Star Wars: The Last Jedi

“More”

That’s what Star Wars fans have always wanted, myself included.  I, like many others, watched the Original Trilogy so many times that it almost felt like I was stuck in a loop.  I was content if that was all we were going to get, almost couldn’t fathom the idea of more Star Wars.  Then came the prequels that audiences flocked to, criticized, and continued to watch…and criticize again.  It did mean that we had a story with more in it, unlike before, yet all the prequels essentially did was fill in the gaps to a story we already knew.  And so…it wasn’t really more in the sense that the last page stayed the same.  Then Episodes VII, VIII, and IX were announced; the first of which, The Force Awakens, while containing new characters and beginning a new story, was a retread of A New Hope.  So even in moving the story forward for the first time in twenty-two years, we weren’t given something that was entirely new.  It was more, yes, but more of the same. Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi represents the first sense of growth for the series since…well…ever.  It is a mostly wonderful, sometimes slow and misguided adventure.  An adventure that gives us more.

Audiences are already discovering that “something new” is a jolt to the system when you’re expecting to feel as thought you’re coming home, craving a familiar meal.  This has led to a feeling of rejection from fans, and that rejection has influenced their reactions to the film Johnson has made.  I just wanted a good, hopefully great movie.  I’d be lying if I said that Star Wars doesn’t mean a great deal to me, probably more than I’ll ever be able to understand.  However, I think that strong and inventive storytelling trumps familiarity.  Not that familiarity is a bad thing; if I thought that, then I wouldn’t care much for adventure in the stories that I love.

Despite what some might say, this is a Star Wars film; it follows a familiar structure, inter-cutting between multiple story threads before bringing them together in the end. There are many differences to the ideas behind the story-telling, beginning with picking things up right where the previous film ended.

The First Order has discovered the hiding place of the Resistance and they have arrived to destroy their hideout.  As the Resistance frantically evacuates the planet, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) leads a dangerous and costly attack that buys them some time, before returning the main ship where General Leia (Carrie Fisher) attempts to get out of reach of The First Order once again.  It does not go well, as General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson, who turns his performance up to a constant eleven with hilarious success) informs Supreme Leader Snoake (Andy Serkis, getting much more to do here, and adding some needed personality to the character) that they can track the rebels, even through light-speed.  This entire opening sequence is an intense blast from start to finish, and it sets the stage for a film that feels as thought the stakes are high.  It also includes a lot of comedy that nicely counters a dire situation, all the while reintroducing Poe, Leia, Hux, Snoke, and Finn (John Boyega), and introducing a newcomer in Rose (Kelly Marie Tran).

The other main plot of The Last Jedi also picks up at the literal cliffhanger ending of The Force Awakens, where Rey (Daisy Ridley) has offered Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) his old lightsaber in a gesture of hope.  But this is a very different Luke than we’re accustomed to.  He rejects her, rejects everything she asks of him, especially his help. As Rey thinks about what she should do, she suddenly becomes connected to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) through the force, and the two begin to dance around which side of the force they should end up on.

Middle chapters are meant to slow down the story and delve in, while taking the characters from the beginning chapter, and getting them ready for the final one. The Last Jedi does do the first part, despite only taking place over a period of a few days, or hours (time in the film is fuzzy), giving the proceedings a sense of urgency while taking a closer look at our heroes and villains.  The second part, however, The Last Jedi does so in a stunning fashion.  Think of a trilogy as the three legs in a relay-race, each handing off the baton (lightsaber?) to the next.  The Last Jedi began its leg of the race with the baton firmly in hand.  It presents J.J. Abrams and Episode IX, which must run the concluding anchor leg of the race, with something entirely different, and far more difficult to wrap things up with.

It does this by presenting preconceived notions of the story as red herrings, while taking what remains as an opportunity to forge new ground.  The familiar endures though, and I think audiences will miss it with an easy dismissal, because that’s what audiences do when they expect to take things at face value.  Luke, as unexpected as he acts in this film, is still the boy who looked to the twin-sunned horizon, he’s just forgotten that it’s still there in the rain.

And that’s what I loved about The Last Jedi.  It’s not afraid to fail by taking real chances with sacred territory.  Which is what I always wanted the second I heard Johnson was going to be helming this middle chapter.  Abrams was the perfect guy to captain the opener, as he creates characters and a story’s origin as well as anyone. He had a tremendous task in bringing Star Wars back into the fold with VII, and to do so he had to go back to the basics.  Sure, that meant it was going to lack surprises, and cause grumblings that it was just a remake of A New Hope. But it got the job done, and left me exhilarated.   It was always Johnson’s task to take the story in a new direction, and if you can appreciate why, you’ll love The Last Jedi.  If you want more of the same, The Last Jedi will likely shock and upset you.  I’m of the opinion that in order for Star Wars to continue, it must evolve beyond the story we know.  Otherwise what’s the point in wanting more when all you’ll accept is what you already have.

I thought Johnson did a wonderful job with the character of Rey.  Her story, through her relationship with Luke, her connection with Kylo, the mystery surrounding her parents, and her ability to use the force with ease, takes many turns, each in support to her character. Some of these things are to benefit the plot, but mostly to stretch Rey and prepare her for a showdown in Episode IX.  Ridley once again takes center on the biggest stage of the galaxy, and passes with flying colors.  I like that her temptations to the dark side don’t come through anger, only desperation and pain, playing to Ridley’s strengths in her early acting career.

Adam Driver’s Ben Solo/Kylo Ren is never going to be Darth Vader.  No one in the past, present, or future of film will be.  But Kylo has more conflict in his soul, and more tragedy surrounding his path.  This is a nuanced, unique villain, forged in a moment of misunderstanding, and a mistake.  Kylo keeps saying he’s a monster, but Driver presents a young man that’s desperate for others to believe he’s filled with such evil.  This section of the story involving Rey and Kylo contains two of the biggest surprises in the film, both red herrings.  I found each freeing in a story I thought I knew.  And I find myself looking forward to the inevitable face-off in the finale, not because it will be a a great fight, but for the emotional blows they will deal one another.

Poe, a character that was supposed to get killed off in The Force Awakens, has nice little arc in this film.  He clashes with Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern, clearly enjoying being in a Star Wars movie) over how to handle the situation they’re in.  Though a character withholding information from another is an annoying plot-device, it resulted in a chance for Issac to show fans he belongs in a major role in this story, and it give us the greatest jump to light-speed in Star Wars history.

This brings me to Finn and Rose.  Boyega and Tran are both great, but they have the unfortunate responsibility of having their story-line in the film being near useless. They head to a planet to retrieve a code-breaker to stop The First Order’s tracking device.  The city in question is Canto Bight, a Montecarlo inspired Casino town.  I admired what Johnson was going for here, delving into how The First Order and Resistance get their weapons from war profiteers, while trying to provide the audience with some “Cantina” vibes. And I liked Benicio del Toro as the potential code-breaker. But other than a great shot inspired by the silent Oscar Winner Wings, this entire section of the film was a dud for me.  What’s worse is that it brings the rest of the film down with it, stunting the momentum of the pacing every time we get to this story-line.

Luckily. Johnson recovers and delivers a knockout of a climax.  He film contains some of the best action sequences in the series, combined with the best visuals of all eight films (and Rogue One) combined.  I love that he’s inspired by Kurosawa through how he shoots characters during their fight scenes, one in particular is an all-timer.  The film also has a ton of humor, and while not all of it lands, enough does. The Porgs are cute and not annoying, BB-8 is once again a delight, C-3PO gets a few great moments, as does Chewy.  My favorite may be a visual gag involving an iron.  Through this humor, sense of fun, and care for the characters, I could see Johnson’s love of this story, making him all the more daring for pushing its limits.

Perhaps his greatest achievements are the performances he gets out of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.  I thought Fisher was good in The Force Awakens, though a bit rusty slipping back into Leia.  Not here though, I recognized the princess this time, and it made it all the more painful to know that we won’t see her play Leia again.  Other than one moment where I think Johnson took it too far, Leia was one of my favorite things in the film.  One scene in particular, near the end, was crushing.  But what I took away most from Fisher’s performance was hope…how could it get any better than that.

Hamill, like Fisher, gives the best performance of his career here.  He had some reservations, but he and Johnson worked through them and deliver something that I could only dream of seeing when I was a kid, which was more of my hero, Luke Skywalker.  Luke, here, has been beaten by his greatest failure; he’s ashamed and afraid of causing more pain.  Through him, the film wields its timeless, yet often forgotten message:  failure is the greatest lesson of all. I found this incredibly touching, inspirational, and will do my best to remember it.  More memorable are some interactions Luke has with certain characters in the film.  I won’t spoil any, other than R2-D2, who we knew came with Rey to Luke’s island; if you didn’t get some emotions stirred during the scene between Luke and R2, then I don’t know why you even like Star Wars.

The Last Jedi exhilarated me, moved me, surprised me, and I believe it will get even better over time. It adds to Star Wars legacy with new colors that can forge their own place in this ongoing saga.  Star Wars has always been circular in its story-telling; The Last Jedi breaks the circle and will cause a turning point.  And for the first time I understand that the galaxy far, far away may be limitless, so long as it isn’t afraid to fail.

And I want more.

Grade: A-