When a Star Wars film is released its always a celebration of not only the film being released but of the saga itself. It’s almost like a national holiday or something. I always think of it as kind of like New Years Day only with a few more Stormtroopers.
In Australia we saw the film a day ahead of my friends in the USA, and abroad but thoroughly enjoyed the midnight screening for the experience alone. Like all of the midnight screenings that audience is like that of a rock concert. Usually doesn’t give you the true reaction to a film when the audience is so hyped up with excitement and adrenaline. The screening we saw had people dressed as Kylo Ren, and even Poe Dameron.
The Last Jedi has had a really different effect on the audience that has watched it with critics and fans alike. Not since the prequel era has there been a vocal outpouring of emotion on either side of the equation on what the film has achieved.
My immediate thought was, “it’s Empire and Jedi mashed up. With a little Battlestar Galactica, and Lord of the Rings for good measure.”
Come to think of it there’s many an influence, including Samurai epics, with the swordplay in this one clearly taking some Mifune and Kurosawa influence. I’ll go into the more soon, so from here on I’ll talk spoilers.
The film opens with the evacuation of D’Qar in a rhyming verse of what is Empire‘s Hoth evacuation. What’s so great is how they matched this up with the end of The Force Awakens, with it being right after the film. The size of the Resistance can be seen here for what it is, which is a small but heavily armed militia. Poe takes centre stage, with Oscar having a little more fun in the role than previous, my one gripe of TFA is that he’s a fighter ace who has no fun. Here, I’m proven wrong. There’s even a little spark of Maverick style Top Gun like wild piloting in the opening sequence, and let’s not forget one of the funniest exchanges between Poe and Hux, as his fleet of destroyers hold the resistance at bay.
We are introduced to the Resistance Bombers, a personal fave, modelled clearly on WW2 Bombers and Nebulon B platforms, in a very moving sequence with Paige Tico giving her life as she sets off the payload of her ship, destroying the key First Order vessel.
I loved the sequence, with it’s add of new vessels, bombers and of course new First Order officers which are clearly from the Empire mould, making for some lighter moments.
We are then taken to Ahch-To where we left off in The Force Awakens. Rey handing Luke the Skywalker saber, and the funniest part of the film. He picks it up, and then throws it over his shoulder. After years of waiting for Luke’s return, and some dialogue – this is what we get? However this got the biggest laugh, with Hamill’s almost Oliver Reed like moment, storming off being incredibly funny. This is a different Luke, right from the get go. One that is deeply shocked, troubled and fading demons of his own.
The hardest thing for me was getting out of my own mind the Luke Skywalker I’d imagined over the past 35 years wondering what adventures he’d been up to. Ironically it’s also part of director Rian Johnson’s genius here, as he’s playing on our thoughts on Luke, as we see think of the post Jedi adventures, whatever they were have taken a toll on Luke, which led him to relinquishing his force power and becoming the universe’s wildest fisherman.
Ahch-To is less Dagobah part two and more a Raiders of the Lost Ark like look into the history of the Jedi. There’s a lot to see on the island, with the original Temple, wildlife of Porgs, Caretakers and village location. The key like Dagobah there’s so much life around Luke’s environment it’s truly a balance of the force and life itself. Also good to note it’s also a planet in a system with twin suns.
Hamill excels again here, with the best performance he’s given in the role yet: interactions with The Falcon, Chewbacca and Artoo give off some tender moments, and there’s even a glimpse at a classic memory from the past that had many of us tear up. We see his daily routine as a nomad, and totally ignoring Rey. Daisy’s performance also, is even better than her first one as she’s given more to cover, in trying to convince Luke to join her and the resistance.
It’s here we also see the first of the new force powers. At first I thought was too much, but on second viewing works, with it being an extension of communing. Here Rey and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren begin the first of several force communications, which Snoke seemingly plots together.
This film is about failure, and facing it which Kylo and Hux find out Snoke will play on to no end, which Andy Serkis’ Snoke turns out to be indeed incredibly powerful with the force but if anything too powerful. We get no background on the character, only that he has one massive ship, with an epic throne room. Reminiscent of Palpatine’s on the Second Death Star. The crimson curtain behind him is filled in front with the 8 Praetorian Guards, which deliver a great action sequence later in the film.
Carrie Fisher’s role of General Leia was her greatest work, she shows that rebellious strong spirit in her performance with that feisty take no prisoners attitude and style I’ve always loved about her. Her dealings with Poe and his tenacity, leading him to a demotion in rank is one of the funnier elements, as we learn later she and Admiral Holdo hold him in great respect but they are trying to teach him how to lead, and how to cast a shadow of leadership that anyone would follow.
This part of the film I feel is the Mad Max Fury Road portion where Max (Poe Dameron) leads the fleet through the galaxy, as Snoke and the First Order are in full pursuit. It has a clear Battlestar Galactica feel, I even waited for Adama to just walk on the bridge and say; “Alright who’s ready to take on some Cylons?”
Was quite fun but this is where time seem to drag for me, as we are talking about a film that is the longest Star Wars film so far. I think Attack of the Clones would be closest.
Finn wakes up in the midst of the chaos, and seems to have taken a back step as he is literally waking up from a coma, being healed in a suit of Bacta. Finn feels he needs to find Rey and attempts to leave, on an escape pod – this is where we meet the heart and soul of the film: Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran. What I love about Kelly’s performance it’s almost a window for us into the world of Star Wars as she finds Finn and all of our heroes, to be heroes in the actuality of Star Wars in universe. A finding Finn doesn’t know how to take at first. Which leads them to working together to find a way to stop Snoke’s flagship: The Supremacy from tracking the Resistance.
Their mission takes them to Canto Bight: the casino paradise planet, which just seems at first out of the prequel era. I found it disjointed the feel of the design at first, but on my second viewing the planet came to life for me. The police on the planet remind me of the Harkonnen soldier outfits from Sci-fi’s Frank Herbert’s Dune miniseries. We get a chase, with the horses of the universe “fathiers”, and we meet a true scoundrel with no ties to loyalty anywhere: Benecio Del Toro’s DJ (Don’t Join). I think for his character to have worked Rian needed to have left more of the performance and time in the cut, as it seems to rush and brisk. I didn’t feel anything for the character as I didn’t get enough to time to know him. Rose stole all the scenes, and Boyega needed more screen time here.
On the Supremacy Rey lands and meets with Kylo after she’d been communing with him, rather like Yoda must have with Obi-Wan while both were in exile. They go before Snoke which is a clear riff on the Dooku/Kenobi/Skywalker confrontation in Revenge of the Sith and more rightly Return of the Jedi. Snoke is dispatched quickly, and shockingly. At first I laughed, thinking it has to be a trick, but no he gets offed and Rey and Ren face the eight Praetorians. This is one of the best hand to hand and melee weapon fight in all of Star Wars.
Once the victors are drawn, Rey disappears and Ren takes his position as the new Supreme Leader. I loved this twist giving us a version of what Anakin could have been had he beaten Kenobi, and The Emperor.
Jumping forward for this we have on Ahch-To a scene with Luke trying to burn down the Jedi Library instead, Luke sees the vision of Yoda and it’s a heartwarming scene, as reminds Luke failure is the greatest teacher, as he’d been cut off from the force after his failure to keep Ben Solo from the Darkside. The shock that Luke could have killed Ben, before the darkside took hold was something that didn’t sit well with me, until I realised, Luke has that edge in him, we’d seen it before on the Second Death Star.
All paths lead to the resistance limping along to Crait, an old backwater world used by the rebellion, which Luke and Leia had been to before. This is clearly Helms Deep, right down to Gandalf…I mean Skywalker turning up. With a pod racer like lead in to battle (Ski Speeders) the resistance are pushed back until we see Skywalker, back, ready to face off against the First Order. This scene alone is worth all of the story, and at first the twist that Luke has never left Ahch-To and is projecting himself through the force is truly a head trip.
This film may not be have been what we dreamed Luke Skywalker to be, but it’s what the film needed, as it’s about letting the past go and looking forward to the future, something Skywalkers do well.
Film Review by Adam O’Brien
Adam is a long-time friend of the site, and the former host of both Jogcast and Ausfans podcasts. A passionate Star Wars fan, Adam is well known to Australian fans.