The quality rises, and the flaws to meet it

Rating: 5/10 (29 December 2017)

Something deep inside us drives us to believe that Disney has delivered on the promise of promises: to make Star Wars great again. Even those who saw through the gloss and deep color-grading of the previous installment, The Force Awakens, to its profound shortcomings, argued that its reliance on detailed plot points from previous chapters was merely a path for winning over fans disenfranchised by the (unfairly-maligned) prequels; soon, we would see the true face of this new generation of Star Wars films.
Now I can finally say that I've seen a "real" Disney Star Wars saga film, and that it's more-or-less what I expected. There were two points I had always maintained - first, that artists who possess true vision don't hide it because they're afraid of what the audience will think. And second, that once you've set your story on target to retell the Original Trilogy, it's difficult to turn the ship around.
To its credit, The Last Jedi has its share of compelling moments, but they're often undermined by mediocre, occasionally even terrible, ones. In this film are ideas of all shades of quality - an intriguing hero and villain friendship, new old plot points, and Yoda setting Jedi texts on fire. Prepare to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The highest praise that can be given to The Last Jedi is that it presents us with something new to experience. In the first act, we find ourselves facing a character setup like none seen in any previous Star Wars installment: a pupil, rejected by her master, finding solace in companionship with the story's main antagonist, also facing rejection from his own master. We watch this relationship as it slowly unfolds, watch Rey's hatred transform to sympathy, watch Kylo flirt with the light. There's a strange chemistry between these two characters, as well as some of the best writing the film has to offer. It seems that it all could be leading up to something new and grand.

The problem is that it isn't. About halfway through, we are suddenly watching a sort of mishmash of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Oh, but it isn't exactly the same: here, Darth Vader, after disposing of the Emperor, walks up to the throne and takes his place. One must ask: what's the point of this story? We've found out nothing we don't already know. Kylo is evil; Rey is good. And nope, she doesn't want to join Kylo as Supreme Leader of the First Order. Is that the pivotal twist it's all been building towards?

The main storyline is complemented by less-than-compelling, and in one case, vastly overextended, subplots for Finn and Poe, both of which revolve to some extent around a slow-motion chase through outer space and the attempt to escape undetected to an old Rebel Base using small transports. Considering that the First Order has had the Resistance "tied on the end of a string" all along, the transports come off as totally superfluous. The same plot outcome could've been achieved by having the Resistance flee to the base directly. It would've spared us having to watch Finn and a new character, Rose, run off on a side journey where they get jailed for a parking violation, escape on space llamas, dress up in First Order uniforms and sneak onto a ship, fail their mission, and then miraculously catch back up to everyone.
The result of it all is a relatively inconsequential chapter in the Star Wars saga. One could skip from the end of Episode 7 to the beginning of 9 and find that nothing much has changed. The supposedly pivotal middle chapter of this trilogy is mainly a series of diversions which exist to mask how little of a plan or vision Disney really possesses.
Unlike some viewers, I do see the merit behind Luke's portrayal in this film. In fact, I would argue that some sort of grumpy, disillusioned Luke unwilling to train more Jedi was an ideal concept to employ here. However - and I knew it from the trailers - I don't think the film is able to sufficiently justify his actions.
Director Rian Johnson once said of Luke, "I know he's not hiding on the island. I know he's not a coward. He must be there for a reason that he believes in." Yet this reason continues to proves elusive. Yes, he wants the Jedi to end, and considering what they have produced, there's some sort of sense in this. But it does nothing to explain why he can't leave to help Leia. I think we're meant to believe that he feels he will only make things worse. But his failure (as far as we know, his only one) involves training a Jedi. There are other ways he could help. We know that he's a great pilot, for instance. What is it that allows this character to support such a profound delusion?
Also, Yoda's back. And he's here to burn Jedi texts. While laughing about it. He's doing it to make a point: that Rey possesses all the knowledge and wisdom she'll ever need. (Though apparently the books not being "page-turners" is a factor.) This either means that Rey is now genuinely a "Mary Sue", or that total mastery of the Force comes without study or effort, which essentially removes its grandeur and mystique. If you though midichlorians destroyed the essence of the Force (they didn't; they're just an interface with it), well, think again.
The Last Jedi also has some of the most ill-timed comedy of any Star Wars movie, among which is what is perhaps the worst line in the entire saga: "I know what you're going to say. I changed my hair." It comes during what is thus far one of the most serious and pivotal moments of this trilogy, and manages to completely subvert the intended tone. How are we supposed to take this film seriously when Johnson is intent on "challenging our expectations" by pointlessly breaking our immersion around every turn?
And it's worth noting that every stylistic technique you don't want in a Star Wars movie makes an appearance at least once. You'll see slow motion, flashback, muted audio, and voiceover.
Like last year's Rogue One, The Last Jedi is an experience that leaves you with something worth reflecting on, and yet it isn't meant to be a consistently good and entertaining film as much as a product with enough compelling ideas and moments that people will pay for it. Nonetheless, it's all-too-obvious that this franchise's creator is no longer involved, as these films betray the misunderstandings of characters and tone one might expect in that case.

With the Original Trilogy plot points out of the way, and the story more-or-less back to where Return of the Jedi left off, perhaps Disney will take the initiative to create a truly compelling final installment. The world needs another good Star Wars movie. So help us, Disney. You're our only hope.