The second installment in what has now been dubbed the "Sequel Trilogy" is not what I would call a "safe film". You can tell that the filmmakers took the criticisms lobbied at "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" to heart and tried to avoid just remaking "The Empire Strikes Back" (even though "The Force Awakens" is still a great film). This film takes the franchise in interesting new directions and isn't afraid to play around with the franchise's most iconic characters.
The film begins shortly after the end of "The Force Awakens". The Resistance is evacuating their base on D'Qar, when the First Order arrives and attacks them. Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) leads an attack on the First Order fleet to allow the Resistance to escape, but his reckless leadership results in the deaths of several Resistance pilots. The act leads to General Leia (Carrie Fisher) demoting him and tells him he should be less reckless in the future.
The film also follows Finn (John Boyega) who has healed from his wounds that he received in the first film. Finn meets with a Resistance maintenance worker named Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and discover that the first order is using a new device to track the Resistance fleet, which means that they can't truly escape. Finn and Rose go on a secret mission to disable the device and hopefully save the fleet.
The film also follows Rey (Daisy Ridley), at the exact point that we left her in "The Force Awakens". Rey has found Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), but he refuses to get involved in the conflict due to his history with the villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Rey must attempt to use the force to learn about her own past and, hopefully, convince Luke to come back to face Kylo Ren.
The film focuses mainly around these three stories and it is interesting to see the themes and character arcs develop in each one. Finn and Rose are trying to find a code breaker on the luxury world Canto Bight and they discuss how the wealthy of this world exploit the poor and the war between the Resistance and the First Order. Finn's arc ultimately revolves around finding something worth fighting for in the Resistance, besides his friends.
Poe Dameron must learn that his dedication toward defeating the First Order has been taken to an unhealthy level. He must learn to know when to fight and when to run to preserve the existence of the Resistance. Poe must learn that the survival of the Resistance is sometimes more important than defeating the First Order.
Rey's character focuses on her desire to learn about her past. She wishes to learn about her parents, but the answer is not what she (or the audience) was expecting at all. Rey must learn that her past does not define who she is and that it doesn't change how important she is as a character. This even ties into the overarching theme of the film.
The film's main theme focuses on how the characters deal with the past. This is reflected in Rey and Kylo's dueling ideologies. Kylo says "Let the past die, kill it if you have to", which means that he wishes to wipe away the past in it's entirety. Rey, who sees the flaws and problems of the past, feels that there are good elements within the past and that we should construct something better from those examples. The film's themes, in a meta-narrative sense, reflects the feelings fans have surrounding the franchise itself.
The film is filled with amazing performances with the standouts being Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Hamill portrays a slightly more depressed Luke, but still gives the character moments of wit and humor to remind us that the old Luke is still there. Fisher gives Leia a great commanding presence and still infuses the character with enough emotional weight to make you misty eyed sometimes (especially during her scene with Hamill).
Most of my complaints with the film have to do with it's structure and pacing. If there are two things that "The Force Awakens" was better at it's these two. "The Last Jedi" moves at such a rapid pace (the film is basically one giant chase scene, similar to "Mad Max: Fury Road") and discusses so many ideas that I wished the film had slowed down a little in certain areas to let some of the ideas sink in more. It's definitely a film that requires multiple viewings.
While the structure in the film isn't bad, it is definitely sloppier than "The Force Awakens". This is mostly noticeable when characters have to get from one location to another. This leads to some strange ways for some characters to get from one location to another (especially how Rey gets to Kylo's ship). This is most likely due to how packed the film feels and not wanting to really explain small details like that.
Despite those small flaws, I still feel like the film was a fun and deeply intriguing entry in the "Star Wars" canon. The film is about tied with "The Force Awakens" for me, in terms of quality, but for different reasons. While "The Force Awakens" was a better paced and structured film, "The Last Jedi" is a more interesting film when it comes to its themes and character arcs. I'm also glad, like "The Empire Strikes Back", the film isn't afraid to show our heroes make poor decisions and fail (like Luke deciding to go to Dagobah). The film is dark in places, but doesn't lose its sense of fun. I highly recommend this one and may the force be with you all.
Rating: 9/10
