Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The time has come again.

Now that The Last Jedi is here, it's a great time to consider the fact that we've had three new Star Wars films in the matter of three years. You'd reckon it'd be truly a great time to be alive, however, within the matter of these past four days, The Last Jedi has been one of the most divisive films I've seen in a long time (at least since Justice League). So, I say there's no time for me to beat around the bush and just dive in with my thoughts on this film. This will be a spoiler-free review, for those who were wondering.

The Last Jedi pretty much takes place right after The Force Awakens ends, I'd say a day maybe. As Rey has finally found her way to Luke Skywalker, the First Order is tightening its grip around the dwindling resistance. As resistance leaders try to come up with new plans to fight back against the towering enemy, Rey tries to bring Luke back into the world of the force to train her into being a Jedi. However, hope is dying fast, as Luke refuses to train Rey and more of the resistance is vanquished, leaving our heroes with few options and a fast closing deadline.

It took me two viewings of The Last Jedi to really put together a compelling review of this film. I had to take in everything that was going on with this film and the arguments that were going on on both sides of the love it/hate it camp. After much deliberation, I have to say that The Last Jedi is an enjoyable film with some minor flaws that crack through it's pretty exterior.

Starting off, I'm going to give the story some props. It has a really great A plot revolving around Rey, Luke, and Kylo Ren. All three characters are beautifully driven by their respective actors, and if you weren't already attached to them by The Force Awakens, you definitely will be by the end of this film. The B plot also has some merits, revolving around Princess Leia and the dwindling resistance. Carrie Fisher's penultimate role (may she rest in peace) is a good one, if not a tad too small, but she does give her all as a damn good resistance leader. I also have to give props to Oscar Isaac as well who definitely brings up the pack after his role in TFA.

The C plot, revolving around Finn and newcomer Rose attempting to find a chink in the First Order's armor, is where the story falls apart completely. There are a few good elements here, but it's mostly lost within the shenanigans that occur, leaving audiences feeling like there could be other things they would rather see. I could argue that the entire C plot could be erased from this movie completely and you wouldn't really miss much. But like I said, there's a little shining light through these cracks, as you're given some fairly good performances by John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, and Benicio Del Toro is always a welcome addition (if not a bit annoying at times).

Other good things include the beautiful direction and cinematography, done by the dynamic duo of Rian Johnson and Steve Yedlin, who both evoke memories of past saga films with some beautiful color palettes that really make this movie pop. The score by veteran John Williams is also beautiful, encompassing feels like you wouldn't believe. The writing is also pretty good on the most part, but it does hold some pretty corny lines, and the movie as a whole has a few cheesy scenes laid throughout (there's one in particular, but I won't spoil it). I can kinda look over them, as Star Wars is not unfamiliar with cheesiness, but I would have thought by now we could have found a way to not have these types of scenes in these movies.

All in all, The Last Jedi is a pretty good romp of a film. If you want two and a half hours of good sci-fi with some familiar characters, you'll be more than happy. But it's not really a game-changing Star Wars film like some may have hoped. I can understand those who dislike it, they've got their fair opinions and I won't detract from them, but I have to disagree on the whole part. I'll give Star Wars: The Last Jedi an 8.1/10 for all of its merits, which places it about on par with Return of the Jedi in a ranking. There's grace here, but there's also some room for improvement. Here's hoping J.J. can perfect it by Episode IX.