Star Wars Episode VIIII : The Last Jedi
A review and a comment regarding dashed expectations
At 2 hours and 35 minutes, the latest addition to the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi is the longest movie in the franchise to date, and many claim that it may be the funniest. With a budget of 200 million USD, director Rian Johnson had room to play with his comedic scripts and gain access to some of the best visual effects artists and gadgets in the world.
This new film follows Rey, played by Daisy Ridley along with Luke Skywalker, played by the infamous Mark Hamill on their journey to save the Rebellion from the First Order. As Rey attempts to gain Luke’s trust, and essentially become his apprentice or Padawan and learn the ways of the Force as a Jedi in order to learn more about her powers and about herself as well as get him to join her in the Rebel Alliance.
Dialogue between Ben Solo, better known as Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver and Ridley’s character grows and fans get a new look into the internal conflict between Kylo’s light and dark side. Fans also get a look into why Kylo turned to the dark side and how Luke had a hand in it.
Viewers see Kylo fight for power with General Hux of the First Order, played by Domhnall Gleeson. The two bicker with one another like children giving the duo a sibling like relationship and this really shows as they strive to gain affection and acceptance from Supreme Leader Snoke, played by actor Andy Serkis.
The First Order goes head to head with the Rebel Alliances dwindling forces lead by Princess Leia Organa played by Carrie Fisher and Poe Dameron, the witty Rebel pilot played by Oscar Isaac. In this film many were pleased to see a new side of Princess Leia that had never before been shown to the audience.
While Leia and Poe are on the run from the First Order, Finn the defective Stormtrooper turned Rebel hero, played by John Boyega, is on a mission to get inside of the main ship of the First Order and sabotage their mission from the inside out with his new accomplice Rose Tico a mechanic on one of the Rebel’s ships played by Kelly Marie Trans.
WARNING! SPOILERS FOLLOW!
Star Wars The Last Jedi leaves quite a few questions unanswered and ruins many fan’s conspiracies revolving around Rey and her backstory and lineage. Many superfans have made comments that go something like, “Our own ideas were more interesting than what they came up with”.
Some fans had ideas that maybe she was a descendant of Qui Gon considering that he was one of the few Jedi who broke the rule of staying single forever. Other fans thought of Rey as a “chosen one” of sorts, as Anakin Skywalker was, and was immaculately conceived to bring balance to the force.
These fan theories were crushed when the Last Jedi reveals that Rey’s parents were addicts and merchants and sold her off to benefit themselves, leaving her to be a slave in Jakku to Unkar Plutt as a young child.
The new installment of Star Wars leaves the identity of Supreme Leader of the First Order, Snoke, open for interpretation. Some conspiracy theorists believed that Snoke was actually Mace Windu the Jedi with the only shown purple lightsaber in the movies to date, whose arm was cut off by Anakin Skywalker as he turned to the Dark Side.
But Windu, played by Samuel L Jackson in the second trilogy was killed by Palpatine, better known as Darth Sidious, in Episode III Revenge of the Sith, or is presumed dead after being struck with Palpatine’s force lightning and thrown off of one of the top floors of a skyscraper in Coruscant.
Others believe that Supreme Leader Snoke is an entirely new character to this story and that his backstory is going to unravel a whole new side of the Unknown Universe in the Galaxy. Snoke was not affiliated with the Sith Lords as far as anyone was aware but he was definitely strong with the Dark Side.
Though Disney killed off Snoke’s character in Episode VIII, a large quantity of fans were unhappy to cut his story so short or in half… As Kylo Ren used his power with the force to cut Snoke in half with a lightsaber.
One of the most controversial topics revolving around this new film is the attitude and demeanor of Luke Skywalker. Hamill’s performance in the Last Jedi is said to be one of his best yet, but would the Luke Skywalker fans love, act in such a way as he did in episode VIII? Would he act so childish around Rey and even Master Yoda?
After so many years basically alone on an island in the middle of nowhere it may be possible that Luke’s personality would have drastically changed in the way that it did but many fans expected more out of their Jedi Knight.
Fans all over the world were rocked to watch as Luke deceived Kylo with his force projection and died from being so exhausted. Many beg the question “Why did he have to die?”, and “What does this mean for the future of the Jedi race?”.
This film also leaves open the end of Princess Leia, as Carrie Fisher died after filming for the Last Jedi was over of a heart attack. In the movie, she is blown out into space after her ship was attacked by the First Order and she is floating amongst the stars and many thought that this would have been the end for Leia but they were wong.
Many die hard fans have always wanted to see Leia use the force as she is sister to Luke Skywalker and daughter of Anakin Skywalker AKA Darth Vader but finally, in the Last Jedi, they go to see it happen. Audiences watched as Leia soared through space using the force to bring herself back onto her ship and get herself to safety and felt empowered seeing General Organa finally use the force.
It is uncertain what the writers and producers will do with Fisher’s character but she will definitely live on throughout history and continue to inspire other women to be as strong as her.
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