Shortly after George Lucas had completed releasing the Star Wars prequels he was asked if he had any intention of releases sequels to the original trilogy to which he stated that he did not. I’ve often felt that this was simply due to the backlash he received from fans, not just because the prequels were bad, but also his habit of consistently toying with the original films and adding in things which often were unnecessary. Disney however had other plans for the Star Wars franchise and it involved more than simply building an expansion to the park. The Force Awakens saw the dawning of a new series of films while Rogue One revisited the originals. Presently there are plans to release of number of spin-off films but of course what many have been waiting for is the next chapter in the franchise.
The Last Jedi continues the new saga and unlike the films which have been released prior, it picks up immediately from the last scenes of The Force Awakens. The Resistance is fleeing their base on D’Qar with the First Order poised to annihilate them. Rey (Daisy Ridley) meanwhile has travelled to Ahch-To where she has found Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who disappeared many years prior. Her intent is to get him to return in hopes of putting a stop to the First Order as well as learn more about how she is including her connection to the Force and the Jedi, but Luke has no interest aiding them and instead proclaims he has come to the planet to die.
The Resistance discovers that the First Order has found a means of tracking them even through hyperspace and as they continue their assault, General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is gravely wounded leaving Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) to assume command, something which doesn’t sit well with Poe (Oscar Isaac) who sees her actions as cowardly. Finn (John Boyega) meanwhile teams up with Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) after getting information from Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) that a codecracker at Canto Bight may be able to help them disrupt the First Order’s tracking but instead of finding the person they seek they end up getting help from a shady hacker called DJ (Benicio del Toro.)
Prior to its release there was often mention that The Last Jedi was going to be the equal to The Empire Strikes back, a very bold claim as many Star Wars fans see the film as being perhaps one of the best in the original trilogy. The Last Jedi does in fact go with the darker approach of Empire, leaving things looking completely hopeless for the Resistance in many ways, but it also fails to come close to delivering quite the same impact.
While The Force Awakens was a good way to bring the franchise back into the limelight, not that Star Wars has really ever gone away for very long, I’ve felt that the sequels haven’t quite lived up to the reputation of the franchise. Thus far they have certainly been superior to the prequels, but that honestly it’s terribly hard to accomplish but they also seem to go with very much the same approach. I’ve felt that the prequels as well as the new sequels often tend to simply take ideas of the original trilogy and attempt to rework them for their storytelling. This might play out well with anyone who is new to the franchise but for fans, it’s all too noticeable.
Perhaps my biggest complaint in regards to the sequels is that I’ve felt that the new characters really didn’t have quite the impact as what Han, Luke, and Leia did. I haven’t felt that way about the new characters however. I’ve felt that they one come across as being too one-dimensional as well as little more than a cheap imitation of what the original films presented with the main characters. While it’s nice to see the original cast return, at times I’ve felt that both movies have tried a little too hard to reconnect with the nostalgia aspect rather than simply make every effort to craft something completely original and unique. Obviously it’s necessary to try and bring the newcomers into the spotlight but there are moments when a greater interaction with the original cast could pay off in big ways. This is done to some extent between Rey and Luke but with other familiar faces, it’s more of a passing nod and this even extends to some of the new characters as well.
I also felt that The Last Jedi at times tried too hard to throw in humor and rarely did I find it terribly funny. It was forced at times (no pun intended) and while no one wants a Star Wars film to be too serious, there were many instances where it felt that they were thrown in simply to have another joke. Humor can work in the Star Wars universe, and in fact has many times, but only if it’s done so sparingly and at the appropriate moment. Han Solo’s quips came across as genuine and part of his character but The Last Jedi feels like it often is taking too many liberties with throwing in comedy just to do so.
Director / writer Rian Johnson however does much more than attempt to turn Star Wars into a series of comic relief gags. As most are aware, we once again have a prolific character who is removed from the remainder of the franchise. Mark Hamill has gone on record many times where he stated that he disagreed with how Luke was handled in The Last Jedi and I’m inclined to agree with that. The once powerful Jedi who brought down the Empire is reduced to being little more than the same person we met on Tatooine in A New Hope, the only difference being that he isn’t whining about going to Toshi Station to get power converters. I think everyone assumed that Luke’s disappearance felt more like him attempting to learn more about the Jedi but instead it’s completely the opposite. He’s given up and honestly, that’s something that I really don’t feel is in tune with the character.
The one thing however the Johnson does address is one of the complaints many had with The Force Awakens and that is that Kylo Ren isn’t really a up to par as far as villainy is concerned. Even Supreme Leader Snoke comments on his ridiculous helmet and how he honestly isn’t living up to what his grandfather was. There’s every effort taken to make Ren a little more menacing but it’s a little late in the game in my opinion. In A New Hope we were immediately given the sense that Darth Vader wasn’t just your garden variety villain and this continued throughout the original trilogy. Kylo Ren never managed to present that in The Force Awakens nor does he in The Last Jedi. Even Snoke who seemed to be poised to become a more fearsome threat than the Emperor has his relevant cut short, or in half as the case is, but on the other hand it’s a little hard to fear someone who dresses like they raided Hugh Hefner’s wardrobe and spirited away one of his prized smoking jackets.
The film of course is presented beautifully on blu-ray. The effects team has blended together conventional visuals with modern technology so it ideally represents everything that the original trilogy brought to the screen. CGI of course does make things a lot easier in some cases especially when it comes to space combat but that also isn’t always true either. One particular moment in The Last Jedi, the escape and subsequent “racing” of the fathier through the Canto Bight casino came across as being a bit too computer generated. Certainly it wasn’t as bad as seeing Radagast on his sled in The Hobbit trilogy, but it’s definitely close.
Consumers over the years have grown accustomed to blu-ray releases typically including a DVD copy, and Disney has generally been very good about this especially with newer releases. The Last Jedi is one of the few however which doesn’t although the 4K UHD does include a blu-ray copy which isn’t a bad decision. The Last Jedi does include commentary from Rian Johnson but this makes up the bulk of the extras on the first blu-ray. Everything else is included on a second disc and for good reason. On this disc you’ll find a documentary, The Director and the Jedi, which runs roughly 90-minutes and is like getting a completely separate film, at least if seeing lengthy behind-the-scenes films interest you. Johnson also explains how he sees The Force in the films and how he attempted to reinvent it in Balance of the Force. You will also find a small collection of scene breakdowns, deleted scenes, and a look at Andy Serkis prior to having all of the Snoke animation added. Also, if you’ve signed up for Movies Anywhere, Disney’s successor to Disney Movies Anywhere, there is a version of the film with only the score and no other audio. It doesn’t seem to be available on Vudu nor do I recall that being an audio option on the blu-ray.
It’s not that I hated The Last Jedi but I feel that I was expecting quite a bit more. With the original trilogy it often felt that you were a part of everything. The characters all had something we could connect with but thus far that hasn’t really been the case. Some characters honestly just feel as though they are unnecessarily part of the story whereas others are tragically wasted as far as their potential. I have no idea just how much George Lucas might be involved as an advisor with the new movies and although the prequels did little in the way of providing anything of true value, it did seem that he has a fairly good idea with the first movies on what he wanted to happen. Now it seems they are lacking that guidance but hopefully the final installment can pull everything together in a way where all three new movies become something truly marvelous rather than feeling like just another collection of Star Wars films.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.