Author Note: Spoilers to those that have not seen the movie and fair warning there will be ranting to a degree in here. So, want to skip that and the spoilers, PLEASE go to the section titled Overall Thoughts or you can read my first ever Spoiler Free version (https://piersls.wordpress.com/2017/12/30/somewhat-impressive-this-movie-is-spoiler-free-review-of-the-last-jedi/) It also lists the jokes that caught my attention and I rated them just based on how funny I thought it was. Won’t put the rating again because it’s already in my Spoiler Free version. This is just to cover mostly what parts of the movie were so-so, good, and just plain terrible, while I try my best to recall the movie itself by detail.
I had a talk with my best friend about how the far over passionate fans (ones that care too much) and the ones that care very little are types of fans that I don’t associate with and the issue is with how both sides ridiculous and that it doesn’t help much with constructive dialogue. I find myself more on the average knowledgeable group of Star Wars because of what I have been able to connect with the films and the games. However, looking back at episode 7, J.J Abrams did set up a certain foundation for the trilogy and after hearing the constant switching with directors prior to the film being started…I was curious about the direction at first but I couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling that it was going to be bad because Disney is being an arrogant company and there’s quite a bit of films that are actually failures regardless of monetary gain from the box office (The Lone Ranger, Tomorrowland to name a few). I can actually add Star Wars to the list now because of what Kathleen Kennedy did and the obvious glaring fact that is she doesn’t care about the franchise very much compared to the guy that started it all. If they did, a good chunk of the source material would and should be treated with respect. It was more of a miss than hit from my perspective and those that agree on it.
Here’s how I plan on summarizing the parts ranking from Good to So-so to Terrible. As I mentioned each section, I tried to explain why I think it is what I think it is while summarizing what happened in each scene. The parts that I am looking into are as follows:
Best parts of The Last Jedi:
Yoda appearing and trolling Luke while teaching him an important lesson
Luke and Leia moment at the climax of the film
BB-8
The reaction of the caretakers to Rey’s “training”
Luke being sarcastic to Rey during the first lesson
The Quick Chase Scene of the Falcon in the caves of Crait
Seeing a bit of Snoke’s abilities
The “conversations” between Rey and Kylo
Carrie Fisher’s Performance as Leia
Porgs
So-so Moments:
Snoke’s Explanation Behind What Happened Between Rey and Kylo
Chewbacca annoyed with the porgs interrupting him eating
Poe Trolling Hux before attacking
Hux Trolling Kylo a bit as the walkers bombard Luke’s Projection with laser fire
Rey Going to the ‘dark’ part of the island (cave with a crystal like mirror)
Fight with the Praetorian Guards
Humor was practically all over the place some good and some bad.
Porgs
Terrible Parts:
Canto Bight
Rose’s Explanation while She and Finn Look at the Track where the Fathiers (the “space horses” of Star Wars) are running as well as being whipped by some caretaker who also scolds the three children that are tending to them
DJ
One offs of certain characters (Admiral Ackbar, Phasma)
Admiral Holdo
Cameos
Delivery of main message of failure
Depowering Kylo Ren
Knights of Ren
First off, I apologize if the list isn’t in the correct order but I am trying to go with the way how things went in the film. As for some of the terrible parts that I know a good number of fans didn’t like, I can easily sum that up in one sentence. Most of the writing was terrible despite the defense that Rian Johnson gives it. I have listened to some podcasts that mention such interviews and I don’t fully buy into what he’s saying. I especially agree with Mr. Hamill when he had creative differences with how Luke was being portrayed despite whatever threat Disney issued being the arrogant company that it is.
To start, the opening scene with the First Order attacking the Resistance, it was a mixed bag because of how incompetent they were despite having an advantage over them. Poe trolling Hux was pretty good and BB-8 beeping the line ‘I have a bad feeling about this’ to which Leia agreed with the droid were some good parts (so-so).The bombing sequence of the Dreadnought was cringe worthy to me simply because of the way the events played out. As I mentioned in my spoiler free version of my review, the men looked stupid and incompetent and the First Order supposedly had the advantage and the fact that they didn’t press it just was dumb and a waste of screen time.
Finn waking up in the bacta tank (or what would be considered one) and then walking around the ship as he was with Poe finding him…I was like “Awkward”. This is what I mean when the humor is poorly executed and all over the place. With Disney it’s a hit and miss. Some of the Marvel films do it right (Thor: Ragnarok is a good example).
When we get to Ach-To, it wasn’t just me that spotted the obvious continuity error at the start (despite how minor it is). I’m referring to the distance between Rey and Luke, but the way how Luke just tossed aside his old lightsaber was to me a “You could have brought up your question earlier before tossing the lightsaber aside” moment.
I had already mentioned that the parts with the porgs was pretty cute but the part that made me think that they might accidentally have it move over the cliff because of pecking around with (the lightsaber) was a little goofy. If you noticed that I put the porgs on both the good and the so-so sections on my outline. The reason being is that they’re both cute and annoying as John Boyega pointed (the annoying part). Even though it was a bit of a money grab, I am willing to go with it.
When Rey struggled to explain to Luke why she was sent, who sent her, and Luke just clearly ignored her and said “What were you expecting hmm? That I would come back and face down the First Order suddenly all by myself?” (Something along those lines), it occurred to me that something about the writing just rubbed me the wrong way. I am not like the superfans nor am I like the ones who don’t know much about it.
Poe getting demoted just because of disobedience and being a hot head just to have him learn that he doesn’t have all the answers…to me the manner in how it was done was rushed. I didn’t even care much for the new characters as much. Admiral Holdo or Rose.
The whole chain of command and how it works may have made sense but the fact that it doesn’t add much to the story and the stupid chase through space was a waste of time. While Holdo may have her reasons for keeping the others in the dark, I found it stupid in terms of execution. She could have left Poe out of the loop or said something along the lines of ‘You’re asking the wrong person. The person you should be asking unfortunately is in a coma like state because of your actions so why don’t you just shut it and do as you’re told’. But again…there was quite a bit of things that were sloppy. This moment was one of them.
In my spoiler free version of the movie, I mentioned how I found the Force chat with Rey and Kylo interesting. While we get glimpses into why Kylo is such a conflicted individual, the performance of the actors again was not the problem. The difference in perspective was somewhat interesting but something there fell flat and I can’t put my finger on it.
Luke training Rey with regards to the way of the Jedi was…pretty good. I loved the sarcasm during the first lesson. However, when Rey reached further than expected and Luke was unable to break her concentration, I became curious with her statement after. How she didn’t see Luke. One of the things that I did like with Luke explaining about the Jedi was not only how it connected to the prequels and the original trilogy, but I realized how the Sith are not only left out with regards to how they are, the fact that Luke said that the Jedi and their hubris and arrogance brought their downfall made me mentally go “Thank you” because those who understand the lore of Star Wars (I understand a good amount), know that both the Sith and the Jedi are flawed in their teachings.
The reason why Canto Bight was such a waste of time is that not only are some characters out of character (looking at you Finn), but I couldn’t sympathize enough with Rose either. Sure she dislikes the rich that sell weapons of destruction to oppress others, but that’s it? The time taken to find the code breaker was boring to me. What would have been interesting to me and I am sure to others is if Rose would have been able to do it also. Plus it didn’t stand out to me. For the sake of trying to harken back to the prequels or the original trilogy by putting the place in…total failure to me.
BB-8 was pretty good (and the parts that the droid was in was pretty funny) but when DJ gets found by Finn and Rose, the character was just a plot device later on in the film. This was one of many parts that I hated and an issue in the film. Wasted talent and money for cameos and one offs that doesn’t add anything to the movie…I was really disappointed.
The scene in which Rey goes to the cave to find out about herself gave me a call back to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (which was a bit annoying). While it was supposed to mirror what Luke did on Dagobah, this just fell flat for me. I have listened to some podcasts about why it made sense for some people, well good for them but there’s quite a bit of things that could have been taken out of the movie and it might have been better without it. If it was supposed to say that she makes her own path and her parents identity are not important…the manner in delivering that message just didn’t make any sense.
Despite the Resistance trying to get away from Snoke’s ship and Finn and Rose having to sneak aboard to help out, the part where Kylo brings Rey to Snoke felt like Return of the Jedi and despite Kylo trying to have Rey join him and her trying to turn him back to the light, it was a mixed bag for me. Snoke was interesting but I still found some of the writing a bit bland. Kylo turning on Snoke made me think back to a prediction that I heard from one fan about Kylo likely doing such an action if he is trying to be a “smart Sith” although ignorant fans (I’m sure some would lop me in with that group which is stupid because they don’t know the difference) would point out that Snoke was so distracted in the moment that he didn’t notice Kylo using Luke’s lightsaber to cut him down is practically ridiculous. Here’s the reason why (and I’m sure others have reached the same conclusion with their theories on why Snoke is alive). He was able to Force probe minds, use a form of telekinesis (just like Kylo did in TFA), have the two connect in a certain manner, predict certain outcomes (just like he did in that sequence). If that isn’t a small demonstration of how powerful the guy is…then clearly those fans that are like WTF are you talking about, have missed the mark completely. Did I find the moment to be average prior to Snoke being cut down, yes. However, when Snoke said that Kylo was nothing more than a kid in a mask…I thought that was the best insult ever given to a villian from another villain. The fight between the Praetorian Guards was good visually but I felt that the forced pairing of Kylo and Rey was super obvious and I just found it odd.
I admit that the quote that Kylo gives about letting go of the past I am quite on the fence about for a simple reason. It makes sense to a degree, yet as was the case when he was attacking the ship that his mother was on (the Raddus [named after the Mon Calamari in Rogue One]), Kylo Ren hesitates to fire and yet one of the other TIE fighter pilots does it for him. He himself acts like he can but as Rey pointed out and as fans also noticed…there is still conflict in him.
When Admiral Holdo decided to stay behind to help the Resistance escape after Finn and Rose are betrayed by the First Order by ramming the ship through a quick burst of lightspeed, I wasn’t even upset with the character being gone. The fight between Phasma and Finn was OK but I like the reaction of both Finn and Rose when they get help from BB-8 piloting a section of an AT-ST (chicken walker). However, it was disappointing again, the fight…was definitely one sided but some characters were just half baked. This is the case with Phasma. Despite not having read the book regarding the character, I just can’t shake the feeling that fans easily get baited into terrible writing and plot when a character isn’t as believable.
By the time the Resistance gets to Crait, I am immediately reminded of Lord of the Rings again (Helm’s Deep) and the Empire Strikes Back. Despite having trouble getting a signal for help from whoever is left in the galaxy, I will admit that I did like the simple parts of Luke Skywalker projecting himself there and interacting with Leia. That moment when the two were together, I got a bit misty eyed I admit and also hearing Leia’s theme. What I really liked is when Leia says “I know he can’t be saved. He’s too far gone” to which her brother replies “No one is ever really gone”. The fight on Crait was…at best, sub-par. When the Millennium Falcon showed up and Kylo Ren gives the same insult that Luke did in episode IV, I could not hide my grin because despite the chase being short…I enjoyed it. I also felt that Rey was a better shot than Finn was. When C-3PO was acknowledging Luke…I loved how he simply turns his head to him and just winks. The dialogue between Luke and Ben I really liked a lot especially when Ben is so blinded by his rage and anger. Ben: “The Resistance is dead, the war is over, and when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi!” Luke: “Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong. The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi”. The dialogue during the fight was good even if the fight itself was average to me despite the visuals. “If you strike me down in anger, I will always be with you,” he tells Ben. I’m absolutely certain that fans can quickly recall the same thing Obi-Wan said to Vader in A New Hope. “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”. The last thing that Luke says to Kylo before disappearing got me grinning like an idiot because not only does it sound a bit Han Solo like but also more of the actor Mark Hamill than Luke because of Mark Hamill’s witty humor with that. “See you around kid”. 🙂
The sarcasm between Kylo and Hux as Luke gets bombarded with laser fire was a bit amusing when Hux asked “Did you get him?”. The fight between Kylo and Luke was…in my honest opinion…lacking a bit. When I saw Rose stopping Finn from sacrificing himself and then heard her reasoning for doing so…I was like…”OK…you made your point”. But I didn’t buy the chemistry between the two characters at all.
As the rest of the Resistance was trying to escape with the help of the Vulptex (the crystal foxes of Crait), I didn’t fully buy into the time Rey spent on Ach-To after leaving Luke frustrated and learning what happened with Kylo as convincing. I mean yeah, she’s a prodigy but the lack of development was definitely there. One would argue the same thing with Luke. I will get to the point of why I sort of like Rey now compared to disliking her a bit before in TFA.
Overall Thoughts:
This now brings me to some of my favorite parts of the film.
Yoda returning to meet with Luke was really good. The reaction that Luke had when he hesitates to destroy the tree and then Yoda does it through the Force by bringing lightning down to finish the job and seeing Yoda laughing while doing so made me think that he had a lesson to teach Luke and he did. Some would think that it almost felt out of character for Yoda to react as he did, but I didn’t find it odd at all. What I found interesting visually is that they seemingly went from CGI to hand puppet in a manner of minutes and I liked the way how the camera pans back a bit as you see Luke sitting next to Yoda as they watch the Force tree burning like two old friends that haven’t seen each other in a long time (which is what Yoda did say. “Ah Skywalker…missed you I have”).
Luke didn’t listen as well as he should have. What seemed clear besides the fact that Luke didn’t read the books is that one can only teach so much to a student and what they become after will answer if it was enough. Not just the victories…but the failures as well. Had it only been brought up once, I would have had no problems with it. I wasn’t as surprised to figure out that Yoda knew somehow that Rey had the books in her possession (the scene in which Finn goes to a section of the Falcon and spots the books in a drawer) because despite what Rey was able to learn, she would be able to do what Luke forgot to do before and likely share that knowledge with other Force sensitive individuals.
The late Carrie Fisher and her performance as Princess Leia. I had a mixed bag feeling about her performance, but I will say most of it was good. It was the scene of her using the Force in space that I didn’t find believable. If it was done prior to the ship getting hit…maybe. However, the way how her character was in the original trilogy is one of the things that I liked about her. She was headstrong, brave, and brilliant.
While Rey being a prodigy was a bit of a problem for me before, I will admit that it is going to take a long time for me to get used to the character especially now since J.J. Abrams has a lot of work ahead of him to fix. What was clear to me is that when it comes to prodigies by definition…it does make sense that they have a certain gift within them. With Rey…I still find it difficult to believe for the most part especially with the parent revelation a bit of a letdown. I did take it with a grain of salt but I was still hoping for something significant. However, some part of the exchange with Kylo and Rey was…sketchy at best because I didn’t fully believe what Kylo said compared to how Vader told Luke that he was his father.
Now that I got that out of the way, let me summarize the parts that I didn’t like a lot.
Main issues with the film: Writing style, lack of experience, and disregard to the source material.
Like I said earlier, the manner in how the film tried to get the main point out of failure was to me a total mess. Too many subplots or plot holes. Some characters I didn’t care about as much (DJ, Admiral Holdo) and others I really wished was more fleshed out (Phasma, Rose, Finn).
Some quotes were good and the good news was that I was able to retain it in my head at least and I just brought out a few of them.
The Knights of Ren were nowhere to be shown and it would have been interesting to learn more about them. Depowering Kylo Ren from TFA was definitely a major letdown and the fact that Johnson was trying to literally make the Force more inclusive makes me question why in bloody hell did it ever “Awaken” at all? I don’t care much about what other films Johnson might have made (didn’t even watch Looper despite how interesting the plot may seem). Since George Lucas said that it was beautifully done, some part of me doesn’t fully buy into some of the so-called articles regarding what he thought about the film on the Internet. It made me realize that the whole “don’t believe everything you read and hear” does ring true and I have tried to at least take some things with a grain of salt.
The whole comparison to the Empire Strikes Back as was mentioned in the Internet and on social media was not only a means for Johnson to say “F” you to everyone, but like I state earlier, I didn’t trust those in Disney as well as Kathleen Kennedy regardless of whatever excuses they hide behind. I know that not everyone can be satisfied but Johnson was a terrible choice in my honest opinion despite some of the film being good. The fact that quality was sacrificed just to go off the deep end with no regard to respecting source material and disregarding the previous works shows that Johnson lacks experience in my honest opinion. I know that I mentioned about how Ridley Scott considered the decisions made by Disney for doing the Star Wars films stupid and I forgot to put the link to one so here it is:
Ridley Scott Thinks Disney Should Hire More Experienced Directors For Star Wars
When it comes to quality of a product or a service, myself and everyone clearly knows this important point. The lack of experience clearly shows. This is especially the case with Rian Johnson and the complete disregard and arrogance by Disney. The fact that the way they handle “failure”, something that they tried to put in The Last Jedi is something that they handle in a dumb way.
Here are some of the quotes between Luke and Rey that I liked from the film and a few other quotes:
Luke: Where are you from Rey?
Rey: Nowhere.
Luke: Nobody’s from nowhere.
Rey: Jakku
Luke: Yeah, that’s pretty much nowhere
Luke: What do you know about the force?
Rey: It’s a power that Jedi have that lets them control people and… make things float.
Luke: Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong.
(R2-D2 beeps)
Luke: Hey! Sacred planet. Watch the language.
Finn: Let’s go Chrome Dome
Kylo: Blast that piece of garbage out of the sky! (referring to the Falcon)
Poe: She drew them off. Every single one of them.
Finn: Oh! They hate that ship.
I did watch an episode of The Graham Norton Show with regards to the Last Jedi and I agree with Gwendoline Christie about how the film was a love letter to the late Carrie Fisher (It’s too bad that I walked out after the credits and I should have stayed to see the tribute to her…ugh…can’t believe I did that). I liked how Mark Hamill explained on the show about the way the scene for him getting the lightsaber using the Force was done and they tried to replicate it on the show which was fun to see.
Despite Carrie Fisher being gone, she will still hold a place in everyone’s hearts. Once a Jedi…always a Jedi. She will always be everyone’s princess.
R.I.P. Carrie Fisher. The Force is with you…always.
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