Written by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Rating: [4.5/5]
Everyone goes to the movies for something different in what they hope to receive from the material. Some seek comfort, others want validation, and individuals like myself wish to see something that challenges and takes risks in recontextualizing what we see before us. Not everyone will like the third option, and some will even despise it but with the risk it takes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi proves to be not only the smartest but the best Star Wars movie ever crafted.
After finding Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on planet Ahch-To, Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to convince the reluctant Jedi to come and join the fight where he’s desperately needed. As they bicker, the last remnants of the Resistance get chased by the full power of the First Order as they try to survive and hope for a miracle to not all get obliterated.
For those who love and hate The Last Jedi, one thing everyone can agree on is that this feature is quite incredible in the decisions taken by the creative team and namely the writer/director Rian Johnson in the sheer gall. Through its narrative, it dares to be something different and whether or not one vibes with the directions it takes pretty much dictates the feelings held by those who view it. Where it takes this series of films goes so beyond what any of the other films try to accomplish on a conceptual level that it continues to astound with each new viewing.
The large statement this feature posits come from the belief Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) expresses in letting the past die and killing it if necessary. Something operating not only on a textual level in the film but also on a larger metatextual of the series as a whole. With the death of Han Solo in the previous movie, these films need to move on from the older characters and present something new and daring within a franchise too comfortable in playing it safe and remaining insular within a vast galaxy. As much as I love The Force Awakens, it plays it far too safe with its storytelling but becomes even better because of the diametric shift this film makes in comparison.
As a result, this feature seeks to upend the expectations audiences have for how this story would go right from the initial conversation between Rey and Luke where she hands him the famous lightsaber. The one used to take down Darth Vader and the Emperor, the one famed through decades of lore and obsession and Luke infamously takes it and just tosses it off a cliff. Sure, this feels like an attack on longtime fans of the franchise who live with this lore, but with time characters like Luke change making him much more dynamic. The majority of the audience would prefer Luke grab the lightsaber from Rey and immediately join the Resistance and kick all sorts of behind, but that would make for a far less interesting story than what we receive here. With Luke, we see a man broken with guilt and shame from his actions and acting like the cowards the Jedi have always been when the going gets tough and they fail.
This makes the subtitle of The Last Jedi so telling and why Luke, of all people, utters the phrase that perhaps the time has come for the Jedi to end. As much as these individuals serve as the heroes of this enormous story, they are without a doubt an incompetent bunch. The prequels, for all of their problems very much display this reality where they bumble through their boring council meetings while a Sith Lord completely takes over the government and turns it into a galactic Empire driving Yoda to go into his own isolation in shame. Luke realizes this and continually reckons about what place these Jedi actually hold in this world and perhaps it would be better to not meddle at all. In the original trilogy, Luke was nothing but a basic hero’s journey archetype but in this feature, he demonstrates all of the layers and makes him an infinitely more interesting character to follow. Also, it gives Mark Hamill the opportunity to give his definitive best performance through this character as well.
Beyond all of the philosophical elements of this feature on multiple levels, it creates some exceptional action set pieces. From the opening scene where Poe and his Resistance fighters take out a First Order dreadnought to the throne room battle and everything on Crait. Pure excellence across the board as we have these characters put in positions where they realize the consequences of their actions, namely with Poe. With this resistance, tempers certainly flair, and all of it gets accentuated by the pressure of the First Order breathing down their neck.
On a visual level, this feature creates some beautifully stark imagery to completely soak in thanks to Steve Yedlin’s work. Everything on Crait looks absolutely beautiful but in addition to the production and costume design these technical elements bring such richness to the landscapes these characters work through. The throne room alone as a combination of each technical element of this feature truly sums it up in presenting an action set piece with everything firing on all cylinders. It makes everything even more enjoyable and some of the finest this franchise has ever presented.
So much more can be written about this tremendous film. Ideas such as Kylor Ren continually proving his status as the most intriguing and layered character in all of Star Wars, but we’d be here all day. This feature dares to do something different and open up this world in ways this franchise has refused to do for decades. It tries to move away from the simple idea of each prominent character existing having some connection to either Luke, Leia, or Han. This feature moves beyond it all and presents an infinitely more fascinating story buoyed by impeccable direction from Rian Johnson and a struggle assisting in displaying what makes this universe quite special when pushed in ways to expand and challenge itself.
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