Year: 2017
Director: Rian Johnson
Country: US
Language: English
To say that The Last Jedi is polarizing is an understatement. Many fans were disappointed by how this film continued several of the plot threads started in The Force Awakens. Writer/Director Rian Johnson claims that he and J.J Abrams never shared any long term plans and were given full creative freedom to develop the story as each individual saw fit. Mark Hamill himself. after reading the scrip, told Johnson "I pretty much fundamentally disagree with every choice you've made for this character."
Rey (Daisy Ridley) develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares for battle with the First Order.
The Last Jedi is perhaps the most politically aware picture in the Star Wars franchise. Rian Johnson questions the authority of heritage, he condemns war profiteers, he censures slavery and child labour. He even condemns meat eating as Chewbacca thinks twice before eating a porg (cute bird-like create) and becomes friends with the unique island species. The film also does a great job at deconstructing myths and "killing the past" by straying from typical Star Wars' cliches.
Perhaps The Last Jedi gets a tremendous amount of criticism because it's not the easiest picture to digest. It's primarily about failure; individual failure, the failure of our mentors and heroes, and the failure of our hopes and dreams. Every character ends up making a poor choice and suffers consequences for it. It's not easy to see heroes fail, but as Yoda tells Luke "Pass on what you have learned, including your failures. Failure, the best teacher is."
Luke Skywalker, in this particular picture, reminds me of Rooster Cogburn from True Grit. In The Last Jedi Hamill's character is given great depth and proves to be the actor's most challenging work to date. Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren, also gives an impactful performance. The director gets the best out of his cast, his script and his camera. Last Jedi is a fine film, even when compared to cinema outside the mediocre franchise.
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