Luke Skywalker's peaceful and solitary existence
gets upended when he encounters Rey, a young woman who shows strong signs of
the Force. Her desire to learn the ways of the Jedi forces Luke to make a
decision that changes their lives forever. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and General Hux
lead the First Order in an all-out assault against Leia and the Resistance for
supremacy of the galaxy.
Release Date: Dec 15, 2017
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern
Rated PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action and violence)
Runtime: 2 hr. 32 min.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Review:
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is an
enjoyable entry into the long running series.
It has some moments that feel iconic but as a whole it never really
captures a consistent feel that some of the better Star War films like The
Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One. Rian
Johnson delivers a solid entry that doesn’t deliver a bevy of familiar beats
like The Force Awakens did three years ago.
Instead we get some interesting story choices that don’t necessarily hit
as well as they should have. I do give Johnson
credit for trying something different instead of playing it safe but none of
the choices really make for any sort of memorable moments. Instead we get 3 disparate storylines that
run concurrently but never seem naturally cohesive. Separating the 3 new leads robs the story of
letting these new generation characters form any sort of ongoing
chemistry. Daisy Ridley is just as
energetic and magnetic as she was in The Force Awakens. Ridley and Mark Hamill share solid chemistry
together with Hamill adding impressive range and depth to Luke Skywalker. Oscar Issac is given more screentime, to the
films benefit, this go around and Issac takes full advantage. He brings a strong sense of bravado and charm
to the role which feels like a new generation’s Han Solo. John Boyega is still a little broad for my
taste, it’s not his fault. The character
is written very broadly much to Boyega’s detriment because he’s a solid actor
but he isn’t given much to do here until the final act. Carrie Fisher delivers her final bow on film
and it’s very much a fitting swan song even if her character is taken off the
board for a large chunk of the film. My
biggest issue is still Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren whose character is nothing more
than a whiny emo man baby. There are a
few choice bits written into his character which posits some interesting ideas
about legend and legacy but it not enough for me to get past the fact that’s
the character is eerily similar to Anakin Skywalker in the prequel
trilogy. The film does boast some
impressive set pieces sprinkled throughout even though you can’t help but think
it all could have been trimmed down by a good 45 minutes. One subplot in particular feels like it could
have been excised entirely while finding something slightly more interesting
than a casino planet or the worlds slowest space chase. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is at the very least
better than The Force Awakens in that if finds its own path. It’s not the perfect entry some have made it
out to be but it’s an enjoyable entry.
B-
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