«The Last Jedi» (2017): Review

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LET THE PAST DIE.

Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) was the writer and director for the eighth installment in the Skywalker saga. He joined the previous’ movie cast from The Force Awakens (2015), with the exception of Harrison Ford for obvious reasons. This film would be the last one Carrie Fisher would ever star in, before suddenly passing away on the 27th of December 2016. If there’s a feeling that could describe this movie, it would be that Johnson brings in a very much needed breath of fresh air. This film revolved around a lot of hype; from the very exciting trailers, to discovering who Rey’s parents could be. Every question that was asked by JJ Abrams seemed like it would get an answer in this movie and the fans were eager to see the results.

Nevertheless, some of these answers left the fandom divided; while some loved it, and others didn’t. The Last Jedi is innevitably compared to The Empire Strikes Back (considered by some to be the best Star Wars movie of all time), for being the second movie in a Star Wars trilogy. The Last Jedi is a fun, exhilarating, risky, and dramatic story that leaves you wanting for more, and establishes itself on the list of best Star Wars movies to date.

No me temblaría el pulso si afirmo con total seguridad que esta película es arriesgada, divertida, dramática, dejándote con ganas de más; haciéndola la mejor película de Star Wars de manera general por todo lo que tiene. 

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THE LAST JEDI

One recurrent criticism this movie gets is the “incomprehension” of Luke Skywalker’s character by Rian Johnson. Apparently, giving information and a backstory about his exile on Ach-To is not good enough for fans who demanded to see the old grand Jedi Master do flips and twists while he was on screen. Apparently, it is not very Luke Skywalker-ish to have lost hope, and refusing to help the Resistance in times of crisis. But that’s exactly what makes it interesting. What could’ve happened that made Luke, the most hopeful man in the Galaxy, to the man he is when Rey finds him? It is true that even Mark Hamill was surprised his character had turned out to be some old hermit, but he accepted it since it wasn’t his story anymore (although the title implies the opposite) and promised to do the best he could.

And he did. Hamill’s performance was the best he has ever been in a Star Wars movie. We got to see a broken Luke that had experienced a lot between the events of the original trilogy and the sequels; but what stands out is how he failed the galaxy by having the idea of killing his own nephew, Ben Solo. After discovering all the pain Ben would bring to the Galaxy, that thought “passed like a fleeting shadow”, but his apprentice never forgave him for having that thought; and neither did Luke himself. He then exiles himself to Ach-To and becomes a hermit so that he cannot hurt anyone anymore. He even closes himself from the Force- he’s that serious about it. He detaches himself from the Jedi, the Sith, or any other Force-related term that had been previously mentioned in the Star Wars saga.

This movie had very high expectations, in part due to the trailers and the uncontrollable hype regarding The Force Awakens‘ end, where people thought that Luke could finally turn to the dark side, or that a lightsaber fight woukd be taking place at the end of the movie between Snoke, Kylo and Skywalker.

But none of that happened. Luke was completely humanized, from start to finsh. He felt a tremendous sense of guilt, as well as knowing he had failed. He had failed as a mentor, as a friend, and as a brother. He felt that he failed when it came down to passing all he knew to Ben. However, despite all of this, Luke was still the legend the Galaxy believed him to be, even though he didn’t feel that way. This latter is a recurring theme throughout the entirity of the movie, and will help push Luke’s character forwards. 

For once in a Star Wars movie, the protagonist does something that us mere mortals do: hide and wait, hoping that everything will turn out for the best. It is one of the most logic, yet risky paths Johnson could take. For him, Luke Skywalker had to be flawed, since that character had nothing to do with the one that appeared for the first time back in 1977. After appearing for the last time in Return of the Jedi in 1983, all fans wanted to know what happened to Luke. The fact that basically everyone could relate to Luke was a major hit, since you could understand as to why he chose Ach-To to be his death bed.

This Luke Skywalker has conflict, fear, doubts, and above all, makes mistakes. Is there anything more human than that? Even though all of this just looks like it throws away everything George Lucas did, it doesn’t.

It’s just an evolution of a character, that just like the Jedi, had been deified to an extent where it just wouldn’t resonate with audiences. I understand fans demanded the greatest and most powerful version of Luke Skywalker ever, and they got it; just not in the way they expected it. We know Luke has travelled to planets far away, or that he discovered bits of History that he didn’t know beforehand.

He evens bests Rey in hand to hand combat, despite being much older than her. Luke is still there. He just doesn’t want to come out. 

We need to see something new, something that we haven’t been told before. This character arc is one of the best and most logical ones we’ll probably witness in the Skywalker Saga. Starting as a farmer with big hopes and dreams, gazing into the Tatooine horizon with the twin suns’ sunset; and ending it with another twin suns beautiful sunset. Along with John Williams’ incredible score, this is the perfect ending for Luke Skywalker. Johnson stuck the landing for one of the most beloved characters of all time.

John Williams was once again, in charge of the soundtrack for this movie, and it is easily one of the most memorable ones to date. From the sequences in Ach-To, to the final battle in Crait, every scene is recognizable by its music. It is one of the best work Williams has put together, and it surely improves its predecessor’s soundtrack. He manages to capture melancholy (when Yoda appears in front of Luke), the epic (when Rey grabs her lightsaber after Snoke dies), or sadness (Luke’s last moments in Ach-To before becoming one with the Force).

The moment when Luke shows Rey what the Force is, the music helps the scene become alive, making much more engaging. We could even say that after confronting Kylo, the soundtrack sums up the movie’s main idea: to find peace and purpose from the light but having to fight darkness first. The Force theme can be heard when Skywalker passes away, passing the baton to Rey and Kylo: light for Rey, darkness for Kylo, and finally balance for Luke. John Williams really outdid himself.

Por no hablar de lo bonita y majestuosa que es la melodía de la isla de Ach-To; tanto cuando se nos presenta a Skywalker como cuando Rey descubre lo que es la Fuerza. Podemos incluso añadir que el momento en el que Luke se desvanece después de haberse enfrentado a Kylo; la música nos resume la idea principal. Encontrar la paz y el equilibrio desde la luz, pero confrontando la oscuridad. La melodía de la Fuerza suena cuando el maestro se convierte en un fantasma; y es posteriormente unida a la melodía que caracteriza a Rey y a Ren: luz para Rey, oscuridad para Re; y últimamente un equilibrio para Luke. John Williams ha dado su mejor versión para esta cinta y se nota.

Johnson wants the audience to think about everything that we’ve been told so far in Star Wars. He wants us to question it, not because we need to do, but because we should. From the Jedi’s behaviour, passing by what the Force really is, to where our heroes come from. We are told several times in this film that the Jedi weren’t really as good as they said it out to be; like when Luke explains to Rey in the Ach-To cave, or when Yoda asks Luke if he’s read “the sacred Jedi texts”.

Like Yoda says, it is time to move on and leave the past behind, since the Jedi religion is very much outdated, and needs rebuilding.

As the movie plays out, one of the messages it tries to convey is that there’s no balance without the light and the dark. This can be seen on a very basic level with the main characters’ outfits: Rey has a grey-white outfit (representing the Light Side of the Force); whilst Kylo has a black one (representing the Dark Side). Both of these characters abilities develop at the same, just like Supreme Leader Snoke said it:

Darkness rises, and light to meet it.

Johnson makes good use of the previously established theme in the movie by killing Snoke at the hands of his own pupil, Kylo Ren. An element of surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Having made clear from the very beggining how powerful Snoke really was, this death helped flesh out even more the character of Kylo Ren, making him the definitive villain of this trilogy (or so we thought). Snoke is a red herring from the get go, but we’re lead to believe that he is just another Palpatine kind of figure in The Force Awakens.

But we’ve already seen that. That’s a very risky choice from Johnson, but it pays off. As people, we always like to take control of our actions, and once we do it, we feel empowered. This is relatable to a very high level, since we know how much Snoke has bullied Kylo in the past, and now he has finally been able to break free. Also, the following team-up with Rey to fight the Praetorian Guards is absolutely stunning. This unexpected chain of events is the clear proof that this film has a voice- Rian Johnson’s.

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT THE LAST JEDI

Nevertheless, no movie is perfect. The Last Jedi isn’t an exception. Even though it is a very fun, easy going, and simple film; it also has its flaws. Not every joke lands, like the Force connection between Rey and Kylo where he’s shirtless.

It’s very clear that Johnson wants to surprise the audience, and even though he succeeds many times (Snoke’s death, Luke’s projection, make Rey a nobody, Yoda’s cameo); he also comes short on some occasions (Leia’s flying scene through space, or Rose sabotaging Finn’s sacrifice). These new elements may create a rebound effect, where we don’t see as tho why they’ve been implemented. The fact that this film carries a new vision of what Star Wars can become, along with the pacing of the film (the Canto Bight sequence), were the factors that made long hardcore fans hate this film so much.

Se intenta sorprender al público de manera que se introducen elementos que nos pueden parecer nuevos; pero que a veces se pasan demasiado y crean un efecto inverso: nos sorprende para mal y no le vemos exactamente la lógica. La toma de riesgos excesivos que traían consigo una nueva e inesperada dirección; junto con un ritmo un poco pesado (la escena del casino en Canto Bight) fueron los pecados que condenaron esta cinta y fue tan duramente criticada por fans.

Although, from my point of view, it is much more respectable and preferable to include completely new elements that still are coherent with the overall story, rather than playing it safe like JJ Abrams did it with The Force Awakens, which was just a copy of Episode IV. I respect directors that have a clear vision, that know where they want to go with their stories, because that means there’s some time that has been invested behind all of those ideas. Even if the conclusion isn’t 100% satisfactory, it’s much better to take a risk rather than playing it safe and bringing absolutely nothing new to the table. You cannot win unless you take a leap. Some people may agree or disagree with the way a movie unfolds, but we have to differentiate what’s original, and what’s just a rehash. This doesn’t mean that Episode VII wasn’t good, since it was the perfect steppingstone for a new trilogy. However, The Force Awakens really falls short on everything when compared to The Last Jedi. 

IN CONCLUSION

This movie received an incredible amount of both regative and positive reviews (“Darkness rises, and light to meet it”), becoming arguably the most divisive Star Wars movie ever. I think that a big mistake was comparing this film to The Empire Strikes Back. The fact that actors such as Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, confirmed this was a breath of fresh air; or that Adam Driver stated that if it were up to him, no trailer would be shown to keep fans in the dark, made the hype for this movie uncontrollable. Nowadays, where hype plays such a big part in any movie experience, The Last Jedi had ridiculous expectations right off the bat. I think that’s the real reason that can explain a big percentage of the divisiveness when it comes to this movie.

And I think that this is an issue with movies nowadays, because they're deemed as "bad" just because they weren't what we thought they would be, and it's a shame. We have to learn that we will rarely get what we want in life, ever. Star Wars is no exception.

The reviews were very similar to those of The Empire Strikes Back; and that film turned out to be the best one in the saga, arguablly, because of the surprising elements it had. And this is something that Johnson looks for throughout the entirety of the film.

I think that in time, people will come to appreciate The Last Jedi a whole lot more. Especially after seeing what The Rise of Skywalker turned out to be. While it is true that this film has its downs, I think that the highs are so high and rewarding, that you can forgive those mistakes.

VERDICT: 9/10

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