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THE LAST OF THE INTERNATIONAL JEDIS
I have seen Episode 8.
And I liked it. A lot. I loved it, actually. This may or not be because I managed to go in without seeing so much as a trailer for it, so I had no idea what to expect, apart from two things: (1) it was presumably going to continue the story from the ending of The Force Awakens (TFA) where Rey hands Luke the lightsaber, and (2) I saw a headline that some fans were apparently so pissed off with whatever happened in the story that they petitioned Disney to delete The Last Jedi (TLJ) from the canon and remake it [LINK CONTAINS SPOILERS].
And so:
1. I think TLJ is not only a solid Star Wars film, but it’s also better than TFA – which was a very good Star Wars film whose main weakness was relying too much on fan service and retreading old ground. TLJ keeps that to a bare minimum, for the most part, and is actually better written overall, not least because Rian Johnson (finally) takes some chances and takes the character set-ups from TFA in directions that break from the standard SW template. TLJ also adds some welcome depth as it touches on the moral ambiguities of war, the consequences of ignoring orders (even with the best intentions) and the true nature of the Force – and it does all this while delivering a well-paced, action-packed space opera.
2. I have no complaints about the story’s explanation for why Luke went into exile and what happened between him and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Some fans have complained, but for me it all makes sense, given the events of Episodes 1 to 3, and given everything we know about Luke and his family history. Moreover, it enables the Star Wars films to further break away from the old Skywalker story that defines the first six episodes (and TFA, to an extent) and develop something new. I don’t know that they will. But they’ve certainly set up the opportunity to do so.
Let’s put it this way: Mark Hamill initially didn’t like Johnson’s take on Luke either – but now having seen the finished product, he’s admitted Johnson got it right after all.
3. Speaking of Luke, while pretty much the entire cast is good, I have to say, Mark Hamill is just superb as old, bitter Luke. I never thought he was a bad actor, but I remember some people giving him stick for his acting in the original trilogy. Well, if he couldn’t act then, he sure as heck can now.
4. Complaints? Well, it’s a bit too long for a SW film. Another minor complaint is that certain story elements that basically rely on the First Order not being all that smart. There were several scenes in which the First Order probably could ended the war (and the film) a lot earlier if the commanding officers had more sense.
5. I’m also not sure how I feel about THAT scene with Leia – apart from being somewhat implausible (even by Star Wars standards) it just doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the film, not least because there’s no explanation for it. Based on what little I’ve read after seeing the film, I’m assuming it was written as a set-up for Leia’s development in Episode 9, but sadly, that may be a moot point now that Carrie Fisher is gone (Disney has said they’re not planning to do a CGI version of Leia for Episode 9). Anyway, maybe it’ll make more sense to me later.
6. Anyway, it’s safe to say that Disney is on a roll here. They’ve put out three Star Wars movies, and every one of them are worthy of the name, and I think TLJ is arguably the best of the bunch precisely because it messes with the formula and primes Star Wars for new horizons.
Which is why I don’t know that I’m looking forward to the upcoming Han Solo movie. Apart from seeing someone else besides Harrison Ford play the character, it’s still basically a prequel trading on past glories. It might still be very good (as Rogue One was), but it’s potentially a step backwards.
Use of force,
This is dF
And I liked it. A lot. I loved it, actually. This may or not be because I managed to go in without seeing so much as a trailer for it, so I had no idea what to expect, apart from two things: (1) it was presumably going to continue the story from the ending of The Force Awakens (TFA) where Rey hands Luke the lightsaber, and (2) I saw a headline that some fans were apparently so pissed off with whatever happened in the story that they petitioned Disney to delete The Last Jedi (TLJ) from the canon and remake it [LINK CONTAINS SPOILERS].
And so:
1. I think TLJ is not only a solid Star Wars film, but it’s also better than TFA – which was a very good Star Wars film whose main weakness was relying too much on fan service and retreading old ground. TLJ keeps that to a bare minimum, for the most part, and is actually better written overall, not least because Rian Johnson (finally) takes some chances and takes the character set-ups from TFA in directions that break from the standard SW template. TLJ also adds some welcome depth as it touches on the moral ambiguities of war, the consequences of ignoring orders (even with the best intentions) and the true nature of the Force – and it does all this while delivering a well-paced, action-packed space opera.
2. I have no complaints about the story’s explanation for why Luke went into exile and what happened between him and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Some fans have complained, but for me it all makes sense, given the events of Episodes 1 to 3, and given everything we know about Luke and his family history. Moreover, it enables the Star Wars films to further break away from the old Skywalker story that defines the first six episodes (and TFA, to an extent) and develop something new. I don’t know that they will. But they’ve certainly set up the opportunity to do so.
Let’s put it this way: Mark Hamill initially didn’t like Johnson’s take on Luke either – but now having seen the finished product, he’s admitted Johnson got it right after all.
3. Speaking of Luke, while pretty much the entire cast is good, I have to say, Mark Hamill is just superb as old, bitter Luke. I never thought he was a bad actor, but I remember some people giving him stick for his acting in the original trilogy. Well, if he couldn’t act then, he sure as heck can now.
4. Complaints? Well, it’s a bit too long for a SW film. Another minor complaint is that certain story elements that basically rely on the First Order not being all that smart. There were several scenes in which the First Order probably could ended the war (and the film) a lot earlier if the commanding officers had more sense.
5. I’m also not sure how I feel about THAT scene with Leia – apart from being somewhat implausible (even by Star Wars standards) it just doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the film, not least because there’s no explanation for it. Based on what little I’ve read after seeing the film, I’m assuming it was written as a set-up for Leia’s development in Episode 9, but sadly, that may be a moot point now that Carrie Fisher is gone (Disney has said they’re not planning to do a CGI version of Leia for Episode 9). Anyway, maybe it’ll make more sense to me later.
6. Anyway, it’s safe to say that Disney is on a roll here. They’ve put out three Star Wars movies, and every one of them are worthy of the name, and I think TLJ is arguably the best of the bunch precisely because it messes with the formula and primes Star Wars for new horizons.
Which is why I don’t know that I’m looking forward to the upcoming Han Solo movie. Apart from seeing someone else besides Harrison Ford play the character, it’s still basically a prequel trading on past glories. It might still be very good (as Rogue One was), but it’s potentially a step backwards.
Use of force,
This is dF