Review Summary: Different and risky for the franchise, with some genuinely stunning twists.
"This is not going to go the way you think."
That line from Luke Skywalker in the trailer (and about half-way through the film itself) runs as a surprising central motif to this latest galactic escapade. After watching The Last Jedi, I realized something. Director Rian Johnson was trying to deconstruct what anyone might would expect out of Star Wars. And, in many ways, he succeeds.
In some ways through emotional manipulation, and in other ways through well-executed surprises, Johnson leads us to believe several ideas that were speculated or thought of by many viewers (from watching The Force Awakens). But then, just when we believe we know what's going to happen, the film completely flips these ideas and takes the audience in truly unexpected directions.
Now, if I were to go into these ideas, it would involve spoiling the movie. But, it's this level of unpredictability and unexpected elements that make The Last Jedi so fun to watch. It doesn't follow the normal blockbuster tropes. Instead, it keeps viewers guessing and keeps them in suspense. However, this is the case perhaps a little too much? In fact, by the end of the ride, many of the questions and speculations made about The Force Awakens heading into this movie are either discarded or have become completely irrelevant at this point.
And speaking of the ride, its' also the longest Star Wars ride (ahem, movie) to date, at just over 2 and a half hours. The movie does feel like it goes on a little longer than it should a few times. While it remains entertaining, well-paced, and cohesive for the most part (and doesn't fall into the same "slow to nearly boring" trap that Rogue One just about fell into), a few scenes do feel like odd fits in retrospect, and not exactly necessary. A couple of scenes involving Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and Finn's (an always fun John Boyega) storyline could have been cut (the casino scene in general did seem out-of-place with the movie). There's also a handful of times where Johnson tries to infuse some humor into the film, but it feels forced at least half of the time.
But, you can tell that a lot of attention has gone into the production details here. The visual effects are amped up a handful of notches from its' predecessor. The most impressive action scene in the movie itself involves a battle on a planet made of red salt crystals. It's an absolutely stunning final act that really brings the movie full-circle.
In the meantime, another major strength the movie carries are it's new creatures. The Porgs are a great addition to the franchise. They are so adorable, and they deliver some of the film's funniest moments. Like BB-8 before it, I might would want to find a stuffed porg after watching the movie. The ice wolves are also a neat addition. As for older creations, Chewy and BB-8 are still given plenty to do here. Meanwhile, C-3PO and R2-D2 are given considerably less screentime. But the former still exudes his usual (memorable) anxiety from time to time.
In addition to the creatures, the cast also had a couple of impressive new additions too. The standout of the new additions, for me, was Laura Dern (Jurassic Park, When the Game Stands Tall). Her character starts out slightly unlikable, but gets better and better as the movie goes. Tran's Rose Tico also makes for an entertaining and memorable character. Benicio Del Toro joins the cast too, with a character that isn't given much to do besides pull off a couple of lighter surprises.
Johnson does his best to juggle the main characters' storylines. Like last time, Daisy Ridley once again shines as Rey, with a tough, self-assured personality. Ridley also allows a sense of vulnerability to seep into her character here. That being said, however, with so much going on, her character development is once again left out in the dust. The same goes for Boyega's Finn, as both characters don't reunite until the very end. Oscar Isaac (a.k.a. Poe Dameron) is given more to do than last time, though he talks more about battle strategies and "blowing things up" than really anything else. The master of motion capture, Andy Serkis, makes Supreme Leader Snoke a mysterious and yet very intimidating presence.
Perhaps the most interesting and most effective character of the new trilogy to date, however, is Kylo Ren (performed excellently by Adam Driver). He's clearly given the most development of this trilogy's main characters, and is also the film's most unpredictable character. We see more in depth with his internal struggle between the light and dark sides. This aspect of his character is explored even more here than in The Force Awakens.
While the main characters of this trilogy definitely are well-cast, the heart and soul of this movie definitely belongs to Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. They deliver what might be the best performances of their careers here. Hamill brings a more sophisticated side to Luke Skywalker, with a few surprising elements to his character. He bounces off of Ridley's persona very effectively. On the other hand, Fisher effectively balances some light humor with some interesting and strong emotional complexity (I read yesterday that she did help write some of her scenes). There are a few scenes that carry much more emotional weight than when they were filmed, sadly because of Fisher's unexpected passing five months after filming wrapped (there is an "in memoriam" in the credits). The "reunion scene" between the two of them is very touching.
The action scenes are appropriately intense and exciting. However, the film does lack a true blue light saber battle (the extremely memorable one at the end of Force Awakens is hard to top). The cinematography during the action scenes is brilliant, with an effective blend of slow-motion, close-ups, and zooming in/out. The only missteps in the camerawork involve a couple of unfortunate camera shots that kind-of give away a couple of the bigger surprises (you'll know it when you see it). In the meantime, 50-time Academy Award nominee John Williams delivers once again with a mix of old themes with a few fantastic new setpieces.
With the changes involved, I can see some Star Wars fanatics/purists being upset by how Last Jedi plays out (and some apparently are upset about it). But, Johnson deserves major kudos for not retreading the same waters. There were some that complained that The Force Awakens borrowed too heavily from A New Hope. Rest assured, with the exception of one or two obvious callbacks, Last Jedi bears just about no similarity to Empire Strikes Back.
From a production standpoint, Last Jedi has its' issues. But, ultimately, Johnson has still created a heck of a movie here. He has made a Star Wars movie that bursts with much-needed fresh creative energy and unexpected twists and turns. Is it better than The Force Awakens? At this point, I'd say they are on equal footing for the most part. This film doesn't carry as much of the old-fashioned, whimsical feel of its' predecessor. And it didn't fix the same character development problems I had with that movie either.
However, The Last Jedi is a braver, riskier effort than its' predecessor. It manages to reinvent the formula in a way that is entertaining and sometimes exhilarating.
Score: 8.5/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: The Last Jedi is rated PG-13 for "sequences of sci-fi action and violence". As usual, there's plenty of action violence, but it is darker than the previous two Star Wars movies. Loud explosions, fast-moving spaceships, lasers firing, etc. One or two ships slowly crumble apart in a couple of moments. There is a large body count (of stormtroopers, assistants, and the like), and one character is sliced in half (bloodlessly). Someone is slammed against the ground a couple of times (once with a little blood). Something is violently split in half. A dark tunnel looks very ominous. Some creatures are abused and whipped in a horseracing-style event.
Also as usual, the semi-spiritual/religious elements involving "The Force" are discussed sometimes. A ghost is seen once. There's also a little more language than expected (I counted 2 each of "h***" and "d***", and one each of "a**", "bloody", and "b***ard"). Two odd moments. The first involves a shirtless Kylo Ren. The second involves a character milking a creature and then drinking it. Some alcoholic beverages and gambling are seen in a casino.
