This movie was one that my son and I were looking forward to ever since seeing "The Force Awakens" a couple of years ago. And like I did back then, I will try and review this movie twice - once with spoilers, and one without any spoilers. This one will have to be without, because at least for now, the movie still just came out, and there is a good chance that a lot of people have not seen it yet, who intend to do so. The challenge for this first review is how to give a decent explanation of what this movie is like, without giving anything away.
But let me try now.
First of all, for the days leading up to it, it seemed that all of the reviews were raving about this movie! The writers who got to see it early all seemed to absolutely love it, almost unconditionally! So, I got excited, for sure.
But let me try now.
First of all, for the days leading up to it, it seemed that all of the reviews were raving about this movie! The writers who got to see it early all seemed to absolutely love it, almost unconditionally! So, I got excited, for sure.
"Star War: The Last Jedi" was a hotly anticipated movie, and there were going to be a lot of unquestioned answers left from the last movie. Most people were especially interested in what Luke's reaction would be to receiving his old lightsaber back from Rey, who really is Snoke, who are Rey's parents, and is there any good left in Ben Solo/Kylo Ren?
Well, those questions are answered in this one. At least, more or less. And we get other things, as well. We come to understand and appreciate Poe Dameron more, as he is much more prominent in this one than in "The Force Awakens." There are other characters introduced in this movie, as well.
However, I cannot talk too long about any of them, really.
So, what can I discuss without any spoilers? Let me start with the pacing of the movie. I had read, even from the positive reviews, that this movie moves fast, packs a lot in. And indeed, after having seen it, I can attest to that being true. It does move fast, and yet, there are parts where the movie seems to break away from the main story (you will likely understand once you see it). Yes, the pace of this movie just seems problematic, and it feels at times like it is rushed and trying to pack to much in during some parts, while at other times, there are things happening that make you wonder what the writers had in mind, or even why they added certain scenes.
Also, there are some things that feel...well, like they cheated a bit. Yes, I know, Star Wars is not the most believable movie story line, obviously. Yet, even by these standards, some things happen here which feel just completely unrealistic, even in the Star Wars universe. Again, it is hard to expand on that, unless you have seen the movie yourself, and I will get more into them with the review with spoilers.
Some of the things that I liked? Well, I was glad that the Porgs which are introduced were not nearly as annoying as I feared. In fact, they added humor, for the most part. My fear initially was that they would be overly cutsie, and possibly even be the Jar Jar Binks of this new trilogy. But you do not need to worry about that.
Solid acting from Daisy Ridley as Rey, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Leia, John Boyega as Finn, Benicio Del Toro (who plays the new character DJ), and from Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Frankly, I am starting to like Kylo Ren more and more as this trilogy continues, and I think it is a mixture of excellent acting, as well as writing. He is the bad guy that this trilogy needs, and he is complicated, charismatic, and very unpredictable. Just when you think that you have this character figured out, he does something that completely surprises you. And it would not work with a less capable actor, so Driver really delivers here.
Let me also say that this movie reveals very different, and new, things about both Luke Skywalker and Leia. Again, I cannot get too much into it without providing spoilers, but it was interesting at least to see some things that were different. Also, there are some interesting new directions that the Force is used in this one, and even though many people had mixed reactions to this, for the most part, it seemed to work for me.
One other thing about this movie: there are surprises. There are some surprises scattered throughout, form beginning to end. There are definitely some things that happen that you just don't see coming, and in some cases, they continue to make you scratch your head and wonder afterward. Some for the better, and some...well, not so much. Again, more on that in the fuller review, with spoilers.
All in all, a pretty good, and quite entertaining, movie. They use a good amount of humor, which is one of the main things that I felt the prequels were largely lacking (and the supposedly comic relief character, Jar Jar Binks, was not humorous, as much as he was extremely irritating).
A must see for any Star Wars fan, but if you are like me, and you read so many awesome reviews, and are expecting a new version of "The Empire Strikes Back," don't get your hopes up. There are similarities, especially in the beginning. Yet, this movie goes in brand new directions never before seen in Star Wars. And for that alone, for the creativity and imagination that were evident throughout this movie, I probably give it a higher score than "The Force Awakens."
So, if you are going to see this movie, I would recommend it. It is entertaining and funny, exciting and emotional. In short, it is great entertainment, and it takes the Star Wars story in all new directions. Just do not expect it to go in the same directions that the old trilogy went in. If "The Force Awakens" was criticized, perhaps with some justification, for lacking originality, then this movie definitely steers clear of at least that criticism, although not everyone likes some of these new directions.
Well, those questions are answered in this one. At least, more or less. And we get other things, as well. We come to understand and appreciate Poe Dameron more, as he is much more prominent in this one than in "The Force Awakens." There are other characters introduced in this movie, as well.
However, I cannot talk too long about any of them, really.
So, what can I discuss without any spoilers? Let me start with the pacing of the movie. I had read, even from the positive reviews, that this movie moves fast, packs a lot in. And indeed, after having seen it, I can attest to that being true. It does move fast, and yet, there are parts where the movie seems to break away from the main story (you will likely understand once you see it). Yes, the pace of this movie just seems problematic, and it feels at times like it is rushed and trying to pack to much in during some parts, while at other times, there are things happening that make you wonder what the writers had in mind, or even why they added certain scenes.
Also, there are some things that feel...well, like they cheated a bit. Yes, I know, Star Wars is not the most believable movie story line, obviously. Yet, even by these standards, some things happen here which feel just completely unrealistic, even in the Star Wars universe. Again, it is hard to expand on that, unless you have seen the movie yourself, and I will get more into them with the review with spoilers.
Some of the things that I liked? Well, I was glad that the Porgs which are introduced were not nearly as annoying as I feared. In fact, they added humor, for the most part. My fear initially was that they would be overly cutsie, and possibly even be the Jar Jar Binks of this new trilogy. But you do not need to worry about that.
Solid acting from Daisy Ridley as Rey, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Leia, John Boyega as Finn, Benicio Del Toro (who plays the new character DJ), and from Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Frankly, I am starting to like Kylo Ren more and more as this trilogy continues, and I think it is a mixture of excellent acting, as well as writing. He is the bad guy that this trilogy needs, and he is complicated, charismatic, and very unpredictable. Just when you think that you have this character figured out, he does something that completely surprises you. And it would not work with a less capable actor, so Driver really delivers here.
Let me also say that this movie reveals very different, and new, things about both Luke Skywalker and Leia. Again, I cannot get too much into it without providing spoilers, but it was interesting at least to see some things that were different. Also, there are some interesting new directions that the Force is used in this one, and even though many people had mixed reactions to this, for the most part, it seemed to work for me.
One other thing about this movie: there are surprises. There are some surprises scattered throughout, form beginning to end. There are definitely some things that happen that you just don't see coming, and in some cases, they continue to make you scratch your head and wonder afterward. Some for the better, and some...well, not so much. Again, more on that in the fuller review, with spoilers.
All in all, a pretty good, and quite entertaining, movie. They use a good amount of humor, which is one of the main things that I felt the prequels were largely lacking (and the supposedly comic relief character, Jar Jar Binks, was not humorous, as much as he was extremely irritating).
A must see for any Star Wars fan, but if you are like me, and you read so many awesome reviews, and are expecting a new version of "The Empire Strikes Back," don't get your hopes up. There are similarities, especially in the beginning. Yet, this movie goes in brand new directions never before seen in Star Wars. And for that alone, for the creativity and imagination that were evident throughout this movie, I probably give it a higher score than "The Force Awakens."
So, if you are going to see this movie, I would recommend it. It is entertaining and funny, exciting and emotional. In short, it is great entertainment, and it takes the Star Wars story in all new directions. Just do not expect it to go in the same directions that the old trilogy went in. If "The Force Awakens" was criticized, perhaps with some justification, for lacking originality, then this movie definitely steers clear of at least that criticism, although not everyone likes some of these new directions.
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