By 2015, Star Wars had lost its relevancy with the general public, given the last film was 10 years ago. Between the disappointing prequels, the despised special editions, and skepticism about Disney’s acquisition, any hope of good films seemed lost. That all changed when The Force Awakens not only was a critical hit, but it practically dominated the box office. The film grossed over $2 billion worldwide, broke several records, and remains the all-time highest-grossing film in the US. Between the success of this and Rogue One, it was clear that audiences were reembracing and returning to Star Wars. For the next installment, Rian Johnson would be tasked with both writing and directing following the surprise success of Looper. Much of the original cast and crew would return, though there was some conflict going on behind the scenes. Finally in 2017, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi was released.
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Synopsis
As the Resistance is evacuating from their base, they’re intercepted by the First Order, who begin attacking their fleet. Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) goes against orders and leads a bombing run against a dreadnought, which results in numerous casualties. The remaining Resistance escapes into hyperspace, only to be tracked by the First Order, who continue their attack. During the attack, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is knocked unconscious, leaving Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) in command. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) asks Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to help, but he refuses, preferring to live in self-imposed exile. Thankfully, R2-D2 convinces Luke to train Rey, who suddenly starts communicating via the Force with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Elsewhere, Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) travel to the casino planet Canto Bight to find a codebreaker. Will the Resistance survive, will the First Order prevail, and what will become of our heroes?
Review
Of all the Star Wars movies I’ve done for this retrospective, this is one I was the most nervous about. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi is probably one of the most divisive films in recent memory. Many people love it, many people hate it, so where do I stand on this much-contested entry in the franchise? Well, let’s first get into the positives, starting with the excellent cast, all of whom continue to deliver solid performances. Ridley and Driver continue to bring tons of humanity to their characters, while Boyega and Isaac do what they can. While he may have had his disagreements with the characterization, Mark Hamill still shines and he’s committed to the material. Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benecio Del Toro are nice additions to the cast, though they are slightly underdeveloped. Lastly, Carrie Fisher further adds gravitas to the role.
Regardless of your thoughts on the overall quality, Rian Johnson should be commended for going against the status quo. He took many of the elements introduced by Abrams and was able to expand upon them while adding his mark. Admittedly, I can understand some more hardcore fans being upset that elements introduced weren’t paid off the way they wanted. In my opinion, many of these subversions and misdirections help make this film more than just recycling old material. However, I don’t think all of it works, and the pacing could’ve been improved by excising the casino planet sequences. Also, while this isn’t necessarily a beat-for-beat redo of Empire Strikes Back, it does have many similar plot elements. All that being said, while I can understand why many people hated this, I still think it deserves more credit. Overall, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi is good if somewhat flawed.
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