Obtained via starwars.com
By Jordan Jenkins
Undoubtedly the biggest movie of the year and potentially one of the biggest of all time, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi has a lot to live up to. As part of a decades-long franchise, The Last Jedi has an existing base to which it needs to appeal. This appeal does have limits, however, of this can be seen in the criticism of the previous Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which was chastised for what many – including myself – found to be a formulaic plot that kept the movie from reaching its full potential.
The Last Jedi finds itself on the other side of this spectrum. A change driven largely by a shakeup in the directorial and screenwriting positions, this movie takes risks in nearly every one of its components — from the story, to the characters, to the imagery. Change is most certainly a recurring theme here. But while many Star Wars purists find this to be to its detriment, what I found in The Last Jedi was a well-crafted movie that not only justifies its existence, but also takes important steps in moving the franchise forward.
The movie — put as spoiler-free as possible — starts off almost exactly where The Force Awakens ended, quickly plunging us back into the world with a breakneck speed. The Resistance, aided by the introduction of new characters, is reeling from the destruction of the Galactic Empire and remains on the defensive even after the destruction of Starkiller Base. The First Order, while still damaged by the stated attack of Starkiller Base, is still strong and is moving forward with their plan for galactic domination. The primary protagonist, Rey, has found Luke Skywalker with the hopes that he will both teach her to hone her force sensitivity and return with her to support The Resistance.
The degree to which this film both diverges from the traditional Star Wars formula and maintains an air of unpredictability are the things that I loved most about this film. Watching it, all my preconceived notions and personal theories were thrown out of the window again and again as the plot twisted and my questions were answered in ways I never saw coming. Even more than that, the sheer amount of moments in which my breath stopped in shock and awe while watching The Last Jedi made it one of the best movie viewing experiences I have ever had.
I think this is best attributed to director and screenwriter Rian Johnson, who successfully crafted a film that consists of visuals that work alongside the story. All the important moments are accompanied by a visual language that conveys that importance. I personally feel that the film also manages to succeed in how it handles most characters, as nearly all — new and old — have distinct arcs that feel organic.
This result of all of this is a movie that is pretty long, which isn’t necessarily a negative. Other than one specific subplot (viewers will know what I am referring to), not much about the story seems expendable. I never really felt bored at any point during the movie, and the length allows it to accomplish a lot. The magnitude of the story is more than likely going to require a second viewing out of myself, for sure.
That being said, if you are someone who is apprehensive to change, you will likely not love this movie to the extent that I do. The Last Jedi certainly feels like a restart for this trilogy, throwing out everything expected and laid out in the previous movie in favor of the new. As someone who is relatively new to the franchise (i.e. my favorite Star Wars movie is Rogue One), and thus lacks much of the emotional connection to the Star Wars of old that has motivated much of the criticism, I welcome this change. However, many longtime fans are walking away upset with these choices, a split that can be seen clearly in the contrasting takes in other critic and fan reviews.
From my perspective, however, you should probably see The Last Jedi and decide for yourself. I cannot guarantee you will like it. I can say that I had a wonderful time watching it, and I feel that many of the changes that it makes are for the better. Perhaps one of the best things about this movie is that fact that I have no idea what is going to happen in the upcoming trilogy-ender, Episode IX, and frankly, I prefer it that way.