Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

I was way too young when the original Star Wars trilogy came out. In fact, I was not even born yet for the first two movies. So, like many of the adult generations, now is my time to feel that excitement when John Williams' memorable soundtrack blares in the theater, the blue “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” text appears and that familiar crawl scrolls up. There's not one time when those traditions don't give me the tingles, even when I'm watching the movies at home. So, for that reason, even in the case of the prequel trilogy, it's nearly impossible to disappoint me with a Star Wars film of any sort. It's like woven in my DNA.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a very polarizing film in a lot of ways, and it makes sense that it is...not just because most moviegoers today all believe themselves to be the harshest movie savvy critics on the planet when really Rotten Tomatoes ratings influence their opinions almost entirely, but because it has a director who is pretty much an unknown to us all in Rian Johnson (his most popular previous movie was Looper). And thankfully, Disney let Johnson tell his own brand of Star Wars tale in his way. In return we get a bold and unconventional Star Wars installment that doesn't at all feel like George Lucas' films or J.J. Abrams' Force Awakens. Some fans will love it for that reason and some won't. It's gonna be like that for every blockbuster “geek movie” in the social media era and that's okay.

I have to say I left the movie wondering a lot of things and it is such a different brand of Star Wars film that it literally took me a few days for it to all process in my brain. It's sort of like when you go to McDonald's and order a Big Mac every time and then you go and order something different like a Quarter Pounder. It tastes a little like a Big Mac, but all of the ingredients are different and while it's not like the burger you are used to, it's not all that bad. This is how I felt about The Last Jedi. It has all the things a Star Wars movie is supposed to have, but it's done in an entirely different way (yeah, even more than Rogue One). Not bad, but different. Eventually I think everyone will come to accept that in time.

*As much as I try not to, SPOILERS ARE GONNA HAPPEN!*

I adored the new cast members introduced in Force Awakens. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver are all excellent actors and in this film their characters grow and develop and we get to love them all over again as they all adventure their way through the galaxy. They are joined with some new cast members, too. We meet Rose Tico (played by Kelly Marie Tran), a maintenance worker who runs into Finn while he is quietly trying to make his leave from The Resistance. Rose is a precocious yet enduring character and while she is unassuming, she is pretty smart and an invaluable ally and friend to Finn. Maybe more? We'll see. Finn and Rose also meet DJ (played by one of the best character actors around, Benicio Del Toro). He is a classic Star Wars scoundrel that weasels his way into helping Finn and Rose...but like always, he cannot be trusted. DJ comes off very much as the Lando Calrissian of the film, and he is one of the only similarities to Empire Strikes Back that The Last Jedi has.

The story continues from the literal cliff hanger of the last film, with Rey delivering Luke Skywalker's lightsaber to him and to ask him to return to The Resistance while he is living as a hermit on an isolated island on an isolated planet. He immediately throws the light saber away and doesn't want anything to do with anyone (like a true hermit). Luke is jaded and disenfranchised after his nephew and pupil, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren went to the dark side. As the title suggests, most of the film is about Luke and Rey and their journey. Everyone has a journey in the movie, but this is mostly theirs. Luke senses that the Force is strong in Rey and knows that he must teach her, even though he feels he failed his last student. Rey has no idea what to do with her power and pleads with him to help. She also wants to know more about her parents. Does she find the truth?...Sorta? Not really? I'm not so sure that it matters anymore. What scares Luke more than anything is that she is drawn to the dark side as much as Kylo was. Him training her is another similarity to Empire Strikes Back (like when Yoda trained him) but it is different and a lot deeper in a lot of ways because Rey has come to help Luke as much as he is meant to help her.

We even get a visit from Yoda's Force ghost (I wasn't expecting that!) and he gives Luke his final lesson, telling him that he must let go of the past, namely the ancient Jedi texts he's been hoarding in an old tree. In many ways this is the most insightful Star Wars movie of them all. Mark Hamill is great in the movie and I feel it is his best acting performance as Luke Skywalker ever. There is a few scenes of him jumping around and so forth that just didn't look like he's capable of doing, but besides that he was great and we do get a badass scene that we all were waiting for. The biggest take away from the movie is that it really does feel like the old cast passing the torch to this new generation, and it's pretty cool.

Daisy Ridley also commands her performance. She was excellent in the last film, but she is even better in this one. The mystery of her past only makes Rey that much more interesting, and her connection with Kylo is as intriguing and confusing as ever once the film is done. That left me wanting to see and learn more. I'm happy that not everything is answered, and I think the two characters are very much more connected than even THEY realize.

While I was never really 100% content with Adam Driver in the role, Kylo Ren becomes a much more interesting character. One of the things that both perplexes me and also I sort of enjoy about this film is that it really does make an effort to separate Kylo from his grandfather, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. While they were both interwoven with both good and bad, Kylo is even more conflicted than his grandfather. But his confliction seems to also put him over the edge...perhaps on the verge of insanity. I think that makes Kylo Ren one of the more interesting villains in Star Wars and unique. He's slowly throwing away the Sith/Jedi rule book and that makes him a real and unforseen threat to both sides of the Force. Even though he will never be as physically and visually imposing as Vader, his psychological profile is much more layered.

I enjoy John Boyega as Finn more and more. He is carving a great path for the character. He is a self-made hero and proves that anyone (even a former stormtrooper) can save the universe once they believe in themselves. I think most of the original trilogy's heroes were like that and that's why I like him so much. Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron is also one of my favorites and his role is even bigger in this film. He defies Admiral Haldo (Laura Dern) tooth and nail and proves his loyalty to Leia and leadership in the Resistance. He also provides that same dry wit he had in Force Awakens. I've been reading the quite entertaining Charles Soule scribed Poe Dameron comic for the past couple of years, so perhaps that has helped me fall for the character more than some fans have had the chance to.

My heart aches every time I see Carrie Fisher in the movie. They really had not anticipated her leaving us so soon or else I think this film would have played out a LOT differently. Like Force Awakens her role is quite limited but she does serve as a warm and heartfelt character throughout. It is a shame she will not be around for the final installment. We do see Leia use the Force for the first time in a film and while it is not one of my favorite scenes because of the excessive use of CGI (the CG Leia looks more like “Princess Leia” than Carrie Fisher did in the movie and it feels weird and quite off), I appreciate what they wanted to give the fans by doing that. It just wasn't necessary. Carrie's daughter Billie Lourd has a larger role in the film and after her awesome performance in the recent American Horror Story: Cult, I wish her role was even bigger. Leia and Luke do have a very intimate and meaningful scene near the end of the film and it is so poignant now. I have no idea how they will proceed without her in the next movie. I really do not want to see an entirely CGI Leia again!

There are more than a few Star Wars easter eggs and traditions strewn throughout the movie. Of course we get a good helping of Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, BB-8, Admiral Ackbar, Nien Nunb as well as Lupita Nyong'o's Maz Kanata has a small cameo. If you are looking for the obligatory “I've got a bad feeling about this” line, it is done in the film for the first time in beeps by BB-8. Clever move by the screenwriters and Rian Johnson, but even I needed to look it up to see where the line is in the film. But it is little things like that as well as a lot of BiG plot points that make The Last Jedi a very different movie than any of the Star Wars movies. Not bad...different.

Oh, and I guess I am supposed to mention those Porg things. They aren't really important in the movie and feel like they were created simply for toy marketing. Just my opinion. They look quite delicious, though...I gotta say! You'll understand when you see the movie (sorry to my vegan readers....but it's literally the only opinion I have about them).

In the end, The Last Jedi does its job as a middle bridge movie in this trilogy. It moves the story along and develops each of the major characters. It only also changes the course and narrative of the franchise. For those looking for an Empire Strikes Back clone, you will need to look much harder to see the similarities, and for those who complained that Force Awakens was too much of an Episode 4 clone, you really can't say the same for this one. It sure doesn't end all doom and gloom as Empire, but it definitely has its dark and revealing moments. It's got funny one-liners, great action sequences (it has some of the best lightsaber choreography ever) and as long as your expectations aren't through the roof, you should enjoy it. I simply don't understand why some people have an issue with it, to be honest. I am only sure about one thing; even with a John Williams score, blue text and that familiar crawl...it's impossible to please everyone these days.