Movie Review, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Every word of what you just said was wrong. 

The Rebellion is reborn today. 

The war is just beginning. 

And I will not be the last Jedi.

First off, let me just say that I won't be seeing 3D movies anymore. They make the movie too dark, and it can be hard to see at times. I tried to see the movie a few days ago, but I was so tired that I actually fell asleep in the theater. Not because the movie was boring, but I had been up for 24 hours straight at that point. I saw it again tonight, and I liked it. So, let's get on with the review, shall we?

Possible Spoilers

Right off the bat, let me put your mind at ease. This movie is NOT a recreation of any of the previous movies, like Episode 7 turned out to be. That being said, there are several nods to Empire and Return of the Jedi. And while one of them seems to be a recreation of the Hoth escape scene in Empire, let me ask you this...How else would you portray a situation where the resistance is camped out on a planet, and the First Order shows up, and they need to escape? There's not much more you can do with that scene, although what happened after they escaped reminded me more of Battlestar Galactica than any previous Star Wars movie. 

I have seen mixed reactions to this movie. I really don't understand how any Star Wars fan could dislike this movie. It was much better than The Force Awakens,  and is easily better than the prequels. Possibly better than ROTJ and even the original movie. I'm not ready to go there yet. It has a solid story, that isn't ruined by lazy plot devices like a map. You can easily follow this story, and everything that happens does so for a reason. However, there were things that didn't sit well with me. Not anything to do with the story as a whole, but more because this movie is over 2.5 hours long. The scenes on the island with Rey and Luke were a little long, and there is a scene where Finn and a new character go searching for a code breaker. That scene didn't need to be there in my opinion. But, it was still an entertaining sequence. It kind of reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie. 

This scene was fun, but unnecessary

The movie was basically the story of Rey's relationship with Luke, as well as Kylo Ren and Snoke's attempt to turn her to the dark side. She is brought before Snoke, and the conclusion of that scene is a real surprise. It leaves you wondering exactly will happen next, and the movie makes you wait. The movie also continues building Rey into a powerful Jedi as she sharpens her skills and power. So, its mainly about Rey, yet the other story there is the desperate last gasp of the Resistance, as they stare annihilation in the face.

At the end of The Last Jedi, I really came away liking Kylo Ren a lot more both as a character and a villain. He seems less spoiled brat, and is really growing as a dark side force user. I'm anxious to see where his character goes in the next movie. He appears to have an ability to contact Rey, and project himself to places that are light years away. This is a skill that shows up later in the movie as well, but it turns out that it isn't exactly as it seems. Kylo seems to be much better written here than in the previous movie.

We also get to see Leia in a much more important role here. There is a scene where Leia comes into contact with Kylo Ren, and he has a chance to kill her. I won't say if he does or not. My only gripe here is that we finally find out that she has force abilities. I just wish they had done it differently, because the way they did it is a little on the impossible side, even in the Star Wars universe. Still, it was nice to see her using the force. 

Poe Dameron, and Finn both have prominent roles in the story, and they really grow as characters. The showdown that we saw in the trailer between Finn and Phasma was very good, although I doubt we'll see Phasma in the next movie, which is unfortunate. Phasma is very well represented in that she towers over the rest of the stormtroopers. If you haven't read the book about her, you really need to. Its very good. You also see just how brutal the stormtroopers under Phasma really are. Poe really steps up as a leader, and Finn becomes much more dedicated to the cause.

Overall, as I said earlier, I was very happy with this movie. I think most Star Wars fans will be too. A couple random tidbits, we find out where blue milk comes from. Those little owl looking creatures are there briefly for comic relief, but they don't go overboard with them. Leia hugs Chewie. And, the new land walkers seriously dwarf the ones that we saw in Empire. We do learn Rey's origins, but we do not learn Snoke's. However, in retrospect, this is a good thing. If it was revealed to Rey, she would have no idea who he was referring to, and the scene likely would have been cut anyway. Maybe it was. Who knows. 

These new walkers are close to double the size
of the ones we saw in Empire.

I honestly don't get where all the negative reviews on this movie come from. Detractors were complaining about the lack of originality in The Force Awakens, and this movie is a fresh and original story. I never read reviews until after I've written mine, but I really do think this is one of the better Star Wars films. When I first saw The Force Awakens, I had to overlook the fact that it was basically a remake of the original film in order to give it a positive review. But, the more I watched it, the less I liked it. I deleted my positive review, and wrote this. I don't see myself doing this with episode 8. So, go see it! You won't be disappointed!