Thanks to my brother-in-law, John, our recent tradition of seeing Star Wars movies with extended family continued again this year with a fantastic reserved-seat opening Thursday viewing of The Last Jedi. Now that a week has gone by, and I no longer feel as concerned with the chance of inadvertently spoiling the film, and also inspired by what seems to be a lot of nonsensical “fan” grousing about the film, I decided it was time to get some thoughts down here on the ol’ blog.
So here is your warning: after the jump there will be spoilers. Don’t read this until you’ve seen the film. A great deal of the fun I had at The Last Jedi was not knowing what direction the story would take and experiencing it unfold right there on the big screen.
What follows will not be a structured “review” of the film, but instead a loose collection of thoughts of what I liked about the movie. In an odd twist that makes me feel like I’m in the twilight zone, critics adored this film and the collective fan base are the ones who seem to be piling on with negativity. Let me be clear, it is perfectly okay to not like The Last Jedi and for your dislike to be filled with very valid reasons. In the reviews I have read, however, there doesn’t seem to be a lot backing up the criticism from those who purport to be fans of the series. Most of their complaints could easily be leveled at every single one of the Star Wars films, and that is why they don’t make much sense to me.
Again, I don’t fault people for having an opinion different from my own. I just would caution everyone to remember…these are Star Wars films. If ever a film series was meant to be entertaining, this is it. I was eight years old when Star Wars first hit theaters. I fell hard for the universe that existed in that film and the handful of Star Wars novels that came out during those early years of the first trilogy (the film novelizations, Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels, and the novel by Alan Dean Foster). I’ve loved some of the films, despised some, and have had middle-of-the-road feelings about others. I enjoyed The Last Jedi and look forward to seeing it again. Thus, other than a couple of “I wish they had…” comments, my thoughts will be centered around what I liked.
Enjoy, and please leave your thoughts, positive or negative (or both), in the comments. Everything hereafter, including comments, will include spoilers.
Second movies in a trilogy often have an advantage over the first film in that they can dispense with the origin stories and concentrate on building upon the characters and situations that the first film established, and this alone makes The Last Jedi a stronger, more focused, and better film than The Force Awakens. I enjoyed that the bulk of the story, at least with the small members of the rebellion and the First Order crew chasing them, took place over a very limited period of time and remained very focused. In similar fashion to The Empire Strikes Back, it alternated with the Luke/Rey story which I found so compelling. I was concerned during the opening crawl that this would be a rehash of The Empire Strikes back, with too much fan service (which was one of my complaints about TFA), but Rian Johnson did a great job of having a loose ESB structure while building in many unexpected twists and turns.
I really enjoyed the opening scene with Poe Dameron and the bombers. One thing I anticipate in every Star Wars films is the new ship designs, born in the creative minds of concept artists and then realized on the big screen. The bombers were the first of many vehicles that I loved seeing and only wish there could have been more screen time with them. I am surprised, a week out, how much I ended up feeling an emotional connection with a handful of characters who were only on screen for a few minutes due to the D-Day nature of their mission. I wish we could have known Rose’s sister more before she met her end. I may have to pick up Cobalt Squadron with one of my gift cards and give it a read during this Sci-Fi Experience season.
I appreciated the story arc for all the main characters. While others have read way too much into what The Last Jedi is trying to say about men and women and leadership roles (my opinion), I felt like Poe Dameron’s character arc fits right into who they established him to be. It made sense for him to be a gung-ho, hotshot pilot looking to take the fight straight to the enemy, with little regard for the cost. I appreciated the way his and Leia’s and Vice Admiral Holdo’s (Laura Dern) story lines intersected. I feel that the film makers did a really nice job of expanding the female leadership in the Star Wars universe beyond Leia Organa–who was always a strong character and yet often felt like the token female role in a largely male-dominated organization–without doing so at the expense of the male characters. It is possible to tell a story with both genders having integral roles without doing so by trying to one-up the other. I think The Last Jedi did that well in that Poe Dameron’s struggles were not artificial, that is exactly the way that character should act in his growth process towards becoming a well-rounded leader in his own right.
I loved the reunion with Poe and BB-8. BB-8 is such a fun character and it was great to see them together again.
The introduction of Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) was a nice touch, and I enjoyed the way that her character interacted with the character of Finn. With Rey off on an island with Luke for a lot of the film, and the need to have to rest of her character focus being on Kylo Ren, it would have been easy for the writers/director to get either lazy or distracted and short-shrift Finn’s character. By introducing Rose, we not only get another interesting character in the series, but we get to learn more about Finn by having them play off of one another. I know there are is a certain segment of fandom that would like to see Rey and Finn together, and there are certainly story elements in both TFA and TLJ that set up the possibility of a relationship between them, but it wouldn’t break my heart if the writers choose to take things in a different direction with Finn and Rose. I thought they did a nice job of leaving it wide open. We have no true indication of whether or not any of these characters have romantic feelings about one another. Their interactions can be read that way, but they can just as easily be seen as a group of young people who simply develop very strong emotional ties to one another because of what they are experiencing together. I’m perfectly fine with either or both of those things being true. The only thing I don’t want is an angst-filled YA love triangle thing going on. Ugh.
And speaking of relationships, I’m happy (unlike others I have read) that we did not a get a Rey-Kylo romance in The Last Jedi. I find it odd, being a Christian, that I am so strongly against there being a redemption story line for Kylo Ren. That may remain in the cards, and if it is done well (and that would take a lot of work, in my opinion), I may actually enjoy it, but one of the shining lights for me in these first two films of the trilogy is that Kylo Ren has continued to be a villain. He’s conflicted, to be sure, and he has the same whiner issues that Luke had early on (which I’m fine with), but he has continued to lean towards the dark side, and I like that. I want a proper villain. I don’t want to see Kylo Ren saved, and I certainly don’t want Rey to be in a romantic relationship with him. After what has happened in these two films, that is a turn I would have a hard time buying.
While we are on the subject, I thought the growth of Kylo Ren was interesting in this movie. I enjoyed seeing his growing obsession with obliterating Luke Skywalker from the universe and thought his reckless, emotion-driven responses were perfect in keeping with the character we met in TFA. I was so-so about the character and about Adam Driver in TFA, but I applaud his performance in The Last Jedi.
Rey was great, as I expected her to be. I liked the way that isolating her with Luke allowed for character growth in a similar, and yet not copycat, way that was accomplished with Luke and Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. I didn’t have any trouble buying her rapid growth in using the Force in TFA, nor do I have any trouble with her progression in this film. I’ll get into that more in a bit. I enjoyed watching the way Rey’s character was explored in her interactions with Luke, in her Force-interactions with Kylo Ren, and in her own thoughts and inner reflection. Daisy Ridley brought to life a very interesting character in The Force Awakens, and she brought more proof to what a great casting choice she was in her acting in The Last Jedi.
I mentioned the Force earlier. In the few extended universe novels I have read over the years, prior to the release of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, the Force was a much stronger and more diversely used energy than what we saw in any of the original trilogy, or even the prequel films, for that matter. Armed with that knowledge, having characters in TFA, and now in TLJ, be so strong in the Force so early on did not seem at all out of place. Yes, it can be argued that this is not the Force we saw as it was set up in the original trilogy films. But that was a story about largely one person, Luke Skywalker, and to a lesser extent Darth Vader. I actually enjoy that the writers have expanded out knowledge of what the Force is, who can wield it, and what great potential it actually has, whether for good or evil. Given that the films tell a story that covers a brief period of time, and that the actors aren’t aging tremendously between shooting schedules, it only makes sense to me that there has to be some story element that explains an accelerated mastery of the Force. I liked it. No complaints here.
Before I continue with a few more likes, and then wrap this thing up, here are my two complaints…or really just one complaint involving two characters: I was disappointed that the characters of Chewbacca and Captain Phasma were so underutilized. I thought the porgs were cute and fun and I think Rian Johnson did an admirable job in not crossing the line from humor to annoyance with these or any of the other comic-relief characters. However, I wish Chewie had more to do than simply be the set-up character for porg humor (and their resulting merchandise sales). I understand, it is hard to have so many cast members and to give them proper time, and Chewbacca has always been a side character with no discernible dialogue. But I would be so impressed with the writers rising up to the challenge of making this beloved character have a more integral role in these films.
My complaint is similar for the character of Captain Phasma. She was little more than comic relief in the first film, and while it was nice to see her and Finn battle in this one, her quick death scene (or is she not dead this time…again) made me wonder just why the Lucasfilm/Disney gang ever chose to put her in the film in the first place, let alone cast a real actor in the role. I feel so sorry for Gwendoline Christie. She gets a really cool set of storm trooper armor, and doesn’t get to do much than stand around for a bit and then fall into some void.
My other complaint: I loved Canto Bright as a location, and I like that we get to explore some gray areas in the Star Wars universe. It makes perfect sense that there would be places all over the universe where people were playing both sides of the conflict. I thought it was an interesting place to visit and I was surprised to read how many extras they used in those scenes (600). What I wasn’t as impressed with, though it was just a brief moment, is the reference to the 99% and the 1 percenters. I understand that films often explore the cultural issues of the times in which they are made. But try to be a little more subtle, please. In scenes where they are trying to explore complex gray areas, to introduce a very black and white take on the socioeconomic issues of our time, seems counterproductive.
As I strive to wrap this up, let me take a few moments to talk about Luke and Leia. I loved, truly loved, the way in which The Last Jedi allowed Mark Hamill to demonstrate his acting chops. The role of Luke Skywalker was so much more complex than in the previous films all wrapped up together and I was so happy for him and for the character to see him given so much screen time, and so many interesting things to do with that time. I had no idea what direction they were going to take Luke Skywalker in this film and I was riveted to my seat every time he was on screen. I didn’t mind him “dying” in this film, or the way in which it happened. His ending battle scene with Kylo Ren and the troops of the First Order was fantastic and I loved his lines during these final moments. I suspect we will see and hear more from force ghost Luke Skywalker in future films. I hope that is the case and really look forward to it.
Perhaps my greatest surprised in The Last Jedi was how much had already been filmed with Carrie Fisher, and how that allowed Leia, like Luke, to be much more complex and meaningful character than the films had allowed her to be previously. Every time she was on screen I was happy with her role and what the writers were doing with her. I was also pleased with her performance. While somewhat cheesy, her early death scene and how she ended up back in the ship didn’t bother me. Again, I have long had a more broad view of what the Force can be used for. While I would have chosen that scene to play out much differently, I was okay with it. What surprised me most was that we did not seen her character actually die in this film. I’ve read about the plans for Leia in the next film (I won’t spoil that here…and a lot can happen between today’s ideas and the actual completion of the film) and I am certainly okay on some level with them not killing her off, and yet I’m conflicted about it. They did a nice job with the closing moments between Leia and Luke, and it was a nice emotional moment for the fans, but at the same time I almost feel like I’ve had no closure with the character and the fact that Carrie Fisher is no longer with us to be able to continue on with Leia’s legacy.
Closing random thoughts: loved seeing Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, have a bigger role in this film. Loved that the crew of this film used more of the old-school ways of making films, with large sets and huge casts of extras, rather than solely relying on green screen and CGI. There is a lot of CGI in this film, to be sure, and it was as amazing as I expected it to be, but building it upon the solid foundation of actual locations and sets makes it a much better textured final product. Very impressed. I thought it was great to see the Millennium Falcon back in action again, and Kylo Ren’s line about the ship near the end of the film made me laugh in pleasure. That ship always brings out the kid in me. And Yoda! How could I forget Yoda? That was such an unexpected surprise and I loved him. He was funny and enigmatic and really opened things up for this expanded idea of what the Force is and who can access it.
Overall I really enjoyed the film and plan on seeing it again here very soon. I hope to enjoy it even more the second time, without the nervous anticipation of it being good or bad. It ranks high on my list of the films that are currently in the Star Wars series, and I really look forward to seeing what Rian Johnson does with the trilogy they have given him.
Now it is your turn. What did you think? All thoughts welcome. And feel free to be very open with your comments. I gave everyone a warning about spoilers, after all.
Let me see if I can structure my thoughts on why I didn’t like the movie, (and even disagree with some points you made if that’s ok):
The bombers-they were slow, bulky, unnecessary targets. If Y-Wings could pack an ion bunch to disable a Star Destroyer (like in Rogue One), then surely the bombs could have been on faster fighters who actually had a chance of reaching their target! Visually, it was stunning, but after my eyes were done, my mind rebelled (pardon the term-hehe!)
I am not getting into the male-female dynamic. I just thought Laura Dern’s character (no matter what sex the actor who played it was) was stupid! If she explained her plan, then the who Rose/Finn quest wouldn’t have happened as it wasn’t needed! I understand that generals don’t always explain things in real life, but still, I found her unnecessarily abrasive and unforthcoming
I do agree about not wanting romantic subplots, especially with Rey and Kylo. I find him annoying, yet he DOES have a family background of whining (“It’s all Obi-Wan’s fault! He’s holding me back!” “But I was going to Tosche station for power converters!”) I just don’t want Darth Whine in control. Snoke was the best character they put in the sequels I think, and they killed him off without a by-your-leave, or even a background (I was hoping he would be Darth Plageius instead of some random AWESOME force user the Emperor somehow missed (as he HAS to be over 50, and so an adult when the Emperor was in power)
I agree with references in this movie. Star Wars is “a long time ago in a galaxy far away”, and barring such things as Imperial sideburns in A New Hope, the previous 6 episodes have been timeless. Now, this movie SCREAMED 2017 to me and was so jarring!
Ok, I HATED what they did to Luke! In my opinion, they butchered the character! His dying aside (which I didn’t like), he wasn’t in character-Han was Han. Optimist farm boy Luke wasn’t. I know bad things happened, but for one thing, I think he would try to fix them rather than run away. Also, this is the man who tried to save his dad despite Yoda and Obi-Wan’s advice, yet he was going to kill Kylo (albeit, he felt bad afterwards)! That seems sloppy writing to me.
Another thing, the fact that the First Order is SO strong, and the Resistance is now down to 50 people and a few ships to me REALLY made the Rebellion against the Empire (ya know, episodes 4-6!) completely MEANINGLESS! That bothers me to no end!
I feel that when Yoda burned the sacred Jedi texts, they should have shown the fine “Legends” books on fire, (Like Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, the New Jedi Order series, etc). That would have at least been more honest! Ugh, ok, I’m venting, but I knew from the get-go that the replacement for that fine writing would disappoint me, and it did.
They ripped Star Wars apart for me. Not just the Rebellion, but the Jedi are now portrayed as hypocrites without a clue and it is good they ended. HUH! I can’t understand how anyone can like this (but of course, everyone can have their opinion)
No, it is absolutely NOT okay for you to disagree with my points. LOL, just kidding.
Your thoughts and the thoughts of others are not ones I can necessarily disagree with on anything other than pure opinion. I don’t disagree with the idea that if the Vice Admiral would have just shared her secret then lots of lives could have been saved. I can see why they did what they did, it served the story they wanted to tell. My issue with that complaint is that the same complaint could be made for almost all the Star Wars movies, most sci-fi movies, and many movies in general. Plot holes are a huge issue in films, especially science fiction films. I’m not giving The Last Jedi a pass so much as that I truly go into these films looking to be entertained and not looking for plot issues. Sometimes I see them, and sometimes they bug me like these did for you and others. This just wasn’t one of those times.
Let me state right here that I would have been perfectly happy had they never made any other Star Wars films…or if they has simply stuck to making films like Rogue One, which fit right into the same time line. It would have been fantastic to see film after film exploring other characters that existed at the same time the events of the first trilogy happened. Since they chose not to do so, then of course they decided to make a new “empire” and turn the Rebellion, which in the original trilogy left you with the idea that they would succeed and “all would be right with the world”, has now drifted back into being a “resistance”. Do I love that? No, but it serves the story they are trying to tell, so I made peace with that idea long ago and just take it for what it is.
I didn’t care about Snoke dying because he wasn’t an interesting character to me. We had no real background on the Emperor in the original trilogy and he was just fine as a villain. Snoke was a necessary evil (pun intended) because they chose not to just have Kylo Ren be a bad guy all on his own. I wish they had just done that (we might have been able to skip some of the whining, lol), but I’m okay with Snoke being gone. It is just too many characters to tell in a 3 volume story. If they were willing to stretch it out, or make the much rumored for years television series, then having a character llike Snoke and exploring him would have been great.
I agree with you in that he was certainly wasted, but I didn’t really care for him. Like the Emperor he was always a background character to me and just got in the way of Kylo’s story.
Sadly I think we are stuck with movies being set firmly in our time period for a while, regardless of when the films are actually supposed to be set. I didn’t read as much of that into these films as others did. I certainly don’t think including a diverse cast of characters has to be a PC thing. It is in some stories, to be sure, but I felt like it was just normal here. I didn’t feel like I was being beaten over the head with a “hey, we are diverse” message. For those who love that about this film, I am certainly happy for them, but for those who didn’t like it for some reason, I just personally didn’t feel that it was done with the level of forced planning that others seem to think it was.
Just to be clear, I wouldn’t mind romance happening in this trilogy. Han and Leia was one of my first couples that I loved as a kid, and I would be happy to have that happen here…with certain characters, but not with others. But I’m also fine with them just being friends. I like it when writers can acknowledge with their stories that relationships can be powerful and deep and resonate without it being all about romance/sex/love triangles, etc.
There are a lot of problems with the film, as there were with TFA. But those problems, or similar ones, exist with so many movies and I just want to be entertained, and not feel like I was either preached to or had my memories trashed. I don’t feel the new direction with the characters did that, but can certainly step into your shoes and understand why you would feel that way. It makes sense, it just wasn’t my experience.
And thanks for sharing your thoughts and feel free to share more.
I had no problems with the racial diversity of the characters-that’s not what I meant about it screaming 2017. I meant the attitudes, even the expressions. The expanded universe (I refuse to call them Legends unless I do so with ironic quotes) had the characters use sci-fi expressions (Caf for coffee, refresher for bathroom, and they had their own expletives.)
Actually, I also want to say that there was no need for a First Order or a New Order. The EU used the Yuzhen Vong as the villians-a completely new race, not some tired Empire rehash. If they wanted to use the First Order, then THEY should have been the Resistance. Think of Neo-Nazis in the 70s (30 years after WWII) They had no power like the Nazis did in the 30s and 40s (with most of Europe in their sway) It makes sense for them to be some kind of terrorist cell trying to relive the “glory days of the Empire”, not to still be such a force (pardon the pun) in the galaxy with a little Resistance fighting them. There should be several Mon Cal cruisers in every system by now (as there was 30 years after the original trilogy in the EU timeline) Does that make sense? I just feel that it makes the original trilogy’s struggle meaningless. That’s why I could never get into the Clone Wars cartoon. Knowing that it was all a lie and a setup by Sidious and Dooku to gain power made it meaningless. So why invest the time getting into it? Maybe that’s just the way I think, but that’s how I truly feel
I am not going to get into the rest of my gripes because I know you’ve heard them before (Rey being so powerful, even before she was trained.) So, I will stick to my unique ideas that I haven’t seen splashed on every review of a person that didn’t like the movie. *(Granted, some may share the views I’ve expressed, but the others (like my view of Rey) has been said ad nauseum by so many that I feel that that has already been adequately stated)
The First Order is a lame concept. I didn’t like them in the TFA. Too much like Nazi’s, and I thought Hux was too whiny. We already had a whiny Kylo. But since they were already in existence because of TFA, they didn’t really bother me in this one. And Hux was a little better in this one. I wish he was a better realized character, because Gleeson is one fine actor.
I was really disappointed when Lucas revealed in the prequel trilogies that the “clones” of what would become “the clone wars” were actually clones of just one person. When I heard that phrase as a kid when I first saw Star Wars, I had this vision of it being a war where clones of the actual people existed and the war was fought between those who were real and their clones. It was a much more vivid idea I imagined as a kid, not just a bunch of Jango Fett clones running around. That was a true bummer.
I’ve long given up the idea that Star Wars, or sadly most science fiction films, would be based on novels by actual authors. I think the stories are often much more weak by comparison to those where there is a story that already exists and a talented writer comes along and can adapt it in a way that fits within the film medium. Either that or actually hiring talented, published science fiction writers to collaborate on films. I know it happens sometimes, and it doesn’t always mean the film will be good, but I still wish that was the go-to method for making science fiction films.
And let me also say, while I didn’t feel the way you did about Luke, I do feel similar feelings about Han in TFA. I hated what the writers did with having Han and Leia separated from one another because of what had happened with their son. I thought that was weak writing and felt like it sullied the relationship that the characters built in the original trilogy. I understand tragedy often can drive couples apart, but I felt like it was a lack of courage and a cop out to have them going through these issues, off screen, especially given that not long into their sort-of reunion Han gets killed. So I can relate.
I actually think that that idea of the clones being of one person explains a few things in the original trilogy. First, Leia’s line “aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?” seemed absurd since for all she knew this trooper was coming to torture her again. But knowing that they are all a certain height, would truly show how valid that inquiry was. Also, the fact that they age twice as fast explains why Obi-Wan (who last saw troops in the clone wars said) “…and these blast points. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise” especially after seeing later that they couldn’t hit a blanket with a carpet beater. Ok, but now they are 60-something year old men! See what I mean?
But by that time the stormtroopers were not clones
Great review, Carl! I can’t wait to see it again.
Thanks, we will soon.
Great review Carl!
I don’t have the time or energy to respond equally, but I have a few likes and hates to share.
I actually liked the burning of the tree and the Jedi books. If you go back to episodes 1-3 and watch them and take on a more skeptical view of the Jedi as an organization and group, they do kind of deserve some humbling. I think Yoda recognizes that more than anything. Yoda has just helped Luke realize it as well. The Jedi are not the guardians of the force. They don’t control who gets to use it and who doesn’t.
Everybody gets the force! You get the force! You get the force! You get the force!
Oprah invades the Star Wars universe!
Okay, anyway.
I thought the milking of the alien was disgusting. There was no point. I hated the back story on how Luke and Kylo went separate ways. Kylo says Luke tried to kill him. Luke says he thought about it and then changed his mind at the last minute. I’m not a writer, but I just find it dumb. A much more believable version would be that Luke was moving him along too slowly and Kylo got jealous of other students and joined Snoke.
I loved the way Snoke made fun of Kylo for dressing and acting like Vader. I’m glad Kylo cut him in half and I loved the way it happened. I’m glad he stayed evil. I knew he would because then there is no point to a 3rd episode.
I don’t have a problem with the rebellion being small and almost gone. The empire was enormous and there is always someone else ready to pick up the pieces and move forward with those kinds of resources.
I’m glad that there is no big reveal on who Rey’s parents were. More proof that the Jedi don’t have a monopoly on the Force.
I loved it when Finn said, “They hate that ship.” Such a great reminder that the Falcon is the greatest star ship ever!
The writers will have their hands full in the next episode. It could really end up being bad. What will they do with Leia? Finn’s character doesn’t have a strong connection to a common enemy. Who is Rey going to fall in love with? The options are not good. I say she just stays single, Luke did, eventually lol. I guess another battle between Rey and Kylo could be good. There is no recreating RotJ so it’s gonna be tough.
Overall, I absolutely loved this film. My complaints are completely minor. I can’t wait to get back there in the next week or two.
“Everybody gets the force! You get the force! You get the force! You get the force! Oprah invades the Star Wars universe!”
LOL!
Yes, the milking was gross. But funny. Didn’t bother me. Life is filled with stupid, gross things, why should Luke’s be any different? 🙂
I too think the writers have their hands full, and I’m not excited about J.J. returning to the director chair. I like his work, but I felt he did too much fan service in TFA and I am afraid he might undo what Johnson did with this one. And I’m not sure how they are going to wrap this all up in one film. But it will be fun to find out, I guess.
I’m with you on the force. If Lucas had left the Jedi being who they were in the original trilogy, I might not like this idea as much, but with the way he portrayed the Jedi in the prequel trilogy, as out of touch and holier than thou, this ended up being a good direction to take them in.
Great review!
My quick observations:
Enjoyed:
Dogfights (agree whole heartedly with you about the bombers)
Seeing Yoda
The relationship/dialogue between Rey and Kylo
DJ (Benecio Del Toro)
The fact that Poe’s plan failed. Too many of the SW universe plans are predictively successful. I found the failure refreshing and promising in that it added an element of suspense for upcoming adventures. In a world where every plan laid out by the good guys is successful, things tend to get a little too sickie sweet.
Snoke’s death. The write’s set it up well. I was expecting that his character would follow the standard SW character arc of a long backstory with a storyline that would at best crowd the trilogy’s character set and at worst make Ren a meaningless puppet.
The cinematography of the island
Just about everything else about the film
Loved:
The scenes of Rey and Kylo joining forces (pun intended) to a common end in Snokes chamber
Vice Admiral Holdo’s sacrificial jump to light speed through the star destroyer (absolutely loved the 10 seconds of silence)
I believe these two events will stand the test of time and prove to be iconic SW scenes.
Disappointed:
Captain Phasma is gone. Would have liked to have seen more of the rivalry between her and Finn.
Carrie Fisher was given the task of being blown into space and then forcing her way back onto the ship. She deserved better.
Poe was turned into a Top Gun stereotype.
Suspect:
Ren is lying about Rey’s parents.
We will see more of ghost Luke.
We will see more of DJ.
Only two real complaints:
1) Alien walrus milking? Really?
2) The first thing that I look for in a new SW film is the traditional “I have a bad feeling about this.” The phrase has been included in every SW film leading up to TLJ. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S74rvpc6W60) So I was disappointed that I missed it the first time through. But upon my second viewing my disappointment turned to disillusion when I had to come to grips with the fact that the powers that be failed to include it in the film at all!
Or so I thought. After doing a little research, I came across an article in which Rian Johnson revealed that the phrase was actually included.
From the article: “The droid BB-8 delivers the line early on in the film during the battle against the First Order. BB-8 says the line to Poe (Oscar Isaac), who replies, ‘Hey, happy beeps here, buddy, c’mon.'” (http://www.justjared.com/2017/12/18/last-jedi-director-reveals-i-have-a-bad-feeling-about-this-line-is-indeed-in-the-movie/)
No, c’mon, Rian, that was cheap. I at least wish he had gone with his original idea. The article continues, “I think originally I had Poe respond, ‘Oh, I got a good feeling about it. Keep your chin up.’ And then I made it a little less explicit just to make it more fun.”
The only point that I might disagree with you on is the fate of Kylo Ren. I think we will see his redemption. His character arc is much like his idol Darth Vader with Rey playing the part of Vader’s Luke seeing the good in him. I believe the writers were preparing us for that when he chose not to fire on his mother when he had the chance.
That island, Skellig Michael, is one gorgeous place. I’ve watched some Youtube videos with people doing hikes up there and it is just lovely.
I hadn’t thought about the plan failing idea, but I agree with you. It is more realistic to see ideas not come to successful fruition, and for there to be death in a war that could possibly have been avoided with better, or at least different, decision making.
As much as I don’t want to see Kylo and Ren team up in any way, I must say that part of the movie had a really strong emotional impact on me when it happened. I thought it was one of the best moments in the film. Very well done.
And I don’t disagree that Kylo might end up being redeemed. If I was a betting man, I’d bet on that happening. I just don’t want to see it happen, personally. That, in my opinion, makes this whole trilogy just a rehashing of the original trilogy. And if they are trying to take it in new directions, having him turn in the third film does not really work, in my opinion.
I too think the thing about Rey’s parents is a lie. Not that it has to be, as they’ve now set up this idea that even the “common man” can wield the Force, but they made such a point of her parentage in the first film that I think they have to have some sort of payoff there. And since we saw other examples of Kylo Ren’s lying in this one, I have to believe that was a lie as well, meant to serve his own ends.
I have a hard time believing they won’t bring Captain Phasma back for the next film, and at the same time, when/if they do, it is going to be so ridiculous, isn’t it? Such a wasted character.
Agreed on all points. If I was going to take the time to reply to Carl’s great review, this is what I’d say. So I’ll just borrow your comment and then add:
Okay, so coming out of the theatre, I had the same discussion with my daughter regarding the possible redemption of Kylo Ren and I was all for it. I felt like we needed a proper redemption arc here, somewhere. I mean, yeah, you could say that Vader was redeemed at the end, but it was at the very end and too late to change a lot of things.
I was really interested in Kylo’s offer of a new regime. My husband argues that it’d be totally evil because anyone ruling, even side by side, is EMPIRE and dark side and that’s that. But I got the feeling Kylo was looking for something in between, for maybe something that was too gray for the Star Wars universe, but for something that was neither empire or republic and I’d really love to see that idea pushed harder. Then again, if they did, the third movie wouldn’t necessarily fit into this story, or this universe, and I’m a big believer in continuation of theme. I do think they should make Star Wars movies that feel like Star Wars movies, above all else.
So, to contemplate not redeeming Kylo… I dunno. I think Carl puts it really well in that it’d need to be a fantastic story, a really good arc and they’ve only got one movie to do it in, unless they build off of stuff we haven’t seen or missed. The hero worshipper living inside me wants to see him redeemed, but I also think that it could work to see him go the other way. For him to become that true villain, to pick his own path and not the one that’s cast for him by the mythos of this long story, you know?
It is a shame the write themselves into these story arcs (or at least I am assuming they are doing so) where the characters have to have a storied tied up in three acts. But perhaps they are playing the longer game and will do more with these characters in the next trilogy that Johnson is helming. In that case, allowing there to be some growth and time with the character of Kylo Ren, I would be more on board with his redemption.
Just an observation: Rey took the Jedi Volumes and hid them in the Millennium Falcon.
before Yoda burned the library.
“That library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess,” – Yoda
I could see that.
Actually, it’s in the movie. When Rey goes into the Millennium Falcon she slides them into a drawer. And then we see them again at the end when Finn gets a blanket for Rose. I missed it the first time but saw the second.
I’ll look for it when I see it again here soon.
Happy Christmas Carl, and lets hope you have a great 2018.
I posted my own thoughts about TLJ on my blog, basically I enjoyed it, but felt it was a good not a great film. Not a patch on TFA or Rogue One, so I was a bit disappointed. But I think I need to rewatch it, because although there are a lot of problems with it I think there are a lot of good things too.
Although I totally agree with you on Phasma, she deserved much much more than she got.
Same to you, Fence. Rogue One is in a class nearly all its own, in my opinion. Such an amazing film. I liked this one better than TFA, but that is just a personal preference.
Happy to see you again here! Great review!
Weeks after seeing the movie, my husband and I are now able to properly look back and think about the movie without the fan!haze. I loved every scene with General Leia, and I loved her and Luke’s meeting before his face-off with Kylo Ren. My husband is a huge fan of the SW expanded universe and grew up reading various SW novels, and he found himself disliking plenty of things about the film, but also liking a couple.
I can definitely see how anyone who invested time in the expanded universe would be annoyed by these new films. Other than the first TImothy Zahn trilogy (which I’m not sure I actually ever finished), I’ve not read any of the expanded universe SW books. I read some Rogue Squadron in the comics way back when. I would imagine your husband feels, legitimately so, that with so much literature written by talented authors, there is no reason that couldn’t have been mined for stories for these films.
What Disney should have done is what Star Trek did. They make books from the “Prime” universe, and “alternate” timeline. Disney just threw away the book universe which is what makes me mad. I still wouldn’t have read the new timeline, but wouldn’t be as incensed at it
Yes, but that would have been harder to do with Star Wars. The easy thing about Trek is there has always been the idea of parallel universes, time travel, etc., which made rebooting the series in the films and carrying that over into the books quite simple. It would be hard to introduce that concept into Star Wars at this point as that hasn’t been a part of the films.
Went and saw the movie again yesterday with some friends who hadn’t seen it, this time in IMAX non-3d. Looked very good without the 3d.
Enjoyed it even more the second time, being able to watch it knowing all that was going on. John, I noticed the Jedi texts this time around.
Watching it a second time, I appreciated the acting much more, particularly Adam Driver and Mark Hamill. I’m looking forward to eventually getting it on blu ray to watch the extras, but also to pause all the Canto Bright scenes in the casino to be able to get a better look at all the creatures.
I went again today with some friends who hasn’t seen it and am delighted to say that I enjoyed it a lot more second time round. This is what I posted on my blog i reply to you, just in case you don’t spot it : ”
I’m delighted to report that I went again today and enjoyed it much more second time around. It won’t rank as one of my favourite Star Wars films, and I still don’t like the way Hux was made to look so stupid as I don’t think it makes your baddies scary and threatening, but I certainly wasn’t as annoyed by parts of it, and had a lot more fun.
So relieved! 🙂
I agree that Rey’s parentage could still go either way, although I would prefer if she came from nowhere, but either could work.
I did love Luke’s journey, even first time around, and I got to appreciate it more this time. I also spotted that Rey took the Jedi books which I hadn’t noticed on my first watch. So Yoda was telling the truth when he told Luke that she had everything she needed 🙂
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I noticed the books this time when I went also. Those Jedi Masters and their “from a certain point of view” truths!
I’m glad you enjoyed it more the second time around. Yes, I wish Hux was more of a competent leader rather than a fool, as much for the fact that I would like to see the actor have a better role, as for the story.