By Bill Friedell
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Johnson, 2017) is the eighth film in the Star Wars saga of films. The movie picks up where Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015) left off. Rey (Daisy Ridley) seeks the guidance of world weary Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), both to train her and help the diminishing Resistance due to the destruction of the New Republic. Meanwhile, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) come up with a dangerous plan to save the Resistance from destruction at the hand of the First Order, with the help of Resistance engineer Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran). The Last Jedi may have been the most controversial of the Disney released Star Wars films, or possibly any. And while I don’t believe it to be perfect, The Last Jedi presents a more retrospective and contemplative take on the franchise through the themes and characterizations, reconciling the past of the franchise while finding the future path it should take.
The most compelling characters in the story are Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Daisy Ridley sells Rey’s confusion as she tries to find her place. She has this powerful connection to the force and she doesn’t understand it. Adam Driver also excels even more than in Force Awakens. His inversion of the hero's journey (the villain’s journey, if you will). Mark Hamill gives perhaps his best performance in this film. He was given the hardest role to sell to the audience, a Luke who has seen so much go wrong that he is in a crisis of faith in the force and the “Jedi religion”. This isn’t the same Luke we left at the end of Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983). But, Hamill brilliantly sells this idea, especially when he interacts with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and R2-D2 (Jimmy Vee), where you can see the old Luke from the Original Trilogy emerges, showing his inner struggle his frustration with Rey and where he fits in her story. He has been through some of the greatest challenges and loses in his life; losing his Jedi Temple and being unable to prevent the turn of Ben Solo to Kylo Ren, tragically going through what his previous mentors went through when the Jedi first fell. Even Finn struggles with finding his place. He now has someone he cares for (Rey), but he still struggles with where he fits within the galaxy. He still wants to run away from the First Order, thinking the Resistance has no chance. But it is through meeting Rose, acting as the angel on his shoulder showing the injustice that permeates the galaxy, on a world that looks closest to Earth compared to other worlds, and D.J. (Benicio del Toro) acting as a devil on his shoulder, showing that the injustice is just a part of life, implying that Finn should live with it and even take advantage of it. To DJ, there are no good guys or bad guys.
Left to Right: D.J. (Benicio del Toro), Finn (John Boyega) Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Trans).
Cinematography-wise, the movie is one of the best-looking Star Wars films, trying new techniques with the types of visuals such as the inventive use of mirror imagery when Rey enters a pit where the dark side resides. Its red motif offers distinction and danger, contrasting its various environments, such as in Supreme Leader Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) throne room and the brushed salt on the planet Crait, symbolizing the bleeding the Resistance is facing.Johnson also pays tribute to classic cinema . Its cinematography resembles the feel and scope of classic westerns and Korusawa-esque samurai films, both genres influencing the original Star Wars trilogy. While the Force Awakens brought more modern cinematography to table, The Last Jedi brings a more classical but still inventive visual look and camera penmanship, calling back to classic cinema like Wings (Wellman, 1927) in a tracking shot at Canto Bight’s casino. The influence of westerns and samurai films which were genres that influenced the Original Star Wars Trilogy, come to the forefront with a one on one duel that simulates the high noon feel of Luke’s decision to act as his wardrobe pays tribute to a samurai’s clothes as well as his own clothes from Return of the Jedi. In recalling these genres and homages to old films, Johnson returns to the past of movie genres to help understand and get at the heart of Star Wars.
Thematically, there is a treasure trove in the Last Jedi. The primary theme would have to be the relationship people have to the past and the future. A fundamental misreading of this film seems to come from people taking Kylo Ren’s viewpoint on the situation, “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.”. Because of how certain perceptions have taken the movie to be completely irreverent to Star Wars traditions, it has become popular to site this as the point of the movie. However, it is relevant through Luke and Rey’s journey. Luke learns that the past is something to learn from, especially failure. To completely forget the past is to make the same mistakes as before. The First Order is a perfect metaphor for this idea, being a returning Galactic Empire. The past needs to be remembered, but we cannot be weighed down by it, like Luke had let the past temporarily defeat him when he failed Ben Solo (Kylo Ren). Luke and Kylo believe the past should die, but Luke learns through the ghost of Yoda (Frank Oz) that the past, especially failure is to be a teacher.
In many ways, this brings in a meta narrative aspect of the film. Johnson is looking at what the fundamentals of a Star Wars movie is. What does the legend of Luke Skywalker mean to the audience? Johnson displays through Rey and the final shot of the movie, where the legend of Luke Skywalker inspires the generation to come. Rey, like the audience, knew him both as a legend, and more importantly, as a human being.
Now like I said earlier, Last Jedi isn’t a perfect movie. While the exploration of the past and future worked well, there are times where the movie can become unfocused or muddled in its messaging. For example, the movie wants to make the point that it is more important to live and protect what you love rather than sacrifice everything, but it appears to be the right move to sacrifice. With Finn alone prepared to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else, but Rose stops him from doing so. The message gets muddled when the situation seems to contradict the message. Also, there can be awkward portrayals that if shot or framed differently, could work. For example, Leia gets shot into space, still within the ships shields and uses the force to return back to the capitol ship. It’s shot to make it look like she’s Superman or Mary Poppins. With perhaps a different approach, this would be easier to swallow, but in its existent form seems far fetched. Another scene that suffers from this problem is the scene where Luke throws away his old lightsaber, rejecting Rey’s initial call for help, asking Luke to help the Resistance. This could be a moment where audience members gasp, but the timing of the scene makes it humorous. I don’t believe the director meant it to be funny, but with the tone the movie sets, it can be mistaken for a joke. Speaking of jokes, the humor for some people may be hit or miss, but I overall thought the jokes were in character for each, the jaded sarcasm of Luke, General Hux’s (Domhall Gleeson) lack of self-awareness, and Poe’s distraction method, similar to his classic line in Force Awakens, “Who talks first?”
While The Last Jedi may rub fans the wrong way in certain moments and asks you to understand a Luke who has suffered his greatest failure, the movie gives fans the chance to see the farm boy we met in 1977 overcome perhaps his greatest hurtle and gives the galaxy an ideal to strive for in the way nobody expects, much like his victory in Return of the Jedi as he finds victory as a true Jedi would, as well as mirroring his former masters. The journeys of Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren take their next logical progressions, both completing arcs from the previous film and setting for what’s to come.
Now like I said earlier, Last Jedi isn’t a perfect movie. While the exploration of the past and future worked well, there are times where the movie can become unfocused or muddled in its messaging. For example, the movie wants to make the point that it is more important to live and protect what you love rather than sacrifice everything, but it appears to be the right move to sacrifice. With Finn alone prepared to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else, but Rose stops him from doing so. The message gets muddled when the situation seems to contradict the message. Also, there can be awkward portrayals that if shot or framed differently, could work. For example, Leia gets shot into space, still within the ships shields and uses the force to return back to the capitol ship. It’s shot to make it look like she’s Superman or Mary Poppins. With perhaps a different approach, this would be easier to swallow, but in its existent form seems far fetched. Another scene that suffers from this problem is the scene where Luke throws away his old lightsaber, rejecting Rey’s initial call for help, asking Luke to help the Resistance. This could be a moment where audience members gasp, but the timing of the scene makes it humorous. I don’t believe the director meant it to be funny, but with the tone the movie sets, it can be mistaken for a joke. Speaking of jokes, the humor for some people may be hit or miss, but I overall thought the jokes were in character for each, the jaded sarcasm of Luke, General Hux’s (Domhall Gleeson) lack of self-awareness, and Poe’s distraction method, similar to his classic line in Force Awakens, “Who talks first?”
While The Last Jedi may rub fans the wrong way in certain moments and asks you to understand a Luke who has suffered his greatest failure, the movie gives fans the chance to see the farm boy we met in 1977 overcome perhaps his greatest hurtle and gives the galaxy an ideal to strive for in the way nobody expects, much like his victory in Return of the Jedi as he finds victory as a true Jedi would, as well as mirroring his former masters. The journeys of Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren take their next logical progressions, both completing arcs from the previous film and setting for what’s to come.
Works Cited
Johnson, Rian, director. Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2017.
Abrams, J.J., director. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2015.
Wellman, William. Wings. Paramount, 1927.
Johnson, Rian, director. Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2017.
Abrams, J.J., director. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2015.
Wellman, William. Wings. Paramount, 1927.
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