
Hiyo, everyone! Just yesterday, I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and I really wanted to talk about it, and I figured this was the perfect place for me to share my opinions.
This isn’t the first review I’ve done on this blog, but I’d like to say up front that it will be different from my previous reviews in two ways. Firstly, I won’t be summarizing the movie’s premise. There must be thousands of reviews doing just that. Instead, I’m directing this review toward people who have already seen the movie. That may seem counter-intuitive, but the movie has been out for a whole three days now, and I figure most of the die-hard fans who are likely to look up blog reviews have already seen it. xD
Secondly, unlike my previous reviews, this one will be absolutely filled with spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t want to be spoiled, I recommend you turn back now!
Okay, here goes! I’d like to start by saying I found the action in this movie to be a blast to watch from start to finish. At the beginning of the movie, I was a bit worried The Last Jedi would mimic the structure of The Empire Strikes Back much like The Force Awakens imitated A New Hope, since both films start with the Rebels fleeing from a compromised base. The ensuing chase only strengthened my concern, so I was pleased when the plot turned in another direction after the First Order caught up with the Rebels.
Meanwhile, on a remote island/planet, we found Luke and Rey exactly where we’d left them: staring each other down. I was a bit disappointed to see Luke subsequently play the grumpy old man shtick after that; it felt entirely too cliche. Rey’s arc for this movie became a lot more interesting once her force-enabled conversations with Kylo Ren began popping up. I found myself quietly shipping the two of them throughout the movie. =p
To be honest, as the movie progressed, I found Luke to be more and more of a letdown. The revelation that he contemplated killing Kylo in his sleep suggests that he learned nothing from his father’s redemption. Obviously, Kylo’s subsequent murders were an unwarranted, but I can’t blame him for hating Luke and turning away from Luke’s teachings – nor can I blame Rey for storming off of the planet.
The scene with Yoda came off as rather silly to me, especially the part where Yoda made lightning strike and started a fire. If he can do that, why not materialize on the First Order’s ship and blow things up? But I digress. xD
The Rebel’s defense against the First Order was a far more interesting arc to me. I could really feel their desperation as things kept getting worse and worse. That said, I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief when Leia survived being thrown into space. That entire sequence seemed a bit contrived. At first, I was as wary as Poe of Leia’s replacement, Vice-Admiral Holdo, but – well, we’ll get to that later. =p
From the scene where the two of them met, I found Finn and Rose to make a cute couple. Their little adventure gave us a fun look at the financial elite of the galaxy, although, ultimately, I feel it only served to bring the two of them closer together. (And to show off BB-8’s badassery. =p ) Their plan completely fell through, which is fine and all, but I feel it didn’t really progress the story forward except by leading up to Finn’s epic duel with Captain Phasma.
The scene between Rey, Kylo, and Snoke was where The Last Jedi really began to distinguish itself from the other Star Wars movies in my eyes. Much like Palpatine, Snoke was a completely obnoxious, arrogant jerk – and it was an absolute delight to watch him die for his smugness. He completely underestimated Kylo, who I was outright rooting for at that point. However, Snoke did leave one burning question in his wake – who was that mighty Sith Lord who seems to have materialized out of nowhere?
The battle between Rey, Kylo, and Snoke’s guards was absolutely thrilling to watch, and my internal fangirl cheering was at its peak as the two of them helped each other survive. To be honest, I really, really wanted them to join forces, regardless of which side they chose – but, alas, the story took a different turn. xD
Meanwhile, as the rebels fled via escape pods, we were given the privilege to bear witness to what I consider the most breathtaking scene in the entire movie – Vice Admiral Holdo’s use of hyperdrive to take down a star destroyer. Everything about that scene, from the visuals to the temporary silence to the implications of that action was just perfect, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Holdo’s attack was so effective it left me wondering why hyperdrive-kamikazi ships are not widely used weapons of war. Surely, someone in the history of the galaxy has to have done that before, right? =p
The battle outside the abandoned Rebel base was visually a pleasure to watch – the juxtaposition of white and red birthed by the planet’s surface remind me of the movie poster shown above. Projection-Luke’s appearance took me by surprise, and I find it hard to believe it worked. The trinket Luke gave Leia upon his appearance was shown to be a complete illusion, so it seems strange that Leia didn’t have a reaction to being given something immaterial. Still, it was fun to watch the imperial army focus its fire on Luke to no avail, and amusing to witness the non-existent battle between him and Kylo. I was kind of surprised General Hux didn’t try to kill Kylo once the illusion was revealed, but I suppose he had already publically acknowledged the latter as his new Supreme Leader.
The ending left me with a few strong impressions. Firstly, Rey is growing more powerful at a staggering rate. I can’t wait to see what she’s like in Episode 9! Secondly, Luke’s death felt a bit abrupt. I suppose the stunt he pulled put a lot of strain on his body, but it felt like a rather anti-climatic way for a legendary Jedi to die. I suppose Yoda just died of old age, too, though. Thirdly, the scene at the very end with the children suggests to me that the badly wounded Rebel Alliance will largely be rebuilt by the next generation of freedom fighters. That makes me wonder whether there will be a large time gap between Episodes 8 and 9.
As a side note, The Last Jedi took a very unexpected route concerning humor. It felt a bit surreal to see some of the sillier scenes actually in the movie, but I have to admit, I did laugh at some of them. Slapstick though they were, I felt they made the film a bit more engaging.
Overall, The Last Jedi is far from a perfect film, but it’s one I thoroughly enjoyed nonetheless. As you may know if you’ve read my previous posts, I like to acknowledge the faults in the media I experience and find ways to look past them. None of The Last Jedi‘s flaws ruined the experience for me at all, and the sheer quantity of awesome moments left me really hyped for the sequel. Therefore, I rate The Last Jedi 4.5/5. I thoroughly enjoyed its willingness to tinker with the formula a little.
Have you guys seen The Last Jedi yet? If so, what did you think? Which scenes stood out the most for you? Were any of the flaws unforgivable in your eyes? As always, I’m eager to read your feedback. Buh-bye for now!