“This is not going to go the way you think.”
– Luke Skywalker.
The Last Jedi had a big job to do. Director Rian Johnson couldn’t use the nostalgia-heavy themes of its predecessor, nor could he go completely off the rails.
What resulted was Episode VIII, a film that divided critics and audiences in its reception. Did it accomplish what it set out to?
The visuals were good in The Force Awakens, but in The Last Jedi they’re spectacular. Episode VIII takes us to some cool planets with unique concepts and introduces adorable new species of animals. The cinematography’s excellent, from the use of light and shadow to the camera angles. The costumes are just striking enough to be eye-catching without seeming outrageous.
The Last Jedi also makes good use of John Williams’ score. The opening scene with its many Star Destroyers intimidates even more when paired with his aggressive music. The film also knows when to use silence to give a dramatic scene more impact.
But the characters, how are they?
Well…unfortunately, flashy visuals and nice sounds are most of the good I have to say about this one.
In its defense, its three main heroes weren’t very fleshed out yet—we’d only had one movie to get to know them—but they were more like caricatures than people.
The treatment of Poe’s character stood out as the worst of the trio, probably because they made him so obnoxious. He talks back to everyone with barely a consequence to his name. It’s a wonder he gained any position of authority when he constantly questions the orders of Vice Admirals and Generals, or interrupts them with a loud “Cut it, lady!”
Finn’s alternatively brave and cowardly personality remains hard to nail down throughout the film. He draws attention to himself in stealth situations despite decades of military training. He and a new character have important side adventures together that deal with heavy issues, like child slavery and arms dealing, which are played for laughs in poor taste. The film also gives him a ham-fisted romantic encounter, then never mentions it again.
Rey’s character makes a shift from being more like Leia to being more like Luke used to be. This isn’t negative, just subtly different. It makes sense since she took the focus away from Finn. Outside of her growing power in the Force, Episode VIII spares no effort in trying to make her interesting.
Luke Skywalker is a character who sees good in even the darkest of hearts. He rushes in to help those who need it, no matter what. He has strong loyalties. He has the discipline and determination to solve any problem, and accepts help even at the cost of his pride. He’s none of these things in The Last Jedi. His dialogue near the end is supposed to come from a place of character growth, but instead it reads like the new Luke contradicting himself.
Kylo Ren’s character seems solid. He’s the strongest new character in the franchise and has the clearest motivations and backstory, so this comes as no surprise.
Even with all this, the actors were professional and delivered lines as well as they could. The new characters were compelling and some old ones were a pleasant surprise. Some characters die meaningful and even tear-jerking deaths.
The film ends with a little boy looking up hopefully into the stars. Maybe he, like me, was hoping Episode IX wouldn’t be so disappointing.
Dark Side Reviews 