Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Dec 17, 2017 18:55:42 GMT -5
My review for The Last Jedi. It's been interesting though, with opinions being all over the place. On IMDB it's overwhelmingly negative, which is intriguing. Though I see this being kind of like Empire Strikes Back. When Empire was first released, reviews were also mixed. But what I think people are forgetting is that this is the middle part of the trilogy. We don't know the whole story yet and I'm very interested to see how 9 goes. Anyway, here it is.
"“This is not going to go the way you think!” Luke Skywalker was right to say those words. Star Wars The Last Jedi doesn’t go the way a lot fans might be expecting, and as a result fans have been underwhelmed or divided. It’s time to give my opinion on it. For those of you that read these, you won’t have to worry about me revealing anything major about the plot and characters. Though if you feel the need to go in as blind as possible, that’s up to you. Don’t read this review. My quick and brief opinion would be this: it takes a lot of unexpected turns, and I’m very happy it did. Overall, I’d say it’s better than The Force Awakens (which sounds like I’ll be in the minority). It’s not as much of a crowd pleaser as The Force Awakens was, which is what I wanted. Nor is it just Empire Strikes Back recycled. Now to get more in depth.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) is a science fiction space opera film directed by Rian Johnson and stars Daisey Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Andy Serkis. It begins soon after where The Force Awakens ended and tells the story of Rey wanting to learn more about the Force and how to control it, as well as showing the Resistance having to run from The First Order after the destruction of the New Republic planets in VII. Once again, the balance of power in the galaxy has shifted and the Resistance is outmanned and outgunned.
Rey training with an old secluded Jedi while her friends are on the run will remind some of Empire Strikes Back. As I said before, though, this isn’t a rehash of Empire. Using some terminology from George Lucas himself, there is some “rhyming” with other Star Wars films. In other words, there are some familiar story beats, but it’s done in a very different way.
One thing that this film did that I really liked is that it further separates this new trilogy from the original. As Kylo Ren says, “Let it all die. The Republic, the Jedi, the Sith. Let it all die. That’s the only way you can become what you were meant to be.” I feel like that line is also meant for us as the audience and for the filmmakers. Lucasfilm has a wonderful, giant universe to play with and they have new characters to do it with. It’s time to move on from the nostalgia and focus on the new elements. This film messes with your expectations. And this is where I’ll get into the characters a little, though vaguely as I promised.
For starters, I want to talk about the dynamic between Luke and Rey. Those scenes are by far the best character moments in the film. As what many can guess from the trailer, Luke is reluctant to teach Rey about the Force. Rey has a very strong connection with the Force, and Luke is afraid of repeating pass failures with someone so in tune with the Force. Luke is a very interesting character in this film, and for me the most interesting besides Kylo Ren (which I’ll get into). And for those of you that kept up on the news a little, you’ll remember a story where Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson weren’t on the same page with the direction Johnson wanted to go with Luke’s character. After seeing what they did, I can understand Hamill’s reservations; this isn’t the same Luke Skywalker that we last saw in Return of the Jedi. That being said, I loved the way Johnson messed with our expectations and was comfortable with the direction they took.
And again, the interactions between him and Rey were fantastic. Rey had something wake up inside her that she doesn’t understand, and there’s only one person alive that can teach her what it means and how to use it. It was cool to see Luke be a teacher, even if he’s reluctant. What was also very cool is that Rey meets Luke with expectations much like ours, the audience, and the reality is very different.
There are also a lot of interesting things that happen with Rey when she’s on the island. I won’t go into any specifics, but I will say there is some “rhyming” that calls back to Empire Strikes Back. There is one sequence where it’s just her that was very cool, and had a more “artsy” feel that we don’t see very often in Star Wars. It was an awesome sequence though. There are some other things that happen to that add to the mythos of the Force. They added an element of the Force I wasn’t expecting going in, and it’s going to divide some fans. I liked it, especially because it led to some… interactions that added to the drama of the story. There were some new abilities in Force Awakens, such as Kylo Ren making Rey go unconscious or freezing Poe and his blaster bolt, but The Last Jedi has some stuff that really makes the Force feel like the all-powerful, otherworldly thing that connects the galaxy.
One of the biggest reasons these interactions were so good though has to be credited to Mark Hamill’s acting. He was fantastic, and this is his best performance as Luke Skywalker. Hamill’s acting career after Return of the Jedi mostly consisted of voice acting, most famously as the Joker, so I was curious to see how he’d be returning to Star Wars. But much like Harrison Ford in Force Awakens, Hamill brings it with his performance and I feel like he enjoyed it. And it was awesome to see how he has matured as an actor. He also reminded me of Alec Guinness in A New Hope; through Hamill’s performance, you can tell he’s been through a lot of hard times and the weight of his failure is still present in his mind. I’ll go as far as to say he gave the best performance in the whole film.
The next character I want to talk about is Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. Not everyone was a fan of Ren in The Force Awakens, which I honestly don’t get. And after this film, I like his character even more. What people don’t seem to understand is that he isn’t Darth Vader. He’s not supposed to be. He’s a conflicted character that has mostly given himself up to the Dark Side, but there’s a small seed that makes him think about his actions. Snoke also isn’t afraid to call him out on some things related to the last film, which further adds to the conflict he’s feeling and what his next moves will be. And Adam Driver was also very good in his performance. I’m very excited to see where his character goes in the future, because with the events of this film there’s a lot of potential.
Then there are Fin and a new character named Rose. Fin suffered severe injuries in The Force Awakens, but after resting in a medical chamber (and probably getting a lot of bacta) he’s ready to get back in the action. He meets Rose in something of a chance meeting and are eventually sent on a mission that will help the Resistance. This is where probably my biggest negative of the film comes up. The dynamic between Fin and Rose are good, and I like some of the things they do together. But their mission involves a subplot that really slows the film down. It wasn’t terrible but the problem was that I’d be watching a scene with Luke and Rey, getting invested and wanting to hear the lessons Luke had to teach and the things Rey discovers, only to be brought back to this subplot which was way less interesting. I’m also not the biggest fan of Rose. Yeah, she can be funny and has a lot of heart, but there is one decision she makes (I won’t specify where or when) that made me shake my head. In the scheme of things, it was a very stupid decision to me. I’m good with seeing more of her and where her character goes, but as it stands she isn’t a new favorite for me. The performances where good though, and I love the energy John Boyega brings to Fin. I can tell he has a lot of fun playing his character.
Poe Dameron also gets some good character development. I thought he was all right in The Force Awakens but definitely preferred Fin. In this film though I like what they did with his character. Again, I won’t say much, but let’s just say his hothead, gun-ho attitude is challenged by a new character, Admiral Holdo.
And of course, I have to talk about Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia (or general now). She was great. Leia also gets a lot more screen time in this film and her role is expanded. There are a lot of great moments with her, some being very touching. It’s a shame Fisher passed away because her role was going to be expanded a little more. I also wonder what they’re going to do for Episode IX because they decided not to alter or add to any of the footage Fisher filmed.
Next, I want to talk about Rian Johnson’s directing. I liked his style, and even liked it more than Abrams’ style. It’s a gorgeously shot film with some beautiful landscape and wide shots, and it has a lot of quieter moments that he lets linger for a little bit. Johnson definitely adds a unique voice to Star Wars films, and his directing is another way that The Last Jedi didn’t feel as safe or conventional as Force Awakens. There are some moments with Rey that are trippy, and the action sequences are really good. There was also a long push shot which slowly zoomed in that was a clear homage to another shot I saw in a CineFix video, and I thought it was cool to see Johnson pay homage to it. I also liked that Williams’ score was heard more often in Last Jedi. Some people weren’t impressed with the score for Force Awakens, which I think is partially because it was sometimes mixed more quietly (such as the awesome “Scherzo for X-Wings”, which is a shame); plus, Abrams never really let the music do the talking.
Which leads me to John Williams’ score. It was great. At 85 years old Williams still outclasses his younger counterparts. There’s only one new major theme I think, which was a theme for Fin and Rose’s partnership. Besides that, a lot of the new themes Williams introduced in Force Awakens got some development or were at least stated. The Jedi Steps theme got a statement or two, but I could have used a little more of it; Rey’s theme, the big highlight of Force Awakens, is as lovely and awesome as ever, though there was more brass and less of the flute and vibraphone from VII, likely indicating Rey’s character development; Kylo Ren’s theme unfortunately doesn’t get a full concert suite, but it’s played more often and with more power; Poe’s motif I think had a statement or two; and the Resistance theme, a wonderful march that I was glad to hear more of. As for older themes: there was Leia’s theme, which came up quite a bit and I loved hearing it every time; the Force theme, which besides the Main Theme/Luke’s theme is the one that defines Star Wars as a whole; one or two brief statements of Han and Leia’s theme; a part that sounded a little like Battle of the Heroes, though probably not an intentional callback; and there are two more, but I won’t specify what they were. And fair warning, do not listen to the Sacred Jedi Texts cue. It confirmed something that I already predicted would happen (think about the cave/tree), but I’d suggest not listening to it.
I’m at over 2000 words, so this is where I’ll end it. Star Wars: The Lad Jedi is a Star Wars film that is going to divide fans. I’m going to be in the minority, but I thought it was a better film than The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The first hour or so is pretty slow and I was thinking, “It’s not bad, but I like VII better.” But the last hour and a half (it’s a 2 and a half hour film, the longest Star Wars movie) elevated it for me. It does things with the characters I wasn’t really expecting and it was awesome. This isn’t a crowd pleaser like The Force Awakens was, and there are still some questions that will be left unanswered. But this has me very intrigued with what direction Episode IX will take. Abrams is returning to direct it which I’m good with, but I’d honestly prefer that Johnson did it. I’m also super excited for Johnson’s new trilogy, no matter what era it takes place in. I kept saying that I wanted The Last Jedi to branch out and do something different and to rely less on the nostalgia; it did that, and overall it struck the right chords with me."
"“This is not going to go the way you think!” Luke Skywalker was right to say those words. Star Wars The Last Jedi doesn’t go the way a lot fans might be expecting, and as a result fans have been underwhelmed or divided. It’s time to give my opinion on it. For those of you that read these, you won’t have to worry about me revealing anything major about the plot and characters. Though if you feel the need to go in as blind as possible, that’s up to you. Don’t read this review. My quick and brief opinion would be this: it takes a lot of unexpected turns, and I’m very happy it did. Overall, I’d say it’s better than The Force Awakens (which sounds like I’ll be in the minority). It’s not as much of a crowd pleaser as The Force Awakens was, which is what I wanted. Nor is it just Empire Strikes Back recycled. Now to get more in depth.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) is a science fiction space opera film directed by Rian Johnson and stars Daisey Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Andy Serkis. It begins soon after where The Force Awakens ended and tells the story of Rey wanting to learn more about the Force and how to control it, as well as showing the Resistance having to run from The First Order after the destruction of the New Republic planets in VII. Once again, the balance of power in the galaxy has shifted and the Resistance is outmanned and outgunned.
Rey training with an old secluded Jedi while her friends are on the run will remind some of Empire Strikes Back. As I said before, though, this isn’t a rehash of Empire. Using some terminology from George Lucas himself, there is some “rhyming” with other Star Wars films. In other words, there are some familiar story beats, but it’s done in a very different way.
One thing that this film did that I really liked is that it further separates this new trilogy from the original. As Kylo Ren says, “Let it all die. The Republic, the Jedi, the Sith. Let it all die. That’s the only way you can become what you were meant to be.” I feel like that line is also meant for us as the audience and for the filmmakers. Lucasfilm has a wonderful, giant universe to play with and they have new characters to do it with. It’s time to move on from the nostalgia and focus on the new elements. This film messes with your expectations. And this is where I’ll get into the characters a little, though vaguely as I promised.
For starters, I want to talk about the dynamic between Luke and Rey. Those scenes are by far the best character moments in the film. As what many can guess from the trailer, Luke is reluctant to teach Rey about the Force. Rey has a very strong connection with the Force, and Luke is afraid of repeating pass failures with someone so in tune with the Force. Luke is a very interesting character in this film, and for me the most interesting besides Kylo Ren (which I’ll get into). And for those of you that kept up on the news a little, you’ll remember a story where Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson weren’t on the same page with the direction Johnson wanted to go with Luke’s character. After seeing what they did, I can understand Hamill’s reservations; this isn’t the same Luke Skywalker that we last saw in Return of the Jedi. That being said, I loved the way Johnson messed with our expectations and was comfortable with the direction they took.
And again, the interactions between him and Rey were fantastic. Rey had something wake up inside her that she doesn’t understand, and there’s only one person alive that can teach her what it means and how to use it. It was cool to see Luke be a teacher, even if he’s reluctant. What was also very cool is that Rey meets Luke with expectations much like ours, the audience, and the reality is very different.
There are also a lot of interesting things that happen with Rey when she’s on the island. I won’t go into any specifics, but I will say there is some “rhyming” that calls back to Empire Strikes Back. There is one sequence where it’s just her that was very cool, and had a more “artsy” feel that we don’t see very often in Star Wars. It was an awesome sequence though. There are some other things that happen to that add to the mythos of the Force. They added an element of the Force I wasn’t expecting going in, and it’s going to divide some fans. I liked it, especially because it led to some… interactions that added to the drama of the story. There were some new abilities in Force Awakens, such as Kylo Ren making Rey go unconscious or freezing Poe and his blaster bolt, but The Last Jedi has some stuff that really makes the Force feel like the all-powerful, otherworldly thing that connects the galaxy.
One of the biggest reasons these interactions were so good though has to be credited to Mark Hamill’s acting. He was fantastic, and this is his best performance as Luke Skywalker. Hamill’s acting career after Return of the Jedi mostly consisted of voice acting, most famously as the Joker, so I was curious to see how he’d be returning to Star Wars. But much like Harrison Ford in Force Awakens, Hamill brings it with his performance and I feel like he enjoyed it. And it was awesome to see how he has matured as an actor. He also reminded me of Alec Guinness in A New Hope; through Hamill’s performance, you can tell he’s been through a lot of hard times and the weight of his failure is still present in his mind. I’ll go as far as to say he gave the best performance in the whole film.
The next character I want to talk about is Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. Not everyone was a fan of Ren in The Force Awakens, which I honestly don’t get. And after this film, I like his character even more. What people don’t seem to understand is that he isn’t Darth Vader. He’s not supposed to be. He’s a conflicted character that has mostly given himself up to the Dark Side, but there’s a small seed that makes him think about his actions. Snoke also isn’t afraid to call him out on some things related to the last film, which further adds to the conflict he’s feeling and what his next moves will be. And Adam Driver was also very good in his performance. I’m very excited to see where his character goes in the future, because with the events of this film there’s a lot of potential.
Then there are Fin and a new character named Rose. Fin suffered severe injuries in The Force Awakens, but after resting in a medical chamber (and probably getting a lot of bacta) he’s ready to get back in the action. He meets Rose in something of a chance meeting and are eventually sent on a mission that will help the Resistance. This is where probably my biggest negative of the film comes up. The dynamic between Fin and Rose are good, and I like some of the things they do together. But their mission involves a subplot that really slows the film down. It wasn’t terrible but the problem was that I’d be watching a scene with Luke and Rey, getting invested and wanting to hear the lessons Luke had to teach and the things Rey discovers, only to be brought back to this subplot which was way less interesting. I’m also not the biggest fan of Rose. Yeah, she can be funny and has a lot of heart, but there is one decision she makes (I won’t specify where or when) that made me shake my head. In the scheme of things, it was a very stupid decision to me. I’m good with seeing more of her and where her character goes, but as it stands she isn’t a new favorite for me. The performances where good though, and I love the energy John Boyega brings to Fin. I can tell he has a lot of fun playing his character.
Poe Dameron also gets some good character development. I thought he was all right in The Force Awakens but definitely preferred Fin. In this film though I like what they did with his character. Again, I won’t say much, but let’s just say his hothead, gun-ho attitude is challenged by a new character, Admiral Holdo.
And of course, I have to talk about Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia (or general now). She was great. Leia also gets a lot more screen time in this film and her role is expanded. There are a lot of great moments with her, some being very touching. It’s a shame Fisher passed away because her role was going to be expanded a little more. I also wonder what they’re going to do for Episode IX because they decided not to alter or add to any of the footage Fisher filmed.
Next, I want to talk about Rian Johnson’s directing. I liked his style, and even liked it more than Abrams’ style. It’s a gorgeously shot film with some beautiful landscape and wide shots, and it has a lot of quieter moments that he lets linger for a little bit. Johnson definitely adds a unique voice to Star Wars films, and his directing is another way that The Last Jedi didn’t feel as safe or conventional as Force Awakens. There are some moments with Rey that are trippy, and the action sequences are really good. There was also a long push shot which slowly zoomed in that was a clear homage to another shot I saw in a CineFix video, and I thought it was cool to see Johnson pay homage to it. I also liked that Williams’ score was heard more often in Last Jedi. Some people weren’t impressed with the score for Force Awakens, which I think is partially because it was sometimes mixed more quietly (such as the awesome “Scherzo for X-Wings”, which is a shame); plus, Abrams never really let the music do the talking.
Which leads me to John Williams’ score. It was great. At 85 years old Williams still outclasses his younger counterparts. There’s only one new major theme I think, which was a theme for Fin and Rose’s partnership. Besides that, a lot of the new themes Williams introduced in Force Awakens got some development or were at least stated. The Jedi Steps theme got a statement or two, but I could have used a little more of it; Rey’s theme, the big highlight of Force Awakens, is as lovely and awesome as ever, though there was more brass and less of the flute and vibraphone from VII, likely indicating Rey’s character development; Kylo Ren’s theme unfortunately doesn’t get a full concert suite, but it’s played more often and with more power; Poe’s motif I think had a statement or two; and the Resistance theme, a wonderful march that I was glad to hear more of. As for older themes: there was Leia’s theme, which came up quite a bit and I loved hearing it every time; the Force theme, which besides the Main Theme/Luke’s theme is the one that defines Star Wars as a whole; one or two brief statements of Han and Leia’s theme; a part that sounded a little like Battle of the Heroes, though probably not an intentional callback; and there are two more, but I won’t specify what they were. And fair warning, do not listen to the Sacred Jedi Texts cue. It confirmed something that I already predicted would happen (think about the cave/tree), but I’d suggest not listening to it.
I’m at over 2000 words, so this is where I’ll end it. Star Wars: The Lad Jedi is a Star Wars film that is going to divide fans. I’m going to be in the minority, but I thought it was a better film than The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The first hour or so is pretty slow and I was thinking, “It’s not bad, but I like VII better.” But the last hour and a half (it’s a 2 and a half hour film, the longest Star Wars movie) elevated it for me. It does things with the characters I wasn’t really expecting and it was awesome. This isn’t a crowd pleaser like The Force Awakens was, and there are still some questions that will be left unanswered. But this has me very intrigued with what direction Episode IX will take. Abrams is returning to direct it which I’m good with, but I’d honestly prefer that Johnson did it. I’m also super excited for Johnson’s new trilogy, no matter what era it takes place in. I kept saying that I wanted The Last Jedi to branch out and do something different and to rely less on the nostalgia; it did that, and overall it struck the right chords with me."