This Film is Only Setting Up Episode IX

Rating: 4/10 (9 October 2019)

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi has been out for a couple of years now, and fans were mostly disappointed by the film. Some regarding it as the worst Star Wars movie ever made. It seems this movie's sole purpose is to set up the end of the trilogy, which is Episode IV - The Rise of Skywalker. The Last Jedi leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and many of the questions that were answered were underwhelming to most fans. While many Star Wars films, especially in the original trilogy, have much to offer to the story, The Last Jedi has almost nothing to offer.
Much like Episode VII borrowed scenes from Episode IV, The Last Jedi tries to be much like Episode V at some points, with a young protagonist seeking the help of a lonely Jedi master preparing to face her enemy, whom she has a connection with through the force. There's a lot of question about whether or not Luke created Kylo Ren, and turned Ben Solo to the dark side, and that is the reason Luke disappeared years before this story takes place. Luke spends the better half of the movie feeling sorry for himself, acting like a pathetic has-been, while Rey does everything she can to seek his help, even though she's already perfect. She's a great pilot and an excellent fighter, and this is where Rey falls short. There's no character arc for Rey. From the beginning, the creators were afraid to make their strong female protagonist too weak, and many people question that choice. Could it be that Rey is not human and only a creation of Emperor Palpatine, whose laugh we hear in the trailer of The Rise of Skywalker? It's a stretch, but something like that is a possibility. Kylo reveals Rey's parents to be nobody's, and that felt like an anti "I am your father" moment. Revealing Rey's parents to be a a familiar face in the Star Wars universe would make the film too similar to Episode V, but Kylo could have easily been lying. Many people suspect that she is somehow Obi-Wans granddaughter, which is also a stretch. At this point in the trilogy, it seems as though anything they do with Rey's backstory will feel cheap. It will be interesting where the go from here in The Rise of Skywalker.
Now, let's talk about the subplot, mostly happening in space and sometimes in a casino. Good grief, what a mess. There's talk of running low of fuel, animal rights, blatant dictatorship from the good guys, force floating through space, and it's just plain boring. There's no other words to describe this whole part of the film. It is what ultimately brings the whole story down, and why many people dislike the film as a whole.
The ending scenes are the best. They played it safe and gave Luke an epic force projection fight scene against Kylo, and a dramatic death in front of the two suns where he began his journey. It was a beautiful shot, but did not make up for the rest of the film unfortunately. It was overall pretty uneventful, and it's only purpose is to set up The Rise of Skywalker. Hopefully Episode IX will answer a lot of questions, but who knows anymore? It could be just as disappointing as the last.