Serge The Movie Guy’s review published on Letterboxd:
The Skywalker Saga Marathon (+ the spinoffs).
“The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.”
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.
My theater for The Force Awakens was full of so much energy. My theater for The Last Jedi was an almost silent screening aside from some genuine moments of laughter. I myself gave this a high rating on first viewing but knew I didn’t feel fully satisfied. I wanted to go back, forget all my dumb theories, and really watch the film for what it is instead of what I wanted it to be. The second time around, I loved it even more. Watching it again a few years later, the feeling hasn’t changed, but there’s still some issues I want to bring up. This is, so far, the most ambitious film in the franchise. Most of it works, but some of it really doesn’t. Mark Hamill is great, honestly one of his best performance. Adam Driver also gives a career defining performance. All the actors in this bring their A-game and the result is truly something special.
“Ah, Skywalker... still looking to the horizon.”
Pacing is maybe the biggest issue, it kind of drags on at parts. The previous film feels better paced. The attempts at humor don’t always work either and a handful of lines don’t feel like they’re best delivered. The subplot with Rose is honestly kind of bullshit. I get it, but it feels unnecessary to the main plot at hand. One more thing, I really enjoyed Kelly Marie Tran’s performance in this. I don’t think she was bad at all. That being said, how she was written and what they made her do was kind of pointless. It just felt like her character was just kind of there and sometimes in the way. Once again, I’m not making fun of the actress but how here character was written. She definitely didn’t deserve to get bullied by so many people. Those people aren’t real fans. I’m actually excited to see her again in the next film.
I think when all is said and done, this is a film that I’m almost glad divided audiences. It may have started up a lot of unnecessary hate (there’s so many YouTube videos attacking this film), but it also gave people a chance to actually discuss the quality of a film. Not just what fans wanted but breaking down the film on it’s own as a whole.
I don’t know what Star Wars fans want anymore. The people who make these films certainly don’t owe us anything. Having studying film production this past year, I’m trying to think more as a filmmaker rather than a fan. I think filmmakers should be allowed to make the films they want to make.
The Last Jedi took risk, and it’s up for debate what worked and what didn’t. I personally love this film, but I know there’s issues with it as well.
Rian Johnson is brilliant filmmaker and writer. I’m very pleased he got to make the film he wanted before Kathleen Kennedy decided to start making changes at Lucasfilm.
I’m undecided if I prefer this or The Force Awakens more. If really depends on the mood. Both are honestly great. That’s just my opinion of course.
“No one's ever really gone.”
9.1/10 (A).
