Big Screen Favorites: Star Wars - The Last Jedi

There is perhaps no franchise in history that has inspired more passionate debate than Star Wars. The original trilogy is the only part of the series that remains universally loved; subsequent prequels and spin-offs have received much more divisive reactions, and the long-anticipated Force Awakens was a perfect example of this. I felt great satisfaction after seeing that movie, but many others did not, criticizing it for a perceived lack of creativity and risk taking. As is practically tradition at this point, its follow-up The Last Jedi has already inspired just as much division among fans, but I for one found it to be an enjoyable, emotional, and pleasing entry in the series, if not without its flaws.

To address the negatives first, the character of Finn (John Boyega) proves to have the weakest storyline in this film, which is a shame as I found him to be a fun and interesting addition in the previous film. His subplot feels almost entirely superfluous when compared to the other running storylines in the movie, and the payoff near the end is too weak to make up for it. The only positive of this segment is the intriguing new character of DJ, played by Benicio Del Toro. He feels unique and there are some genuinely unexpected moments relating to him, but he does not receive enough screentime to fully redeem this portion of the movie. It is this storyline, along with a baffling and absurd scene that occurs in the first act, that bogs the overall film down and keeps it from fully achieving success.

But in spite of this, The Last Jedi manages to reach higher highs than its predecessor in almost all other aspects, and for that I regard it as a better film overall. Adam Driver's villainous character Kylo Ren continues to be the absolute highlight of the sequel trilogy--he plays the character's polarity between indecisiveness and murderous rage to perfection, and his arc in this film is a genuinely satisfying one that builds off of Force Awakens in unexpected ways. Daisy Ridley continues to be likable and interesting in the main role of Rey, while supporting roles such as Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, and Andy Serkis all deliver and enhance the story as well. And of course, Mark Hamill makes a spectacular return to the big screen after only being seen briefly in the previous movie--aside from Kylo, his arc and development proved to be the most emotional and engaging in the story.

The script of this film is what takes it to another level when compared to Episode VII. I enjoyed that movie, but agreed with the complaint that it played it safe and got too comfortable sticking to the plot structure of A New Hope. Director Rian Johnson seems to have taken all of these criticisms into account--he takes the story into genuinely unpredictable avenues, and practically toys with the audience at certain points, making you believe that he will stick to a familiar story structure before dramatically flipping the script. Aside from some hiccups in the writing, the majority of the characters in this film receive well-done arcs that leave me in anticipation for Episode IX.

This was not a perfect movie by any means, but no Star Wars film really is, and the exciting combination of action, unpredictable moments, and great performances have left me confident about the future of this franchise. I would award it 4 stars out of 5.