Does Star Wars: The Last Jedi live up to its expectations? There’s great anticipation as to what Writer/Director Rian Johnson (Looper) has been up to. And lots of secrecy. We’re not going to spoil your fun. But get ready to buckle up for plenty of action, tension, twists and surprises in this second installment in the trilogy that picks up from The Force Awakens without missing a beat.
It blasts off right after the iconic crawl rolling up the screen with a capsule of what happened leading up to what’s about to continue. If you’re a fan, you’re good to go, but, if not, it might be wise to see the first film in the trilogy to get up to speed. It goes right from the crawl into Poe (Oscar Isaac) waging rapid fire Starship battles and with Dolby sound going full blast you’ll feel it in your seat.
Everybody in the cast gets the spotlight at some point, but Master Luke Skywalker (Hamill), General Leia Organa (Fisher) Rey, (Daisy Ridley), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), get a lot of attention. Good vs. evil are put to the test throughout the film. And there are some fancy gadgets for all to play with.
There are a lot of characters in this film and there is a lot of female power. And newer characters have added diversity. No gay or transgender characters yet, although Producer Kathleen Kennedy says it’s been discussed. John Boyega as Finn broke the color barrier in The Force Awakens. Now he’s teamed up with an Asian woman, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose. She is spunky, adorable, tech savvy and driven.
Johnson gives each of the already beloved characters, plus several new ones, their due while the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) fights off the Imperial Order led by the extremely ugly Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and his repulsive General Hux (Domnall Gleeson). Gleeson does a good job being a bad guy. Hux is one you’ll hate. He’s beyond obnoxious as Snokes’ henchman anxious to do evil at the drop of anything.
Rey (Daisy Ridley) is trying to get answers to the lingering questions of the Jedi’s origin and legacy, as well as her own. She goes to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who is AWOL on an island. She wants him to come and help his sister, Leia fight for the Resistance and wants him to help teach and train her. He’s not about to go anywhere and is totally uncooperative. But she’s totally tenacious about enlisting his help. His way of life on the island is bizarre, including the way he gets sustenance from a very odd creature we’ve never seen before. Imaginative and useful but so odd.
Poe Dameon (Oscar Isaac), the Resistance X-Wing fighter, is also persistent, to a fault. When this energetic hot head is on a mission, look out! He’s a man of action, ready to fight, even if ordered not to. He gets in such trouble disobeying orders from General Leia that she slaps him in one scene. Actually, Isaac says she slapped him in all 27 takes they shot for it, and really went for it. But he now looks at it as a fond memory working with Carrie Fisher.
Johnson became close friends working with Fisher. This is the first Star Wars film where there is only one writer. But Johnson would write drafts and then take them for re-write to Carrie Fisher’s compound where she lived with her mother, Debbie Reynolds. They’d go over drafts together, since he respected Carrie’s talent as a writer, too. They definitely bonded and Johnson is sad their friendship was stopped short by her her untimely death last December, followed 2 days later by the death of her mother. This film is dedicated to the memory of Carrie Fisher.
Fisher has a much bigger role in this one than in The Force Awakens. She looks very poised and regal. It is sad but also comforting to see her in this film. The Last Jedi is really Hamill’s film, And he’s really good in it. He’s much more communicative than expected, even with his crusty delivery and many close-up glassy-eyed stares. The next and last film in the trilogy was supposed to be Carrie Fisher’s. Now Executive Producer Kathleen Kennedy and Rian Johnson will have to go back to the drawing board to re-tool that adventure.
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of Han Solo and Leia, is scarred inside and out after killing his father in The Force Awakens. Still conflicted, he is intense sorting out dark vs. light. You can feel his inner turmoil and his extremes. Could he be bi-polar? His behavior leads to mega battles fighting the new found strength of Rey. They are intensely powerful adversaries. There is a lot of saber rattling.
At one point, Finn and Rose are diverted to a classy “Casino City” Canto Blght, which gives Lucas film a chance to create outrageously attired characters in a glitzy setting with bling laden costumes. These scenes are window dressing not vital to the story except for bringing in humor and another new character into the mix. He’s known as the very laid back “DJ” and it’s a very odd role for Benicio Del Toro (Sicario, Guardians of the Galaxy) to play.
Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo is another addition. She’s an officer in the Resistance who appears late in the film. You’re not sure where she fits in at first. She is assisting General Leia, but is she good or evil? Her purple hair and matching draped dress give her a very formal appearance. She is authoritative, but a close advisor to Leia. You’ll wonder what she’s really up to and it may catch you off guard.
C-3PO(Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Jimmy Vee) are back. So is BB 8. The little rolling round robot gets into the action trouble shooting and battling right there, alongside Poe. He puts his techy-ness to work. And it wouldn’t be the same without Chewbacca. He’s got a new sidekick, that little puffin Porg. Johnson does get carried away with the little bird in one of the scenes, but the little critter gets a laugh.
The combination of the work of cinematographer Steve Yedlin (who worked with Johnson on Looper) with the CGI visuals is stunning. This is an enormously detailed production. The scene gliding along the salt flats is dramatic with the way color is used to mark the paths. You’re in the middle of the action, especially when the chase is on through narrow spaces between structures. It’s a ride!
There are tender moments, too. Director Johnson tries to pace the film so the lows don’t get too low before something springs into action. It does lag a bit at times, but, remember, this is one very long movie.
There are some unnecessary distractions, when bouncing back and forth too much between Luke’s island and Rey’s training. Ridley’s Rey serves the film well as the extremely determined heroine. There are some flip touches of humor that provide some well-timed laughs. It’s hard to write a review without giving away some of the better scenes. But you won’t hear spoilers from us. Be sure to hit the restroom before beginning this two and a half hour adventure. You don’t want to miss a trick, or any vital clue in this epic saga.
Now will you be ok pondering the ins and outs of this one for 2 years until the last film surfaces in the trilogy? May the Force, and patience, be with you.
Lucas Film 152 minutes PG
