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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The Force was strong with that one. Which is to say: I think this is where the new trilogy comes into its own. There are still homages, but while The Force Awakens was pretty much an unabashed New Hope remake, emotional beat for emotional beat, The Last Jedi while nodding strongly towards both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi doesn’t cling to their narrative structure as much once introductions are done, comes up with new storylines for its new characters, and doesn’t do what annoyed me about The Force Awakens, i.e. have something theoretically catastrophic happen (in TFA, the destruction of several planets) with zero emotional impact due to how it happens. I am in two minds about one thing it does re: one of the characters, but still, overall, I think of three new movies released so far, this is my favourite.
Let me start with saying: go, casting people, in terms of gender. Pretty much Leia’s entire command staff is female. Lots of female pilots. Even the imperials have both female “office staff” and female pilots around. And the most important new character, Rose, is in addition to being female Asian, looks like a non-model real life person, is in her pilot’s uniform throughout the entire movie, and endeared herself to me post haste.
The movie, as its obvious predecessor ESB, split up its three major new characters from the beginning, but unlikee ESB took the risky move of exploring not dynamics between two of the three. Instead, Poe Dameron who got fleshed out here beyond “cheerful rebel pilot” is shown mostly in terms of how he relates to Leia (and then her substitute), while Finn has his subplot with Rose. Rey follows the Luke in ESB precedent of wanting training from an oddly behaving Jedi Master, but the relationship that’s developed mostly for her during her storyline isn’t the one with Luke, as Luke’s was with Yoda, but with Kylo Ren. She’s not reunited with the rest of the gang until the end, and given the preceding movie build up her relationship with Finn so much, this certainly was a bold narrative move - which worked. More about it in a minute.
The humor worked really well for me, too. Poe trolling Hux at the start was delightful and had the entire audience in stitches (what’s more, it was an entirely new gag none of the SW movies had thought of before, and looking back, why not, given that what Poe does is such a perfect way to undercut imperial pompousness?). On the other end of the scale, this time the movie ensured that when something dark happens, you actually feel it (no abstractly blown up planets; the major redshirt who is killed early on turns out to be Rose’s sister, so the impact of her sacrifice is felt throughout, and it makes the losses Leia’s forces suffer while on the run real instead of abstract numbers).
World building: that casino planet as an example of exploitation and the way it tied into Rose’s background story was an excellent idea, not least because it both brought in more of a First World/Third World feeling of tyranny and injustice instead of yet more Space Nazi clichés, and because it brought back, lo and behold, slavery and races as the background of a major character without making said character otherwise similar to the obvious precedent. Not to mention that the big escape sequence on the gigantic kangeroos (forgot their actual name) was just the kind of joyful silliness that makes you cheer when it’s done well in Star Wars.
Oh, and while we’re talking prequel territory, I’m pretty certain that the people responsible for the script must have watched The Clone Wars, because the guy Finn and Rose end up with was pretty much Hondo by another name. (Yes, there’s the Lando Calrissian precedent, but personality wise? Definitely more Hondo than Lando.)
Overall myth: turns out I’m on board with the reveal that Rey really isn’t related to anyone but was simply an abondoned child. It fits with the overall theme of transition and the way the rebellion needs to be carried by the people if it is to succeed, not one particular bloodline. What I’m torn about, in terms of the overall myth: Luke. I spent the movie going internally “yes, no, yes, no” etc. Not, I hasten to add, about his actual exit, that was perfect. And I was glad (if that’s the right word) that his reason for becoming a hermit at a time when Leia, Han and Co. needed him most wasn’t “just” “my student who is also my nephew went dark side”, but that he actually had something to feel guilty for instead of beating himself up about nothing. Otoh: that still leaves him having turned his back to a burning galaxy for years, and no matter how guilty he feels, that just doesn’t feel right in terms of the Luke Skywalker we used to know. (Turns out I have Luke opinions? I wasn’t aware.)
(Yes, they wanted him to echo Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan’s two decades of hermit-dom came at least with long distance keeping an eye on Luke growing up.)
Then again, I loved a lot of what the movie did with Luke. R2 playing Leia’s original “help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” message and Luke’s response? Was perfect. The twins’ love for each other shone through the movie, and if their actual reunion felt a bit as if they had to accomodate Carrie Fisher not being there (sob!) for all the necessary shots, there turned out to be a great Watsonian reason for the odd sense of “are these two people really in the same room together?”. Bringing back Blue Force Ghost Yoda for a chat was a terrific touch, too. And Luke’s last stand - the way he did it, what he accomplished - and the final shot of two setting suns - this was indeed how Luke Skywalker should exit the SWverse.
Now, if The Force Awakens made me feel Hux and Kylo Ren were essentially fanboys cosplaying as Tarkin and Vader (and being bad at it), The Last Jedi still had Hux being a very faily Tarkin cosplayer (but inadvertendly amusing being one), and finally made me by Kylo Ren as a character. Him destroying his wannabe Vader helm early on helped a lot. As did the movie actually doing something new with him. To wit: him bonding with Rey and destroying Snoke without redeeming himself but because he’s sick of all parent figures and wants the top job himself. Mind you, I very much suspect the origin of that storyline was a scriptwriter in a galaxy, far, far away first learning about Star Wars via pop culture osmosis, assuming Darth Vader to be the supreme bad guy and finding out to his disappointment it was this emperor fellow instead. But while I am glad the Anakin/Vader/Anakin story went the way it did and that it was Palpatine, not Vader, who was positioned as the ultimate bad guy in the first six movies, I also really appreciated what the new team does here, because yes, coming to care for one particular person does not equal wanting to quit evildoing. And it retrospectively reconciles me with Snoke being such a paper thin dull standard Evil Overlord, since he was never meant to last.
(Though really, Snoke: didn’t you at least study how the whole Vader-Palps thing went down a bit? And if so, what made you think restaging it with Kylo Ren as Vader and Rey as Luke was such a good idea?)
Moreover, we finally get a reason why Ben Solo fell that wasn’t just “Snoke’s influence”. (And to my gratification wasn’t “parental neglect”, either, because part of fandom assuming this irritated me in the intervening two years.) And it wasn’t a copy of Anakin’s reason, which wouldn’t have worked given the very different background of the two characters. Like I said re: Luke, that particular reveal makes sense for the actions of both characters, at least the immediate ones after it happened.
Trivia: thanks, movie, for clearing up that Luke pre-Ben Solo going Kylo Ren had indeed his green light saber from RotJ, not Anakin’s blue one. Also, well played later on when Luke seemingly shows up with Anakin’s light saber intact after we’d just seen it torn apart; should have figured out then what Luke actually was doing, but didn’t.
So, I hear Poe/Leia is a thing in fanfiction? If so, congrats on calling it, because this movie certainly gave me “the Queen and her knight” vibes of the M and Bond nature. Which naturally I find appealing.
Speaking of fanfiction calling it: could not see Rey/Kylo after the last movie, can see it now, though am in doubt the next movie will go there. Am absurdly amused the first kiss in the new movies is between Finn and Rose, aka a ‘ship that no one called due to Rose not having been introduced until this movie.
Rey as the first “new” Jedi unburdened by all the baggage of the Jedi of old, including the genetic heritage: as I said, ultimately a good call.
Doylist sadness: it’s Luke who dies in this one, but chances are we won’t see Leia again, either, unless they do the creepy GCI thing they did with Tarkin, and just, no. So this was the last movie with the characters of old, and that makes me misty-eyed. And oh, Leia. Despite all the crap that happened to her, unbroken, carrying on and inspiring people through the galaxy. Truly the princess that was, that is, that ever will be.
Let me start with saying: go, casting people, in terms of gender. Pretty much Leia’s entire command staff is female. Lots of female pilots. Even the imperials have both female “office staff” and female pilots around. And the most important new character, Rose, is in addition to being female Asian, looks like a non-model real life person, is in her pilot’s uniform throughout the entire movie, and endeared herself to me post haste.
The movie, as its obvious predecessor ESB, split up its three major new characters from the beginning, but unlikee ESB took the risky move of exploring not dynamics between two of the three. Instead, Poe Dameron who got fleshed out here beyond “cheerful rebel pilot” is shown mostly in terms of how he relates to Leia (and then her substitute), while Finn has his subplot with Rose. Rey follows the Luke in ESB precedent of wanting training from an oddly behaving Jedi Master, but the relationship that’s developed mostly for her during her storyline isn’t the one with Luke, as Luke’s was with Yoda, but with Kylo Ren. She’s not reunited with the rest of the gang until the end, and given the preceding movie build up her relationship with Finn so much, this certainly was a bold narrative move - which worked. More about it in a minute.
The humor worked really well for me, too. Poe trolling Hux at the start was delightful and had the entire audience in stitches (what’s more, it was an entirely new gag none of the SW movies had thought of before, and looking back, why not, given that what Poe does is such a perfect way to undercut imperial pompousness?). On the other end of the scale, this time the movie ensured that when something dark happens, you actually feel it (no abstractly blown up planets; the major redshirt who is killed early on turns out to be Rose’s sister, so the impact of her sacrifice is felt throughout, and it makes the losses Leia’s forces suffer while on the run real instead of abstract numbers).
World building: that casino planet as an example of exploitation and the way it tied into Rose’s background story was an excellent idea, not least because it both brought in more of a First World/Third World feeling of tyranny and injustice instead of yet more Space Nazi clichés, and because it brought back, lo and behold, slavery and races as the background of a major character without making said character otherwise similar to the obvious precedent. Not to mention that the big escape sequence on the gigantic kangeroos (forgot their actual name) was just the kind of joyful silliness that makes you cheer when it’s done well in Star Wars.
Oh, and while we’re talking prequel territory, I’m pretty certain that the people responsible for the script must have watched The Clone Wars, because the guy Finn and Rose end up with was pretty much Hondo by another name. (Yes, there’s the Lando Calrissian precedent, but personality wise? Definitely more Hondo than Lando.)
Overall myth: turns out I’m on board with the reveal that Rey really isn’t related to anyone but was simply an abondoned child. It fits with the overall theme of transition and the way the rebellion needs to be carried by the people if it is to succeed, not one particular bloodline. What I’m torn about, in terms of the overall myth: Luke. I spent the movie going internally “yes, no, yes, no” etc. Not, I hasten to add, about his actual exit, that was perfect. And I was glad (if that’s the right word) that his reason for becoming a hermit at a time when Leia, Han and Co. needed him most wasn’t “just” “my student who is also my nephew went dark side”, but that he actually had something to feel guilty for instead of beating himself up about nothing. Otoh: that still leaves him having turned his back to a burning galaxy for years, and no matter how guilty he feels, that just doesn’t feel right in terms of the Luke Skywalker we used to know. (Turns out I have Luke opinions? I wasn’t aware.)
(Yes, they wanted him to echo Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan’s two decades of hermit-dom came at least with long distance keeping an eye on Luke growing up.)
Then again, I loved a lot of what the movie did with Luke. R2 playing Leia’s original “help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” message and Luke’s response? Was perfect. The twins’ love for each other shone through the movie, and if their actual reunion felt a bit as if they had to accomodate Carrie Fisher not being there (sob!) for all the necessary shots, there turned out to be a great Watsonian reason for the odd sense of “are these two people really in the same room together?”. Bringing back Blue Force Ghost Yoda for a chat was a terrific touch, too. And Luke’s last stand - the way he did it, what he accomplished - and the final shot of two setting suns - this was indeed how Luke Skywalker should exit the SWverse.
Now, if The Force Awakens made me feel Hux and Kylo Ren were essentially fanboys cosplaying as Tarkin and Vader (and being bad at it), The Last Jedi still had Hux being a very faily Tarkin cosplayer (but inadvertendly amusing being one), and finally made me by Kylo Ren as a character. Him destroying his wannabe Vader helm early on helped a lot. As did the movie actually doing something new with him. To wit: him bonding with Rey and destroying Snoke without redeeming himself but because he’s sick of all parent figures and wants the top job himself. Mind you, I very much suspect the origin of that storyline was a scriptwriter in a galaxy, far, far away first learning about Star Wars via pop culture osmosis, assuming Darth Vader to be the supreme bad guy and finding out to his disappointment it was this emperor fellow instead. But while I am glad the Anakin/Vader/Anakin story went the way it did and that it was Palpatine, not Vader, who was positioned as the ultimate bad guy in the first six movies, I also really appreciated what the new team does here, because yes, coming to care for one particular person does not equal wanting to quit evildoing. And it retrospectively reconciles me with Snoke being such a paper thin dull standard Evil Overlord, since he was never meant to last.
(Though really, Snoke: didn’t you at least study how the whole Vader-Palps thing went down a bit? And if so, what made you think restaging it with Kylo Ren as Vader and Rey as Luke was such a good idea?)
Moreover, we finally get a reason why Ben Solo fell that wasn’t just “Snoke’s influence”. (And to my gratification wasn’t “parental neglect”, either, because part of fandom assuming this irritated me in the intervening two years.) And it wasn’t a copy of Anakin’s reason, which wouldn’t have worked given the very different background of the two characters. Like I said re: Luke, that particular reveal makes sense for the actions of both characters, at least the immediate ones after it happened.
Trivia: thanks, movie, for clearing up that Luke pre-Ben Solo going Kylo Ren had indeed his green light saber from RotJ, not Anakin’s blue one. Also, well played later on when Luke seemingly shows up with Anakin’s light saber intact after we’d just seen it torn apart; should have figured out then what Luke actually was doing, but didn’t.
So, I hear Poe/Leia is a thing in fanfiction? If so, congrats on calling it, because this movie certainly gave me “the Queen and her knight” vibes of the M and Bond nature. Which naturally I find appealing.
Speaking of fanfiction calling it: could not see Rey/Kylo after the last movie, can see it now, though am in doubt the next movie will go there. Am absurdly amused the first kiss in the new movies is between Finn and Rose, aka a ‘ship that no one called due to Rose not having been introduced until this movie.
Rey as the first “new” Jedi unburdened by all the baggage of the Jedi of old, including the genetic heritage: as I said, ultimately a good call.
Doylist sadness: it’s Luke who dies in this one, but chances are we won’t see Leia again, either, unless they do the creepy GCI thing they did with Tarkin, and just, no. So this was the last movie with the characters of old, and that makes me misty-eyed. And oh, Leia. Despite all the crap that happened to her, unbroken, carrying on and inspiring people through the galaxy. Truly the princess that was, that is, that ever will be.
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I too am pleased that Rey comes from nobodies, even if they really were scum, as I've never been keen on the royal blood trope that pervades fantasy. This was accentuated in the last scene with the little boy taking his broom with the force, and I love that hope lives, even though no one came to Leia's call. I really hope that stays as canon, and no one writes that in as a lie from Ren.
Rose absolutely for the win! Yes, she looked real and thus very relatable. The death of her sister was very affecting. Even though Rey has the model looks, she looked real too, no discernable makeup (so many in films seem to have it permanently on, even in the morning and after battles), and looking sweaty and solidly real.
I loved the humour. 'Rogue One' totally missed out on that, plus was guilty of destroying cities full of ordinary people as well as the resistance fighters.
One thing I must have missed though - why did Ben Solo turn to the dark as a lad? I was thinking that needed an explanation.
Next up: young Han Solo in May! I hope it's more like 'The Last Jedi' than 'Rogue One'.
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(Mind you, not that this excuses what Kylo Ren does and continues to do thereafter. That's on him. But it explains the original fall.)
ETA: So glad you liked Rose! I thought she was great and was amazed to see complaints about her in virtually all the early reviews in my circle thereafter.
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Seriously? People didn't like Rose? She (and her sister) rocked! And that he looked real was a total plus. I was so relieved she survived.
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I don't know that he does. He saw a lot of darkness in Ray and was equally afraid. She was able to get the upper hand because he was older and weakened by his failure with Ben. But if she'd been his apprentice first? Who knows.
I don't know why he's so scared, except Luke didn't feel the pull to the dark side like Anakin did. He says dark and light are a balance but he was so scared of being responsible for losing a student. It was a big responsibility.
The interesting thing? Kylo Ren isn't as dark as Anakin. Vader was Vader. I still get shivers when I watch A New Hope and Empire Strikes back. Kylo is clearly still conflicted and highly emotional. Luke missed that somehow back then, but Rey sees it clear.
She will definitely that to her advantage someday. :-)
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If she does ever turn him, I don't know how he'll handle having killed his father and, as far as he knows (possibly?) his mother.
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Early in this film, he had a chance to destroy the bridge and Leia on it. He didn't do it. Others did it for him, but he didn't, couldn't press that button. She felt it, was ready for it. But no.
That's before he and Rey connected. That's Kylo. He loves Leia. That's what makes it all so complicated. Luke, Rey, Kylo, all the rebels, they love Leia and she's the emotional centerpoint for this film.
When Leia goes (and they had better write this well) that will be Kylo's last tether. He was going to destroy them all at the end but that was a child's blind rage. And he lost them. He tried to forge an alternate bond with Rey. But he lost her too.
It's okay, though. Rey will fight for him first. But her turning point will be like Luke's when she realizes she won't be able to get Kylo back. Not ever.
(I still think she's Kylo's sister. The friends I saw it with last night vehemently disliked this theory. But in the cold light of day I have never seen or heard of in a film, series, or animated series (haven't read any books) of any one having the strength in the Force that Rey has and not be in that family. Ever. Her connections with the Skywalkers them speak of family and the writer/director handled her connection with Kylo with a light hand this movie. So when she loses him for the final time, it's going to change her irrevocably because he's the last piece of family she'll have. Until she has her own kids.)
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I really love the idea that she's someone the Force is strong in, presumably like past Jedi; they must have appeared from families who either didn't have any talent, or never realised it, as Luke may never have without tuition. I so hope they don't retcon her background, though I know Ren could well be lying to make her need him more. And the child at the end has nascent Force.
Sorry, I haven't read any books or seen anything but the films.
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I went into this movie thinking that Rey was Kylo's sister. Hee!
I doubt that's something they'll go with in the next film, having done what they did here, but I thought it was a narratively sound theory after The Force Awakens.
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It's my co-worker's theory but I saw it in this film. Now that Carrie Fisher has passed they may have to go a different way. I can't see this happening without Leia explaining it. Even I couldn't accept this narrative without Carrie Fisher herself speaking it.
It's in J.J. Abrams' hands now. Anything is possible. I will think about that in two years. Right now I'm just loving this film!
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It's okay, though. Rey will fight for him first. But her turning point will be like Luke's when she realizes she won't be able to get Kylo back. Not ever.
This makes decent storytelling sense. I can only say I personally hope they don't go there because it would be so depressing. To really lose someone you care about that way--i.e. you'll never get them back; you'll be on inimical terms for the rest of your lives--is one of the hardest things ever. In mundane real life, I've been dealing with this for three years and will likely be dealing for the rest of my life, and even minus "evil" and the Dark Side, it's so incredibly hard. And I think to do it justice in a narrative requires a lot of time to unpack the grieving process, which is not going to be available in, say, the second half of one action movie, which makes me hope they don't try to go there. They could talk the talk, but I don't think they have a medium that can walk the walk, and it would come out feeling jarring and depressing--or else trivialized. But obviously, I have my own biases like all fans/human beings. :)
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I just can never trust Kylo Ren. He killed Han and I was very invested in Han. And he's so--conflicted. It would feel a bit cheap if he just was redeemed and lived happily ever after. But maybe he'll be redeemed and die quickly? It still wouldn't feel like it had done his current character's trajectory justice.
We are frail and fallable and human. It's incredibly painful to witness and experience in real life and in real time. *hugs*
But gosh, does it fascinates me in media. :-)
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He killed Han and I was very invested in Han.
It seems to me one reason TLJ is so contentious and why, at this point, every Star Wars film is going to get rigorous critique is that we all have our own relationships with the franchise and ideas it brings up.
I can imagine it must have been very hard for you to see Han go that way. When you're really invested in a character who's been around over decades, it's like losing a person in your life. Now, me, I had killed Han off in my head canon about eight years before TFA, so even though I was completely unspoiled for his death, I was also totally emotionally prepared for it.
I guess it's a sign of great art, though, that it can both move us and wound us.