Where There is Light, There is Dark

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2018)

The level of anticipation was overwhelming. Between being a life long, die-hard Star Wars fan, and falling in love with 'The Force Awakens', the stage was set for a gargantuan sequel. There are positives, there are negatives, light and dark. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (TLJ) ultimately has left me much like Kylo Ren; conflicted.
J.J. Abrams was chosen to revitalize Star Wars and set the stage for films to come, and even with many fans disliking his take, there's no doubt Episode VII delivered a solid first entry into the new trilogy, leaving intrigue and loads of speculation. Fast forward to TLJ, and director/writer Rian Johnson now has the reins to the most beloved and scrutinized franchise in all of fiction. Johnson sets out to craft his own style of Star Wars, taking heavy risks with new approaches to the storytelling, character development and more. These new approaches are all hit and miss; a successful new take of storytelling here, a failed character decision there. Johnson's decision making is bold, and while many of those choices pay off and help evolve Star Wars, there was a blatant lack of proper execution, from failing to develop plot lines from Episode VII to misusing character screen time and more in between. Johnson will go down as either a visionary or a failed experiment that busted the very foundation of Star Wars. Only the test of time will tell.
The main narrative of TLJ tries to put the emphasis on the journey of lead character Rey, her relationship with Luke Skywalker, and the fate of villain Kylo Ren and his subsequent connection with Rey. The film is at its very best when it focuses on the story of Rey, Luke, Kylo and Supreme Leader Snoke. Johnson takes brave new steps into the lore, especially how we view the Force, the balance of Dark and Light, and he won me over with much of his storytelling direction. However, there is a major pacing problem that lingers throughout the duration of TLJ. With the extended run time of 152 minutes, I had high hopes that the primary narrative would be deeply developed, but Johnson seemed to take a bigger bite than he could chew when he wrote the script. This creates subplots that go undeveloped, and story lines that are either too long or useless to the main narrative, none more than Finn and Rose's story, all which distract from the main plot of the film, and at times doesn't even feel like the same movie. The movie often seems tangled, none more so than in the second act, where the film bounces around until the third act arrives to stabilize a near-catastrophe. Contributing to the disoriented writing is the often-misplaced comedy, which grew to a point of soreness. It's not so much the amount, I laughed several times with the film, but more the style and timing. Humor in Star Wars was always smart and flowed naturally in dialogue, something that is often no longer the case.
I do applaud Johnson for creating new paths into how we as fans approach storytelling in Star Wars, but he just couldn't seem to keep his enormous story in a tight, consistently coherent rhythm, which left me wanting more. The story kept me interested and if nothing else entertained, but questionable decisions like seemingly rewriting the book that TFA wrote, and the uninviting sub plots kept me from becoming fully immersed in TLJ's story, or at least not as much as I had hoped.
The sci-fi setting of Star Wars will always be a staple of the franchise, but it's the characters that connect so greatly with the hearts of an unimaginable number of fans. Abrams and co. helped set Johnson up for success with his introduction to magnificent new characters, and though there are several contentious character-development-decisions, TLJ makes great use of several characters in the film. The story between Rey and Luke was heavily anticipated, and Johnson was decent at developing that relationship. Luke and Rey spend quality screen time together, but I still feel there was so much more to explore between the two. This is where some unneeded subplots could have been cut to include more Rey and Luke, and make that relationship seem more meaningful. Rey is a great lead character for this trilogy; strong, relatable and charming, and with another great outing in TLJ, she's easily a Star Wars mainstay.
At first I was not thrilled with the choices made for Luke Skywalker, but the more I was left to think, and after a second viewing, the more I loved the direction of his character. Fans are up in arms about Luke's portrayal, but Johnson's version of Luke has profound prominence and depth, writing that challenges his character into something more, something different than the legend that we know. Luke's path with the Force is indeed disparate, yet it made me appreciate the character more, and helped me better understand Johnson's vision. Luke's final moments are truly beautiful; showcasing his unmatched power with the Force to help the Resistance, only to become one with the Force while gazing off into the twin sunset, was equally moving and fitting to end Luke's physical life, and what I thought was ultimately a proper send-off to the Star Wars great.
Other characters stand out in TLJ as enjoyable, like Poe, BB-8 and Leia, but no character makes his mark more than Kylo Ren, who has evolved into the sequel trilogy's best character as far as I'm concerned. Ren is conflicted throughout the film, he's ferocious and intimidating but emotionally complex, interesting and worth investing in. Johnson's writing of the character breaks Ren down into a deeper, more diverse character, putting me in a place of positive discomfort, where I was challenged to decide where my feelings lied towards Ren throughout the film. Kylo Ren is undoubtedly the highlight of TLJ, and I can't wait to see how his arc comes to a close.
I couldn't in good faith leave out the spectacular inclusion of Master Yoda, whose cameo not only activated every ounce of nostalgia in my bones, but furthered the film's story in a purposeful manner. Yoda looks amazing with his perfect blend of puppetry and CGI, and his part in Luke's story helps connect TLJ with the original trilogy.
Like I stated, Johnson made many bold decisions, and this extends to the secondary characters, decisions that I mostly disagree with. I now fully understand the choices made behind Snoke; I may not agree, but in retrospect, killing Snoke was vital and meaningful to Ren's character arc and for that I appreciate it. However, I couldn't help but feel like the mystery surrounding Snoke was just thrown out the window for the sake of story progression, that his character could have added more layers to the film and the saga at large. But Snoke is just the beginning. Rose, DJ, Captain Phasma, Chewbacca, Vice Admiral Holdo, General Hux...all characters who were either misused, underused, underdeveloped, or a mix of all three, some to the point of no return. Hux is turned into comedic cannon fodder, Phasma doesn't amount to anything of value and Rose was a cringe-worthy character, not only relentlessly forced, but pulling no emotional weight to make me care. Most certainly, TLJ showcases well-rounded and compelling characters, yet it can't make up for the abundance of characters who suffer from the exact opposite.
One aspect of Star Wars that's almost guaranteed to never fail upon is that of the overall visual and audible spectacle, which is as grand as could be in The Last Jedi. The action scenes are plentiful and dazzling, showcasing stunning visual effects, both digital and practical. The opening dog fight in space is one of the franchise's best, exciting and magnificent to look at. The cinematography is spot on, none more so than during Holdo's lightspeed sacrifice, which creates arguably one of the most beautiful shots ever in franchise history. To the ears, Star Wars never disappoints, no thanks to John Williams' illustrious score. TLJ brings together old and new to create a score to remember, leaving my emotions running high as the majestic sound that is Star Wars music coursed through my veins.
Even with the poor handling of many of the characters, the acting prowess is notable in TLJ. With her emotional investment, Daisy Ridley is impossible not to love as Rey. Adam Driver has grown into the role of Kylo Ren and owns the screen this time around. Mark Hamill is every bit as wonderful as you could want with his return to Luke Skywalker, and of course Carrie Fisher's final performance as Leia was beautiful. Despite the often-defunct writing, the secondary characters were mostly still played splendidly. Andy Serkis as Snoke, Oscar Isaac as Poe and of course Frank Oz returning as Yoda was the icing on the cake. Other performances, however, I can't say the same for, such as Laura Dern's Holdo or Benicio Del Toro's DJ, and Kelly Marie Tran as Rose was just awful. Even with its flaws, the cast is strong enough to pull you into most of the characters and keep you invested in their stories.
The Last Jedi is by no means an awful movie, nor is it the masterpiece everyone was expecting. It explicitly suffers from a lack of execution in the story department and handles its characters with potential for mass division. But even with its flaws and the questionable roads it takes, TLJ entertains, and that is, after all, the main objective. Rian Johnson took a big swing. Some will say he struck out, others will argue he hit a home run. I'll say he hit a soft single. It may not be everything fans were expecting, but at the end of the day, Johnson pushes Star Wars into unfamiliar territory with audacious moves, and I think this is beneficial for the franchise at large. It's divisive with its risky character and story choices but undeniably entertaining with its high-budget action, gorgeous visuals and heart-stopping score. For better or worse, this is Episode VIII. There is good and bad, light and dark, and someday soon, I hope Star Wars finds the balance once again.