After destroying the Starkiller Base in the previous movie, you’d think the rebellion against the First Order would be flying high, right? Instead, as Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens, the rebels are on the run from a vengeful Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). Although they escape their doomed base into hyperspace, a new technology has allowed the First Order to track them. The resulting ambush leaves Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, in her last film role) badly injured. Po Dameron (Oscar Isaac) now take it upon himself to save the rebel fleet and comes into direct conflict of Leia’s successor, General Holdo (Laura Dern).
As Holdo deals with Po’s mutiny, Finn (John Boyega), BB-8, and grieving mechanic named Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) take off to find a master hacker who can break the First Order’s tracking tech. Meanwhile, on the other side of the universe, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo, who replaced the ailing Peter Mayhew) and R2-D2 are trying to coax Jedi-turned-hermit, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) back into the fray. Skywalker’s unconvinced, and in the solitude of his island home, Rey finds herself psychically connected to his nephew, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Ren reveals that the schism between he and his uncle is more complex than first thought, and Rey come to believe that Ren can still be spiritually salvaged.
Narratively, The Last Jedi is a mess. Although the movie begins with a bang, it meanders off into subplots that often lead nowhere — the one of Finn and Rose hoping to find the master hacker on a 1% casino world being the biggest and most unacceptable of these.
However, it also has moments that are inspiring. The scenes between a moping Luke and an eager Rey flesh out the true nature of the Force and refute the young woman’s belief that it’s only the Jedi who wield this power.
“What do you know about the Force?” Luke asks her.
“It’s a power that Jedi have that lets them control people and… make things float,” Rey responds.
“Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong,” quips Luke.
Luke’s point (and that of the film) is that the Force is not a possession of the Jedi, but of everyone. Everyone has to choose between the Light and the Dark, to sacrifice or collude or run away. Rey’s naive attempts to pull Kylo back from the darkness underscores this choice. The finale with Luke Skywalker facing off against the First Order’s war machine drives it home.
In terms of the larger Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi hands the torch (or lightsaber if you prefer) to the next generation, even if it does so in a uneven way. By the time the next film debuts, and due to Carrie Fisher’s untimely death, all of the principle actors from the first three films will be gone from this galaxy far, far away. As bittersweet as that it, it is the way of the universe. It is the way of the Force.
So is The Last Jedi worth the price of admission? Yes. I didn’t find it the brilliant Star Wars filmed as hailed by some other critics, but it’s good points certainly outnumber its shortcomings and you’ll find yourself highly entertained.
Go see it.
Narratively, The Last Jedi is a mess. Although the movie begins with a bang, it meanders off into subplots that often lead nowhere — the one of Finn and Rose hoping to find the master hacker on a 1% casino world being the biggest and most unacceptable of these.
However, it also has moments that are inspiring. The scenes between a moping Luke and an eager Rey flesh out the true nature of the Force and refute the young woman’s belief that it’s only the Jedi who wield this power.
“What do you know about the Force?” Luke asks her.
“It’s a power that Jedi have that lets them control people and… make things float,” Rey responds.
“Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong,” quips Luke.
Luke’s point (and that of the film) is that the Force is not a possession of the Jedi, but of everyone. Everyone has to choose between the Light and the Dark, to sacrifice or collude or run away. Rey’s naive attempts to pull Kylo back from the darkness underscores this choice. The finale with Luke Skywalker facing off against the First Order’s war machine drives it home.
In terms of the larger Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi hands the torch (or lightsaber if you prefer) to the next generation, even if it does so in a uneven way. By the time the next film debuts, and due to Carrie Fisher’s untimely death, all of the principle actors from the first three films will be gone from this galaxy far, far away. As bittersweet as that it, it is the way of the universe. It is the way of the Force.
So is The Last Jedi worth the price of admission? Yes. I didn’t find it the brilliant Star Wars filmed as hailed by some other critics, but it’s good points certainly outnumber its shortcomings and you’ll find yourself highly entertained.
Go see it.
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