Star Wars The Last Jedi *SPOILERS*

[hulahulk]

Still not sure why we don't see more Force Ghost involvement since it is so important for the Jedi to live on and for the Rebellion to succeed. Yoda goes all Ororo on that tree library. You'd think the other Force Ghosts would pitch in and help Rey at some point.

[TheInvisibleMan]

Still not sure why we don't see more Force Ghost involvement since it is so important for the Jedi to live on and for the Rebellion to succeed. Yoda goes all Ororo on that tree library. You'd think the other Force Ghosts would pitch in and help Rey at some point.

thats not how it works, IMO

[totalsellout]

Saw it earlier today. I cried 4 times, by my count. That's...quite something.

It'll take some time for me to fully break it down, but this might be my favourite SW movie to date, and right now I can't honestly think of anything I'd change.

Bullet points for the rest:

- Rian Johnson (and his cinematographer) have done an excellent job of breaking away from the more 'traditional' style of shooting used in the previous films. Even with non-Lucas directors at the helm, SW has always been pretty rigid in its visuals. Last Jedi breaks from the mould and feels all the stronger for it.

- The Canto Bight business with Finn and Rose threatens to drag on, but - apart from some good character work and a fun chase - it ties into that amazing last scene before the credits and points towards the future of Star Wars. Whether Rebellion or Resistance, it's never about a chosen-by-destiny pack of kung fu wizards with lightsabers bringing balance to the Force; the galaxy will be saved by the everyday people, the downtrodden, the poor and the used, the ones who know what it's like to be crushed under the iron bootheels of Empires and Orders. That's a far more powerful theme. Bring it on.

- Poe is an actual character now! He develops and stuff! I didn't even need him to, because Oscar Isaac can just lean against a bulkhead for all his scenes and still take the limelight, but it's great how they're transforming him almost into the anti-Han Solo, in a good way.

- Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro barely have characters to work with, but their roles work as stand-ins for aspects of this universe - a more pragmatic side of the Resistance, and the truly amoral parts of the underworld that aren't just cool bounty hunters or whoever - and they're charismatic enough to pull it off. But y'know, Holdo could've like, explained stuff to Poe at some point instead of just berating him...

- Rey's big moments often feel in service of the greater story so it's difficult to really consider her growth on its own. Suffice to say she's alternately stronger and less assured than in The Force Awakens, which strikes a nice balance (key point: telling off Luke for thinking that dark emotions welling up inside Ben meant he had already fallen beyond redemption, which was correct, then failing to take her own advice and letting herself get captured because she completely believed what she saw in his head). And I'm inclined to believe Kylo was telling the truth about her parents. While it's obvious that Rey is 'special', that doesn't have to be linked to some particular bloodline; hell, before Anakin the Skywalker family was nothing special, unless I'm forgetting something. Ultimately, Rey not feeling the pull of an inherited destiny gives her a less prejudiced view of her life and future, which helps her see the right path forwards, while Kylo is forever letting the ghosts of Han and Vader drag him further down.

- Speaking of the pouty-lipped wonder, man I love what they did with Kylo here. He shuffles closer and closer to a redemptive arc for most of the film, and his credo of "letting the past die" is something the movie is often on-board with. His killing of Snoke and the subsequent paired-up fight with Rey are brilliantly staged, and against my own initial desires I found myself getting on-board with the notion of a good guy Ben Solo...but then it turns out he's still a broken-up selfish goober out to claim his own empire, and I breathed easy again. I want a nuanced Kylo but I still want him to be a P.O.S. who fully deserves to be clowned constantly, and boy does he get clowned something good by the end of Last Jedi. Delicious.

- I'm probably not in a good place emotionally to talk about Luke or Leia right now - eyes are misting over again just thinking about how Luke just opens up when he sees R2D2 - suffice it to say this was a far more complex and nuanced take on Luke than I'd ever expected, and the bit where Leia actually uses the Force to float through space like a cosmic queen gave me chills.

- Given his place as the most recognizable character tied to the failed Jedi Order from the prequels, having Yoda's ghost be the one to burn down that tree with the ancient texts in it feels like post-mortem redemption for the crazy gnome. And yes, I'm so glad he's both a puppet and talking crazy again.

- I have no idea how and why Hux became the comedy lynchpin of the movie, but it's a major improvement over the nothing he was before, and Domnhall Gleeson does a great job as the Inspector Clouseau of the Space Nazis.

- lolphasma

great post, agree with all this.

[totalsellout]

Did you even watch the same movie?
Luke is in this position because his apprentice got turned evil by an evil force he didn't know about, overpowered him, burned down his temple, killed his students and turned those who would join him, and joined a resurgent Empire. In every way Luke has failed to restore the Jedi and basically made the same mistakes the old Jedi order did. He felt people needed the legend, and not the actual Jedi so he went to Acht-to to die. He's done and the galaxy will sort itself out if the Jedi can't do it. Problem is that they need the legend, so his arc is him realizing he needs to save the galaxy again by living up to what people expect out of the Jedi.

He trains Rey.
He confronts his failure in Kylo Ren and moves on.
He manifests across the galaxy and becomes the invincible, skilled, beacon of hope the Resistance needs in its darkest hour to protect the Republic he and so many others fought to protect.

Yeah he starts bitter, who wouldn't be? But Luke makes a triumphant return and is literally more powerful than the First Order could ever imagine. He becomes the legend people need and its justified in Luke unlike a large majority of the older Jedi. That's the reason for the scene with the kids at the end. He becomes something to inspire a whole new generation of people and something for Rey and the following Jedi to live up to.

Another great assessment.

[TheInvisibleMan]

and its surprises me how many people totally miss the bit at the end with the kids

thats the story that spreads the legend - that Luke Skywalker held off Kylo Ren and the First Order

that kid at the end with the broom is Luke 30+ years ago, and every kid the first time they see Star Wars

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Honestly, I don't think thats going to happen and I dont think thats the direction the films are going in

for Luke to go out the way he did and then pop back up as a Force ghost would be terribly anti-climactic

I think you're going to be disappointed in this case. With Carrie Fisher sadly gone, I'm sure they'll want more Mark Hamill to round things off. On the other hand, I think it could be handled well. His final moments seem to be Luke really finding peace within the Force and will land up being a much better teacher in that form. It may not go that way at all, of course, but I think there's still some thematic sense to doing it that way. It's a more literal way that his death might have a positive impact on new Jedi.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

and its surprises me how many people totally miss the bit at the end with the kids

thats the story that spreads the legend - that Luke Skywalker held off Kylo Ren and the First Order

that kid at the end with the broom is Luke 30+ years ago, and every kid the first time they see Star Wars

Absolutely. And it's literally the final scene of the movie so I'm not quite sure how that happened.

[ChrisIII]

The film brings up a few lines from the OT

"His compassion for you will be his undoing" (Luke's compassion for his nephew stayed his hand, and pretty much messed up Luke's temple)

"Yoda will always be with you" (and he is)

"If I don't make it back you're the only hope for the alliance" (and she kind of is now, although Carrie's death complicates things)

"Don't know how we're going to get out of this one" (At the end)

Anakin and Vader's lines about destroying the Emperor and ruling the galaxy-which is pretty much what his grandson achieved, albeit two generations later.

[hawkeyefan]

Quick question....did anyone say “I got a bad feeling about this...”? I don’t think I heard it but I certainly could have missed it.

[Buried Alien]

It seems like Force ghosts have gotten an upgrade since we saw them in the Original Trilogy. Back in the OT, Force ghosts were always ethereal...the way you expect ghosts to be. In THE LAST JEDI, though, Force ghosts are practically solid. Yoda's Force ghost whacked Luke SOLIDLY on the nose with that cane, and Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren's Force projections enabled physical contact as well. That's something we haven't seen until now.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

Quick question....did anyone say “I got a bad feeling about this...”? I don’t think I heard it but I certainly could have missed it.

It wasn't said in English (or Galactic Standard, as the story goes), but apparently, BB8 *beeped* it at us this time around.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Ken Ashcroft]

It seems like Force ghosts have gotten an upgrade since we saw them in the Original Trilogy. Back in the OT, Force ghosts were always ethereal...the way you expect ghosts to be. In THE LAST JEDI, though, Force ghosts are practically solid. Yoda's Force ghost whacked Luke SOLIDLY on the nose with that cane, and Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren's Force projections enabled physical contact as well. That's something we haven't seen until now.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

We've never seen what Leia was able to do with the force in this movie before either so its force upgrades all round.

[Buried Alien]

We've never seen what Leia was able to do with the force in this movie before either so its force upgrades all round.

Yeah...it seems that in every new movie, we're discovering new applications of the Force that we didn't know about in the past. As Luke and Rey observed, the Force is much more than moving rocks.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[brettc1]

Initially I quite liked this movie.

But the more I think about it, the move I feel uncomfortable about it. While I like performances in it [especially Mark Hammil's] I just feeling growing antipathy about the way the story is going. Like something you eat and tastes good at first but then starts repeating on you.

I see it made $220M in its opening weekend, but I wonder if [considering how many hardcore fans seem to hate it] we will see a drop like we did for BVS.

[TheInvisibleMan]

Initially I quite liked this movie.

But the more I think about it, the move I feel uncomfortable about it. While I like performances in it [especially Mark Hammil's] I just feeling growing antipathy about the way the story is going. Like something you eat and tastes good at first but then starts repeating on you.

I see it made $220M in its opening weekend, but I wonder if [considering how many hardcore fans seem to hate it] we will see a drop like we did for BVS.

their tears are so sweet

I hear there is even a petition (online) to remake the movie and fire Rian Johnson, possibly also charge him with crimes against humanity