Usually, whenever I speak to someone in regards to their favourite Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi is never spoken of. It’s almost always spoken about in a negative light.
When the movie first came out in December 2017, there was a lot of speculation as to whether Rian Johnson could pull off the movie from what JJ Abrams did with The Force Awakens.
I went to the cinema almost immediately to watch this as I did enjoy the 7th episode. I will be the first to admit, walking out of the cinema I was incredibly disappointed by what I just witnessed.
Today, I decided to finally re-watch the movie and give it another chance to see if I could enjoy it more than I did the very first time.
I did, a lot more.
Whilst I completely and utterly agree with a lot of comments made by those who did dislike the movie, I still thought it was pretty much okay. The first 2 hours or so of the movie are pointless, I stand by that.
My major issue with the entire Sequels trilogy was Finn’s character, and I felt like they butchered his potential in this. Luke was weird, and there was a lot of wasted time.
Where the movie gets good, though, is the final hour.
The moment Rey and Kylo are in the same room as Snoke, it’s brilliant from that point. The fight scene here was amazing. Then following up with Luke Skywalker, Rian did a great job portraying just how powerful Luke actually is. This is something a lot of casuals don’t understand.
The entire final hour is intense, and you have a feeling it can go anywhere. That was what I liked, and I was more invested in the final parts compared to the long, pointless casino scene that was completely unnecessary.
I know it sets up the child we see at the end, where he uses the force to pull the broom towards him, and the rumour is this is what Rian will focus on. However, the cast of the sequels are done, so could Rian persuade the cast to come back on board for this?
Surely if it’s set around the time of Rey etc, then it would make sense for her to return, at the very least.
So, for me, that is another plus. Rian did not just think of the movie he was directing in the moment, he was setting up points for future movies. Something any Star Wars fan should fully appreciate, especially if it keeps the current storyline progressing.
We know in Rise of Skywalker, Finn was trying to tell Rey something for pretty much the entire movie but we never found out what it was. We now know it was to tell her he was force sensitive. Which is the direction the marketing originally went to with Episode 7.
So, I do wish with this movie Rian explored that more. There was plenty of wasted screen time that I do believe could have gone to other more needed characters and better storytelling.
Where Rian does well, it’s absolutely the final hour. Everything from the Kylo/Rey fight, to the overwhelming intensity of the First Order putting the Resistance completely on the backfoot, to Luke, to the ending. If only Rian had kept that kind of momentum for the entire movie, I do believe it would have been one of the best movies in the franchise.
What’s your thoughts? Did you like or dislike The Last Jedi? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below.
