Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What did you think?

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RobynP

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So I saw the movie yesterday, and I’ve been trying to sort out my thoughts on it all day. I honestly have so many mixed feelings on this movie. There were parts that I loved, there were parts that I hated, there were parts that made me cry, there were parts that made me cheer. I’ve never felt so many emotions in a Star Wars movie before.

I think the word that I would use to describe it is uneven. Because when this movie is good, it is gooood. I’m not kidding, it has some amazing, jaw-dropping moments that rival the original movies. But then…there are some moments that just don’t work at all. Overall though I enjoyed it. It’s really not “the greatest Star Wars movie since Empire!” like a lot of the reviews are saying, but it’s good. The heroes lose a lot more than they did in Empire that’s for sure. I have absolutely no idea what they are going to do in IX.

Spoilers after this point:

I think what bothered me the most was Finn’s part in the movie. His character really gets treated poorly. His entire storyline felt like filler. Every chance he gets to be a hero ends up backfiring. To be fair, both Rey and Poe also fail, but they also both get one pretty awesome moment. Finn doesn’t, and that kind of sucks.

Rey’s storyline with Luke and Kylo is by far the most interesting part of the movie, but her character is really not given the development it needed. We finally get a female protagonist in these movies, but instead of giving her a personal journey of discovery like Luke got in his trilogy, her revelation really just revolved around Kylo and Luke. Also her parentage was kind of a let down. I did like the whole inverted Return of the Jedi plotline though.

I guess this sounds like I hated the movie, but I really didn’t. It’s hard to hate, especially the last hour or so which is pretty solid. I just think it had a chance to be great and it ends up being just mostly good.
 
I liked the parts with Rey and Luke, the rest ranged from mediocre to bad imo. I disliked a lot of what TFA set up (Snoke, the First order in general, Rey’s character) despite having an enjoyable enough time with the film, and I think this one did the best it could with the material.

Finn deserved better. I also thought the entire Resistance/First Order conflict was done poorly in this movie. The story involving the Force was what made it worth watching for me. Overall I think it’s OK. Worth watching, but not nearly as good as it could have been.
 
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Honestly, I lost track after the sequels to the prequels. Or something like that. I really do need to get caught up on Star Wars though.
 
LOVED it! 😄

I honestly did not have high expectations of the movie going in, but I thought the storyline did a great job of keeping me guessing.

Regarding Rey’s parents, I already knew they were a couple of nobodies – because of a review of a video game that came out last month – so I didn’t find the revelation upsetting. In fact, I think the fact that she and Kylo Ren aren’t related makes the story so much better.

I’d write more, but it’s way past my bedtime. 😴
 
Cruciferi said:
I’m with the audience. 56% Rating. Snoke was worthless and Luke could’ve done so much more!
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See that’s funny, those two are the things I keep seeing the most complaints about but I actually loved the way the film handled both of them. Snoke was never going to be more than a weak Emperor rip-off, and his death led to hands down the best scene of the film. My theater burst into applause at that moment. And then we got Kylo pulling an anti-Vader where just when Rey and the audience think he’s been redeemed like Vader was, it turns out that wasn’t the case. I’m much more interested in seeing Kylo as the big bad than I ever was with Snoke.

And I thought Luke’s character arc in this one was great. I wasn’t really expecting him to save the day, since he couldn’t. He’s not the hero anymore. But he gets a really great send-off. I mean, he does something with the Force we’ve never seen before, so it’s not like he was given nothing important to do. And his last scene was handled beautifully.

There are some other issues I had with the movie, mostly in regards to Finn, but I just don’'t agree with the Snoke and Luke complaints at all.
Gertabelle said:
Regarding Rey’s parents, I already knew they were a couple of nobodies – because of a review of a video game that came out last month – so I didn’t find the revelation upsetting. In fact, I think the fact that she and Kylo Ren aren’t related makes the story so much better.
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You know, I’ve already come to appreciate it more. In Empire, the hardest thing for Luke and the audience to hear was that he was actually related to the most monstrous man in the galaxy. But with Rey, if she found out that she was Kylo’s sister or Luke’s daughter, would it really have been hard for her? I don’t think so, I think she would have been ecstatic. The whole time she was trying to figure out what her place was, if she had Skywalker blood, her place is obvious. She has to save her brother/cousin just like Luke saved his father. Having her admit her parents never cared about her was the hardest thing she could face right then, and forces her to choose her own place in the story. I think it worked well.
Arwing said:
Finn deserved better. I also thought the entire Resistance/First Order conflict was done poorly in this movie.
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Hmmm I don’t know I actually enjoyed most of the Resistance plot. I liked the slow burn chase aspect of it, very Master and Commander-y. I like that Poe finally got a real character arc. And Holdo’s sacrifice was awesome. The only part I didn’t like was Leia’s ummm…Mary Poppins moment. I mean I’m glad we got to see Leia FINALLY use the Force but holy cheese sticks that scene was silly looking!
 
It was pure AWESOME!
SPOILERS AHEAD!

I really have very little criticism to make. The Snoke death was kind of a letdown for a character that was supposed to be a powerful dark lord.

That’s my only criticism really.

I loved everything else. It had enough new stuff to be interesting and enough references to the original trilogy that I as a hardcore fan was impressed.

My favourite part by far was the appearance of Yoda and the replay of the “help me Obi-Wan Kenobi” hologram.

There was sooo much in it though. I’m going to go see it again in the New year.
 
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I hope it is…I’m considering rooting for the empire if there is one more…
 
I’m not ready to write off Rey’s parents as nobodies just yet. My theory is that she’s Kylo’s baby sister, who was presumed dead after the new Jedi order was wiped out, and put into hiding by Luke, just as he was. I feel this for two reasons…
  1. She was told this by the dark side baddie, who we also know has a penchant to lie.
  2. The for e bond that Snoke claimed he caused between Rey and Kylo still exists at the end, despite his demise.
Stuff I really liked:
The interplay between Rey and Kylo
Kentucky Fried Porg
Showdown between Luke and Kylo, especially the revealof what Luke was really doing.
The one-liners. Poe holding for Hux was awesome!
Holdo. Hated her… hated her… loved her!
The kid sweeping the stalls at the end… and when he first grabs the broom.
Caretakers

The not-so-much
Finn/Rose plot. While the characters were great, the whole plot could’ve been eliminated with no real loss.
Got to believe a bb8-bb9e encounter was cut somewhere.
Porgs when not Kentucky fried. Seriously… there to sell toys (and my mom got the kids each one).
Snokes fate… way too easy.
 
I would have to agree with RobynP. The film was very uneven. I’m afraid I didn’t like it that much. It definitely was surprising at times though.

The Good

Kylo Ren: Such a good character in my opinion. We don’t get a truly evil character here. We get an intimidating, powerful whiny kid. But the balance is so good that the whiny part mixes well with the intimidating. Not to mention Adam Driver is a great actor.

Luke: Well, we were all waiting for Luke and he came. He changed to a slightly cynical Master and some of his comebacks were great. Not to mention his fight with Kylo Ren.

The Humor: Very different humor from the other movies. I think it just worked. Nothing to complain about really.

Kylo/Rey v. The Red Guards: Basically the only lightsaber fight besides Luke and Kylo’s quick spar. And it did not disappoint. I could have really used more of this.

The Bad

Snoke’s Death: Yes, I know Snoke was never supposed to be on the level of the Emperor, but with the way he was built up in the last movie, his death was super jarring.

The Acting: Maybe I’m spoiled because I watch a lot of movies from the Golden Era of Hollywood but besides Finn, Kylo and Poe and maybe Luke and Leia, the other characters could have used a little more umph in the portrayal department.

The Whole Dang Background: What was the Republic? How did the First Order Arise? Who the heck is Snoke? How did the Republic get killed off so quickly? I know some of this might be answered in the books but, come on, the majority of the movie-going public will never read them. Just a little bit of background please.

The Boringness of the Capital Ship Chase: We couldn’t come up with something better than this?

The Ugly

Yoda: When the little green Jedi first popped up on screen I was shocked. That looked like a cheap knockoff puppet. But after a bit he grew on me. Still slightly scarred from that experience, but it might just take time.

Rey: I’m still super confused as to why Rey is so powerful? If she is just some scavenger from Jakku, what is the big deal with her? There has to be more. Not to mention the fact that the more I see of her the more I can do without her. She just does not have much of a character in my mind.

Political Messages?: Let’s make the Capitalists hurt (that pleasure resort)? Only women in charge of the Resistance?

Luke: Luke’s exit was rather lackluster. How many people did he save? 20? 30? Did Rey actually learn anything from him? It was pretty cool what he did but the result…

So, it was kind of a slog leaving me wondering how much time was left. I actually looked at my watch. That shouldn’t happen at a movie. That did not happen with The Force Awakens or Rogue One. I’m afraid it would rank near the bottom of my preferred Star Wars movies.
 
@Entwhistler

As someone who has followed your development as a fine curmudgeon padawan, I’d just like to say that you are completely wrong in your movie review. 👵🚬

Except for the Yoda comment. I felt like I’d been flung into a Muppet movie all of a sudden.

It was waaaaayyyyy better than The Force Awakens!

And now you know.

Carry on.
 
Different strokes for different folks as they say. 😀

Maybe I need to sleep on it.
 
Entwhistler said:
Different strokes for different folks as they say. 😀

Maybe I need to sleep on it.
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No, I’m just old now and need to see a movie a few times before I fully understand it and begin to really see the strengths and weaknesses.

Also, I was in the theater for the very first Star Wars movie, you know, the one now called “A New Hope.” So The Last Jedi had me from the very first notes of John Williams’s score. It was just beautiful, man. 😂
 
Yeah, movies need to be seen a few times to fully glean a view on it. I should see it again too.

And totally agree about John Williams. Film music is the new Classical music and I have no doubt that students of music will be studying John William’s music along with Mozart and Bach.
 
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i’ll give you my opinion when it appears on cable tv

the franchise is out of gas & boring
 
I was very dissatisfied with the movie. In terms of graphics, CGI or whatever, it was fantastic. But in terms of content, I was quite let down.

There is a moral problem rampant in modern culture, and it is present in this film also: male effeminacy. It is a moral problem because it is the result of disordered behavior. It results in a man being weaker than he ought because he has not controlled his impulses, preferring pleasure and comfort to doing hard work and fulfilling duty. With Luke Skywalker’s background, his age, his experience with the force, being a jedi master - I was expecting for him to come on the scene with a commanding presence and really be a force for good. Instead, we find Luke is this wimpy character, doubting himself, preferring for most of the film to maintain the peace of his existence rather than fulfill the duty of a jedi master. The moral problem of effeminacy. So sad…so disastifying for a Star Wars movie.

There is something else that I found troubling with this film (and other of the Disney-owned Star Wars films): there seems to be some malice against males underlying the film writing. As with many modern sci-fi films, there is a complete denial of the predominance of strength and rationality in men. Instead, we see men and women equally present in intense combat environments, and performing for all intents and purposes equally. This does not line up with reality. But, especially with Star Wars, given for example the old-fashioned masculine performance of Harrison Ford in the original trilogy, it seems as though there is a vendetta against masculine behavior in the new films. Emphasis appears to be given to “equalize” men and women in the new films. But in order for this “equalizing” to happen, the men frequently have to be presented in varying degrees of effeminacy. So, we see males and females pitted against each other, and either the female wins or else the viewer is given the idea that sex is not a significant factor in the determination of who wins. Sadly, I think this is why Luke Skywalker couldn’t be the kind of strong hero that we saw in the original trilogy.
 
Entwhistler said:
Political Messages?: Let’s make the Capitalists hurt (that pleasure resort)? Only women in charge of the Resistance?
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OMG, it’s like so transparent in presenting policies? Hm, I wasn’t thrilled with “The Force Awakens” but it was fun. After I saw the new “evil guy” I started to laugh. But maybe it’s cool it’s like new post modern angst Like Rey said “you fear you’re not as powerful as Darth Vader”. Lol - yes, exactly.
The best part about it, was the space crafts fights in 3D. It’s still SW that makes the best out of those imho. I really couldn’t retain any of the new actors except Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron - great secondary character. But I really want to have fun at this new movie (spoilers don’t bother because SW is just fun to watch end of story) but if you can feel propagandish vibes I think it will annoy me too much. But they have space flights… hm. Is Poe Dameron in this one too?
 
The political messages were not so overt as to ruin the movie. There were other stuff that did that. Although, I’m probably being too harsh. The movie was okay. Poe Dameron was back and had more scenes. More Space battles. A more interesting Kylo Ren (I love the character by the way). It mainly drags in my opinion.
 
I had high expectations but was disappointed in most regards.

The main issue is the storyline just seems to be rehashed ideas. The similarities with teacher and apprentice, conflict within themselves, question of redemption, emperor and the supreme leader, rebellion and the resistance, sacrifice at the end for a cause. Much of it just becomes predictable and offers nothing new.

I do like the characters, and I thought the movie looked gorgeous, battles and the background scenes were very well done. The highlight for me was when Chewy was about to eat by the campfire and was being pestered by the porgs.

All in all, it was enjoyable but nothing great. I’m grateful that Lucas wasn’t involved otherwise he would have utterly destroyed this franchise.
 
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