The Last Jedi Review (Spoilers)

As with The Force Awakens, I watched The Last Jedi twice to take it all in and decide whether the movie really worked for me or not and where it ranks among the Star Wars films.

My thoughts about The Last Jedi are beyond the break -- there are spoilers, so don't read past the break if you haven't seen the film yet.



I don't consider The Last Jedi to be the best Star Wars films ever as some have described it, but I don't think it's a bad film either as some believe -- I find it to be a great film, ranked third among the "episodes" in the franchise (that is, excluding Rogue One). I did find a few weaknesses with the film but it was a great way to continue what has been special about the Star Wars franchise while taking it into a new direction.

I see nothing wrong at all with Rey's origins being nothing special in particular, but that she just happens to be strong with the Force. It gets across the idea that anyone can be strong with the Force and it's not required that you have it running in the family or some reasoning based on Jedi or Sith lore. Rey is more relatable in this sense because it gets across the idea that one doesn't have to have a great family heritage or be part of some exclusive circle to be special at something. I think of it like a person who has a special athletic talent or creative trait -- you don't get them solely because it runs in the family or you are part of a special club. You just happen to have that trait and you need to figure out how to utilize it.

I had no issues with the portrayal of Luke Skywalker, either. Luke has always been the type who has become eager to learn the ways of the Force, almost to a fault, leading to him becoming impatient and reckless at times. That he would try to teach a new set of students in the ways of the Jedi, only to fail with one person in particular, and then question whether or not the Jedi should continue, only plays into the idea that Luke has been an imperfect individual despite his best intentions. But in the end, he is reminded he should focus on not the failures of himself or those before him, but how those to come could succeed. He's inspired to back the Resistance and give those who remain a new sense of purpose.

I liked the character arc for Finn, who is established in Force Awakens as somebody who is simply trying to escape the First Order, who moves to somebody who wants to protect those he is close to, to somebody who then believes that the only way to do so is to get away from the First Order and Resistance, to embracing what his destiny really is and that's to back the Resistance and take down the First Order once and for all.

The character arc for Poe is good, too, as he is allowed to do more than just be the heroic pilot and now must go on his own journey, in that he learns that he doesn't have to be the guy who takes chances in hopes of delivering a big blow right away, to realizing that there is a time and place for it. While I didn't think everything was executed perfectly with his relationship with Hondo, it's clear enough that Hondo doesn't trust Poe right away and is making decisions simply because she believes it's the right thing to do.

And I didn't mind the direction they went with Kylo Ren. The idea is that Kylo is trying to emulate everything about his grandfather but is far from being what his grandfather was like. Darth Vader could be impulsive at times, but he was usually more calculating and picked his spots. Kylo knows what he wants but gets caught up in grudges and personal matters more than Vader ever did. It makes him a threat because he's unpredictable with his behavior, but flawed enough that he can be vulnerable when he realizes things won't go the way he expects.

As for him killing Snoke, it makes sense in that we're not going to repeat the Vader-Emperor relationship. Rather than have Vader wait until his son can be at his side so he can take down the Emperor once and for all, Kylo decides to take out Snoke the instant he realizes those who said Snoke was just using him were right along, so there's no point in waiting to take him down. It also shows that Snoke may have thought he was going to be just as powerful as the Emperor was, only for him to find out the hard way that he's not going to just repeat everything the Emperor once did.

Overall, the entire purpose of the film is to officially pass the torch on to the new characters introduced into the Star Wars lore. It was one thing to take a trip down memory lane and pay homage to previous films in The Force Awakens, but now the film needs to appeal more to current audience than simply playing to nostalgia. It sends a message that while the past does hold a purpose, you shouldn't linger in it and there comes a time to move forward.

I found a few issues with the film, namely with how little screen time Captain Phasma got and how Leia is able to use the Force to rescue herself from the cold vacuum of space, but otherwise, the overall themes and storyline arcs worked for me and I loved it. And it has me all that more intrigued for how things will conclude in Episode IX.