Some thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi
So I’ve just watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi for the second time and I have to say, I liked it a lot more this time round! My feelings were a little mixed on the first viewing, some parts I loved (Luke’s arc) and others I hated (casino scene). But with both viewings, I’ve found myself really thinking deeply about certain aspects of the film. So I’m going to list a few of these now, but before I go on I should probably say SUPER ULTIMATE SPOILER WARNING x 1,000,000!!!
The Jedi Order
I really liked Luke’s reason for why he believes the Jedi need to end. Ever since the prequels, I’ve always felt that the Jedi were, well, dicks! They take children away from their parents and force this dogmatic way of life onto them where you’re not allowed to feel any “dark” emotions such as anger or fear, but they even go as far as forbidding love! Now, it could be said that this comes down to poor writing by George Lucas, but I feel that in his older years he probably gained a more bitter view on religion in our own world and applied that to the Jedi in the prequels. But whether you like it or not, this is canon and I think that Rian Johnson made a really interesting choice in picking this out from the prequels and bringing it into his film. After all, the Jedi are always banging on about bringing balance to the force, yet they don’t allow for any kind of “darkness” in their belief system, which just makes it very unbalanced.
Rey & Kylo
The relationship between Rey and Kylo was by far the most compelling part of the film in my opinion. I loved the conversations they had through the force link and how they began to realise that they weren’t so different. Cut to the throne room fight when they take on Snoke’s guards and my jaw is on the floor, not just because the choreography was epic, but also because you had two characters on opposing sides joining together in that moment in order to survive but also trying to fulfil their own individual goals of bringing the other onto their side. Strangely enough, this scene also contains my biggest disappointment in the film, which is Rey & Kylo not joining forces. Admittedly, this would be really difficult to write as you have to then try and figure out what happens with the First Order and the Resistance, but this would have been something that the films hadn’t really delved into before! I just feel that they could have taken it in such an interesting direction, but we just ended up going back to the First Order chasing down the Resistance again. All I’m saying is that I would have been way more excited for the sequel if Rey and Kylo joined forces. An issue I realised watching it a second time, is that Kyle goes a bit too dark sidey with it, being all like, “Join me and we can create a new order blah blah...” That Vader in him was coming through strong.
Going Against Expectations
So I think this aspect of the film is the real divider between those who liked the film and those who didn’t. I’ve seen a lot of hate for this film across social media and for me, it’s completely unwarranted. People saying it’s the worst Star Wars film, saying that Disney is ruining Star Wars, we need to bring back Lucas waaaaaah! I think what people really disliked, is that the film almost always went against what we expected to happen. Snoke wasn’t Darth Plagueis, Rey’s parents were nobody, Luke was a bitter old man, Poe was wrong to not trust that lady with purple hair, Finn and Rose didn’t succeed in disabling the hyperspace tracker and the list goes on. Personally, I liked this because it made the film more original and didn’t feel clichéd. With Snoke and Rey being “nobody”, it opens up the galaxy a lot more, as not everyone has to be connected in some way. Let’s start moving forward in this saga and not cling onto the past (starting to sound a bit like Kylo here). I think this was the symbolism behind the final shot with the kid looking to the stars. Great people can come from nothing! The only downside to that end shot is that the kid had a really annoying face. I don’t know why it annoys me so much, he just feels like a child who is, well... acting, which kinda took me out of the moment, but the symbolism is beautiful.
If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading, you’re a star! :)
