Star Wars The Last Jedi (2017) Movie Review

Star Wars The Last Jedi Official Poster

The following film review is brought to you through Hyperspace Deliveries, a company whose headquarters are located in a galaxy far, far away. Jokes aside, it is time to delve deep into the latest Star Wars movie and reflect on it. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson, something that has only been accomplished in the past by George Lucas himself. So, how did Johnson’s trial run go? Well, in order to tackle the billion dollar question we need to dissect the film and evaluate it. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Wide shot of a space skirmish

The film is remarkably well shot and looks absolutely gorgeous. The eighth chapter of the Star Wars saga opts to invest most of its action sequences in lengthy space battles, filled with explosions and trigger-happy blaster shots. It is satisfying to witness the frenetic turmoil of outer-space warfare unfold on screen, given the visually appealing status these scenes are treated with. The soundtrack is superb and John Williams has done it again; those musical cues are truly incredible and undoubtedly increment the audience’s response to the film.

Still of Daisy Ridley as Rey training on Luke's island

However, not everything is gold-plated in this brand new Star Wars venture, as there are some odd choices within the narrative that persist to baffle me to this very day. Ever since the final credits for The Force Awakens rolled, fans have been creating theories revolving around a myriad of plot points that particular film sparked. Among the vast topics worthy of two intense years of debate, Rey’s parentage, Luke Skywalker’s big comeback and Snoke’s origin and motivations have been the most frequently discussed. To my profound distaste, all three of these previously mentioned aspects were brushed upon rather quickly and never fully explored.

Still of Adam Driver as Kylo Ren showing off his lightsaber skills

Without entering spoiler territory, I must say that with such intense build up, one would expect to have a satisfying pay off and sadly, no such thing occurs. The Last Jedi is a much different Star Wars flick, when compared to its predecessors, as it is injected with loads of humor (most of it lands, although it makes for an uneven tone) perhaps due to Disney’s strong influence on the producing of the movie. Moving on to the structure of the narrative itself, I was not fond of passing the majority of the film in some sort of stalemate in space, between the Resistance and the First Order. It could have been handled better, as it did not feel organic.

Wide shot of the First Order's AT Ats advancing to battle

Later on, there is a segment in the story that ultimately feels like a detour within the narrative the filmmakers were attempting to establish. During this portion of the film, the pace slowed down and the movie lost its focus. It added nothing to the story and this sequence was utterly useless. Oddly enough, the same thing could be said about new rebel character Rose. Her scenes chewed up a lot of screen time and she was pointless and a tad bit annoying.

Still of the Resistance fighting back

The best performance in this motion picture belongs to Adam Driver, by far. His nuanced take on Kylo Ren made him the most interesting character of the recent bunch. Overall, Star Wars The Last Jedi is comprised of flashy cinematography, an outstanding soundtrack and ideas that might have looked good on paper but whose transition to the silver screen was not as audaciously thought out. The Last Jedi ultimately feels like filler material that is designed to keep its audience in check, because the big finale is coming, two years from now.

Official character poster of Leia, played by Carrie Fisher

Star Wars better step up their game and kick it into a higher gear, because Episode IX is the culmination of this trilogy and I would hate to leave the theatre with a bad taste in my mouth. With that being said, we rate Star Wars The Last Jedi with a B-.

What about you? What are your thoughts on the latest installment of the Star Wars saga? Please, feel free to jump into the comments’ section down below and share your opinion. Oh, and I could not finish this article without mentioning princess Leia herself; rest in peace Carrie Fisher and may the force always be with you!