The Last Jedi
By Ava Fineza
If you’ve never seen The Last Jedi and don’t want spoilers, don’t read this - it is very much spoiler-y. Star Wars’ eighth installment, The Last Jedi, was very polarizing and I can understand why a lot of people weren’t happy about it - out of character characters, plot holes, unnecessary side plots - but I think it was a new and fresh direction to take the Star Wars franchise in.
The first time I watched The Last Jedi I was quite happy with it. I thought the film gave an inspiring and hopeful message - that anyone can be a Jedi (something other SW fans might have already known but not everyone knows this and what I’m trying to say is that the SW films aren’t just made for the avid diehard fans). Hearing Kylo announce Rey as a nobody paired with the final shot of the boy with the broom renewed my excitement in Star Wars and had me thinking like did that door move because of the wind, or was that me? I think it was me. The second time around, though, I got to sit back without focusing on the plot as much and I was a little angry. Why did that whole Canto Bight side story feel like absolutely nothing? What was with the romance between Rose and Finn? And when did Leia start flying, I am so confused? I was mad at the movie’s choices and conflicted on whether these inconsistencies outweighed the parts of the film I did like.
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I’m about to watch The Last Jedi for the third time as we near May the Fourth. There are many great things to expect - beautiful visual effects, scenery, and score, the never-before-seen force bond between Rey and Kylo Ren, the thrilling fight scenes(Throne Room fight hehehehehe), but there are also moments that will lead you to sigh exasperatedly and wonder, “why?” Overall, though, I think Rian Johnson made a strong addition to the Star Wars saga that stands up against such a large and divided fanbase. The Last Jedi does Star Wars in a modern and refreshing way and relays the powerful, if a little cheesy, message that anyone can be one with the Force…a message that was basically undone with Rise of the Skywalker, but that’s a story for a different place, perhaps far, far away….
logline: Jedi Master-in-hiding Luke Skywalker unwillingly attempts to guide young hopeful Rey in the ways of the force, while Leia, former princess turned general, attempts to lead what is left of the Resistance away from the ruthless tyrannical grip of the First Order.
Source: IMDb
Something I liked: One recurring scene I especially enjoyed was the Force Bond connections between Rey and Kylo Ren. The noise around them just seems to be sucked out, sending the audience along with the two into what seems like a vacuum of space, and at times it feels more intense than if there was a swooping orchestra behind them. The Force Bond was one of the coolest new “features” (powers?) introduced in the new trilogy, and it remains one of my favorite parts of The Last Jedi.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Where to Watch: Disney+ or Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play Store, and Vudu for rent or purchase