Star Wars Episode VIII:
The Last Jedi opened on December 15th to rave critic reviews and
mixed fan reactions. The Last Jedi continues
the story of Rey, Finn and the Resistance as they fight against the First Order.
In the two years since The Force Awakens,
there were many fan theories floating around the internet and fans were eagerly
awaiting The Last Jedi to see which
theories were right and see how the story continues. I finally was able to see
it a few days after it opened and heard the criticisms of fans. I will discuss
what I liked, what I didn’t and the critics, fans and even Mark Hamill’s
remarks about the film.
There is so much that I liked about the film; however, I
will discuss a few storylines I enjoyed the most. First, I liked the
interactions between Rey and Luke. The closing scene of The Force Awakens, we see Rey handing Luke his original lightsaber
as the camera pans out over the island. In The
Last Jedi, the first scene we see with Rey and Luke is the continuation of
that scene. While I will not give away what his reaction is, I will say it was
highly appropriate. Luke had been living in exile after Kylo Ren destroys
Luke’s new Jedi academy and temple and turns to the dark side. Luke realizing
his failure as a teacher, decides to leave everything behind and Rey has a
tough road to convince him to help the Resistance and teach her the ways of the
Force. Second, I enjoyed the character of Kylo Ren in this film. He was far
less emo and more dark and conflicted as he struggles with the aftermath of the Force Awakens and his master,
Snoke’s, disappointed in him. Adam Driver delivered a superb performance as
Kylo Ren, especially toward the end as he decides which direction he wants to
go. Does he embrace the dark side? Or does he turn to the light side? Third, I
enjoyed Finn and Rose’s (played by Kelly Marie Tran) story as they find a way
to help the Resistance escape the First Order. As Finn still struggles with his
defection from the First Order and Rose is dealing with her hatred of the First
Order, together they learn what they are fighting for and who they can trust in
their fight against the First Order.
There was only a couple things that I disliked about the
film. First, there were a few unnecessarily scenes. One in particular was on
the island as Luke goes about his life, ignoring Rey’s presence. I won’t reveal
what the scene was; however, when I saw it both my daughter and I looked at
each other and whispered “ewwww!” I understand that the scene’s purpose was to
show how Luke survived on the island but I felt it was unnecessarily and his
survival on the island could have been shown a litter better. And some of the
humorous scenes may have had the joke go on a little too long. There is one
scene in which Poe (played by Oscar Isaac) plays a joke on General Hux (played
by Domhnall Gleeson). While the joke was funny at first, it dragged on a little
too long. Second, there is still a great mystery about who Snoke is. The movie
did not reveal anything about where he came from, who he is or how he knows the
Force. In this film, we see he is an imposing figure and would strike fear in
anyone who stands in his presence. However, we don’t know why he is such an
imposing character. Third, the porgs, one of the creatures who live on Luke’s
island, are cute but add nothing more to the story than to show the cycle of
life on the island. They were in the movie for too long especially once the
story leaves the island.
The reviews and opinions run the gambit from favorable to
absolutely hated. First, the critics gave this film rave reviews. The consensus
on Rotten Tomatoes is that the film “honors the rich legacy while adding some
surprising twists and delivering all the emotion-rich action fans could hope
for.” I would agree. It paid homage to the original trilogy in particular The Empire Strikes Back and some could
agree The Return of the Jedi. Second,
fans continue to be adamant in their disagreement with the critics. Many of the
fans are blaming Disney for putting profits over story. Some said that the
story strayed too much from the original trilogy while others would argue it
was a copy of Empire like the Force Awakens was a copy of A New Hope. I disagree with them on both
counts. I think some of the fans are just so invested in the Star Wars saga
that they don’t know what they want. They don’t want copies of the original
trilogy but they don’t like the new material. Fans used Mark Hamill’s remarks
about the film where he said he “fundamentally disagreed with every choice for
Luke” as proof that Disney screwed up. I disagree with Mr. Hamill and these fans. I loved
Luke’s progression in this movie. I think it fit. Without going into detail for
those who have not yet seen it, as an avid reader and writer, I can see why the
writer took him in that direction. Yes, Luke was very much the optimist in the
original trilogy; however 30 years have passed and that’s a long time and a
person can change especially when one of his students turns on him. It can be
and was the hit to his ego that sent him into exile.
