This movie was one that my son and I were looking forward to ever since seeing "The Force Awakens" a couple of years ago. That was another of the things that my son and I bonded over, and it meant something, because I grew up on Star Wars and now, decades later, this franchise is a fairly big part of my son's childhood, too.
So, it is important, seeing these movies, and getting the chance to enjoy them.
Which is why we certainly never want to see another disappointment like "The Phantom Menace." Not that I absolutely hated that movie, because there were some good aspects to it. Liam Neeson's acting was solid, and Darth Maul was one of the best bad guys in Star Wars history. He should have certainly lasted longer than one movie, frankly.
However, that movie also prominently featured Jar Jar Binks, who was, hands down, the worst major motion picture character that I have ever seen in my life. He was supposed to be a goofy comic relief character, but he was truly irritating in every way. Apparently, Lucas got the message, because he was nowhere near as prominent in the next movie, "Attack of the Clones," and was barely in the final prequel movie, "The Revenge of the Sith," and did not have any speaking parts, fortunately. Still, he left a very bad taste in many people's mouths, and I can hardly watch that movie because of Jar Jar Binks, quite frankly.
The two other prequel movies got progressively better, although it could be argued that there was nowhere else to go but up. While it is true that "Attack of the Clones" featured Jar Jar Binks a lot less, but there also was no single character quite as enticing as Darth Maul. Count Dooku was perhaps necessary in the sense that it made it easier to understand how Palpatine would badly want a younger protege, and so would court the young Anakin Skywalker. However, Dooku was not an especially endearing character, either.
And "Revenge of the Sith" was the big one, and easily the best of the prequel movies (although I admittedly liked the book version better. Obviously, we saw how Anakin became Darth Vader, and that was fascinating. It was graphic, how he got his legs and last remaining arm chopped off by Obi Wan's lightsaber, and we got to see him outfitted, for the first time, in the costume/life support system that we grew up knowing as Darth Vader. However, some of the other characters were also not quite as good. General Grievous was interesting, although admittedly, I tend to find him more irritating than anything else. He is a predecessor to Darth Vader, it's true. But he seems almost cartoonish and unrealistic on many levels.
Another of the main problems with the prequels was simply that they relied too heavily on the CGI. In some cases, it worked fairly well. In others, it was really overdone. These prequel movies left a bad taste in the mouths of many disappointed Star Wars fans. George Lucas also insisted that this was it, that these were the last movies in the Star Wars saga, although some of the actors suggested otherwise, and said that they had signed contracts to do nine movies.
Well, of course, years later, things are different. This current trilogy will likely indeed be the last one with the original cast of Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford), Princess or General Leia (played by Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill). The torch is being passed to a new generation of Star Wars heroes.
Many rejoiced when George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. He gave all of that money towards education, which really is incredible. And many Star Wars fans celebrated, because they felt Lucas would ruin the new movies, which I can understand, but think is a bit unfair. After all, it was the mind of Lucas that created Star Wars in the first place.
There was a lot of hype for the new trilogy, and we got our first taste of it two years ago. Right around this time of the year, in fact. I took my son, and was heartened by his excitement. Here, we were bonding on many levels, and sharing something together that now had been a big part of both of our childhoods.
That first movie, "The Force Awakens," was pretty good. By now, most people know what happened, that Han Solo was killed. My son spoiled that for my brother, who had not seen the movie yet. So, I guess even spoilers are a part of our Star Wars experience. I took my son last year to see "Rogue One."
Now, later today, the saga continues, as we will see "The Last Jedi" together. I got these tickets months ago, already.
I will review the movie soon, assuming that I can fully absorb it after the first watching (pretty sure that I will). I do not want any spoilers (although accidentally heard one), but could not resist reading some reviews. So far, almost all of the reviews are glowing, praising this as a wonderful edition to the Star Wars canon, if you will. Rian Johnson did a wonderful job, it seems, and this is the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy. Even George Lucas really seems to have legitimately liked it!
So, I am excited. Just a few hours now, and my son and I will be sitting in the theater, watching the movie! Can't wait!
In the meantime, it seemed like a good idea to share some of those reviews that I read, although ultimately, the best way to judge this movie is to go and see it!
So, it is important, seeing these movies, and getting the chance to enjoy them.
Which is why we certainly never want to see another disappointment like "The Phantom Menace." Not that I absolutely hated that movie, because there were some good aspects to it. Liam Neeson's acting was solid, and Darth Maul was one of the best bad guys in Star Wars history. He should have certainly lasted longer than one movie, frankly.
However, that movie also prominently featured Jar Jar Binks, who was, hands down, the worst major motion picture character that I have ever seen in my life. He was supposed to be a goofy comic relief character, but he was truly irritating in every way. Apparently, Lucas got the message, because he was nowhere near as prominent in the next movie, "Attack of the Clones," and was barely in the final prequel movie, "The Revenge of the Sith," and did not have any speaking parts, fortunately. Still, he left a very bad taste in many people's mouths, and I can hardly watch that movie because of Jar Jar Binks, quite frankly.
The two other prequel movies got progressively better, although it could be argued that there was nowhere else to go but up. While it is true that "Attack of the Clones" featured Jar Jar Binks a lot less, but there also was no single character quite as enticing as Darth Maul. Count Dooku was perhaps necessary in the sense that it made it easier to understand how Palpatine would badly want a younger protege, and so would court the young Anakin Skywalker. However, Dooku was not an especially endearing character, either.
And "Revenge of the Sith" was the big one, and easily the best of the prequel movies (although I admittedly liked the book version better. Obviously, we saw how Anakin became Darth Vader, and that was fascinating. It was graphic, how he got his legs and last remaining arm chopped off by Obi Wan's lightsaber, and we got to see him outfitted, for the first time, in the costume/life support system that we grew up knowing as Darth Vader. However, some of the other characters were also not quite as good. General Grievous was interesting, although admittedly, I tend to find him more irritating than anything else. He is a predecessor to Darth Vader, it's true. But he seems almost cartoonish and unrealistic on many levels.
Another of the main problems with the prequels was simply that they relied too heavily on the CGI. In some cases, it worked fairly well. In others, it was really overdone. These prequel movies left a bad taste in the mouths of many disappointed Star Wars fans. George Lucas also insisted that this was it, that these were the last movies in the Star Wars saga, although some of the actors suggested otherwise, and said that they had signed contracts to do nine movies.
Well, of course, years later, things are different. This current trilogy will likely indeed be the last one with the original cast of Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford), Princess or General Leia (played by Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill). The torch is being passed to a new generation of Star Wars heroes.
Many rejoiced when George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. He gave all of that money towards education, which really is incredible. And many Star Wars fans celebrated, because they felt Lucas would ruin the new movies, which I can understand, but think is a bit unfair. After all, it was the mind of Lucas that created Star Wars in the first place.
There was a lot of hype for the new trilogy, and we got our first taste of it two years ago. Right around this time of the year, in fact. I took my son, and was heartened by his excitement. Here, we were bonding on many levels, and sharing something together that now had been a big part of both of our childhoods.
That first movie, "The Force Awakens," was pretty good. By now, most people know what happened, that Han Solo was killed. My son spoiled that for my brother, who had not seen the movie yet. So, I guess even spoilers are a part of our Star Wars experience. I took my son last year to see "Rogue One."
Now, later today, the saga continues, as we will see "The Last Jedi" together. I got these tickets months ago, already.
I will review the movie soon, assuming that I can fully absorb it after the first watching (pretty sure that I will). I do not want any spoilers (although accidentally heard one), but could not resist reading some reviews. So far, almost all of the reviews are glowing, praising this as a wonderful edition to the Star Wars canon, if you will. Rian Johnson did a wonderful job, it seems, and this is the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy. Even George Lucas really seems to have legitimately liked it!
So, I am excited. Just a few hours now, and my son and I will be sitting in the theater, watching the movie! Can't wait!
In the meantime, it seemed like a good idea to share some of those reviews that I read, although ultimately, the best way to judge this movie is to go and see it!
'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Review: This Is the Epic You've Been Looking For by Peter Travers, December 12, 2017:
Star Wars: The Last Jedi review: yes, it’s really that good by Susana Polo, Dec 12, 2017:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/12/16749732/star-wars-review-the-last-jedi-rian-johnson-luke-rey
The First Reactions To 'The Last Jedi' Are Overwhelmingly Positive POSTED BY BENJAMIN ON 12/10/2017:
George Lucas Calls 'The Last Jedi' "Beautifully Made" POSTED BY DOMINIC JONES ON 12/13/2017
NASA Confirms That 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Will Be Screened in Space By Rae Paoletta on December 12, 2017:
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