New Release! Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - Spoiler-free first section

Spoiler-Free Section

Director: Rian Johnson

Boy, is this film a tough one to opine about in ten words or less. A very mixed bag, with very high highs and some head-shaking weaknesses.

The tale picks up not long after the events of The Force Awakens, with the rebel Resistance regrouping in an attempt to fend of the oncoming New Order. Rey found Luke Skywalker, with the desire for him to train her in the ways of the force. Finn is recovering from his harrowing fight with the powerful Kylo Ren, and Poe Dameron is back behind the stick of a starfighter, helping the Resistance defend itself against attack.

Without spoiling anything about the plot, I will only say that much of this story does not play out as you would probably expect. Certain standard plotlines of Star Wars movies and action/adventure tales in general are turned on their ears. Just when you think you will be able to anticipate what will happen and how, the story throws you for a loop. This is primarily what I really enjoy about the movie. With The Force Awakens, the only notable weakness was the movie's lack of originality in terms of plot and even character interaction. This aspect becomes The Last Jedi's one clear strength. Rian Johnson decided to offer us all a different type of Star Wars film, even more so than the impressive Rogue One from 2016. By the end of The Last Jedi, there really are several intriguing questions about where the story will go and how the primary characters' arcs will play out.

That said, the movie has some glaring weaknesses. A few of the plot lines seem a bit out of place, slowing down or speeding up the pace at inappropriate rhythms. And the dialogue is a letdown after Abrams' mostly sharp and entertaining writing on The Force Awakens. I found the dialogue here rather bland and unimaginative. This was surprising, given Johnson's strong writing on films like Looper and Brick. Maybe it was the fact that he was writing in a universe which he did not create, but I hope he does better on the trilogy which he's been pegged for.

This massive set-up from the end of the previous film almost
definitely will not go where you expect. And judging from
harsh viewer responses, not where they wanted it to go. 

When one looks at reviews for this movie, you'll see how critics seem to overwhelmingly like it, while fans are very love-or-hate towards it. The biggest bone of contention seems to be what the movie does with Luke Skywalker. While I understand certain die-hard fans' outrage at where his character goes, I mostly liked it. Again, it will likely not be what one expects, and even Mark Hamill himself has been very public about how he did not like what Johnson did with the iconic character. Still, I was satisfied with the risk that Johnson took, as I see it potentially taking this central story in the mythology into new places.

I'll be going out to catch the movie again soon, and I have no idea how I'll feel about it upon a second viewing. I may find that I like it even more, or I the warts may become even more glaring to me. This is definitely one of those movies for which it is difficult to predict what other viewers might feel about it. My general sense is that passionate Star Wars fans are more likely to be at least a little disappointed, while more casual fans will appreciate the more novel additions to the ever-growing universe that George Lucas created 40 years ago.


Spoiler-Laden Section - You've Been Warned!

When I consider the details of The Last Jedi, the bag becomes a mix of extremes, ranging from decisions which I really enjoyed to those which were puzzling at best and nonsensical at worst.

Most of the aspects which I like tended to be those which turned our expectations as fans on their ears. Although it seems to be the thing that has incurred the wrath of many hardcore Star Wars fans, I actually like the decision to have Luke as a tortured, crotchety old hermit. I have no doubt that legions of fans simply wanted Luke to be what Yoda was back in The Empire Strikes Back - a wise and sometimes humorous old mentor who would teach a young novitiate the ways of the Force. Instead, Rian Johnson decided to give us a story in which we see Luke who had already tried that, with Kylo Ren and others, and had it go horrifically wrong. Like several others, The Last Jedi goes deeper into darker places than any Star Wars film before. The pure cinema fan in me appreciates this added depth.

And it wasn't just with Luke that Johnson went deeper. By using the psychic bond between Rey and Kylo Ren, we get a developing relationship that offers a more personal view of the tortured Kylo and a Rey who is desperate for some purpose and guidance. What begins as a fairly predictable plotline of Kylo trying to turn Rey to the Dark Side becomes something unique and subtle for a Star Wars movie. And having one of the big "reveals" be that Rey's parents were nobody special whatsoever was a great turn. While Star Wars has almost always been a space opera, it would have felt way too pat to have her be yet another Skywalker or even a relative of Obi-Wan Kenobi or some other legendary Jedi.

And the unexpected plot turns were not limited to those. Poe Dameron's failed attempt to undermine his superiors' orders. Kylo's betrayal of Snoke. Many of these are quite effective, and the narrative risks separate Episode VIII from its predecessors.

Admiral Holdo, who looks and often comes off more like an
art therapy instructor than the hard-as-nails military leader
that she is explained to be.

Yet several worthy plot turns and focus points do not a masterpiece make. The film includes more than a few elements which felt wrong for one reason or another. Several of these were simply weak plot points. Why does Vice Admiral Holdo wait those extra, precious minutes for her suicide run at their First Order pursuers? Why doesn't Luke actually tell the Resistance fighters to flee while he buys them time with his duel with Kylo Ren? Why is Finn suddenly giddy as a schoolboy at the casino, when he's on an extremely urgent mission with the entire Resistance at stake? Why has Yoda waited so long to offer Luke some guidance, after the man has clearly suffered crippling guilt for years? These are just a few, but I felt like there was one of these types of illogical oversights about every fifteen or twenty minutes. None of them is fatal, and some can possibly be explained if you work hard at it, but most of them are hard for a critical movie-goer to ignore.

There are also some aesthetic oddities. While the deeper, darker, and more emotional scenes feature some solid dialogue, Rian Johnson does not seem at all at home with clever, light-hearted dialogue. What J.J. Abrams did extremely well in The Force Awakens, Johnson almost completely fumbles. The dialogue isn't "Episodes I through III" bad; rather, it's merely bland much of the time. And speaking of the original trilogy's sins, I felt that most of the Canto Bight casino segment of this movie bore many of George Lucas's mistakes from his prequels. Instead of the more desolate, "worn down universe" that has made Star Wars a unique fantasy adventure, we get overdone CGI to create a garish setting that looks far too much like a million other overly flashy, cheap science-fiction TV and movie tales. Oh, and why did Vice Admiral Holdo look and present like an art therapy teacher? This character is supposed to be tough as nails, and Laura Dern is better than that.

Despite the many little qualms I have, I still plan to go for a second viewing soon. I don't expect that my opinion will change much - that this is the boldest Star Wars film to date, but one whose strengths were dangerously close to being overwhelmed by its weaknesses.