I Feel Conflicted

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2017)

I just saw the film so I may not be remembering some things correctly
Before I start the review, let me tell you my history with Star Wars series
I am a relatively new fan and I watched the whole Star Wars series as in the Original Trilogy, and the Prequel Trilogy and Rogue One and Force Awakens over last few months
I fell in love with it over the course of last few months, my top favorite Star Wars films are Empire Strikes Back and A New Hope and maybe even Force Awakens? Not sure about that but I love those films, I even enjoyed some of the prequels
I look at films as films and I review them without any kind of fanboy bias, I don't exaggerate my hate or love for a film set in a franchise just because I love or hate the said franchise
So let's talk about Star Wars The Last Jedi
I feel super conflicted about it and I'll explain why
This film had a lot of potential and it wasted most of it despite that it has some satisfying moments and a very small glimmer of light of a "GOOD FILM" shining through it
This could've been really good, it could've been amazing but it wasn't and that's a big letdown for me
A lot of the problems of this film have to do with it's writing because when it comes to cinematography, visual effects and even some of the acting, it was fine for the most part and really impressive in certain parts
The biggest issue with this film is writing
They set up certain things that are very interesting, in fact they set those plot points like they're the biggest mysteries in the Star Wars universe and then they don't follow them through, and they even scrap some of those plot points. And they save the remaining for the sequel to explore.
I avoided spoilers for this film for many days but after seeing it, I feel like there wasn't much to be spoiled. Yes there are some unexpected moments that happen, certain directions they take and one or two of them might get to you but ultimately they never live up to the hype or the build up
You are left with this void, I felt disappointed with the twists(I don't even know if I can call them twists, they weren't shocking). I am not saying I wanted some twists for the cheap shock value but the film sets up an intriguing mystery and the mystery element has always been a big part of Star Wars films, and when the pay off happens, you are left unsatisfied
Another thing I want to talk about is the dialogue, I don't understand what went wrong here because the talent behind this movie was impressive then how could the dialogue be like this?
A lot of the dialogue was so exposition heavy and it felt like they were trying to constantly explain the plot to the audience. A character would say something and you would get it and then the other character will dumb it down for the audience and you will feel like that was unnecessary
There were unnecessary one liners that felt forced sometimes. Although I would admit that some jokes were good but there were a lot of unnecessary ones too. Overall I didn't mind the humor and it didn't bother me that much
One of the most important things that bother me are the character arcs in this film because some characters are written fine and they are handled well and you can appreciate their overarching character development
And then there are characters with whom they take the wrongest possible direction they could take, or at least the most under whelming and uninteresting decision they could take with those characters. And I am pretty sure it will infuriate a lot of fans
It's a major problem you know? The certain direction they take with some of their core characters just feels ugh.. disappointing and lazy
Another thing that bothered me is how safe they played and they barely took any risks. This was the second part in the sequel trilogy. Now was the time to take out the big guns and take risks but they don't and you are left wondering if this was a worthy addition to the franchise or just an attempt to ride on nostalgia
The word nostalgia reminds me of the overall plot and how things go from A to B. It's starting to get stale and formulaic. Instead of changing things up or going in an interesting direction, this film takes a familiar route. Progress is another thing, it felt like this sequel trilogy didn't really progress that much with this film and it feels like there's more they haven't showed you yet
It's not a terrible film. It has a lot of satisfying moments and some interesting character conflict and character arcs but it feels very formulaic, takes absolutely no risks and plays it safe and doesn't fully satisfy you
It's kind of messy, Star Wars universe is such an interesting thing and there's so much you can do with it. So many different directions you can go in, so much rich history/lore you could use and play with, yet The Last Jedi takes a very lazy route to tell it's story which is nothing new
A lot of the dialogue, like I said, is jarring and felt exposition heavy and watered down for the audiences. I've already talked about the certain directions they go with some of their characters and how little satisfactory the twists are, in fact there are barely any twists or turns and the mystery is left unexplored or lazily solved
What's even weird is this film doesn't do that much to get you excited for the next film and the things that happen here, you don't even feel as if there's anywhere to go from here and it's like the writing has trapped itself and restricted itself by taking some decisions that can't be undone
They even try to break their formula in some parts with some stuff they do in here but they do it in a way that doesn't make it interesting or compliments the film
There are so many interesting and mind blowing theories and fan fiction ideas on the internet and when I compare that with the writing of this film, it is just unbelievable that this film doesn't live up to that, I mean the professionals are supposed to be handling a property like Star Wars with care, I mean talented professionals yet a lot of the stuff in this film feels like weak fan fiction
I think Rian Johnson is a really good filmmaker and I love his works like Breaking Bad episodes he directed, Brick and Looper but I don't know what the hell happened here with him and his writing. It feels like he had figured out how to perfectly handle a lot of the stuff, and then there's the other half where he had no idea how to handle it. He knows how to direct a film but the writing here, it's a huge missed opportunity
Maybe it's also on Disney for mishandling this property or watering it down? Or maybe Rian Johnson was never a good choice for this to begin with? I can't tell
It's an enjoyable experience but it doesn't compare to the Empire Strikes Back or A New Hope or ROTJ or even Rogue One and Force Awakens maybe
It's the kind of film that will divide fans, it has its positives and negatives which is why I feel really conflicted
I enjoyed a lot of it but it felt familiar territory and I didn't found myself to be moved by this film, I didn't get goosebumps a single time
There are moments that had me invested sure, they do an okay job of getting you invested in the characters but it feels like a big missed opportunity. They could've done so much better, that's the most frustrating part about this film. They could have much better. I had high hopes from Rian Johnson and this film
It packs stunning visual imagery and action sequences. Interesting characters. But the writing handicaps this film and holds it back from reaching its potential. The writing of the film is not horrible, but it's super under whelming and a big wasted opportunity
2 hour 30 minutes run time didn't help either, it could've benefit from a much shorter run time
It's not a 7/10 in the sense that it's the same as Force Awakens.
Force Awakens I think, is a better film? More coherent, absolutely, and much bearable, but I can't compare them
I gave it a 7/10 because I can't give the rating in points, it's a 7/10 but in the lower range of 7, definitely within 7.6/10, maybe 7.4/10 or 7.6/10. I am having a hard time deciding because like I said, it's a film that made me feel very conflicted