Star Wars: The Last Jedi

A movie of this magnitude is either a hit or a miss, sadly. Some fanatics will pick this film apart with no comprehension of how much work and passion was put into it, while others will love it blindly without understanding why it deserves conversation. I saw it on premier night, surrounded by people of all levels in film knowledge, and it was pretty funny when a classic cinematic or narrative element appeared and some people gasped in surprise. Although I pretend to be all “high and mighty” with my knowledge, I will admit this movie had a few twists and turns that I was not expecting. Is it better than Star Wars: The Force Awakens? I can't say at the moment. Is it better than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? Yes. Yes it is.

To give a brief idea of what I thought, before I delve into the nitty-gritty details, I thought Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a fantastic film… you just have to sit through about an hour of it before the energy kicks into overdrive.

The main problem with the first half is that there are four branching narratives. Four, and we cut from one to another before the audience even has time to put their feet down. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, there are two main narratives. That is it. The whole point of fifth episode was to split the team we saw in the fourth, but that has already happened by the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so the team already begins separated in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. That is the main reason why the first half of the film is almost forgettable. Sure, there are moments that are not well written, one in particular that I almost screamed out loud in protest, but they do not detract from the film’s quality.

I understand that Disney is the city built on a hill, I really do, but sometimes they should put their flag down and just give an honest execution of story. Was that too metaphorical? Let me just beat it over the head: the woman are flawless goddesses and the men are stumbling idiots trapped in the mud. Princess Leia is physically immortal, Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) never made a mistake, and I don't know why I didn't like Rose, maybe her performance, but her arch never hits a speed bump. Rey is the only female protagonist with a true conflict, and compared to how much the men have to go through to even get a grasp of their goals, her weakness seems like a walk in the park. Not only did the men have to struggle, but all of them were going down the wrong path until the women pointed them in the right direction. No joke, every male character. Oscar Isaac does great in his performance, but Poe Dameron was dumbed down and very gung-ho for his arch. Finn’s weakness is what drives him from place to place, being afraid of the First Order, but by the end how he tried to overcome it was very satisfying. Towards the third act, the male characters began to rise up against their obstacles, but they still were nowhere close to the level of prose that the women possessed. Of course, Disney is doing this to gain profit from the pro-women crowd, which is in style at the moment, and so far it has worked in their favor. “Leading by example” has made Disney’s wallet the fattest pile of cash in entertainment. Take that anyway you want, but personally I would hate it if every film were like that.

Now that I have revealed what I believe to have plagued this film, I have to admit it was very enjoyable, the second half especially… just… wow. This film is the most beautiful addition to the franchise. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had great contrast of shadow and light, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens was really good at showing vibrant colors, but they are nothing compared to the colossus that is Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s cinematography. There are some scenes that seem pretty pretentious, further made in how they are edited between the artistic shots, but the audience is there to be awed and enjoy their time, so even those shots are worth mentioning. When they fight on the mineral planet, where the white soil is blasted away by explosions and debris to be a soaked battlefield of deep red, was executed so expertly that any kid or geek that wants a desktop background can easily take a any shot from the third act and use it. The artist behind all this magic is the cinematographer Steve Yedlin, but he is not alone to thank.

Writer-director Rian Johnson is a director I know about from his amazing film Looper, and with his small collection of films he has proven to know what he is doing. Steve Yedlin probably pointed the camera and found the angles, but Rian Johnson had the vision in his head and the power to point Yedlin in the right direction. Johnson had clear inspiration from Akira Kurosawa with the Japanese costume design all the way to the weather and fight choreography. Star Wars was originally based on Seven Samurai, one of Kurosawa’s best, and the saga has never been closer to its source material. Though he has a brilliant eye for visuals, he is a director that focuses on moments. There is a conflict in every film between what to focus on: moments or scenes. Scenes build up, having no clear beginning or end, but moments are those snippets you can look up on YouTube and get the same experience with no context surrounding it. Zach Snyder (300, Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and most of Justice League) is the pinnacle of directing for moments if that helps to put it into perspective. There are a lot of moments in this film, but before they can happen the audience has to work through the first act, which is a shame.

Other shout outs in this movie were Benicio Del Toro, he is such an amazing actor I had no idea it was him, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis as Snoke, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. All the performances throughout were great– except the atrocious acting from the extras– and with the stunning shots and breath taking moments, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will firmly stand alone in the Star Wars franchise.

Story Rating: 8/10

Character Rating: 7/10