A solid film (with some weird moments)

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2018)

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was watching The Last Jedi. The flaws were more evident the second time I watched it, but my opinion of the movie still didn't change. There are many things to say about this movie, some good and some bad, but overall it was a good film.
Comedy in this film was sometimes hilarious, sometimes outright unnecessary and stupid. Porgs were cute. Soundtrack was AMAZING. The actors did an amazing job. The filmography was outstanding. Ben and Rey's chemistry was off the roof, and I loved the plot-line there. Can't wait what they are going to do with it in ep.IX. There were some scenes that felt weird and some characters who felt unnecessary, and the plot took some weird turns occasionally.
So, I do understand why people don't like this movie. For example, the overall theme of failure and learning from these failures is a hard one in narrative, because it just isn't satisfying for the viewer to watch the hero fail. That's why I think the Canto scene (and what followed) felt so unimportant. It led nowhere in terms of plot. But it did serve another purpose: character development.
Finn's character development in this movie is quite subtle. But that Canto trip is everything to this development. These hero type characters need to learn that they are fighting an actual war and their decisions and actions have actual consequences on people's lives. Their plan has very slim chances of success in the first place, but as a viewer we have gotten used to the fact that the hero always wins, no matter the odds. They learned that they must work together and really think things through if they want to win this war.
I loved the portrayal of Luke (if we don't count the comedy parts like the milk or the lightsaber throw). The whole thing with Ben and failing his nephew because he had so big thoughts about himself as The Jedi Master is believable in my opinion. Luke had a fleeting moment of doubt - it's not like he is some perfect saint that would never do anything wrong. He failed. That's the point. He learned from it and in the end, made amends for his actions. He was the hero we all remember, in the end. And I think that ending was beautiful and touching because it was personal for him.
Then lastly, before this rant becomes way too long, the whole "who is Snoke?" -thing so many people are raging about. This is a second part in a trilogy, so of course there are unanswered questions going to the last movie. This is one of them. Narratively there was no point including Snoke's backstory in this movie. It serves its purpose better in the next one, if and when we see Ben's childhood and how and why Snoke manipulated him in the past.
So, overall a solid Star Wars film, with some weird comedic moments. I left the theater feeling exited for Star Wars, and I think that is review enough.