Jgrandmaster’s review published on Letterboxd:
“We have everything we need right here.”
Johnson challenges Star Wars. The force, the lovable scoundrel character archetype, the simplicity of the rebel-empire conflict, Johnson takes a critical eye to all of it. What if the Jedi weren’t some group of legendary heroes to be venerated, what if the rebellious scoundrel actually did more harm than good, what if even the “good guys” in war did business with monsters. It’s easy to fall into the Kylo Ren way of thinking, to let the past die to build something new. To forget past failures and focus on the future. Yet Johnson says something more complex, more valuable than that. That the past, even the worst parts of it, has value. That it’s possible to learn, to change, to evolve if you face your past rather than hide from it. Challenging Star Wars, then reaffirming it. That’s what Johnson is doing here. Like Luke Skywalker, finally embracing both his failures and his strengths, cementing himself as the legend he once denounced. A legend that inspires hope for all, even those not part of some grand space opera.
“The greatest teacher, failure is.”
