been waiting to see these two together since the end of The Force Awakens. For me. it delivered on every level. As you can imagine, Luke was not receptive to Rey. He wanted to divorce himself from the idea of training another Jedi.
Still, eventually Rey did learn from Luke but not through training as a Jedi. Instead, it was through Luke insisting that the Jedi had to end and why this should happen that Rey learned more about The Force and her role in the galaxy. Both Luke and Rey learnt from one another through interactions and events that were fascinating to watch. This is especially true when it related to the character who was at the core of their relationship; Kylo Ren.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is quickly becoming one of my favourite things about this new Star Wars trilogy. For a character like Kylo Ren, it would be easy for a less talented actor to come across as whiny, annoying and unrelatable. Just look at Hayden Christensen’s awful performances as Anakin Skywalker in the Prequels. Although, that was not entirely his fault.
You need a good director to get the best performances out of your cast. Hayden did not have that with George Lucas. Adam Driver certainly has a great director in Rian Johnson to bring out the best possible performance from him. He is awesome as Kylo Ren. This character has so much complexity to him that you cannot help but be compelled whenever he is on screen.
Rey and Kylo Ren
This was particularly the case in his scenes with Rey. Aside from the great acting showcased by both Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley in their scenes together, those scenes also did something even more brilliant for The Last Jedi and the Star Wars franchise in general. Rey and Kylo Ren were separated by light years for the majority of the film. But, they were able to communicate with each other through The Force. It was unlike anything we have ever seen in a Star Wars film.
It was but one of a few ways that the mythology of The Force was brilliantly expanded upon in The Last Jedi. I thought the dynamic between Rey and Kylo Ren was one of the best things about The Last Jedi. Darkness rose and light met it. Their relationship had twists and turns, especially when it came to exploring the backstory of Kylo Ren’s betrayal of Luke. That event itself incorporated the use of flashbacks which I really liked. The relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren was well developed in The Last Jedi. I cannot wait to see more of this dynamic in Star Wars: Episode IX.
Great Pacing Meant That I Was Hooked From Beginning To End
The scenes with Rey and Kylo Ren were evenly spaced out throughout the film. This was a factor amongst many which gave The Last Jedi such great momentum. For me, the pacing in The Last Jedi was fantastic. The film flew by. This is some achievement given how it is the longest ever Star Wars film at two-and-a-half hours. For me, length is never an issue with a film when it comes to how engaged you are.
It is pacing and whether a film has unnecessary scenes which can make a film boring. This was where a film such as Silence suffered because that film drags. The Last Jedi never drags. Every storyline either served the progression of the story, led to important character development or both. From the beginning, the film grips you and never lets you go. In fact, not since A New Hope has a Star Wars film given me this feeling.
Indeed, The Last Jedi starts with The Resistance fleeing D’Qar and a confrontation ensues with The First Order. Inevitably, this leads to a great space battle that throws you right into the action. Moreover, it does a great job at making you feel the desperation of the situation The Resistance is in. You do not know how this confrontation will play out on your first viewing. I was on the edge of my seat because of this reality. You feel every loss The Resistance suffers and one in particular is very emotional, particularly when you find out how it connects to Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran).
Rose Tico
Rose Tico was one of the new characters that was introduced to us in The Last Jedi. She was a maintenance worker aboard The Raddus, Leia’s flagship (Nice link to Admiral Raddus in Rogue One). Once she meets Finn (John Boyega), she gets thrust into the conflict that took her sister’s life. Out of all the new characters introduced in The Last Jedi, she was my favourite.
I liked Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) a lot too. Certainly, reading Claudia Grey’s Leia: Princess of Alderaan helped in that regard. This is because you get some great insight into her character and the relationship she established with Leia. I also thought DJ (Benecio del Toro) served a vital role when it came to Finn’s character development. Still, Rose was my favourite new character.
This is probably because she gets the most screen time out of all the new characters in The Last Jedi. Consequently, we get to know more about her and connect to her in the process. Kelly Marie Tran gives a great performance as Rose, especially when you consider that, similar to Daisy Ridley in The Force Awakens, this was her first role in a major film.
Rose and Finn
I also thought that Rose and Finn had a good relationship in the film. I bought the relationship they had, particularly when it came to the romantic side because it was all one way. Clearly, it is evident that Finn likes Rey while Rose likes Finn. Rose makes that evident at one moment in The Last Jedi.
She was a fan-girl of Finn from the beginning so it made sense that she liked him. It also made sense that Finn was confused about that when the moment occurs. That moment also has a brilliant line given by Rose about how the way to win is fighting for what you love which was very uplifting in a situation devoid of hope.
The Comedy and Cinematography
The first time that Rose and Finn met was one of the many brilliant comedic moments in The Last Jedi. I loved the comedy in the film. I was laughing out loud throughout, especially when it was at the expense of General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson). I also loved the Porgs and the comedic role they had in the film. Aside from being incredibly cute, they were used in the right amount during the film. The Porgs never annoyed me and their interactions with Chewbacca were hilarious. I give a lot of credit to the script Rian Johnson wrote in regards to how great the comedy was in The Last Jedi.
Another aspect of The Last Jedi which delivered in spades was the cinematography. The imagery in The Last Jedi is some of the best I have ever seen in a Star Wars film. Of course, the shot of The Raddus going to hyperspace to destroy the First Order ships who had been pursuing The Resistance was breathtakingly stunning. I was mesmerised by the way it looked in addition to how sound, or a lack thereof, was used to make this moment an all-time great one for the Star Wars franchise. I had never seen anything like it in a film and I doubt I ever will again.
The Themes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
From a visual standpoint, The Last Jedi was brilliant. Nonetheless, a lot of the richer qualities of the film came from its themes. Certainly, the themes that were showcased gave The Last Jedi a lot depth and provided some great character development.
Duty and Leadership
For one, the arc of Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) in the film showcased the theme of duty and leadership. This was in regards to Poe’s role in The Resistance. We see Poe as the hot-headed fighter pilot who makes rash decisions without thinking of the wider consequences. Leia reprimands him for this because she knew that Poe had to be the leader The Resistance needed at that time. Throughout The Last Jedi, Poe tries to give The Resistance a fighting chance.
However, he just makes matters worse. He failed in his attempts to help and lacked the trust in his superiors to know what they were doing. Clearly, this would be hard to take for someone as confident in their own ability as Poe. Yet, by the end of The Last Jedi, he finally takes up the mantle as the leader The Resistance and Leia needs him to be. He learns what it means to be a leader.
This is going to be vital in the fight against The First Order in Episode IX. Poe had to go through what he did in The Last Jedi to ensure The Resistance can be the spark of hope the galaxy needs. Because of this, I really liked how Poe was fleshed out in The Last Jedi. In fact, I find it to be one of the more underrated aspects of the film.
Morality
The arc of Finn in The Last Jedi is also not being appreciated in the way it should be. Indeed, Finn went through a lot of soul searching in The Last Jedi. For me, the theme that was most prevalent in his arc of the film was morality. In The Force Awakens, we see that Finn wants to get away from the First Order and protect Rey. Nothing more, nothing less.
He is not fully committed to The Resistance and that continues into The Last Jedi. However, the journey he goes on in this film exposed him to the morality of war. A conversation he has with DJ after escaping from Canto Bight is key to this. It exposed him to the reality that those who profit from war and suffering in the galaxy do not care which side they supply weapons too. This shocks Finn to his core and makes him question everything he knew. His exposure to greed and corruption makes him think about the larger picture, not just his own situation.
What Finn learns in his time on Canto Bight and with DJ was the catalyst for Finn to eventually choose a side in this war instead of running away. He is now fully committed to The Resistance and this was important for his growth as a character. I noticed this more on my second viewing. Consequently, I appreciated the stuff on Canto Bight to a greater degree than I did on my first viewing.
Failure
While Rose and Finn’s accomplishments on Canto Bight were all for nothing when it came to helping The Resistance, it emphasised the theme of failure. I loved how prevalent this theme was in the film. In fact, I would argue that this is the main theme of The Last Jedi. Let us get this clear; The Resistance unequivocally failed in The Last Jedi.
On almost every level, everything they tried in order to escape from The First Order did not work. On a side note, I will say that the way the The First Order tracked down The Resistance reminded me of an episode of Battlestar Galactica called ‘33’. While I have very mixed feelings on that television series, that episode is absolutely brilliant. It is one of the best episodes in that series. I liked how The Last Jedi was influenced by that particular episode of Battlestar Galactica.
Just like the way in which the Cylons mercilessly hunted the remnants of humanity in ‘33’, The Resistance were ruthlessly pursued by The First Order in The Last Jedi. Indeed, it got to a stage where The Resistance was on its last legs on Crait, desperate to survive. When it came to the theme of failure, I found its prevalence in The Last Jedi to be very similar to The Empire Strikes Back. That is another Star Wars film where are heroes fail throughout the film. Failure was an important lesson for the Rebel Alliance and it will be an important lesson for The Resistance. Indeed, we learn more from our failings that our successes.
Yoda
This is something which Yoda explained to Luke in The Last Jedi. Yes, Yoda makes an appearance in The Last Jedi. For me, it was one of the best scenes in the film. The way Yoda was used in this film was absolutely brilliant. Even now, Yoda provided guidance for Luke. He helps him get to a stage where he can accept his failures and learn from them. Yoda provided a lot of wisdom while still having the same charm he had in the Original Trilogy.
The voice for Yoda was perfect. Frank Oz came back to voice Yoda and he sounded exactly like he did in the Original Trilogy. I will admit, on my first viewing, I was taken aback by the initial look of Yoda. On a first look, it did seem different. However, it got better as the scene progressed. Moreover, once I found out that the original moulds of Yoda from the Original Trilogy were used to create the puppet for The Last Jedi, it made the scene even better on my second viewing. On my second viewing, I appreciated how close Yoda’s look was to his look in the Original Trilogy.
The Flaws of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
As you can see, I have a lot of love for The Last Jedi. Still, no film is perfect. Every film has flaws. Even the Original Trilogy has elements that I can nit-pick. The Last Jedi is no different and I do have some minor problems with the film. Firstly, Canto Bight. Now, as I mentioned above, I appreciated the stuff on Canto Bight a lot more than I did on my first viewing because of what it does for the character development of Finn.
Moreover, while it eventually has no impact on the main story in The Last Jedi, it showcased the theme of failure in a great way. I have seen people hate on Canto Bight because it has no impact on the main storyline. I do not understand why. If you hate the fact that some storylines do not succeed, you should hate a lot of The Empire Strikes Back. The decisions that the characters make in that film fail. As a consequence, the characters and the storylines in that film do not reach their desired conclusion.
The Rebel Alliance tries to successfully fight the Empire on Hoth? They fail, the Rebel Alliance gets crushed and are on the retreat. Luke learns to be a Jedi from Yoda? He consistently fails in his training and leaves before it is finished. Han Solo and Leia go to Cloud City for help and to get the Millennium Falcon fixed? They fail, Lando betrays them and they get captured and tortured by Darth Vader. Luke goes to rescue Han and Leia on Cloud City? He fails, he has his hand cut off by Darth Vader who turns out to be his father. Both The Last Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back are about failure.
The Falthiers
Certain storylines in those films are eventually all for nothing. Yet, the beauty of this is that this pushes the characters forward as well as the overall narrative being told in their respective trilogies. Canto Bight did this for me. However, I do feel as though they could have done things better with that storyline. Firstly, the weakest scene in The Last Jedi happens on Canto Bight. This is when Finn and Rose escape by freeing the Falthiers and ride them through the casino and surrounding town areas. The Falthiers are horse-like creatures and the use of them in this escape scene was very CGI heavy.
In fact, too much CGI was used for my liking. This was a shame as a lot of the film is very practical effect heavy. Indeed, the Falthiers themselves were practical when they were poking their heads out at the stables in an earlier scene. But, CGI was clearly used when they were escaping with Finn and Rose. That particular scene did not work for me. A better way could have been found for Rose and Finn to escape the casino while, at the same time, wrecking the place and hurting the rich in the process. That was a specific scene on Canto Bight which could have been executed better.
BB-8 and Phasma
Another flaw of The Last Jedi is that BB-8 was a bit better in The Force Awakens than he was in The Last Jedi. I did like BB-8 in The Last Jedi. Yet, a scene on Canto Bight where he effectively uses a coin gun on a prison guard was silly. I understand that this was for kids. Still, it is another scene on Canto Bight that could have been executed better. Apart from that scene, BB-8 was great. However, it did put a dampener on how much I enjoyed BB-8 in this film compared to The Force Awakens.
Another flaw of The Last Jedi which I consider to be one of the most disappointing aspects of the film was Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). Before I saw The Last Jedi, I read Phasma. This was a canonical Star Wars novel written by Delilah S. Dawson. I loved that novel. I learned so much more about Phasma and how much of a ruthless badass she is. This made it all the more painful that her role in The Last Jedi was so minimal and underwhelming.
Like The Force Awakens, Phasma was a waste in this film. This sucked if you read the book before seeing The Last Jedi. While I liked the fact that she had a fight scene with Finn this time, it was negated when you see that she apparently dies. True, we did not see her die but it is heavily suggested. She could re-appear in Episode IX. If she does, then I pray that her role is bigger. If not, then I am resigned to the fact that, for me, she is just another Boba Fett; a character with a cool look that has a very limited role in the films.
My Thoughts on Some Star Wars Fans’ Negative Reaction To Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Still, the flaws in the film are minor. They did not take away from my love for The Last Jedi. However, not everyone feels the same way I do. Like The Force Awakens, some people do not like The Last Jedi. Actually, some hate it so much that a petition was created to remove the film from Star Wars canon. Clearly, some people did not react positively to some of the events that happened in The Last Jedi.
This film takes chances and takes the characters in directions that people did not expect. And that is the problem; expectations. I truly believe that most of the backlash towards the film is down to some Star Wars fans’ expectations and predictions not coming true. Consequently, they are acting like crybabies. They wasted two years of their life speculating about what would happen to such a degree that they thought they had the whole plot of the film mapped out in their heads.
This is a terrible thing to do. You will be unable to separate expectations from what actually happens in the film. Hence, even if the film is fantastic, you will not be happy because your ideas about what would happen did not come to pass. Most of the criticism I have seen directed toward the film appears to be purely driven by the fact that some fans are butthurt that their predictions for what would happen in The Last Jedi did not come true.
You have to leave your expectations at the door when going to see a film. You must go in with an open mind. I do not believe that every Star Wars fan did this. For me, this is a key reason why some fans have had suc
