(December 2017, U.S.)
At the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS, I and many other fans were left with high hopes and high expectations for the next film in the STAR WARS sequel trilogy. Luke Skywalker was back and we fully expected him to take his rightful place against the First Order. We fully expected to learn just how Luke's original lightsaber made it off of Cloud City and ended up in the hands of Max Kanata. We fully expected to learn that Rey was very likely the daughter of Luke Skywalker (I mean, let's face it, all evidence from THE FORCE AWAKENS seemed to point in that direction). We fully expected Princess Leia to be dead by the end of THE LAST JEDI because it seemed only logically since Carrie Fisher had died in December 2016, and it seemed only poignant and meaningful that Luke Skywalker's end would inevitably come by the end of EPISODE IX, thus ending the long and legendary saga that's been in our lives since 1977.
Here's what happened instead: Luke Skywalker never even left the island he was exiled on, his lightsaber has still not been explained, Rey turned out to be just what she appeared to be on the surface; the abandoned daughter of junk dealers (at least that's where we are with her character at this point in time), Princess Leia was still alive and well by the end of the film, and Luke Skywalker was gone! So, if it seems that I'm getting things off to a sour note here with THE LAST JEDI, you're not wrong. Like RETURN OF THE JEDI and THE PHANTOM MENACE, the latest film in the new trilogy is exciting and fun to watch, with good moments of darkness and drama that generally live up to our expectations, but flawed in its story, nonetheless. Maybe I'm being too judgmental about a trilogy that's not concluded yet, or maybe I'm just being a sore sport. It's very easy for fans to judge and discuss what they would have done differently, and I'm no exception, but it's still all difficult to swallow when you're expectations are hell and gone from what actually happens.
So just to sum things up here - Rey is still on the island with Luke Skywalker who refuses to leave, content with his daily routine of, well...nothing. The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa and Poe Dameron, spend most of the film escaping attacks from the First Order (not too unlike the plot of EMPIRE, I suppose) who can now track them through lightspeed, while the Resistance ships burn fuel as they try to keep their distance and stay alive. Meanwhile, Fin and his new companion Rose are on their own secret mission to decode and disable the First Order's tracking device. Kylo Ren, son of Han and Leia, is (almost predictably) questioning his commitment to the dark side as he hesitates to fire upon his own mother during a space battle (didn't you also think this was when Leia would meet her doom when you watched the film's trailer?? I did!). Luke inevitably agrees to train Rey in the ways of the Jedi, but it all seems rather lame in comparison to what we've seen before during the prequel days of the Republic. One noteworthy exception to this is the newly discovered ability within the Force for Rey to project her presence to another location and join with others without actually leaving where she is. In other words, traveling without moving. This is an important plot point because it not only serves to show how Rey will influence Kylo Ren's actions against his Supreme Leader Snoke and take his own place in the First Order, but also in how Luke will ultimately fit into the scheme of things as he is repeatedly declared the one spark of hope that will turn the tide against evil in the galaxy, which I suppose turns out to be the greatest disappointment in THE LAST JEDI. As previously stated, Luke Skywalker never leaves the island and his moments of action turn out to be just one great, big illusion. To be fair, though, it is good to see Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher on screen together again, even if it's just for a brief moment, and even if that moment turns out to be one great, big illusion, too.
Like THE FORCE AWAKENS, I'm still asking the question of the purpose of the color red in the new trilogy. On the planet Crait, where the film's final battle takes place, the ground is rich in a red salt content, which splatters all over the damn place like blood in an '80's slasher film. Luke's appearance and confrontations, illusion or not, is exciting to watch, nonetheless, because it's a pleasure to see Mark Hamill back in action any way we can get it. But that pleasure is temporary because we're forced to deal with the fact that Luke Skywalker has passed on following his final battle. His death is peaceful, much like Yoda's on Dagobah. But since Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi were not final or forgotten characters ever after their deaths, I suppose it's safe to presume that the presence of Luke Skywalker isn't finished yet. The biggest question I have right now is how do they continue Princess Leia after Fisher's death? And just what are we supposed to presume is to follow when a STAR WARS film ends with a small child holding up a broom and gazes into space? Do we believe the children are our future...even in a galaxy far, far away?
And so, after eight films, and with the exception of ROGUE ONE, we're all finally caught up in the ongoing saga of what simply began as the story of a boy, a girl and a galaxy. But what are we really left with at this point? THE LAST JEDI is surely a passionate adventure with heroes and villains we've come to regard as traditional, if not cliché, and it can even be accused of lagging a bit in the second half, not nearly packing the same punch as its preceding film. Performances are solid enough, particularly from Mark Hamill who seems perfectly happy to be back home where he belongs, though I seriously question the casting of Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern in roles they don't seem to know exactly what to do with without the constant support of others. I don't know, maybe it's me, but I always felt that STAR WARS films were best helmed by unknown actors, despite the desires of some famous movie actors to have a STAR WARS film under their belt (even Samuel L. Jackson). And let's face it - subtle wit is one thing, but cheap jokes simply don't work in STAR WARS films, in my opinion. I mean, what exactly was writer Rian Johnson (also director) thinking when he decided to have Poe Dameron make what can only be described as a phony phone call in space to Genral Hux at the beginning of the film? I don't think I've seen anything that stupid in the entire saga since See-Threepio's ongoing bad puns in ATTACK OF THE CLONES.
I suppose all I can do is sit back an wait until December 2019 when EPISODE IX finally brings things to a close and confusing issues are resolved. That's my new hope!
Favorite line or dialogue:
Luke Skywalker: "Where are you from?"
Rey: "Nowhere."
Luke: "No one's from nowhere."
Rey: "Jakku."
Luke: "All right, that is pretty much nowhere."
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