After a long time of waiting and avoiding spoilers, I was finally able to watch “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.” Going into the film, I honestly didn't know what to expect. Fans have been very vocally split on it, with some calling it “The best Star Wars movie”, while others have vehemently disagreed and think of it as the worst one. On top of that, I had a million questions left from “The Force Awakens”, including one of the most discussed questions over the two-year wait: “Who are Rey’s parents?” However, all of my confusion quickly dissipated when I started watching, and was met with a beautifully-delivered story about love, forgiveness and, in true Star Wars fashion, hope.
The story revolves around Rey attempting to enlist the legendary Luke Skywalker to train her and aid the rebellion in taking down the First Order. However, the once kind-hearted and compassionate Jedi has grown cynical in the wake of his failure as a mentor to Kylo Ren. Despite Luke’s reluctance to teach her, Rey becomes stronger with the force as she slowly learns that the light side and the dark side aren't as clear-cut as she originally assumed them to be.
From a storytelling standpoint, I really enjoyed the movie. It has a lot of parallels to the original trilogy (particularly episodes V and VI), but it still manages to make the storyline fresh with its own twists and turns. There was disappointment surrounding the revelation of Rey’s parents, but I believed this was very well done. I won't say who her parents are, but given that's she's been desperately trying to find her place in this story, the truth was heartbreaking but fitting. There was also some anger surrounding the new force abilities, but I personally found them to be a non-issue since those abilities are in the lore. The movies need to be kept fresh to keep interest, and Rian Johnson did an excellent job of this.
From an acting perspective, the main cast were all amazing, just as I expected them to be. The two performances that stuck out to me the most were Mark Hamil’s and Adam Driver’s. They were able to flawlessly juxtapose the pain of failing someone you love vs. the pain of someone you love failing you, and convey that both of these feelings are valid and understandable. Additionally, this plays very interestingly in Kylo’s storyline, since he still feels the call to the light despite the pain that he's endured. Driver expresses this confusion and conflict extremely well.
Despite how good “The Last Jedi” is, it can't be perfect. The one issue I had with it was Luke’s metaphorical character assassination. At one point,we find out what Luke did on the night that Kylo slaughtered Luke’s students. Although I understand that this was needed to further the plot and show the complexity of the situation, it bothered me how extremely out of character Luke was written during this scene #NotMyLuke.
Overall, "The Last Jedi" is an amazing film that you should definitely see, if you haven't already. It's a beautiful film that's worth your time and consideration, no matter what the haters might say.
