Monday, December 18, 2017

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" review




What does "Star Wars" mean to you?



Picking up upon the immediate aftermath of “The Force Awakens.” “Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi” sees the Galactic Civil War reborn anew as the insurgent remains of the Galactic Empire assembled under the banner of The First Order have successfully destabilized the governing body of the New Republic.

With the special ops Resistance military now finding itself in the position of an actual resistance against the resurrection of the Empire, desperation begins to settle in as heroes Poe Dameron and Finn reunite in order to save their armies from being picked off by First Order militia that are in hot pursuit.

While the Resistance desperately clings to survival along the chase, Rey chases the disillusioned hermit Jedi Luke Skywalker in hopes of attaining answers regarding the manifestation of her newfound Jedi abilities and convincing him to return to the war effort in hopes of rallying the galaxy behind a new hope for the future.

Our heroes grapple with the legacy and follies of the larger than life figures they struggle to defy and live up to and just as they’re forced to come to terms with the good and the ugly of their own galactic legends, in the process of doing so, the film poses a similar question for the audience to grapple with.

What does “Star Wars” mean to you?

“The Last Jedi” ultimately serves as a bizarre double down, critique, and in some ways, planned subversion of the problems of overt plot similarities plaguing “The Force Awakens” regarding its relationship to “Episode IV: A New Hope”

The film kicks into gear in a capacity blatantly evocative of the impending evacuation that set the stage and tone for the original trilogy’s sophomore entry, “The Empire Strikes Back.” With the immediate introduction of Resistance X-Wing Ace Poe Dameron, along with a quick reminder of how much Oscar Isaac acts circles around nearly everybody in the cast, the dread filled tone of a rushed evacuation of impending doom quickly shifts to that of a rousing action sequence that completely subverts the expectation of the film snapping onto a preordained plot rail, only for the ramifications of said sequence to kick in and set up a dilemma that may arguably have put them in a tighter bind.

Meanwhile, Rey’s efforts to win over a tired and cynical Luke, himself disappointed by his inability to keep his nephew Kylo Ren on the straight and narrow, struggles with her own naïveté of the nature of the Force and a lack of understanding regarding the fracturing of the Skywalker family, forcing her to question her ultimate worth to the Resistance and while mulling over the significance of her mystery shrouded past.

These instances of past legacy haunting a future obsessed with it permeate the entire film in ways that I suspect the more discerning viewer may find to be rather polarizing.

Flowing into a narrative as familiarly fragmented as “The Last Jedi” riding cleanly off of the closing to “The Force Awakens,” with very little sense of a time skip unfortunately reinforces a narrative that continues to feel like a smaller portion of a far longer movie that doesn’t fully stand on its own two feet outside of being sandwiched by 2 batches of substantially long footage.

Overall story structure becomes this weakly executed serialization’s greatest weakness, as getting through the hurdle of failing to be presented with storytelling that feels more naturalistic and developed than the introductory installment reveals a generally bisected plot that is composed of excellent elements that struggle to coalesce into an elegant whole or complement each other thematically.

John Boyega and Oscar Isaac’s chemistry and delivery as Finn and Poe are more on point than ever and are joined by the delightful Kelly Marie Tran as Resistance Engineer Rose, whose conviction in a humble role mixed with a bit of hero worship of the larger heroes create a compelling new player on the board of the war that nearly steals the show.

The bizarrely cluttered timeframe of their story however, along with a lack in clarity over the execution of Poe Dameron’s intended character arc leave a major chunk of the film that comes across as rather bloated and meandering, which detracts from the other side of the story.

Rey’s discovery of her Jedi heritage and the tragedy of Kylo Ren under Luke Skywalker’s tutelage clearly serves as the worthy thematic backbone of the film’s story, carrying out those central themes of how poisonous obsession with nostalgia can become and spear headed by one of the best performances of Mark Hamill’s career, bringing the development of an iconic film protagonist almost heartbreakingly full circle.

Unfortunately for that storyline however, in addition to being undercut by the length of the First Order chase plot, the themes are prevented from resonating the way that they were clearly intended to as such.

The frustration of this unevenness builds to a boiling point across the films long running time, compounded by an inconsistent portrayal of the First Order’s resources that almost had me ready to throw in the towel.

And then, the climax kicked in.

When Rey’s search for answers comes to a head in a confrontation with the villainous Kylo Ren, things take a turn that twist everything the series had been defining itself as on its head, that leaves the future of our heroes optimistically vague but nevertheless uncertain, provides thematic closure for the legacy of the original trilogy, and cements Kylo Ren as quite possibly one of the best antagonists of the franchise, with Adam Driver’s masterfully human portrayal of a remorseful yet ruthless man unable to come to terms with his mistakes finally getting the love from the screenplay it deserves.

“The Last Jedi” boasts a fascinating narrative study regarding the metatextual evolution of a brand learning to explore a new identity for the newcomers that it now services while learning to honor its past without being dominated by it.

What enjoyment you ultimately take from its rocky but undeniably ambitious approach however comes right down to the complex question that it studies across its 2½ hour length.

What does “Star Wars” mean to you?

I ultimately found “The Last Jedi” a fascinating curiosity, deconstructing it as a study of a brand evolving beyond the impact of its legacy and accepting that its future lies in its ability to lay what constructed that legacy to rest, focusing on the present rather than fear for future outcomes.

As a piece of cinematic storytelling however, it leaves almost as much to be desired as it does hit certain aspects clean out of the park.

If you liked “The Force Awakens,” your favorite characters all return and develop in ways you’re more than likely bound to find equally as satisfying. Those hoping to see the potential that the previous film set up come to fruition the way it didn’t quite manage to in that feature however, will likely leave more disappointed with “The Last Jedi” than with the flatter elements of “The Force Awakens.”

For those interested in the pulp storytelling the franchise is famous for, this is perhaps the least “Star Wars” feeling film of the franchise and considering the meta-narrative that the movie focuses on simultaneously hits a poignant conclusion that could lay foundation for a powerful conclusion in the form of “Episode IX” yet misses that, in its focus on cautionary tales of the dangers of not moving onward towards the future while living in the now, the emotional weight and mythological heft of the legendary figures receiving full character arcs hilariously overshadows the new contributions that are supposed to be carrying the future, you could very well flat out dislike it.

Middle ground is undeniably decreasing on whether or not the sequel trilogy is successfully telling a strong and expansive epic or mundane blockbuster fodder via being too reverent of its legacy or over thinking a space opera with bells and whistles that are just uncalled for.

What is undeniable however, is that despite running a bit too long and needing a revised sense of priorities, “Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi” still features top notch filmmaking full of engrossing world building, breathtakingly gorgeous cinematography, a fun cast of characters brought to life by regularly excellent performances, and quite possibly one of the best cinematic third acts to a feature film 2017 has ever seen.

There’s a lot to objectively like about the movie but its true power and the impact it leaves ultimately lies personally in whatever “Star Wars” means to you.

7 Force Ghosts out of 10

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