A Spoiler Free Look at Star Wars: The Last Jedi

It is crazy to think it has already been 2 years since Star Wars returned like a tour de force in the pop culture mindset. That movie and event felt so significant, it is likely we will never experience that feeling again as it seems we are set to get new Star Wars movies for the foreseeable future and even if they do end it will be due to fatigue and with an expansive library of content.

Leading up to the premiere of The Last Jedi I wondered if that lack of shine would affect reactions and my experience of this film. It has not, this is still Star Wars and it turns out not just good Star Wars for Star Wars but the heaviest, thought-provoking and rich Star Wars movie yet. While Empire sits atop the food chain for being the grimmest and mature of the films it is still not too deep of a film, the questions it asks and tackles are not overly thought provoking. With The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson has taken no concessions when it comes to story in service to a grand popcorn flick. There are some swerves and themes in this movie that die-hard Star Wars nerds will be discussing for a long time.

And that in itself is the most refreshing thing about this film. When The Force Awakens released everyone loved it and was so excited Star Wars was back but as time went on some soured on the somewhat thin base and how it seemed to track on a lot of the same ground as A New Hope. Some felt it was “safe” and at worst “unoriginal” and the natural fear was The Last Jedi would repeat the same beats as Empire. I am pleased to say that is far from the truth and as Luke says in the trailer for the film “This is not going to go the way you think”, and I don’t say that in a “what a twist” kind of way, but in a way that subverts and twists your expectations. The film doesn’t resort to cheap twists to throw you off but it takes the characters and the story down roads you were not expecting and in ways that have serious ramifications. It was refreshing to watch a film and worry about the main character’s, Johnson does a terrific job of giving a sense that at any moment something bad can happen to our heroes. Because of ties with Disney ownership the Star Wars license can often become compared to the Marvel Films in which one big criticism is that there are very little stakes. The heroes never feel like they are in danger and the lasting consequences seem minor, we know everyone is going to be ok, that is not the sense here. Being someone that very much enjoyed and still enjoys The Force Awakens, this film has made me appreciate it more. It laid the groundwork in a way that was comfortable, it presented new characters and focused on them, building them up and making us care. It showed audience “we got Star Wars, you can trust us” so when they make the bold moves they did here it is earned. It almost served as a prelude more than the start of a story. Now that work is bearing fruit in this film as those characters are all expanded upon in satisfying ways.

While all the characters get their due, especially Poe who has significantly more screen time and it is used well, this movie is carried by three roles. Rey, Kylo and Luke and they are all fantastic. We will start with Luke, while Han in TFA was fun and more than just nostalgic Mark Hamill brings it in this film. He is not just there to remind you of the old films, his character and his performance are top notch and for me, it is easily his best performance in a Star Wars film. Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) as well expand upon the great chemistry and character work they forged in TFA, they are pushed forward in interesting ways and the actors truly deliver in their performances.

One thing this movie also has is a lot of humor. If you found yourself not enjoying some of the injected humor in TFA you will find a similar comedic pacing in this film. Most of the jokes hit for me but there are some serious dramatic moments that I felt were cut short a little too early by humor. This series is personal to me and I found myself wanting to feel more emotion but that was taken away from me. This issue seems to be becoming a staple in Hollywood with movies like Justice League being recut to add more humor and Thor: Ragnarok taking some very heavy moments that greatly impact the MCU and undercutting them with jokes. The humor was not enough to register as a negative for me but there were just some spots I could have done without it.

I am excited to dive into spoiler discussion on this film as it has a lot of meaty material. I honestly feel it needs to be rewatched so I can truly soak in all that was revealed and give them adequate time to register (I am seeing it Saturday with BPA’s own Chris “The Brain”) but I can say there will be some intense discussion in the Star Wars fandom centered around events in this film. There will be many who will hold this very high on their “Best of” lists and some who think it goes too far. But we can save that discussion for another day once everyone has had a chance to see it. For now, I am excited about where this series is going and the thought of Rian getting his own trilogy fresh from the ground up with no ties to previous stories has me extremely optimistic on the future of Star Wars.