Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a beacon of light for fans new and old
Director Rian Johnson presents a worthy follow-up to Force Awakens that’s humorous, heartwarming and stunning to look at.
When Disney decided to take another stab at the Star Wars franchise, trepidation ran high. In the wake of the divisive prequels audiences wanted to see the universe return, but how would it play to a new generation? 2015’s The Force Awakens crafted unique new characters that allowed today’s children to find themselves in a galaxy far, far away and that’s a feeling that remains in The Last Jedi. Director Rian Johnson crafts a visually superlative feature with epic aerial battles and high stakes that, in many ways, returns the franchise back to its serialized roots. Some narrative decisions come off as questionable and hokey, but it should finally convince those who haven’t let the Force into their heart yet.
With the First Order’s power firmly established they prepare to take the final steps necessary to wipe the Resistance out for good. The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) have gathered the last of the group together but suffer from internal struggles and dissension. Meanwhile Rey (Daisy Ridley) goes on a quest for answers from Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Rian Johnson sets himself apart from previous helmer J.J. Abrams immediately, with an opening aerial battle that combines a lighter tone with serious drama. Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux takes a cue out of the Peter Cushing playbook with his smarmy villainy that’s undercut by the cocky jokes of Oscar Isaac’s Poe. It’d be easy to assume this means the film takes on a more whimsical tone overall, and though there is an uptick in laughter this go-round it’s never at the service of drawing comparisons to Marvel; this isn’t Thor: Ragnarok-funny. This is immediately proven by the battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Planes are blown up and mass casualties are detailed with an eye towards treating empathy. A stray shot of a woman using the Force to get a detonator comes off as a patriotic sacrifice that ends up tying into new characters in the grander narrative.
Unlike Force Awakens, and even the original trilogy to some extent, there’s an emphasis on sacrifice and how easy it is to become demoralized by the battering persistence of hate. Gone is the scrappy Resistance fighters who come in to save the day. Instead we see an exhausted crew of individuals desperate for a reprieve but ready to go down fighting. Hope is the film’s keyword, quoted and attributed to Fisher’s Leia — the entire plotline takes on an extra bit of melancholy considering Fisher is no longer with us. The entire trajectory of The Last Jedi is to remind us to not fight “what we hate, [it’s] saving what we love,” a message that certainly plays well in these times.
The Resistance acts as the periphery story in contrast to Rey’s or Finn’s (John Boyega). The script tries to cleanly tell three separate narratives in one, and it works for the most part. The Resistance’s issues play like a bomb set to go off at a certain time until the climax. Some drama is injected with Poe’s increasing frustration at leadership decisions made by Vice Admiral Holdo (a flawless Laura Dern). However it’s hard not to see their story as filler — and a boost of screentime for Isaac’s Poe — with how little development Holdo gets. By the time sacrifices are made you’ll sound like The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy, “people come and go so quickly here.”
What fuels the film is Rey’s interactions with the newly discovered Luke Skywalker. Comparisons will inevitably be drawn between their scenes and the training of Luke by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. What’s unique is here is how the film ends up focusing on Luke’s growth over the years, feeling like the rise of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is his fault. One could also say the film wants to explore the cultural significance of the original trilogy itself — a moment involving Leia’s original message in A New Hope is called a “cheap move” — and how Luke, Leia and Han are now the things “they grow beyond.” Hamill showcases the sadness and resignation of his emotionally drained Luke Skywalker, and at times it overshadows Daisy Ridley’s own progression as Rey.
Ridley’s performance as Rey is far more confident than the neophyte actress we met in The Force Awakens, but audiences, any issues you had with the character in TFA will be magnified here. Rey’s plot is anchored alongside the growing evil living inside Kylo Ren. Both Ridley and Adam Driver do good work, but it’s hard not to get a fanfiction/high school vibe from how everything plays out. It’s ultimately the weakest thread in the story.
But like Ridley in TFA, the scene stealer of The Last Jedi is another newcomer: Kelly Marie Tran as Rose. Tran’s optimism and enthusiasm makes her the perfect conduit for longtime Star Wars fans. Her initial meeting with Finn sees her gushing over him like a rock star and her blind faith in the Resistance galvanizes their mission to find a codebreaker. Tran and Boyega make a fantastic team, and it’d be enough to see an entire film about their adventures. Their trip to a wealthy planet called Canto Bite continues to further the film’s social commentary and anchors the audience to Rose’s character, a poor girl who wants to lift people out of their oppressive circumstances. If the narrative with the Resistance is too serious, and Rey’s plot too hokey, Finn and Rose’s storyline is the perfect blend of humor, empathy and advocacy.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the perfect antidote to the year that is 2017 and introduces the tonic for what we need to enter 2018: hope. There are some narrative slips, particularly with Rey, but the film is beautiful to look at, the action is intense, and these characters are the right people you’ll want to spend time with.