Star Wars The Last Jedi is directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro and Domhnall Gleeson. The sequel to 2015's The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi steers the third trilogy into darkness as Rey (Ridley) seeks the guidance of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Hamill) whilst the weakened Resistance are relentlessly pursued across space by the First Order.
Nobody hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans. Of the nine feature films made, only two are universally liked (A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back) whilst the other six are praised and hated upon in equal measure. It therefore seems surprising that cinema's most enduringly popular franchise is incredibly inconsistence; for every Han Solo line there's a Jar Jar Binks, for every use of the Duel of the Fates there is an army of Ewoks. The Last Jedi is, thankfully, a much stronger entry to the franchise, but not one without many flaws.
With an opening that feels like a Bond film, the Resistance fend off First Order Star Destroyers and the impressive Dreadnought through the use of insanely watchable and skilled pilot Poe Dameron (Isaac), droid BB-8 and elongated bombers pregnant with thousands of explosives. It is a terrific opening sequence, dripping with charm and humour (although at the expense of General Hux (Gleeson) who's seriousness has been downgraded heavily) that sets up the rest of the film's staggering 152 minute runtime.
Whilst General Leia Organa (Fisher, in a touching and subtle final performance) and her dwindling fleet are pursued by the First Order fleet, developing Force user Rey gradually coaxes the stubborn (and somewhat sarcastic) Luke into training her to be a Jedi, despite her telepathic bridge she develops with the conflicted Kylo Ren (Driver) and the dialogues they share. As she trains, she learns more of Luke's past and the mystery of why Kylo turned to the darkness before, much like Luke on Dagobah, she leaves to join the fight with her friends. Ridley excels here, giving more assured lines and some riveting action sequences whilst Hamill gives perhaps his finest performance as the self-sufficient farmer/fisherman/librarian/Jedi master, his eyes and complexion showing the weight of his guilt and the destruction he has indirectly caused. Whereas Han Solo's return in TFA was a nostalgic triumph, Luke's is a dark, sombre, occasionally comedic story that slots in nicely with the Star Wars story, even including a touching Yoda scene: the Force ghost done with the same puppet animation as Episode V and again delivering some great lines, "Failure the greatest teacher is."
Many franchise films often have double-edged quotations used in the film to mean one thing but to the audience means another. TFA had Han's iconic 'Chewie, we're home," indicating the revival of the franchise on the big screen. In TLJ, Luke tells Rey "this is not going to go the way you think," which is director Rian Johnson's metaphor for the unpredictability of the film. There are twists and anti-twists that will catch audience members off guard; the evisceration of Supreme Lord Snoke (an intimidating Andy Serkis who really deserved more screentime), the 'reveal' that Rey, in a massive middle finger up to Star Wars fans, is in fact nobody and, perhaps the most flooring twist: the offscreen death of Admiral Ackbar.
Johnson's vision is singular and can be felt in every scene through the craftsmanship and passion infested in every shot. One of TFA's biggest criticisms was its almost complete lack of new vehicles and weaponry. In contrast, Johnson has created the looming Dreadnoughts, a powerful battering ram cannon, rusty and dilapidated ski speeders and Kylo's barrel rolling attack starfighter. This is bold franchise filmmaking; sizzling with a toy box of invention and the courage to dare new things and stage set pieces on new worlds rather than the classic desert/snow/forest terrain of previous films. A trick used in last year's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the use of removing worldly noises and allowing the music to be the only thing heard on screen. Johnson employs this several times to beautiful effect and he has vividly left his stamp on the franchise.
Every action sequence fizzles with kinetic energy; from a tense, proper duel between Luke and Kylo (shot in glorious wide head-to-toe angles that hark back to some of Star Wars' original influences like Japanese film Seven Samurai) to a similarly well staged and superbly choreographed melee between a back-to-back Kylo and Rey and a dozen or so of the gorgeously costumed Praetorian Guards, armed with whips, blades and gauntlets that can stop lightsabers. Another astonishing sequence sees Laura Dern's underused and somewhat antagonistic Resistance leader attack a Star Destroyer in light speed to devastating, breathtaking effect.
The ensemble cast is used effectively, with Poe thankfully getting more screen-time and having to answer for his hot headed approach to conflict ("jump in an X-wing and blowing something up") whilst BB-8 again steals scenes, whether piloting an AT-ST or hijacking a ship. The Porgs are likewise great additions for comic relief with two gags among the most blackest of black comedy, but on the contrary a returning Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) is giving a few good moments but is again dismissed as quickly as she's brought in.
In between the rapturously watchable action and character moments however, there are some flaws. As the Resistance try and flee the First Order, Finn (Boyega) and newcomer mechanic Rose (Tran) are sent to Canto Blight, an out of town hotspot for gambling and arms dealing, to recruit a codebreaker to help infiltrate one of the pursuing Destroyers and disable a tracker. This opens up a third subplot and it is the one that ultimately suffers. The codebreaker they get, DJ (del Toro) is a stuttering, untrustworthy character with little flare or memorable actions despite the vast potential he could've had (think Sicario!). But it's the entire sequence on Canto Blight that pulls the movie back from potentially being an equal to Episodes IV or V. A horribly unnecessary chase sequence, forced animal cruelty message and an environment that feels too human and earthly to be in a Star Wars movie makes the sequence seem lazy and dull. Finn isn't given much to work with and as such his character lacks any form of arc that TFA didn't already give him. In fact, the removal of the codebreaker search could've allowed a smoother running time or, even better, a deeper exploration of Snoke's powers. Rose as well feels tacked on, and, whilst well acted, is largely unnecessary save for a crucial line of dialogue about saving those you love. In fact, one of the film's biggest strengths is its presentation of women and non-whites in strong positions of power on both sides, as well as their input on the battlefield. Once again, Star Wars is dictating how blockbusters should be depicted.
A second large gripe concerns Leia. In the trailers, we see Kylo with the opportunity to potentially kill his mother but it is left ambiguous as to his decision. In another masterful stroke of genius from Johnson, Kylo refrains (fans of Freud will have a blast with the Oedipal reading of him). Leia is safe. Until two other TIE fighters swoop in and take out the control bridge, sending Leia into open space for some duration of time. However, somehow tapping into the Force, Leia angelically guides herself back inside to be saved. It is odd, uncanny and almost cringeworthy. It did little to progress Leia and she simply could've been blown into a wall instead. A very nit picky problem as well was the offscreen death of Admiral Ackbar, mentioned in a forced line.
That withstanding, the poor usage of several characters and a needless sub-plot don't take too much away from an otherwise solid and individual blockbuster. The repeated use of dark red on the sets and costume not only signifies the Ruby Anniversary of the franchise, but supports that this is the most murderous Star Wars film to date. Mesmerising cinematography, class direction and exhilarating action all fuse together perfectly for the film's final, extraordinarily epic hour which will have you forgetting earlier problems and looking forward to the clean slate of Episode XI.
