WARNING: spoilers below
To say that expectations for The Last Jedi were space-high would be putting it mildly; as the 2nd episode of the new Star Wars trilogy, everyone seemed to wonder if Rion Johnson would continue with the fun, but still fundamentally play-it-safe nature of Force Awakens that was oh-so JJ, tracing over the general outline of its corresponding middle chapter in the original trilogy (that being The Empire Strikes Back) in the process, and doom this entry to never truly step out of its predecessor's iconic shadow... or would Johnson try for something more challenging, more daring, like Empire itself did back in its day? Well, while Last Jedi will inevitably draw comparisons to that classic at times (granted, sometimes to its detriment), I'm still happy to say that, like its new generation of heroes and villains, it finds a way to honor and respect what its legendary predecessors created, while also forging more of its own path forward, something that apparently The Rise Of Skywalker failed to capitalize on (although I still actually haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on it personally).
Anyway, The Last Jedi follows parallel story threads, with the forces of The First Order launching an devastating assault on the vulnerable New Republic, before pursuing the surviving forces through space for the rest of the film, a plot that's intercut with a young Jedi apprentice training with a wizened, reluctant teacher in the mysterious, sometimes-frightening ways of The Force, just like in, well, Empire. However, I feel Jedi distinguishes itself both from the often derivative elements of Force Awakens by telling a more subversive, surprising story, one that's less reliant on pure nostalgia, and distinguishes itself from the overall Star Wars saga through its greater sense of moral ambiguity, especially through its demythologization of the titular "last Jedi" himself, Luke Skywalker.
When Rey (and we) first see him, Luke is a weary, grey-bearded, grizzled old man, living as a hermit in the ruins of an ancient Jedi temple (which just so happens to be in the middle of space-nowhere), his only company being the local wildlife, and the giant toad-nuns aliens that maintain what's left of the structures there. He is a far cry from the beaming, triumphant hero of the original trilogy, and when Rey approaches him in the hopes of being trained as the first of a new generation of Jedi, Luke just tells her to leave the planet immediately. And, while such reluctance is somewhat to be expected, as it would be narratively dull if Luke just immediately acquiesced to every one of Rey's wishes, I still didn't expect him to be as defeated and downtrodden as he turned out here, since, even after he agrees to teach Rey, he only does it to try to show her why the Jedi must die as a way of life, which, combined with a rather unexpected revelation that arises from his past here, really surprised (and pleased) me, with just how dark Rion was willing to go with his arc.
It's a daring spin on a classic, iconic hero, one that somewhat split the Star Wars fanbase, but one that I appreciate for its unwillingness to coddle us as viewers, and besides that, Rion Johnson continues the trend of Force Awakens in making The Force itself a more mysterious and ethereal, well, force, than the disappointingly literal treatment Lucas gave it in the Prequels, through a series of intriguing psychic conversations that occur between two certain characters here, as well as actually making The Force seem more accessible to the random "nobodies" of the galaxy, as you'll see, and that's all the detail I'll go into on those points, lest I spoil the film even further for you.
Outside of the Force-related shenanigans here, the film's other main plot thread of the scant remnants of The New Republic in constant pursuit by The New Order, their numbers steadily dwindling as the film goes on, is, for the most part, tense, desperate, and above all exciting, with some of the better scenes of combat seen in any Star Wars to date, with a certain subplot involving a new, seemingly cowardly Rebel Admiral taking an unexpected turn, further reenforcing the film's overall ambiguity when it comes to its various characterizations. I mean, don't get me wrong or anything, as The Last Jedi is hardly a perfect film; it's overlong by at least 15 minutes, with one too many climactic battles, some of its comedic relief moments feel a bit forced and unnecessary, and its story doesn't always unfold as smoothly, as it should've, with a particular side-story during the middle act that could've easily been altered, or better yet, erased from the film entirely. However, all that being said, this still a very rousing, borderline mythic piece of pop-storytelling, a vital new continuation of what is surely the defining film series of all time, and a work that left me more hopeful than I had been in a long time for the future of the franchise, if Disney can ever get it back on track again as much as it did with this one; may The Force be with it, indeed.
To say that expectations for The Last Jedi were space-high would be putting it mildly; as the 2nd episode of the new Star Wars trilogy, everyone seemed to wonder if Rion Johnson would continue with the fun, but still fundamentally play-it-safe nature of Force Awakens that was oh-so JJ, tracing over the general outline of its corresponding middle chapter in the original trilogy (that being The Empire Strikes Back) in the process, and doom this entry to never truly step out of its predecessor's iconic shadow... or would Johnson try for something more challenging, more daring, like Empire itself did back in its day? Well, while Last Jedi will inevitably draw comparisons to that classic at times (granted, sometimes to its detriment), I'm still happy to say that, like its new generation of heroes and villains, it finds a way to honor and respect what its legendary predecessors created, while also forging more of its own path forward, something that apparently The Rise Of Skywalker failed to capitalize on (although I still actually haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on it personally).
Anyway, The Last Jedi follows parallel story threads, with the forces of The First Order launching an devastating assault on the vulnerable New Republic, before pursuing the surviving forces through space for the rest of the film, a plot that's intercut with a young Jedi apprentice training with a wizened, reluctant teacher in the mysterious, sometimes-frightening ways of The Force, just like in, well, Empire. However, I feel Jedi distinguishes itself both from the often derivative elements of Force Awakens by telling a more subversive, surprising story, one that's less reliant on pure nostalgia, and distinguishes itself from the overall Star Wars saga through its greater sense of moral ambiguity, especially through its demythologization of the titular "last Jedi" himself, Luke Skywalker.
When Rey (and we) first see him, Luke is a weary, grey-bearded, grizzled old man, living as a hermit in the ruins of an ancient Jedi temple (which just so happens to be in the middle of space-nowhere), his only company being the local wildlife, and the giant toad-nuns aliens that maintain what's left of the structures there. He is a far cry from the beaming, triumphant hero of the original trilogy, and when Rey approaches him in the hopes of being trained as the first of a new generation of Jedi, Luke just tells her to leave the planet immediately. And, while such reluctance is somewhat to be expected, as it would be narratively dull if Luke just immediately acquiesced to every one of Rey's wishes, I still didn't expect him to be as defeated and downtrodden as he turned out here, since, even after he agrees to teach Rey, he only does it to try to show her why the Jedi must die as a way of life, which, combined with a rather unexpected revelation that arises from his past here, really surprised (and pleased) me, with just how dark Rion was willing to go with his arc.
It's a daring spin on a classic, iconic hero, one that somewhat split the Star Wars fanbase, but one that I appreciate for its unwillingness to coddle us as viewers, and besides that, Rion Johnson continues the trend of Force Awakens in making The Force itself a more mysterious and ethereal, well, force, than the disappointingly literal treatment Lucas gave it in the Prequels, through a series of intriguing psychic conversations that occur between two certain characters here, as well as actually making The Force seem more accessible to the random "nobodies" of the galaxy, as you'll see, and that's all the detail I'll go into on those points, lest I spoil the film even further for you.
Outside of the Force-related shenanigans here, the film's other main plot thread of the scant remnants of The New Republic in constant pursuit by The New Order, their numbers steadily dwindling as the film goes on, is, for the most part, tense, desperate, and above all exciting, with some of the better scenes of combat seen in any Star Wars to date, with a certain subplot involving a new, seemingly cowardly Rebel Admiral taking an unexpected turn, further reenforcing the film's overall ambiguity when it comes to its various characterizations. I mean, don't get me wrong or anything, as The Last Jedi is hardly a perfect film; it's overlong by at least 15 minutes, with one too many climactic battles, some of its comedic relief moments feel a bit forced and unnecessary, and its story doesn't always unfold as smoothly, as it should've, with a particular side-story during the middle act that could've easily been altered, or better yet, erased from the film entirely. However, all that being said, this still a very rousing, borderline mythic piece of pop-storytelling, a vital new continuation of what is surely the defining film series of all time, and a work that left me more hopeful than I had been in a long time for the future of the franchise, if Disney can ever get it back on track again as much as it did with this one; may The Force be with it, indeed.