Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review (SPOILERS!)

I will do this review in two parts: first portion, a general review with no spoilers, and second portion, a more detailed reflection WITH SPOILERS.  So read with caution.

Okay?

Okay.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW:  I went with Clint and about 50 other people to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi on opening night.  A good friend had rented out a theater, so the atmosphere was electric and yet also like a giant grown-up sleep over (without the pillow fight or girl-drama).

I had prepped myself for the movie by NOT reading much in the way of reviews or interviews with Mark Hamill.  I had, however, watched Rogue One earlier in the afternoon, which was helpful in ways I will refer to later.  Also I had just recently re-watched The Force Awakens, as a means of inaugurating our new 4K Ultra HD TV.  I also did not really engage in a lot of speculation as to who Rey's parents were. 

Side note: This might mean, to some, that I am not a real fan.  And okay, I'm not nearly as geeked out over Star Wars as some are--I did not dress up for the premier, and I haven't read all the canon novels or watched The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels.  I do have other things to do with my time. 

But I'm more of a fan than some, and I was super excited for this latest installment.  I was hoping for innovation, for humor, for respect toward the previous films, for epic battles, and I left the theater with all those boxes checked.

Innovation: several thoughts I'd had about what may happen in the film were completely obliterated, and the plot kept going in directions I didn't expect.  I appreciated this!  I also loved how strong the women were in this latest story, but without diminishing or trivializing the men, which can often happen when a girl becomes a heroine.  Think of all the commercials or sitcoms where the woman is the voice of reason, and the man is basically a whiney man-child.

Humor: without saying too much, I found myself laughing out loud right away, and although my spouse felt that the balance of humor was tipped a little too far toward the jokey side, I never felt that way.  Yes, there were a few eye-roll worthy moments, but I remember feeling the same way watching the original trilogy. 

Respect: I watched the whole film with a bit of a choked up feeling, knowing that Carrie Fisher wouldn't appear in the next film, and wondering if/how they would recognize her death.  In a sense, her legacy from the classic trilogy lives on in the strength of characters like Rey and Rose, and even Admiral Holdo.  The films also hold loosely to the classics, meaning they're not above poking a little fun at themselves. 

Epic Battles: Yes.  Several of the important battle sequences are not just cool visually, but do a lot to progress the plot and develop key characters.  There are also some new ships that are super fun to see in action.

All in all, the film takes characters and story line beyond the classic simplicity of the epic genre, into something more nuanced and thoughtful (without being too rooted in contemporary political commentary, albeit with one exception).  It's a new take that can still exist within the traditional Star Wars Universe, and so I loved it, and can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

BEWARE...SPOILERS AHEAD!

WATCH OUT!

HERE THEY COME!

All right.  So some things I didn't like--the Canto Bight Casino seemed a direct jab at the current political climate.  This was blatant enough that it took me out of the movie for a moment, and while I don't necessarily mind the comparison, I strongly dislike when something is distracting enough to pull me from the world of a book or film and make me remember the real world for a few minutes.  That said, there's a moment when Rose and Finn are riding the Fathiers on a dark beach with two moons rising over a shimmering black sea that is pretty epic.  I could have taken another two seconds of that image.  

Also, too many Porgs.  I wouldn't have minded all their screen-time if they had actually fulfilled some sort of function, other than promoting a product line.  But they really didn't.  And their sad eyes scene with Chewy seemed a bit cheep.  (Haha! Get it?  Cheep?  Because they're sort of like flightless, beakless birds??)  Also, Chewy was really only in scenes with Porgs, and I wished he had done more than just fly the Millenium Falcon around with a Porg dashboard ornament.  

On a side note, follow THIS LINK to hear some really interesting history on the island of Skellig Michael where they filmed all of the Ahch-To scenes.

I absolutely loved the visuals of the salt-mining planet of Crait: red crystals and the throwback to Hoth with the pure white salt surface--it was stunning to see in the theaters.  The Vulptex on this planets are also awesome.  I want one.  Way more than I would want a Porg.

I cheered at the moment when Rey and Kylo Ren turn back to back and fight side by side.  The clear visuals of light side and dark side fighting together against Snoke's guards (which are, apparently, stronger than Snoke??) were incredibly satisfying, and I loved it.  Also, there's a moment in Snoke's throne-room where I half expected Snoke to add, "My precious!"  

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I do wish there was more of a battle for Rey's allegience; this is sort of built up throughout the movie, but at the end it's pretty clear that she's always been light side, and will always stay light side.  That being said, I still don't understand Rey's cave vision in the bowels of Ahch-To.  I get the parallels to Luke's vision on Degobah, but that vision was clearly dark and scary, very clearly the dark side calling to Luke.  I only felt like the cave at the bottom of the dark tunnel was dark side because Old- Jaded-Disenchanted Luke said it was.  There was nothing about the cave scene that made me sense that Rey was struggling against succumbing to the allure of the dark side.  Maybe I missed something?  We're going to take the kids to see it in the next couple weeks, and I'll think about it some more.

Finally, the consistent note of hope.  

"Help me Obi-Wan.  You're our only hope."  

"Rebellions are Built on Hope."  

"Only General Leia Organa’s band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight." (This is a direct quote from the crawl text at the beginning of The Last Jedi)

In uncertain, unsettling times, the idea of hope never being extinguished is poignant and powerful.  I love this consistency of purpose within the films, and I'm eager to see its resolution in May 2019!