The Last Jedi was EPIC!

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2018)

Yes, I believe that personally, the last jedi is one if not the best of the Star Wars movies. Now at first walking out of the theater I had a ton of questions. I had a lot to process and I wasn't even sure if I liked it or not. But, after I watched it a second time, I found I was enjoying myself and I was sucked in by the beautiful imagery and epic conclusion. Now I will admit this movie does have flaws, no doubt, but I think when you look at this film through a bigger scope it will begin to make sense. Remember a lot of people didn't like empire strikes back at first. When it first came out people were confused and weren t sure what to make of it. Not until Return of the Jedi when everything connected and the story was complete that all the 'plot holes' or mistakes in Empire began to make sense and it became a classic. I think this movie can do the same. I also think many of the reasons this movie was so divisive was because of the twists and turns. I loved many of the twists upon second viewing, they were crazy and original and I never would have guessed them. I think because of all the speculation on the internet about this movie, with people coming up with their own theories was what caused some people to be disappointed. I think some people didn't expect what transpired in the movie and their theories didn't come true so they were frustrated by the fact that it wasn't the exact thing they wanted. If a movie had all the twists and plot that you expected it would be boring, right? So congrats to Rian Johnson on making a movie that was so beautiful and intricate and that contained so many big twists and turns that he can call his own.
Now, let's talk about the problems with the movie. As I said before, it's not a perfect movie and there are some problems in the plot. Problem #1: why didn't Holdo just tell Poe what her plan was? I mean no matter how much I praise this movie, this one still baffles me. I don't see a valid reason why she just wouldn't tell him out front what she was doing because it caused Poe to go rogue in the first place. Problem #2: I did not like the character of Rose Tico and I felt that the movie dipped a little when it switched to her sequences with Finn. I also did not enjoy the casino scene. Which was basically just earth inhabited by aliens. Problem #3: I felt the humor was a little out of place at times. Some of the times it made for a great comedic moment that I really enjoyed and got a good laugh out of. Other times it ruined a moment of serious tension or just wasn't that great of a line. It also felt like they were trying to hard for the comedy and I didn't enjoy that. (P.S the scene with flying Leia was a little weird but I don't have a glaring problem with it. Also, the way Phasma's character was handled was a travesty.)
Now the good stuff! The script was quite good actually, the storytelling gave subtle references and clues to things that happen later and it also sets up themes that define the movie. As I stated previously there were some problems with the script in certain moments or scenes that probably could've been left out but for the most part it was quite good. Now as far as the storyline of Luke and Rey I enjoyed it. I've never been overly fond of Rey's character. So I was skeptical of how her and Luke would mesh. I liked the conflict Rey was thrown into as it showed her being very powerful but also not being patient enough to figure everything out and getting stuck in some bad places because of it. One of the movies themes is that your actions have consequences. We see this with Poe throughout the entire film. You can't just be a reckless fly boy that Tries to go for the big play all the time. You have to learn the patience and restraint to be a great leader. And Rey struggles in that regard throughout this movie and I honestly think she is a wiser character by the end of it. Now for Luke, I liked him. I loved that for Luke, the theme was that you can't be defined by your failure. And although it took him until his death to realize this, we see his character grow and make an awesome sacrifice when he realizes what he must do. Now what I didn't like was that he was a grumpy old hermit, I would've perferred he was more of a sad, broken-hearted old man who is very ashamed of himself. I don't think if he was like that, he would be grumpy. I think his demeanor would've been different. One of my favorite scenes of the movie was with yoda and Luke. Although puppet yoda looked a little sketchy, the dialogue was great and it provided some of the better humor in the movie. It was also heart felt light hearted banter that I enjoyed and it helped Luke realize his mistakes and brought his character arc full circle.
Snoke's death: I had nothing wrong with this. I thought the throne room scene was one of the films best scenes. The throne room itself was magnificent and the guards were cool. The reason I'm ok with Snokes demise is because I don't think he's done yet. Remember there is still another movie to go. The story has not been complete and there are still many things to be discovered. Did you really think we were gonna get all the answers in the second movie? This one was a continuation and a setup for how the third one will play out. Also the lightsaber battle with kylo and Rey was one of the most beautiful and Jaw dropping sequences I've seen in a Star Wars movie. The character of kylo Ren. I believe there is a lot more that is going to happen with him. I don't think his character arc has reached its peak yet. But i do believe he is the most intriguing character in the whole trilogy. The confliction and the anger, guilt, frustration is all played out beautifully and it results in him becoming a full fledged psychopath. The third act of this film was extraordinary. The scenes on Crait were epic and it stirred up all the emotions and it brought the story full circle. All of the themes on display are brilliant. Poe and Luke realize what they they were missing and it all just comes together amazingly.
This movie is gorgeous in its shots and the CGI is also great. This movie isn't perfect. But I do think that it was a perfect setup for the third one (which is going to be even more epic) it raised the stakes and now has several conflicting problems for our heroes that will test them greatly.