Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Despite all the critical acclaim, my expectations for Star Wars: The Last Jedi were quite low (after all, the critics liked The Force Awakens much more than I did). Given those low expectations, The Last Jedi was a very pleasant surprise. It’s still not as good as the critics (or general viewers) seem to think it is (IMHO), but it’s a huge improvement over The Force Awakens (and Rogue One, which is best forgotten). 

Plot: The Resistance, led by General Leia, is fighting the First Order, led by Supreme Leader Snoke and General Hux, but the Resistance is losing and about to get wiped out entirely. Their only hope seems to be Luke Skywalker, whom Rey tracked down at the end of The Force Awakens. Can Rey talk Luke into helping them, especially while she’s dealing with a mysterious long-distance connection to Kylo Ren?

My biggest complaints about The Force Awakens were the utter lack of originality, Rey needing to be a violent female lead and the horrifying destruction of the Republic without any appropriate response from Resistance members. The Last Jedi, which was written and directed by Rian Johnson (a smart move), has no such upsetting moments, is far more original (while still borrowing pieces from the original trilogy, especially The Return of the Jedi) and Rey at least never uses a gun (only a light-sabre, which makes a big difference to me). Not to say that The Last Jedi doesn’t have its  share of flaws. The worst scene in the film, which is completely unnecessary, is the fight involving Snoke’s red guards. Pathetic! And there is far too much action for a film that has been praised for having so little action (compared to Rogue One or what?).

But let’s focus on the good stuff for once, because while the magic of the first trilogy, and even parts of the second trilogy, is in short supply in this third trilogy, The Last Jedi does have its moments. Of particular interest are most of the scenes involving Rey (Daisy Ridley). Rey is a fascinating character, Ridley is a fine actor, and the scenes involving Rey are (in general) much more thoughtful than the rest of the film. These scenes also generally involve Luke (Mark Hamill) or Ren (Adam Driver), making for some riveting conversations (as Rey’s conversations with Han Solo and Maz were two key highlights of The Force Awakens). In general, I enjoyed the scenes on the island (where Rey found Luke) much more than the rest of the film.

I did like the introduction of two new female characters (Kelly Marie Tren as Rose and Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo), both of whom have key roles and are involved in some of the more engaging pieces of dialogue. Then there is Benicio del Toro in a quirky role that is fun to watch. John Boyega returns as Finn, who’s a likeable well-played character. Oscar Isaac’s Poe is less likeable (though he often has the adorable BB-8 at his side). Poe is an arrogant pilot who thinks he’s always right. I appreciated how he was put in his place a couple of times (by women). Speaking of which, Carrie Fisher returns in her last role as Leia and does a fine job. Representing the dark side, we also have Domhnall Gleeson as Hux and Andy Serkis as Snoke. Everyone performed quite well. Missing, sadly, was Harrison Ford as Han Solo, who was killed by his son (Ren) in The Force Awakens, but Chewbacca has a prominent role.

Politically, it's not as easy to associate the First Order (not much depth provided for the First Order) with the evil empire of our day as some of the previous films, but there were some strong anti-wealth comments (ironic for a film that will make a billion dollars), including linking wealth and capitalism to the weapons trade. 

The best thing about The Last Jedi (for me) was the way it felt like an epic space opera with an intricate plot and engaging, flawed well-drawn characters. The last two Star Wars films, despite having strong female leads, failed to do that. Indeed, they both made me sigh with disappointment when the credits started to role. This time I was nodding with satisfaction. The original magic still isn’t there, but it certainly felt like I got my money’s worth at the cinema (needless to say, I didn’t watch the 3D version). Star Wars: The Last Jedi gets a solid ***+. My mug is up.