Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Starring Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher

Directed by Rian Johnson

The Story:
As the First Order continues to wreak havoc across the galaxy, the Resistance - led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) - set out to destroy them once and for all.  Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) finds Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and pleads with him to come join the fight.

The Synopsis:
"I have a bad feeling about this."

This iconic line has been mentioned in every "Star Wars" film so far, and that was far from what I was feeling about seeing this film.  The trailers looked fantastic, the hype was real, the critics were loving it, and everything about it looked fresh, new, and exciting.  Then I saw it, and I must say, while it wasn't a perfect film, I absolutely loved it. 

However, to my surprise, I found that "The Last Jedi" wasn't loved by everyone.  In fact, quite the opposite.  When films like "Justice League" earns a 49% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes while it earns a 79% audience rating, "The Last Jedi" was the polar difference: a 93% critic rating yet a 55% audience rating - that's lower than "The Phantom Menace" (59%) and even "Attack of the Clones" (57%), in fact, it's the lowest audience rating of any "Star Wars" movie to date.

So what went wrong?  How could it be lower than the abominations that were the prequels?  Why did I enjoy it so much?  Is there a disturbance in the Force?

First off, I will readily admit that I am not one of those diehard "Star Wars" fanatics, the ones who not only watched the films (including that Christmas one), but also read every book, comic, online article, saw every episode of any "Star Wars" related products, own all the action figures, and played all the "Star Wars" video games until my eyes bled.  In fact, I never saw the original films until after I saw the prequels.  So I am in that minority of those who saw "The Last Jedi" with hardly any preconceived notions of what to expect. Talking to other "casual fans" of the franchise, they all enjoyed the film.  Yet when I talked to those diehards, the majority of them hated it to the point of vile disgust.  I can't say I understand where they're coming from, because it'd be like saying I understand how a pregnant woman feels.  But I have some thoughts as to why they have such vitriol towards "The Last Jedi."

**I BY NO MEANS MEAN TO BE MEAN FOR THESE REASONINGS, ALTHOUGH IT MAY SOUND LIKE IT.  I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WHY THEY DO OR DO NOT LIKE SOMETHING, I AM JUST GIVING MY OWN THOUGHTS.  PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, BECAUSE I DO NOT HATE YOU**

First is the anticipation.  This film has been touted since "The Force Awakens," and nothing bolsters excitement than anticipation.  There was two years between "Force Awakens" and "Last Jedi," so fans had plenty of time to write their own fanfic of what they expected "The Last Jedi" to be.  They read countless articles on speculations on what could happen.  They formulated their own script and eagerly expected to see what they thought would be their own masterpiece on screen.  They spent years breathlessly waiting to find all the answers they were looking for - answers to questions that were never asked.  When what they saw wasn't what they expected - when they didn't get their spoon-fed answers like they thought they were entitled to - they got butthurt about it.  While I can see their point of view here (there's a few movies that I inferred my own thoughts into that never came to fruition, and I was also quite unhappy about it), I feel that's a reason why the audience rating was so low.

Second is the nostalgic feel slowly dying.  George Lucas created a visionary masterpiece with "Star Wars," and he did what basically no other franchise ever could - not only did it thrill audiences at the time (the first film was released back in 1977), but it created a legacy that's lasted forty years.  Kids as young as five or six know who Darth Vader and Yoda are, and own several action figures from the franchise.  That's something unheard of in the world of cinema, that a film could reverberate so profoundly through so many decades.  Even after the severe misstep that was the prequels, people were still dying for more.  "The Force Awakens" broke the record for best opening-weekend box office ever (and went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time), and "The Last Jedi" became the SECOND best opening-weekend box office ever.  It's clear people still have fondness and love for the franchise, and much of that fact is due to having the old character returning.

While Han Solo finally met his maker in "Force Awakens" (sorry if that's a spoiler, but that film is two years old by now), "The Last Jedi" promised the full return of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, along with mainstays Leia, C-3PO, R2D2 and Chewbacca.  Fans of the original trilogy expected them to have a very different path in life, and when their characters displayed characteristics different from what was expected, they were less than pleased to say the least.  We expect to see all our favorite characters the same way we did back in the long, long ago.  However, life has changed them as much as it's changed us, and we are creatures of change - we amass what we've learned in life over the years and use it to shape who we are today: for good or bad.  These characters have been fighting for so long, it's only natural they change after everything they've encountered.  While we often watch films to escape our reality, when we see characters also trying to escape their own reality, we get affected by it.

Third is the tone of the film.  While the "Star Wars" franchise always had a blend of humor and action, many felt "The Last Jedi" had more lighthearted comedy than what was desired.  Sure, the franchise is now owned by Disney, and they set out to make more family-friendly products, but the humor has always been there.  Han Solo has some of the best one liners in the classic trilogy, and you can't say those Ewoks weren't meant to be humorous (seeing Stormtroopers use blasters while these little furry things hurled rocks at them defies all sound logic), the series has never been a dead-on action film with no humor at all.  I feel humor is great for a film like this, because it allows you to feel fully immersed in the story, letting your guard down and permits you to really enjoy the ride.  Sure, it could've been overkill for some, but for me, it was a perfect blend.

Fourth is the risks taken.  There are some "Star Wars" fans who will never be pleased no matter what happens.  When "The Force Awakens" came out, they dogged it and said it was too much like "A New Hope," and it didn't take any risks.  Now, they say that "The Last Jedi" took too many risks and changed the map of what they thought would be the road for the trilogy.  To this end, some people will never be happy no matter what you do.

Finally there's the end of innocence.  Han is already gone, and Carrie Fisher passed away after completing work on the film, and it's been revealed that she won't appear in the final trilogy at all (which comes as sort of a welcoming thought, after the terrible CGI work done in "Rogue One").  These characters that we've grown up with are disappearing, and now they're passing the mantle to a new generation of characters.  It's always a difficult thing to give up our past, and it's a fearful thought to wonder how these new characters will carry the tradition, but it's also a fact of life.  We exist to pass down our knowledge to the next generation, and we can't control what they do with it.  We have new heroes in Rey, Poe, Finn and BB8, and new villains in Kylo Ren.  Like it or not, this is their "Star Wars" now.

Is the film perfect?  Not really.  There's two scenes in particular to me that were bothersome, as well as a side quest that didn't really go anywhere (and wasted talent of certain actors).  Did it detract from my feeling about the film as a whole?  Not really.

To me, this imbalance also relates to the film itself.  As there's people who love the film and hate it, so does a struggle exist within the movie.  Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver give commanding performances as Rey and Kylo, two extremely powerful characters who exist on polar opposites of the Force.  Luke has always searched for a way to bring balance to the Force, and these two could be the way that happens.  Ridley gives Rey's character a more humanistic, personal feel as she struggles with what is happening with her, and Driver goes past his emo phase from "Force Awakens" to become a deeply flawed, yet highly nuanced, character.  The rest of the cast is great, but ultimately, this new trilogy is their story, and I'm fully excited to see it come to its climax.

To be a middle child is the most difficult (so I hear, I'm an only child myself).  They're not pampered like their older sibling, nor are the coddled like the younger.  "The Last Jedi" is that middle child for the new trilogy, and much like the family dynamic, it too goes through growing pains.  It is about the new generation, and how they were raised that will affect how they see the world.  For Kylo Ren, he became dark and lived in self-pity and doubt.  Rey, however, overcame her past as nothing more than a girl living on a garbage planet and is now experiencing the true power that is within her.  Each character grows and develops here, and it's not always pretty.

Back when "The Dark Knight" was released, people were excited to see Heath Ledger's final finished performance, especially after his untimely death.  This added more weight to the film due to this real-life tragedy, and heightened his performance in ways that would've have been if he was still alive.  Here, it's Carrie Fisher's performance that carried the same weight.  Each scene she was in - each line she delivered, each emotion she displayed - was only heightened by the fact that we would never see her on screen again.  It added a more emotional core than probably what was intended, but still it was such a powerful performance.  She came in as our Princess, and she leaves as our Hero. 

The Summary:
While it's understandable to see the divisiveness this film gives, "The Last Jedi" - to me anyway - was a nearly pitch-perfect film filled with exciting action and humor, as well as a deeply heartfelt center.

The Score: A