Criminally Underrated

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2018)

I just finished watching this movie a second time and find it to be one of the best in the saga. After two years of fans taking to the internet, complaining about the tired formula that The Force Awakens had ripped from previous entries, Rian Johnson inflates the new trilogy with a breath of fresh air that is refreshing to say the least. Although it isn't conventional, The Last Jedi is undoubtedly a Star Wars movie, with a few minute flaws that have been blown out of proportion. Yes, Canto Bite was difficult to watch, but upon my second viewing, was begun and ended much quicker then I had remembered, and much to my surprise, was a much more bearable once I knew it was coming. Again, a bit jarring, but I feel as though there is so much I love about this film. The moments between Rey and Luke always kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. Luke ad changed so much since the original trilogy, but rightfully so. His personalty traits ran more akin to Yoda on Dagobah after facing the fall of the Old republic. Luke is clearly damaged, and perhaps a bit misguided. It has been thirty years. He's not going to be the same person we know and love. The death of Snoke was tense and satisfying. I'm appalled at the reaction towards it. In my opinion, Snoke was the least memorable part of The Force Awakens. He was always a plot point, and the shock factor of killing him off so soon is incredible, and the plot device is putting a new twist on Kylo Ren's character that I'm very excited about. Honestly, it's difficult for me to defend Snoke because I had a hard time caring about his character and back story. The internet theories were just getting to be too much that the truth would've been disappointing anyways, so Rian Johnson just killed him, and it took balls. The climax is also one of the most jaw dropping, spectacular twists since 'I'm you're father' and it gave me chills on both viewings. Overall, The Last Jedi is one of the best chapters in the Star Wars saga in my opinion, and certainly surpasses The Force Awakens and Rogue One.