By Brett Blake Some fans are going to have real problems with some things in THE LAST JEDI. That is simply unavoidable when you hire a sharp, creative writer/director like Rian Johnson to come in and give us his version of a STAR WARS movie. What he delivers is big, glossy, and packed with tremendous moments, some of which rank among the very best of the series... but the final result is not without flaws and controversial elements. Probably more than with any other series, STAR WARS fans are more likely than not to be averse to spoilers. As such, it’s bit difficult to even get into what THE LAST JEDI is really about. That said, let’s start with what the official synopsis - direct from the studio - has to say: Having taken her first steps into the Jedi world, Rey (Daisy Ridley) joins Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on an adventure with Leia (Carrie Fisher), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past. Pretty vague, generic stuff. Moving ever so carefully beyond that, it can be said that Rey spends some time with a somewhat jaded Luke Skywalker, while Finn - and a new character named Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) - embarks on a desperate mission to aid the fledgling Resistance in the fight against the evil First Order, led by the devious, mangled Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and his tortured, conflicted acolyte, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who was once Luke’s protege before falling to the Dark Side. After THE FORCE AWAKENS was (fairly but overzealously) criticized for following the same basic story beats as the original 1977 film, there was some concern leading up to THE LAST JEDI that it would similarly pattern itself after THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. So, does it? Only sort of. If a person goes into the movie scrutinizing it in hopes of finding similarities, that person will find similarities; however, where this story ultimately ends up is very different from EMPIRE. Unconventional choices are made and (more or less) work within the confines of the story being told. Rian Johnson manages to thread the needle between delivering something that feels completely like STAR WARS, and also pushing boundaries a bit and advancing the scope and mythology of the universe in rich and interesting ways. He also manages to weave a narrative full of unexpected developments; as a character says at one point, “This is not going to go the way you think,” and that’s not a totally inaccurate summation of the movie’s story. Being the second chapter of a trilogy (as in the second entry in a designed three-picture arc, not merely a sequel) is usually an unenviable position, because it represents the middle chunk of a larger story and therefore can’t truly feel like an independent and complete experience. To be sure, there have been many fantastic second chapters in film (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, obviously, but also BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II, THE TWO TOWERS, and THE DARK KNIGHT come to mind), but generally they are hard to craft as satisfying experiences on their own, disconnected from the larger story. They might function as a great second act when taken as part of a larger whole, sure, but the really hard part is making them feel distinct. THE LAST JEDI, by virtue of writer/director Johnson’s choices, feels complete, even as it builds on the groundwork from the previous movie. This is not a trilogy simply marking time on the way to its third installment. The scope of the narrative arc here is absolutely dramatic, and unexpected in the way it resolves its various plot threads. Where THE LAST JEDI really distinguishes itself is in its emotional resonance. Johnson, who proved with his earlier films to be adept at character work, crafts an incredibly confident yarn with the most emotional maturity and complexity of any STAR WARS film so far. Ultimately, the things the characters are dealing with are adult concerns, and while the movie is often a blast - energetic and fun and exciting - there are serious undercurrents at play; the themes of loss, failure, searching for belonging, and duty to causes higher than oneself get a full examination through Johnson’s very incisive, focused writing. There are some devastating, surprising moments here (big and small), but none of them feel like gimmicks, cooked up only for shock value; rather, they inform the characters’ journeys, and are used by Johnson to spin what is ultimately a compelling tale. And it has to be said... some of these moments won’t sit well with everybody, even if they serve the story Johnson’s trying to tell (more on that below). Among the cast members, there is not a weak link to be found. Daisy Ridley navigates some challenging emotional material with grace and ease, and the story this time has Rey perhaps at her most vulnerable, a girl looking for somebody to connect with and show her a path forward. Mark Hamill - who shares the bulk of his screentime with her - delivers what may be his finest live action performance ever. He manages to find the balance of showcasing this new Luke Skywalker (a man who, basically, is a little bitter and cynical when the story begins) while still finding some lovely, warm moments to remind us of the optimistic young man who was the hero of the original films. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac turn in a pair of charming, “old pro”-style heroic performances, and they make a lot out of not particularly much on the page. Of the trio of major newcomers - Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio Del Toro - Tran shines the brightest, investing her character Rose with an incredibly earnest and likable energy. On the villainous side, we have the returning Domhnall Gleeson delightfully chewing some major scenery here as General Hux, and Andy Serkis turning a nothing of a character from THE FORCE AWAKENS - Snoke - into a substantially more interesting, cunning, and threatening presence. But really, as was the case with THE FORCE AWAKENS, the unequivocal standout character is Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. THE LAST JEDI finds Ren even even more complicated than before, and Driver leans hard into that, finding more wrinkles and nuanced angles that make the character’s desperate - and profoundly insecure - desire to be evil and powerful somehow sympathetic and utterly human. In terms of the all-important music, John Williams contributes yet another very worthy score for the series, expanding upon his new slate of themes from THE FORCE AWAKENS in exciting ways while also never feeling like simple retread work. In some ways, this is the most “sequel”-y STAR WARS score he’s ever written, as it is more reliant on past themes than any of the other scores in the series. There is some new thematic material, certainly, including a major new theme for Rose, but for the most part, Williams’ music for THE LAST JEDI is all about tying together existing motifs in a new package. This may disappoint some who were hoping for extensive new material, but the score works for the movie incredibly well. Naturally, it’s one of the best of the year. Now, by no means is THE LAST JEDI perfect, nor is it “THE BEST STAR WARS MOVIE EVER!!” as some more hyperbolic reactions would claim. It’s difficult to really dissect the film’s (relatively few, but not insignificant) shortcomings while also remaining spoiler-free, so we’ll tread lightly here: ultimately the most consequential missteps come as a result of Johnson packing this story to the gills with characters - returning and new - and not really finding a way to satisfyingly service all of them. There is one substantial subplot here that never really comes together like it should, and it ultimately feels like Johnson trying too hard to make sure particular characters get enough stuff to do. Under normal circumstances, this is a section of the story that would have been streamlined or dropped altogether, but to do that here would have meant drastically reducing the screentime of a major character, and that’s just not something that was going to happen. Also, tonally, there are absolutely moments (humorous and otherwise) that do not work, either because they simply don’t land, or because they strain the level of suspension of disbelief that STAR WARS movies normally require of the audience. While THE LAST JEDI overall certainly feels like a STAR WARS movie should feel, there are a few moments of incongruity that are obvious. These flaws, however, are symptomatic of Rian Johnson making big, gutsy choices in an attempt to deliver a massive STAR WARS spectacle. He boldly swings for the proverbial fences here, and even when certain elements don’t fully connect, his desire to broaden the scope of the series - tonally, narratively, and mythologically - is admirable and worthy of praise. And it is certainly worth saying right here, in the interest of full disclosure, that I don’t love all the big, gusty choices Johnson makes in this film. Some left me cold, others actively bothered me, but at the end of the day, that’s okay! There is a lot that’s great in this movie, and even the stuff that isn’t, or is more controversial, is worth respecting as a part of an experiment made in good faith and with good intentions. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is still absolutely a thrilling time at the movies, and it is Johnson’s more mature thematic sensibilities which set it apart and make it feel like the most idiosyncratic and distinct entry in the series since THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
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