Secondly, henceforth with these reviews I'm going to assume that if
you're reading this, you have at least some passing familiarity with the
subject material, so from now on I will forego the 101 about the director, cast,
position in series, etc.
So - Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi:(TLJ):
It's quite a well-made movie. I don't know that I'd call it a great one,
but it's certainly well-crafted, well-acted, and remarkably complex.
There are a number of things to admire about this movie; there are some
things I outright loved, and a few things I really disliked.
The biggest complaint I had about The Force Awakens was how much of a
retread of the original Star Wars film it was, and I had concerns that
TLJ might end up rehashing The Empire Strikes Back.
Fortunately, those concerns were largely unfounded; while there are a
few plot/tonal similarities with both Empire and Return of the Jedi,
most of TLJ heads into new territory. It is, perhaps surprisingly, not a
cliffhanger...it ties up the plot threads enough that theoretically
they could end it here (they won't) without any major dangling points.
In that respect it's satisfying, though I do concede the film is long,
and feels it...particularly in the last reel, it does go on a bit.
It's far funnier than the trailers would have you believe. Some of
the humor is wistful, some goofy, but while the movie is rather dark,
it's not as bleak as it may appear in the advertising. There are a few
moments where the language is too modern for Star Wars (one character
refers to books as not being "page-turners", there's a "your mom" joke,
etc.) that doesn't quite sit right on the ears. In particular, there's a
funny bit very early in the film between Poe and Hux that I really
enjoyed, and a very sweet, quietly funny exchange between Luke and R2-D2
that I loved.
There is a thematic focus on
new vs. old in TLJ, and that carries over to effects, plot points,
locations, creatures, etc. We see the Force and lightspeed used in
brand new ways, and there are a few beautifully staged fight scenes with
new tricks. Flashbacks are used, which is novel, and there are some
cinematographic tricks, mainly via the Force, that give the film a
different flavor. The porgs, which have featured heavily in the
commercials, are not overused, and are cute and inoffensive; there's a
race of crystalline foxes that I really liked...I'm sure they'll get a
name at some point, if they haven't yet already. (Edit: Vulptex)
The new generation of Star Wars characters are quite well established
already, and TLJ develops them further. Rey is a wonderful character -
a bit of an ingenue at times, but a strong, smart, capable heroine.
Poe Dameron, who I felt was somewhat underused in Force Awakens, gets a
lot of time to shine here. I like Finn, but I still feel he's a bit
uneven as a character. We get a few new faces; Kelly Marie Tran's Rose
Tico is a satisfying addition, and Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro have
supporting roles, both of which manage to be intriguing while
understated. But it's Carrie Fisher who may strike the strongest chord
in this movie; that may be real life filtering in, but her Leia is at
her most poignant in this film, and I am not sure how they're going to
move on without Fisher (to whom this film is dedicated.)
It's also worth noting that Leia is far from the only strong, wise woman in the movie. Rey, Rose, Vice-Admiral Holdo, (and even Captain Phasma, to an extent) are all portrayed as smart, canny, powerful, capable of not only taking care of themselves but inspiring and even rescuing others. It's a resonant and refreshing trend. In fact, a lot of the film's dialogue and subtext is incredibly topical - a balanced, inclusive world can exist, as can hope, resistance to, and rebellion against, corrupt power, and a certain condemnation of the wasteful 1%. In the days after 9/11, we saw the cinematic rise of Middle-Earth, superheroes, and the Potterverse. In 2017, it's nice to see Star Wars taking a stand.
Moral ambiguity is another key focus in TLJ, and it is magnificent to see characters' motives and actions examined as not just
"Light" vs. "Dark", but right and wrong, and it isn't just the Force
users subject to the analysis. There's a lot of discussion as to *why*
characters act the way they do, and the reasons behind the actions they
take, and you end up with
better developed heroes and villains as a result. None of it is
cut-and-dried, so TLJ benefits from being an engagingly complex movie -
and avoids the cyclical repetition that we've seen in Star Wars before.
There's one aspect to this movie that I really hated, though,
and it's hampering my overall opinion of the movie. You may be able to
guess from what I haven't mentioned so far: The whole storyline
involving Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and Snoke. I have to be very
careful about what I say, because I don't want to give anything away.
We do get a number of answers about what happened in the intervening years since the original trilogy, but there is way too
much still missing, and based on the content of this movie, I don't
think it's going to be forthcoming onscreen (there will, I'm sure, be a
novel about it at some point down the road.) But I found the
explanation of these characters' history muddy, frustrating and unsatisfying,
particularly vis-a-vis Snoke.
Along those lines, I
was really unhappy with Luke's character for a good chunk of the film. I
understand why things are the way they are, and from a certain angle it
makes narrative sense, but - not to put too fine a point on it - I
simply don't like it. It doesn't feel right, and while the latter half
of the film improves upon it, the first half just felt ...off. Put another
way, for many scenes, Luke did not feel like Luke, but rather, that
Mark Hamill could simply have been playing "random crotchety embittered old
dude". It's hard to elaborate without giving anything away, so let's
just say it simply doesn't feel true to the character.
After The Force Awakens, I wasn't sure how I felt about Kylo Ren.
Now, having seen TLJ, I can safely say: I don't like him. Not in a
love-to-hate the villain kind of way - I dislike the character. Nothing
against Adam Driver, who is a fine actor; it's the way he's written.
Kylo is written to be the Vader of the new series, but the writers
decided to go with Anakin's least attractive qualities....posturing,
sulking and temperamental problems, to craft Kylo. I find him to be a
self-important brat with unexplained daddy issues, and his outbursts
aren't funny any more. There are moments where he seems compelling,
but they seem consistently undercut by vague brooding and peevish flouncing. I'm starting to feel about
Kylo the way I felt about Anakin circa Episode II.
With that said, though, the movie is fun, engaging, and thought- (and
discussion-)provoking. Best of all, we as an audience really don't know
where we're going from here, which truly opens up the Star Wars
universe in a way that hasn't been done since 1977. There is a major
revelation about Rey late in the film that I absolutely love, because
it's importance is not only narrative, but symbolic of the franchise as a
whole. And the final takeaway from the movie is one of hope, which on
one hand ties the whole series together, but on the other, offers
exciting new possibilities.
I don't have any
guesses right now how Episode IX will be structured, and I really like
the idea that there's a whole magnificent galaxy to be explored. We
have new heroes to follow; TLJ has a passing-of-the-torch feeling to it,
at least in part, and these new characters feel up to the challenge.
But for now TLJ leaves us with a lot to consider about what we know, why
we do what we do, and about destiny....that good, like evil, is a
choice. There's still light and dark, but there's also more than that.
And a richer, broader, more nuanced universe can only be good.
(Now, not to dwell too much on the past - but can we have Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett back, please?)
FINAL RATING: 6 PAWS (OUT OF 10)
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