Divided Empire

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2020)

Luke trains Rey in the way of the Jedi, meanwhile Kylo Ren has pretty much dismantled the rebellion and has them on the ropes, but Luke has a secret as to why Kylo Ren hates the Jedi. The Last Jedi actually divided my friends, now I actually enjoyed this far more than Force Awakens, I thought it was more ambitious, I thought the idea of Kylo Ren representing neither the Dark Side or the Jedis was intriguing. In fact if I have a complaint is that we didn't learn more on this plot angle, cut out the nonsense in the Vegas planet and gimme that instead. That said my best friend hated it,but my wife loved it, go figure. It seems to cut this way down the middle. I do think Luke Skywalker should've been more mythic, philosophical and more Yoda and less Anakin. That said The Last Jedi's biggest strength are the scenes between Kylo Ren and Rey, I for one found these sequences to contain intrigue as you're not sure if Kylo Ren can turn Rey or if They can turn him. I also find Kylo Ren far more interesting than most of the other characters as he bares a family connection to the original characters and again I would've liked a scene with him and Leia, even in flashback. The fight in the guard room is very impressive and overall the movie's weakest element (Aside from the Vegas planet) is in fact Luke's overall bitterness subplot. I totally get then why many fans hate it, as Luke went from being one of the most idealistic heroes to angry hermit, but overall I liked that they tried something new.
***1/2 Out Of 4-(Very Good)