SPOILERS: The Last Jedi Review and Discussion
I did it! I dodged almost all spoilers for The Last Jedi for more than a week until we were finally able to go see it.
I was a little nervous — reactions seemed really polarized for this one. Some people loved it, others hated it. Some of the hate was from trolls who couldn’t stand the idea of a franchise where white dudes weren’t front and center, but not all.
Personally? I loved it. And after a little spoiler space, I’ll talk about why…
SPOILERS AHEAD
Is that enough spoiler space?
How about now?
Okay, here we go…
I only got out of the theater a few hours ago, so this thing is still percolating in my head. But I want to start by spotlighting some of my favorite moments…
- Luke tossing the lightsaber over his shoulder and walking away. Not what I was expecting, but a perfect way of showing us where Luke is at, mentally and emotionally.
- “Those guys hate this ship!” Finn is perfect.
- “That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.” Rose is also perfect.
- “I’m holding for General Hux.” Thank you, Poe, for continuing to deflate overinflated villain egos.
- Leia using the force to save herself. Finally!
- Leia shooting Poe.
- Pretty much ever other scene with Carrie Fisher.
- R2 showing that clip of young Princess Leia, and Luke, “That was a cheap shot.”
- Luke brushing off his shoulder after surviving the barrage from the First Order Walkers. (And I love that he made himself younger for that projection.)
- Yoda!!! And not cranky butthead Yoda from the prequels, but smart-ass Yoda from Episodes V and VI, smacking some sense into Luke.
- “Page-turners, they were not.”
- The humor in general was great, and avoided getting too slapsticky.
- “Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong.”
- Holdo vs. Poe, and Holdo’s whole story. I wish we could have more of her. I loved how the conflict between her and Poe showed how we needed them both.
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Just like The Force Awakens paralleled A New Hope, The Last Jedi had similarities to Empire Strikes Back. Both movies start with our overpowered heroes fleeing their base, and the rebels/resistance pretty much get their butt kicked, despite their victories. But it wasn’t a beat-for-beat parallel, which I appreciated. I mean, Rey didn’t even get her hand cut off!
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I really liked Rey’s connection with Kylo Ren. I liked the Luke/Vader parallel, and her hope and need to try to save him. And I liked that, in the end, Ren made a different choice. They made such a good team after Ren offed Snoke…but instead of turning him back to the light, it eliminated his conflict and settled him in the dark.
Which we should have seen coming. In TFA, Ren talked about needing to kill his father to eliminate his doubt. He killed Han Solo (sob)…but by that point, Snoke had become his real father. And so it wasn’t until Ren killed Snoke that he did what he failed to do before. He accepted the dark side.
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No story is perfect, of course. One of my biggest complaints is the same thing we saw with the previous movie: Captain Phasma was criminally underused. She was such a potentially interesting character, and it felt like neither film knew what to do with her. True, there were a lot of characters and storylines going in this movie, but they could have given her something to do.
The movie made it look like Phasma probably died at the end, but we never see the body. I hope she comes back for Episode IX and finally gets the screen time she deserves.
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I was also disappointed in Luke’s backstory for this. I get that it’s supposed to be full of pathos and angst and tragedy, but it never felt earned. His error in igniting his lightsaber over a sleeping Ben Solo feels out of character for Luke Skywalker, the Jedi who turned Darth Freaking Vader.
I get the guilt and shame he felt. Doubly so, since this was his nephew. But again, what we got on screen wasn’t enough to make me buy the whole, “The Jedi have to end” thing, or his decision to turn his back on the galaxy and the Force.
This is something that bugs me about both movies. Having grown up with the original trilogy, and having loved and idolized these characters…they deserved better. I understand why the writers would choose to go this direction. “Happily ever after” doesn’t generally make a good story. But splitting up Han and Leia…turning Luke into a big ball of shame…these characters earned their happily ever after, dammit.
That doesn’t make TFA and TLJ bad stories. But it makes me sad as I watch them.
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Rey’s parents, if we believe Kylo Ren…were “nobodies.” And Rey doesn’t argue — we get the sense Ren is right, that some part of her has always known, and just didn’t want to believe.
I like that she’s not a Skywalker or a Kenobi. She’s not part of the “chosen” bloodline. Who she is, is about her.
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One of the critiques I’ve seen is that Rose and Finn’s mission was an unnecessary part of the story. They failed, so they didn’t actually affect the outcome of the battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
But look at the impact they did have. They brought hope to those oppressed kids on Canto Bight. And from a storytelling perspective, they showed a new aspect of this galactic conflict. War isn’t just about the space battles. It’s also about those who profit and empower themselves through them. It’s about who benefits from the perpetual conflict, and who suffers.
Rose’s character mirrors Rey’s, in a way. Rose is another “nobody” who rises to become a hero.
Also, Finn and Rose are just plain wonderful, dammit!
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I don’t know how the next movie will deal with the loss of Carrie Fisher, but I hope they do her character justice. I also hope we get to see Force Ghost Luke, a Luke who’s at peace and more like his character at the very end of The Last Jedi. I want to see Kylo Ren settling into his role as Supreme Leader. I want to see Captain Phasma again. I want to see Rey continue to train and grow — I mean, she’s pretty powerful, but she might still need more than just three lessons. And I’d love to see Chewie get more to do. He didn’t get much screen time for this one either.
Basically, this movie made me want to see Episode IX.
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What did you think?
Paul Weimer
December 23, 2017 @ 8:09 pm
Just saw it a couple of hours ago myself…
I sadly think that Phasma is dead.
And this movie made me want to see it again.
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 8:10 pm
Paul – that certainly seemed to be how we’re supposed to take it. But I hope not. That character reminds me of Darth Maul: so much potential, wasted.
Alma Alexander
December 23, 2017 @ 8:12 pm
What you said, basically. š good analysis. Mine’s on my website, if you want to compare notes.
Maria Lima
December 23, 2017 @ 8:13 pm
>I like that sheās not a Skywalker or a Kenobi. Sheās not part of the āchosenā bloodline. Who she is, is about her.< – SO MUCH THIS!!! I loved this.
Geralyn Bray
December 23, 2017 @ 8:19 pm
Jim, I take it you’ve never seen Maul’s arc in The Clone Wars or in Rebels? If not, you really should because it very much fulfills Maul’s “promise”. There’s also a confrontation between Obi-Wan and Maul in Rebels that’s as good as anything we’ve ever seen in the movies.
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 8:25 pm
Geralyn – I’ve seen some of it, and I agree. I was thinking strictly of the movies. But yes, the shows do a lot to develop and restore Maul to what he should have been.
Rhonda Eudaly
December 23, 2017 @ 8:27 pm
Every word you just typed was NOT wrong.
Cate
December 23, 2017 @ 8:31 pm
I loved many of the same points. As an interesting aside, though, I had captions for the movie. Poe was actually saying, “I’m holding for General Hugs.” So, poking fun of Hux’s name. I think it makes that scene even better.
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 8:34 pm
Cate – you’re right! I’d forgotten that, but yes – makes the scene even better!
debyfredericks
December 23, 2017 @ 8:35 pm
ā” Rose ā”
Marshall Ryan Maresca
December 23, 2017 @ 9:06 pm
The other important thing about the Rose/Finn subplot is where it takes Finn. He starts out the movie still pretty much in the place he was throughout TFA: focused on Rey. He plans to escape and run away from the Resistance so Rey will be safe. He doesn’t care about the bigger picture; a simple life where he and Rey are safe is all that really matters to him. It’s through his journey with Rose that he commits to the purpose of the Resistance, to the point of being ready to make a suicide run to save everyone else. That came from going to Canto Bight and seeing the bigger picture.
Aaron Homer
December 23, 2017 @ 9:11 pm
“I loved how the conflict between her and Poe showed how we needed them both.” Could you expand on that? One of the few critiques I’ve seen that I really agree with is that Poe spends the entire movie being wrong (wrong about continuing the battle at the beginning, wrong about opposing Holdo), and then ends up positioned to take up command of the Resistance, since we know Leia won’t be in IX.
I like Poe’s character, and by the end he seemed to have learned a few things, but I don’t see why we “needed” Poe.
Lis Riba
December 23, 2017 @ 9:28 pm
I don’t know Poe’s background, but Rey, Finn & Rose are *all* abandoned children of nobodies.
The only descendent of the “chosen” bloodline is Kylo Ren, and look how well he’s turned out.
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 9:50 pm
Aaron – Good question, and Poe certainly screwed up in this one. Going full-on mutiny because he disagreed with Holdo (and didn’t know/understand her full plan)? And the plan he championed ultimately failed.
But then, Holdo’s plan failed too. Most of the transports failed to reach the planet.
My take was that the rebels need both. There’s a place for Poe’s impulsiveness and passion. There’s also a need for Holdo’s more calculated approach. I think Leia and Holdo both recognized there’s a need for people like Poe, even if Poe didn’t understand the importance of people like Holdo…at least, not until the end.
Poe inspires people, generates that hope and passion, in a way Holdo doesn’t. You see it at the very end, when Leia says, “What are you looking at me for? Follow him.” The Resistance needs that hope. And there is a time for desperate acts of the kind Poe prefers. Not *all* the time, but we’ve seen before that those desperate acts can pay off. (Han Solo, for example.)
Does that make sense?
David Crisp
December 23, 2017 @ 9:51 pm
How are they goign to work with the ending in future movies? The rebellion has gone from many thousands of people in ANH to just a handful of maybe less than 20 at the end of TLJ. Certainly a small enough group of people that they were able to all get on board the Mellinium Falcon and still be able to film scenes with it not feeling crowded.
How are they going to come back from such devastating losses. Being a member of the rebellion is really bad odds. REALLY bad odds. I would argue they have a survival rate of less than 1 in 20,000. (This figure is a real statistic. I made it right up just then) To go out in to the galaxy and raise another army with such a small crew.. well.. the first thing that came to mind was “This isn’t an army! this is a crime gang!”
I have some ideas about soldiers ageing and dieing or retiring etc.. But still…
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 9:51 pm
Lis – I’d argue Finn was taken, not abandoned. At least, that’s how Finn characterized it in TFA, when he talked about the First Order taking children to raise them to be stormtroopers. But yeah – the whole bloodline thing gets thoroughly upended, which I appreciate.
David Crisp
December 23, 2017 @ 9:53 pm
“Permission to jump in an X-Wing and blow something up?ā Was probably my favorite line in the whole film..
Jim C. Hines
December 23, 2017 @ 9:56 pm
David – yes! And coming immediately after Leia’s comment about that not being the only way. It was a great line, and very well done.
Re: the next movie? No idea. I’m guessing it might tie in to the “allies” they mentioned, the ones who didn’t come to the Resistance’s aid. Maybe the story of Luke Skywalker’s return, or the emergence of a new Jedi in Rey, will help draw those allies in?
But at this point, having seen the first two, I’m hoping and trusting they’ll be able to put together a good conclusion to the trilogy.
Marshall Ryan Maresca
December 23, 2017 @ 10:18 pm
“But then, Holdoās plan failed too. Most of the transports failed to reach the planet.”
Of course, that was tied into DJ selling them out, and he only could because of Rose & Finn, and that was because of Poe’s Secret Plan. A lot could be said that things would have gone better for the Rebellion if Poe, Finn & Rose just followed orders and stayed put.
But I think Failure Is A Thing You Learn From is an important theme in the movie.
kate
December 23, 2017 @ 10:26 pm
I had no particular problem with Luke’s being a Failed Teacher, but I realize that’s because my clearest memory of him is of Whiny Luke from ANH, and not the more mature Luke of ESB and ROTJ.
But honestly, I’m OK with his being a little bit out of character for the threatening young Ben scene, if it gets us that Yoda scene. That was worth the price of admission, and then some. (And at heart, I can buy one brief instant of hesitation, before getting ahold of himself. No one’s perfect.)
Marie Brennan
December 23, 2017 @ 10:59 pm
I liked Canto Bight on its own terms, but taken as part of the whole, it felt very structurally kludgy to me. The Resistance is desperately fleeing from the First Order’s ships . . . and two of our heroes are able to just nip out for a bit to a different star system and go on their own whole sub-caper, then come back to (fail to) do their thing. It really undercut the tension of that chase, which was already sort of a slo-mo deal; letting people take a break from it made the chase feel rather contrived. Add in the fact that they were directly responsible for making Holdo’s plan a failure, and it doesn’t sit all that well with me.
Simon
December 24, 2017 @ 12:29 am
The more I think back on it, the more I think that while TLJ was a good movie, probably the 2nd best Star Wars film since Empire – nestled right behind Rogue One, which I absolutely adored. What really holds it back is that itās two great movies mashed together. Finn, Kylo, Luke, Leia, Poe and Holdo without the Finn and Rose story would make a very tight, complete film. And Finn, Rose and the inspired new rebels story is compelling, distinct from what weāve seen in Star Wars before, and would be that much better with 30 min more screen time and development.
I donāt know how they could have done both, but it would have been an amazing feat.
Felicity Banks
December 24, 2017 @ 2:37 am
There’s no doubt it’s a structurally unusual film which is a great pleasure to watch. I loved it and I’m dying to see it again. I love how much interesting discussion there is around it (ignoring those who are just mad there are girls and non-white folks playing with their toys). I wrote an analysis at http://murderinthemail.boards.net/thread/22/star-wars-last-jedi-spoilers complete with a mini-scene I accidentally wrote which I now feel is the only possible acceptable resolution to the potential romantic options.
Heidi
December 24, 2017 @ 10:45 am
In terms of plot, I donāt understand why Holdo and Leia didnāt tell Poe their āplan.ā Sure, heād been demoted. But at the point of mutiny, youād think there would be a moment of āso, letās all calm down. Hereās what we got.ā Also, while most of the comedy moments were spot on, Luke especially, I couldnāt get the idea of Hux-is-a-whiney-Weasley out of my head.
Jim C. Hines
December 24, 2017 @ 11:55 am
Heidi,
“I couldnāt get the idea of Hux-is-a-whiney-Weasley out of my head.”
And now, neither can I. Thanks a lot! š
Theresa Wright
December 24, 2017 @ 12:41 pm
“I was also disappointed in Lukeās backstory for this. I get that itās supposed to be full of pathos and angst and tragedy, but it never felt earned. His error in igniting his lightsaber over a sleeping Ben Solo feels out of character for Luke Skywalker, the Jedi who turned Darth Freaking Vader.”
Yeah, that feels very odd. But a lot of this movie feels to me like a response to fan theories. Luke-menacing-Ben feels like a response to a fan theory I’ve seen drifting around that one of Obi-Wan’s duties on Tattooine was to keep an eye on Luke and, if he showed signs of turning out like his father, cut off his head with a lightsabre. This scene looked to me like the writers and director taking that idea and presenting it on screen, saying “Doesn’t this seem a little… off? For a hero?”.
bookworm1398
December 25, 2017 @ 4:25 am
I was a little confused by the DJ betrayal. How did he know about the transport plan? Poe didnāt know last time they talked just before being captured.
brian ledford
December 25, 2017 @ 11:15 am
re:luke’s back story, it’s not in the film as such, but could snoke have been manipulating him as well? So snoke full on recruits ben and lets a bit of that leak to luke to poison his opinion of ben.
Stevo
December 26, 2017 @ 9:24 pm
For my mind, the humor felt forced, and WAS far too slapsticky.
As for the Poe/Holdo exchanges, Poe came across as whiny and petulant. In any real military, he would have been slapped down hard for talking that way to an admiral.
The biggest sticking point for me was the ease with which Finn and Rose could get off the ship. If it was that easy, why didn’t everyone get off that way?
I found the first third of the film was very weak. It was made up by the strength of the final third though.
On the whole I liked it. I loved that Rey’s parents were no one special and that she was not from a family of someone in the original trilogy. Kylo (affectionate known as Darth Tantrum) not choosing the path of redemption was also within his character and will make for a very interesting Ep IX.
gwangung
December 30, 2017 @ 8:07 pm
Heh. Given that Rose was the one who was supposed to make sure no one sneaked off, I think it’s no problem that she and Finn sneaked off the ship fairly easily (particularly with Poe covering for them).
And speaking of Rose…she absolutely reminded me of the activists working the local communities, showing that those folks are heroes, too. You didn’t have to be the hot, handsome/beautiful leader to be a Star Wars legend…(though you’ll have to excuse me for thinking Kelly Marie Tran is pretty hot anyway….).
Mart
January 4, 2018 @ 7:07 am
I hate the obvious Kylo Ren/Rey setup. It feels like the writers are leaving a plot thread hanging so in the next installment Ren can be saved by The Power Of Love(tm).
Also, pairing Finn off with Rose after first teasing us with Finn/Rey feels too much like subconscious racism, not wanting to pair the black guy with the white woman. Instead pair him up with another non-white character.
But those are minor niggles, and a good writer/director partnership in the next installment can smooth these out.
Kit M. Harding
January 6, 2018 @ 6:39 pm
The thing about Poe and Holdo’s plan– quite aside from Holdo slapping him down *flirtatiously* rather than aggressively– is that we *see* that Poe isn’t the only one who’s that desperate and thinks there’s no plan; Rose has stabbed a whole bunch of people for deserting at the time of the creation of that plan. It’s not just Poe; the entire fleet thinks there’s no hope and no plan. Holdo needed to at least tell everyone that there *was* a plan, because there wouldn’t have been support for Poe’s mutiny if anyone had believed there was a plan. And yes, Poe’s mutiny was badly thought out. But “there is no plan” was a reasonable call based on the information he had at the time, and “people are deserting because there’s no hope; if they had a real plan they’d tell us so and not be all mysterious” is not actually a *bad* assumption. Would Poe have trusted Leia where he didn’t trust Holdo? Yes, almost certainly, but Holdo responded to him like she was turning down him asking her out, not like he was someone with serious actual concerns about everybody’s safety. A good military commander doesn’t rely solely on “because orders” if they want good subordinates to follow them.