Star Wars: The Last Jedi
3.5/4
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has its work cut out for it. Its predecessor in the canon was going to make a killing at the box office no matter what since it was an opportunity for fans to reunite with old friends on a new adventure. The main focus of that film was bringing everyone together. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to move it forward. But that's tricky; fans, especially "Star Wars" fans, are finicky and vindictive. Just ask George Lucas, who went from geek god to geek antichrist after "Episode I." Director Rian Johnson has to move the story forward while keeping the same feel of the previous films. It's the old producer's adage: "Give me the same thing...only different!"
As fun as "Star Wars: A Force Awakens" was (I gave it a 3.5/4, and have not changed my point of view), it fell into a common trap of reboots and sequels: too much fan service. It bogged down the pacing and held the story back. It was too similar to "A New Hope," and the visuals were nothing special compared to the prequels (apparently some of the uber fans didn't like the special effects in those movies...considering how awesome they were, I'm calling bullshit). That's changed here. There's still some, most notable are the throwbacks to "The Empire Strikes Back," but they're kept in little details. As they should be. But "The Last Jedi" is very much its own movie, and that's a good thing.
Rey (Ridley) has found Luke Skywalker (Hamill) and is trying to persuade him to come back with her and help the Resistance against the First Order. Meanwhile, hotshot pilot Poe Dameron's impulsiveness cripples the fleeing Resistance fighters who are closely tracked by Snoke (Serkis) himself (in a ship that makes Empire destroyer look like a TIE fighter by several orders of magnitude. To ensure an escape, Finn (Boyega) and a new friend named Rose (Tran) are off to find a hacker who can help them disable the ship's tracking system. Finally, Kylo Ren (Driver) is having a crisis of conscience about his loyalties.
At 152 minutes, "The Last Jedi" is the longest of all the "Star Wars" films. And while the movie does get a little long in the tooth, there's a lot going on. Director Rian Johnson keeps it all straight and never lets the tension of any of the storylines flag. When he switches from one to the other, there's no sense that there was ever an interruption. The problem he has is with recreating the "feel" of a "Star Wars" film. He makes subtle changes in how he tells the story (such as cutaways when a character is speaking) and having dialogue that is a bit too ironic and contemporary for a "Star Wars" movie. They're subtle moments that are "off," but at least they don't sound as bad as the new vocal arrangements in the "Beauty and the Beast" remake. Uber fans will probably be, and are, in an apoplexy over them.
The cast is fine, but "Star Wars" has never been an actor's show. Each member slides easily back into their roles. The standout is Mark Hamill. Gone is the idealistic Luke Skywalker of the original trilogy. In his place is a man worn down by time and regret. Hamill doesn't miss a beat and even cracks a joke or two.
As is to be expected, the film looks spectacular. I saw it in IMAX 2D, and was deeply impressed. While there are times when the pacing lags, the action scenes are jaw-dropping, and there's plenty of legitimate suspense and excitement to be found here. The stakes have never been higher than in this movie (save perhaps for "Episode III," but that was different because we know what was going to happen).
Fans by and large are going to love this movie. I certainly did.
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has its work cut out for it. Its predecessor in the canon was going to make a killing at the box office no matter what since it was an opportunity for fans to reunite with old friends on a new adventure. The main focus of that film was bringing everyone together. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to move it forward. But that's tricky; fans, especially "Star Wars" fans, are finicky and vindictive. Just ask George Lucas, who went from geek god to geek antichrist after "Episode I." Director Rian Johnson has to move the story forward while keeping the same feel of the previous films. It's the old producer's adage: "Give me the same thing...only different!"
As fun as "Star Wars: A Force Awakens" was (I gave it a 3.5/4, and have not changed my point of view), it fell into a common trap of reboots and sequels: too much fan service. It bogged down the pacing and held the story back. It was too similar to "A New Hope," and the visuals were nothing special compared to the prequels (apparently some of the uber fans didn't like the special effects in those movies...considering how awesome they were, I'm calling bullshit). That's changed here. There's still some, most notable are the throwbacks to "The Empire Strikes Back," but they're kept in little details. As they should be. But "The Last Jedi" is very much its own movie, and that's a good thing.
Rey (Ridley) has found Luke Skywalker (Hamill) and is trying to persuade him to come back with her and help the Resistance against the First Order. Meanwhile, hotshot pilot Poe Dameron's impulsiveness cripples the fleeing Resistance fighters who are closely tracked by Snoke (Serkis) himself (in a ship that makes Empire destroyer look like a TIE fighter by several orders of magnitude. To ensure an escape, Finn (Boyega) and a new friend named Rose (Tran) are off to find a hacker who can help them disable the ship's tracking system. Finally, Kylo Ren (Driver) is having a crisis of conscience about his loyalties.
At 152 minutes, "The Last Jedi" is the longest of all the "Star Wars" films. And while the movie does get a little long in the tooth, there's a lot going on. Director Rian Johnson keeps it all straight and never lets the tension of any of the storylines flag. When he switches from one to the other, there's no sense that there was ever an interruption. The problem he has is with recreating the "feel" of a "Star Wars" film. He makes subtle changes in how he tells the story (such as cutaways when a character is speaking) and having dialogue that is a bit too ironic and contemporary for a "Star Wars" movie. They're subtle moments that are "off," but at least they don't sound as bad as the new vocal arrangements in the "Beauty and the Beast" remake. Uber fans will probably be, and are, in an apoplexy over them.
The cast is fine, but "Star Wars" has never been an actor's show. Each member slides easily back into their roles. The standout is Mark Hamill. Gone is the idealistic Luke Skywalker of the original trilogy. In his place is a man worn down by time and regret. Hamill doesn't miss a beat and even cracks a joke or two.
As is to be expected, the film looks spectacular. I saw it in IMAX 2D, and was deeply impressed. While there are times when the pacing lags, the action scenes are jaw-dropping, and there's plenty of legitimate suspense and excitement to be found here. The stakes have never been higher than in this movie (save perhaps for "Episode III," but that was different because we know what was going to happen).
Fans by and large are going to love this movie. I certainly did.
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