Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The grand adventure continues
Before I start this complete review, it might be wise to state my opinion bluntly. This movie is fresh, yet true Star Wars, It’s exciting, and it’s beautiful. There, now you know what side of the unnecessary debate I am on. The backlash against the new flick is fueled largely by lifelong fans and die-hard Star Wars experts who have a static view on what this franchise should be. The issues they raise are ultimately of no significance to the rest of us who have a lesser attachment to the old ways of Star Wars. (With no disrespect to those die-hard fans. Their concerns are valid, however only applicable to their own minority.) And that’s all I’m gonna say on that nasty business. Let’s get to the movie.
I missed out on the hype leading up to The Last Jedi. I’ve been so busy I almost forgot what day I was seeing it. Nothing in me screamed STAR WARS going in… That all changed the moment the first few bars of John Williams’ iconic score rang through the cinema. Just like that I was completely emerged in the wondrous world of rebels and Jedi’s. For two and a half hours I was transported to a beautiful universe full of action and mystery. It reminded me of the fundamental purpose of movies: to escape and to excite.
That, to me, is the wonder of Star Wars. It’s more than a story and some pictures to go with it. It’s a grand adventure. Rian Johnson stayed true to Star Wars not by doing the same as what was done before, but by creating a (modern) grand adventure. It’s exciting and emotive. It’s colorful, both literally and figurative. With brooding villains like Kylo, courageous heroes like Poe and Rey (let’s leave Finn for now), Wise old leaders like Luke and Leia, and wacky helping hands along the way (Maz Kanata and DJ for example), this blockbuster feels like a fairytale. Almost childlike in its presentation, yet emotive, exciting, and utterly interesting at heart.
SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi ahead!
Emotive, exciting, and utterly interesting, and it’s all down to the story. The events that shape our rebel heroes take a turn for the interesting as the modern actors and writers let go of the old Star Wars Mold. The bloodline of heroes is broken as Rey turns out to be nobody, the worshiped hero of old turns out to be flawed, and the internal conflict between dark and light is solved, but not in favor of good. It all sounds very un-Star Wars-like, but that conclusion might be drawn too soon. It’s unexpected. It’s thrilling and new and you can’t predict what’s going to happen next. It’s exactly like Star Wars.
But there is only thing that can make The Last Jedi a real Star Wars movie, and that is John Williams. Music in film is not the icing on the cake, it’s the flour. John Williams is the flour and the butter, and the sugar, and the eggs. The rest is just the baking soda. And like that necessary bit of salt.
Speaking of salt..
In all seriousness, I might praise John Williams to the heavens but the real heroes, deserving of equal respect, are of course those responsible for the visuals. Especially the set designers went above and beyond. Every time our heroes set foot on a new planet, they meet new creative, stunning scenery, every planet just as unique and amazing as the last. My personal favorite being the red salt planet, where every frame looked like a poster.
There’s still so much to be said about the plot specifically, about the amazing characters and performances (including Mark Hamill’s performance of a lifetime), about the movie as a chapter of the ever lasting saga. But I think I’ve said enough to entice you to enjoy The Last Jedi to the fullest. I’ll leave the rest to the in-depth analyses. In a few words, The Last Jedi is an adventure. It’s beautiful, exciting, and it’s completely Star Wars.
