Nothing Left

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2017)

Be aware - spoilers ahead.
"This is not going to go the way you think" - Luke Skywalker
"Let the past die" - Kylo Ren
Oh I get it, The Last Jedi certainly shocked us but it's not a good thing in this case.
Porgs are actually cool but The Last Jedi is not particularly good. The best movie since Empire Strikes Back some critics are claiming. So better than A New Hope? Not even close. It might be better than say Attack of the Clones because it doesn't look like a bad video game, the dialogue, acting and special effects are much better as they should be but I don't get the reviews citing this as an intelligent Star Wars movie because it manages to avoid any answers to any meaningful questions and when it does -- the answers are just so disappointing. I feel like J.J Abrams set it all up and Rian Johnson came in and completely messed it up.
If his mandate was to turn the series upside down in response to the criticism of The Force Awakens being too much like the original Star Wars Rian Johnson has succeeded but at what cost?
The Last Jedi is a really disappointing movie for somebody looking any connection or backstory anything Star Wars lore. It has some good action moments but after The Force Awakens left viewers such a high-note with the return of Luke Skywalker - I left feeling so empty and wondering if they just should have left it all alone.
The legend of the rebellion and childhood hero for so many Luke Skywalker is a broken man who unfortunately has not learned too much in his time in exile despite tracking down the original Jedi temple, texts and scrolls he apparently hasn't read them or learned too much after all these years which I find completely puzzling and frustrating. He has no new revelations, we learn nothing new about the force. Rey barely learns anything from Master Skywalker who doesn't seem to be all that wise at all. I wanted something new, some new revelations about the nature of the force, the Jedi and how it began. Unfortunately we learn nothing here from the ultimate Jedi and its so frustrating.
Don't get me wrong, we're treated to a great performance by Mark Hamill but Luke Skywalker is wasted. He should be great and wise and in the Last Jedi he just isn't. I mean at all. I'm all for the broken, lone samurai type loner who is shamed but this is the hero of the original trilogy which is by far the moat revered and while Luke gets his redemptive moment, it merely serves to 'pass the torch' to the younger cast which is so contrived and obvious.
I must admit like many I had really high hopes for this film, the trailers got me. For nostalgic reasons and as much as I really liked the characters in The Force Awakens it's the original characters who we all fell in love with and seeing them treated like this is, is just sad in the end. A means to simply pass the torch to younger actors is really disappointing. The Force Awakens did it right with Han Solo, no qualms, because it elevated Kylo Ren's villain status enormously while this seemed like it was just a generational hand-off for the sake of it.
This is all made worse by the real-life and very tragic passing of Carrie Fisher who is back in her final performance, and a good one at that. Just knowing she won't be there for the next episode stings even more so now after this one.
But the problem with this story is Rey and Luke are at it's center and the dynamic needed to be fleshed out way more to make her a worthy successor to Luke Skywalker and the question of her parentage, one of the biggest hooks in Force Awakens is one of the most disappointing parts of this whole entire story. It is just such an unsatisfying answer and a massive wasted opportunity. Basically Rey gets a light sabre and she is the most powerful Jedi, no backstory, no anything she just is. She did not earn anything, she has not learned anything. She just is...
More wasted opportunities lie with some of the characters. Supreme Leader Snoke's character 'moment' was a shocking but ultimately empty. We got no backstory and nothing clever to bind the saga together at all. He is literally just a pop-up 'bad guy' that just appears out of nowhere and corrupts young Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren.
Captain Phasma is another throwaway character with nothing to do at all as is General Hux, who just provides comic relief which is overdone here anyway.
The other twists and turns lie in the relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey which does manage to keep you guessing for a time as to where their allegiences will end up. Again both are really good in their roles but its not enough to save a lackluster story which is overlong.
Oscar Isaac's ace pilot Poe Dameron is back and joined by Laura Dern playing newcomer Admiral Holdo. Their story and their interaction is one of the best subplots or side stories that completely pays off . I loved Poe Dameron's energy and enthusiasm in The Last Jedi just like I loved Finn's in The Force Awakens.
Unfortunately Finn's journey is far less compelling now. He is joined by actress Kelly Marie Tran who plays Rose Tico and a friendship/ possible romance ensues but it's all very cliche and nothing to write home about nor is the much-hyped Canto Bight scenes which resemble something more out of a Harry Potter movie than Star Wars, though Benecio Del Toro's good in his limited role.
There is a commentary on war and politics that seems like an afterthought here just like a lot of the characters. Ultimately The Last Jedi is a completely lost opportunity to tie in the Skywalker story (aka the Star Wars story we all fell in love with) together in a satisfying package. It's all very disjointed and it's the first time I have left Star Wars movie this flat.
Disney have tried to throw one too many curve balls this time around for curve ball sake and they're way off. Shocking twists are one thing but I remember leaving The Force Awakens with so much optimism and hope for the future. I wish this were different but I feel as though there is no steam left in this story and nowhere else to go that is really enjoyable.
This is definitely a new feeling after watching a Star Wars film.