REVIEW: Star Wars the Last Jedi (Spoilers)
WARNING! In case the title of this article didn't give it away, I will be talking about the major moments and events from the Last Jedi. I already posted a full spoiler-free review in which I gave my overall thoughts of the film, which was mostly positive. Like my other spoiler articles, I will talking about each major event and whether or not I liked it or not.
Leia's Role
Overall, I thought Carrie Fisher gave a fantastic final performance as Leia. That being said, there is a moment early in the film that had many people scratching their heads. The moment from the trailers nearly happens, with Kylo hesitating whether or not to shoot his mother down. It was a powerful moment and in the end, Kylo decides not to do it. However, his fighter escorts shoots the bridge of the Raddus, seemingly killing everyone on board, including Leia and Admiral Ackbar. RIP.
You actually see Leia's lifeless body frozen in space, but then, out of nowhere, she seems to come back to life and literally glides like Superman to the Resistance. Um, what? Look, it's nice to see Leia use the force. She uses the force a few times during the movie, but in this instance, it seemed too bizarre and...how exactly did she survive that again? Overall, I loved Leia in the film, but that moment was too silly.
Luke's role
So, Luke in this film is very different. He is very heroic, at least in the beginning, and he has basically cut himself from the rest of the galaxy to die and end the Jedi. Yeah, it's something when even the actor who plays the character, Mark Hamill, is against this direction. I'll admit, I was taken aback by this switch in character, but in all honesty, I can of like it. To me, it adds new and unexplored layers to his character. I like the interactions he has throughout the film with Rey, as he is a man with conflicted opinions and emotions after the turmoil that has gone through his life. I love how he calls out the Jedi Order for causing their own downfall, I like his interaction with Leia and R2, and I love how in the end, he gives one last heroic stand against the dark side.
I especially loved the scene of him with Force Ghost Yoda. First off, it's great to see both Yoda and force ghosts again. Second off, the scene gives new insight into Luke's character as well. In the end, I can totally understand if people did not like the way Luke was written or portrayed. For me, I thought it was refreshing and unique to see, though it takes a while to get used to.
The Origin of Kylo Ren
We also get to see why Kylo, formally Ben Solo, turned on Luke and the Jedi. It turns out, it was Luke's fault. It's revealed that Snoke had been praying on Ben for some time and Luke sensed the darkness in him. Not wanting to see him turn into another Vader, Luke ironically briefly gives into his anger and fear and ignites his lightsaber to strike Ben down in his sleep. However, at the last moment, he hesitates, but not before waking up Ben, causing him to attack Luke, and eventually convert or kill all of Luke's other students.
Wow. To me, that is deep and poetic. Luke, trying to avoid his worst enemy, creates his worst enemy. Again, to play Devil's advocate, I understand why this would feel like a betrayal to Luke's character. However, to me, I didn't see it that way. I thought it was handled well. Plus, that would explain why Luke never wanted to be seen or heard from again and felt guilty to Han and Leia. Though, why would he leave a map to himself if he never wanted to be found?
Kylo and Rey's connection
Whenever the Force Awakens came out, a large part of the Star Wars fanbase "shipped" Kylo Ren and Rey together under the name..."Reylo." I did not like that ship, I liked them as enemies just fine. However, this film changes their dynamic by giving them more of a spiritual connection. Throughout the film, Kylo and Rey are able to communicate telepathically. However, this is more than just a space Skype call. They get so connected that they are able to physically touch one another and feel whatever the other person feels, such as rain. I'll admit, I was skeptical of it at first, but I liked the connection the two had, and I liked Rey's attempted to convert him back to the light. Yes, it is derivative of Return of the Jedi, but I think it's handled different enough to be it's own thing.
In the end, after the events of the film, Rey appears to fully reject him and his plea to rule with him, so I think their dynamic will play one of the main themes in Episode 9.
Snoke's death
Ok, here is my first major spoiler of the film that I wan't a huge fan of, the death of Snoke. I know a lot of fans weren't big Snoke fans, but I enjoyed the mystery surrounding him. Plus, when he was in this movie, I enjoyed him. He is so cocky, so arrogant. He's basically a smart-ass. Plus, in the few moments where he displays his power, you can tell he's not someone to be messed with. So then it comes at a huge shock when they decide to have Kylo kill him off. Yep, he's dead, sliced in half.
I mean, the moment itself is a big development moment for Ren and his character as he later becomes the new Supreme Leader of the First Order. However, talk about a wasted opportunity. You built all this suspense surrounding his origins and you kill him like this. We still don't know a damn thing about him. We never really saw him fight, never knew his true motivations. He also seems like a waste, a placeholder villain for Kylo to eventually replace.
Phasma sucks...again
Keep in mind too, I'm not going to talk about every spoiler or plot hole in the movie, such as Finn and Rose's Canto Bight trip or why Holdo never told Poe her plan regarding the transports. However, I will talk about how Phasma is completely wasted again. DJ, the codebreaker Finn and Rose hire is revealed to be a double agent and the two are captured by Phasma. Now, one of the biggest complaints from the Force Awakens was how little Phasma was in the film. Well, guess what, she's basically in the Last Jedi and has the same amount of lines as she did in the previous film. After BB-8 steals an AT-ST, which is awesome, and Admiral Holdo crashes the Raddus into the Supremacy, which was mind-blowing, Finn and Rose manage to break free when they are forced to face Phasma.
The fight between Finn and Phasma is cool, but over too quickly, and although she gains the initial upper hand, she is eventually defeated by Finn and falls to her apparent death. How can they fail with her character again? Forget Boba Fett, this is a waste on a whole new scale.
Rey parents' reveal
Another aspect of the film that disappointed a lot of people was the, sort of, reveal, of who Rey's parents are. According to Kylo, he gets Rey to admit to herself that her parents were..."nobodies," a bunch of junk dealers who sold her into servitude. Yep, all those years of lore theories down the drain. In all seriousness, I'm kind of divided on this, because, on the one hand, it proves that anybody can be born with force potential and can rise to greatness. On the other hand, even though Star Wars is full of connections, it would have been interesting to see her come from some kind of storied lineage. Granted, Kylo could be lying to her in order to woo her over to the dark side, but I have a feeling that he was telling her the truth.
The final battle and ending
The last act of this movie is where the film just slams you with stuff to take in. The final battle of Crait is excellent. However, in one moment, it appears that Finn is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good but Rose stops him and basically tells him she loves him. Um, sweetie, you're not in love with him. However, what comes next totally makes up for it. Luke seemingly appears, says goodbye to Leia and goes out to challenge the entire First Order army. Kylo eventually appears to challenge him, but it's revealed to be nothing more than a force projection created by Luke on Ach-To. I'm sorry, but I thought that reveal was badass. Eventually, the 20-30 members of the Resistance escape in the Falcon with Rey and Chewie and begin to form a new Rebel Alliance to combat the First Order. Meanwhile, Luke, with the toll of the feat getting to him, excepts his fate and makes peace with his life and Rey as the last Jedi and becomes one with the force.
Wow, obviously that is a lot to process in such a short period of time. Overall, other than the Rose element, I personally, again, can't speak for everyone, loved how they handled Luke's final act of courage and the dynamic the galaxy is in at the end. It even ends with a shot on a small child who is force sensitive, showing that there is always going to be hope in the galaxy in some way.
Like I said in my non-spoiler review, while I loved certain aspects of the film and I feel I need to see the film again to understand it more, I didn't love the film. The more I thought about it, the more I realize there are elements that are rushed, under-developed, or appear as a minor plot-hole. Again, I'm not trying to "white-night" for Disney and Lucasfilm because I liked the majority of the film. That's just how I felt. If audiences and fans want to be divided on this film, I guess this is this movie's destiny.
