Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Probably the most controversial star wars film since the prequel era, episode VIII was the film to split the fan base like no other film in a franchise had before. Although it can be considered to be a financial success as it made $1.333 billion worldwide, other people would consider Rian Johnson's addition to the Star Wars saga a cinematic failure. Critics may of loved it because of the film's "daring" choices, but most fans disliked the film, including me.

The Last Jedi's predecessor, The Force Awakens directed by J.J Abrams set up so many mysteries and potential interesting plot lines and well, Rian Johnson chose to ignore Abrams notes and advice on how to continue these plot lines, so he could create a film that would subvert the audiences expectations in a spectacular way. Every turn taken by the characters results in a twist, and this gets boring very quickly. Rey gives Luke his old lost lightsaber back, Luke throws it away, ruining a tense moment as an excuse for comedy...which ultimately is another reason why the film suffers backlash from fans. Too much comedy. Next we have the mystery of who Snoke is, and who Rey's parents are. Let's start with the latter. This mystery was a big part of Rey's character in the previous film. Who were her parents? Why did they leave her on Jakku? Do her parents hold the key to explain Rey's force powers? The answer to these questions are shut down by the fact that they were drunks and it doesn't matter who they are, they are a nobody like Rey. Now this may sound like a nice idea, that hope and power can be found in anyone, which is a theme that is repeated throughout the film, but it leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied with that underwhelming answer. Ignoring what the fans want, in order to surprise them. The same can be said for Snoke's backstory and identity. He is killed off before we are given that answer, serving as nothing more than to further develop Kylo Ren's character. All the mystery surrounding him and his force powers. He could have been an interesting character but Rian decided he wasn't needed anymore. Stupid really. Wasted potential yet again, like Rey's parents. Unfortunately, I can't cover everything I dislike about this film, such as the lack of overall character for anyone, the underdeveloped "strong" female characters, which is annoying considering the head of Star Wars, Kathleen Kennedy wants to celebrate her strong female characters in the franchise, but they are so underdeveloped, it's nothing to be proud of because other films have better written strong female characters. The plot is also stupid and full of plot holes and a lack of logic, even for a Star Wars film.

But The Last Jedi did have some, well, a few good things for me to congratulate it on. Disney spent a lot of money to make the practical and CGI effects absolutely stunning and basically flawless. I applaud Disney for spending their money wisely. Also the musical score, composed by the great John Williams, captures the feel of the classic original trilogy so well once again. Also the inclusion of Yoda, the crazy yet wise, green puppet version of Yoda was the one surprise that actually went well. It was so funny and amazing to see him again. Giving his old student of Luke Skywalker some of his wisdom and another lesson for the Jedi to learn was intrigued and just amazing to watch. I may have a strong dislike for the film but Yoda's scene was so good.

There may be some good things about episode VIII, but there are so many bad things you can say about this film. Quite ironic that this film is so unbalanced with its positive and negatives, considering the Star Wars franchise is all about bringing balance to the force and defeating negative forces of evil. This film also created problems for the rest of the franchise. Fans have started to turn against the Disney era of Star Wars films, that most people aren't very excited for episode IX, The Rise of Skywalker. It was also one of the reasons why SOLO: A Star Wars story didn't make as much money as the other films in the franchise. I believe this taught Disney a lesson. It taught them not to be greedy and not exploit such a popular franchise just so Disney could make more money.

I would have to give this film 2 stars, even though the trailers for the film made me want to give this film 8 stars before it even released :/