Member review

Despite the fact that I can acknowledge that J.J.Abrams’ ‘The Force Awakens’ was a beat for beat reimagined version of the ‘A New Hope’ story it doesn’t detract from my love and pure enjoyment of watching the film. Therefore I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Rian Johnson’s ‘The Last Jedi’. Reassuringly, the last Jedi is a fantastic Star Wars film; it answers a lot of the questions raised in ‘The Force Awakens’. Rian Johnson has sculpted a film in the vain of the other Star Wars movies but with a unique voice that expands on the existing Star Wars lure in directions which perhaps are not favourable to everybody and may explain why this is the most divisive Star Wars film yet.

With very little screen time in ‘The Force Awakens’, Mark Hamill returns at the helm as Luke Skywalker. Mark Hamill had expressed that he was hesitant on how Luke had been written in The Last Jedi and it’s very understandable when you see the film what he means. This is indisputably Luke Skywalker however as we’ve never seen him before. He’s a damaged individual who has suffered a lot of trauma since we last saw him fully in ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘The Last Jedi’ explores this magnificently. His arc and development with Rey is irrefutably my favourite arc in the film has the most depth to it. Undeniably this is Mark Hamill’s most excellent performance as this character and was utterly captivating in what for me is the most emotional Star Wars film yet.

Considering the passing of Carrie Fisher, it was heart-wrenching the see her return as Leia however, yet again, she is terrific in this film, she is written beautifully and has some very satisfying and emotional scenes that will keep the majority of fans happy. We see Leia’s connection with Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo gradually come to light and both work very well bouncing off each other and Admiral Holds is undoubtedly a welcome addition the new Star Wars continuity. Her interactions with Poe are also excellent and were a joy to watch her deal with the crippling Resistance.

Oscar Isaac is fantastic as Poe, and he understands the character to a tee, considering he is the principal new character who had the least screen time in ‘The Force Awakens’ it was great to see him have more to do. His amazing chemistry with John Boyega’s Finn is ever present and is excellent however it may not be there as much as many fans would want due to the introduction of new-comer Rose played by Kelly Marie Tran.

For the majority of the film, Rose and Finn spend time together on their own in a separate arc about finding a master codebreaker on the casino planet of Canto Bite. Despite this planet having visually amazing creatures, it felt like it was too long. Seemingly the main reason for this arc is to address the themes of animal cruelty and weapons trade during a war. Despite the fact that one of my favourite aspects of the film is that delves deeper into issues that Star Wars hasn’t before these felt too evident than the subtlety of the other themes in the film. Also, this arc does have a minor effect on the pacing of the film as it does slow down and feel like it’s something that could have been resolved much sooner. The scene is necessary to inaugurate events in the narrative and introduce us to new characters such as Benicio Del Toro’s DJ who delivers a memorable performance. For now, it feels like it was an unnecessary detour for something that could have been resolved quickly however when we have the bigger picture of the trilogy as a whole I am confident that we will see the benefits of this arc and perhaps its more appropriate place in the story’s plot. What is a highlight in the weakest of arcs in the film, in my opinion, is the charisma that John Boyega brings to screen, he’s such a likeable presence it’s hard not to smile when he appears, even Rose was tremendous and infectiously entertaining. However, I feel her character could have been used to serve another purpose in the film.

What was considerably developed in the narrative and what the majority of fans were hoping for following ‘The Force Awakens’ is the narrative between Kylo Ren and Reyfavorite Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley are both exceptional. It’s great to see how both characters have matured since the last film, especially Kylo who seemed an emotionally unstable angsty teen in ‘The Force Awakens’ but had a deep-seeded conflict within him. This is the most compelling aspect of his character and what Rian Johnson cleverly expands upon in ‘The Last Jedi’. He is not trained completely and therefore is not your typical villain who is conflicted bit is still under the shadow of Andy Serkis’ Supreme Leader Snoke. Perhaps Star Wars fans who have been theorising about his character for the past two years feel underwhelmed, I was delighted with the way the role was used to further the narrative and deepen the legacy of Kylo Ren.

Surprisingly Rian Johnson has crafted a film where the stakes feel real, straight from the beginning after a very suspenseful and tension-fueled action sequence involving Rose’s sister, not in one action sequence did I think our heroes were safe. There is no feeling of security that you get with many other films currently, and I feel this is something to be applauded as I felt more emotionally invested and cared more for these characters as a result. Visually as with the action sequences and the other sequences in the film, it’s stunning and on another level to its predecessors. Even the impossibility of a space battle felt tangible. One scene, which gratefully has been a stand out for many is so visually breathtaking and powerful, and emotionally it’s one of my favourite scenes in any Star Wars film. The fact that the sound disappears allows the audience to gasp at the visual spectacle. Even the lightsaber battles where Rian Johnson has used efficiently head to toe wide shots of the duel is breathtaking and supported by John Williams ’, as always, a masterful score which to me was better than ‘The Force Awakens’.

Fan-favourite BB-8 returns and has an abundance of time to shine as does returning characters such as Chewbacca and R2-D2 who has one stand-out scene that akin’s back to ‘A New Hope’. The Millennium Falcon despite not having Han Solo return at the helm had some great sequences and played a vital part in the final showdown of the film. The Porgs, again, are a welcome addition who are adorable and hilarious in their now right.

To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Last Jedi’ it feels like an original Star Wars film that continues the feeling of the original trilogy while introducing new characters and returning some originals. The film has some of my favourite and best action sequences and performances in the entire Saga. Indeed, this film takes some turns that I was not expecting at and has a plethora of emotional and surprising scenes made by a director with a unique vision that shines.