"The Charbor Chronicles": Star War: The Last Jedi - Movie Review # 2 (MAJOR Spoilers!!!)

Here is the movie review of "The Last Jedi" that I already published, without spoilers. After this, I will put a more thorough review, with spoilers, but am adding this already published review as a sort of buffer. Don't say you were not warned!

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.

"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.

Okay, so, that was my review of the movie sans spoilers.

But now, it is time for a more thorough review, with spoilers added. So, if you have not yet seen the movie and intent to do so, and do not want to know what happens, turn away now.

Seriously, this next part will reveal major spoilers, as I will talk freely about details in the movie, which will give away a lot.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!***

Last warning!

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!***

Okay, you have been warned. If you continue to read on, you do so with the understanding that you run the risk of the movie being spoiled for you if you have not seen it yet. This next part is intended for those who have already seen the movie.

After seeing it the first time, I definitely wanted to watch it a second time to kind of perhaps get what I might have missed the first time. You probably know how that goes, right? It can happen with a movie or a television show, or perhaps music, or even books. I have recently reread a few books, and after many years have passed, it is amazing how different these books feel when I read them now, and even though the experience was enjoyable years ago, I cannot help but wonder how much I actually seem to have read those books the first time, since there was so much that seemed almost brand new to me. Was I not paying attention?

Clearly, if that can happen with books, which require a lot more time and focus as you engage in them, then that certainly can happen with movies. And I can, and will, say whatever I want about these new Star Wars movies, including what I am not thrilled with, but one thing I can definitely say about them is this: they were entertaining, and made me want to write about them, want to discuss them. So, let me begin:

Let me start by saying this: I was a huge fan of Star Wars growing up. As I mentioned earlier, it was a big part of my childhood. I was so excited to see the movies, although this came in an unconventional manner for me. How so? Well, my family did not have cable, and at the time, we relied on our neighbors - neighbors that we have never gotten along with basically ever since. The first Star Wars movie that I saw was the first one, and it was awesome! But I desperately wanted to see "The Empire Strikes Back" in the theaters, but my family refused. I literally cried. The time frame surely does not work, because I could swear that we saw "E.T." instead, although the two movies came out years apart. Yet, I could swear the ESB was indeed playing, because I saw it being shown. Just don't ask me how.

The first of those movies that I did finally see in the theaters (don't remember which one anymore, and it hardly matters) was "Return of the Jedi." To me, that film still feels more modern than either of the first two films, and frankly, I think it holds up fairly well even after all of these years. Obviously, I loved that movie, and the other two, of course. I saw it without having first seen "The Empire Strikes Back," which for me, always seemed like the elusive mythical great movie that I had not seen. I was familiar with the story, however, because I had read one of the books - you know, those Scholastic Books that you could get back then, much like now. Of course I saw it eventually (don't remember when or how), and yes, I loved it. What's not to love about those first three movies?

So, let's recap. I loved all of the movies, and loved the ESB book. Like every other boy back then (it felt that way, anyway), I collected the toys. And Return of the Jedi seemed ultra modern to me, including the toys. This probably sounds really, really weird, but I'll say it anyway: on some level, "Return of the Jedi" still feels like the "new" Star Wars movie to me, if you will. I know, I know, I'm really dating myself there. Can't help it. It felt at the time like there was real magic to the Star Wars saga. It felt so futuristic, and made you feel like anything was possible, that this was a brave new world, if you will. Maybe that sounds corny, and probably, it is. Naive, as well, surely. Yet, I was a child, and that was what Star Wars was to me, at least at the time.

Even now, as an adult, those original Star Wars movies and toys still feel dear to me, in a way that some other cartoons and toys from my childhood do not. I love Goldorak/Grendizer (of the Shogun Warriors), but watching the cartoons or reading the comics are almost goofy, to the point of being embarrassing. It's just not at all for adults. Neither are some other things that I really enjoyed back then, including the Transformers, G.I Joe, Voltron, the Gobots, or many (but not all) of the Marvel and DC superheroes. Somehow, though, Star Wars is something that people my age can still very much enjoy even as adults, and without embarrassment in ways that none of those others that I was fully into as a child can truly be, with maybe the exception of Indiana Jones.

Star Wars appealed to the imagination, and to me, it is nothing short of American mythology. It was futuristic, aspiring to science and especially to astronomy in an age when space exploration was still really cool, and seemed still to be a national goal (remember, the moon landing had not been long before, and was still a source of tremendous national pride). Yet, it also had fairly simplistic themes that children like me could understand and appreciate, much like the Greek mythological epics that also were so appealing.

So, how could some of the more recent movies live up to that?

Well, for many, many fans, they did not. "The Phantom Menace" was widely viewed as a disappointment. It actually had some good ideas, but then again, it had Jar Jar Binks, who was a huge distraction and catered a little too exclusively to very young children, at the expense of the enjoyment of everyone else.

The next movie, "Attack of the Clones," was also viewed by many as a disappointment. Too much CGI in those first films. I would argue too little good humor, like Han Solo and Princess Leia's flirtatious fights in the original trilogy. Some people criticized the acting, at least in some cases. And frankly, the politics involved was not always especially fascinating, and seemed to slow the movies down a bit.

One way or the other, the prequels were viewed as inherently flawed, and many fans claim not to like them - some even suggest that they hate them - right to this day. "Revenge of the Sith" was surely the best of the prequels, although it suffered from some of the aforementioned problems.

Then, after more than a decade, Star Wars returned. Now, it belonged to Disney, and many were skeptical for that alone, right off the bat. "The Force Awakens" broke box office records. Yet, it was criticized by many, particularly for lacking imagination. There was a Darth Vader styled character, Kylo Ren. There was yet another version of the Death Star. Some people suggested that it was almost shockingly unoriginal.

In short, many Star Wars fans did not like it. There were different reasons than with the prequels, but yes, many people still did not like it.

So, it would be difficult to make a movie that would make everybody happy. Some fans left comments saying that they would not even bother, but the initial reviews for the new movie were almost exclusively positive, even glowing! And personally, I am a fan of Star Wars, and my son was super excited, so there never was any question that we were going to see it.

Now, let me share some thoughts about the new movie:

First of all, if "The Force Awakens" lacked originality, than this new movie was packed - almost too packed - with surprises. There were definitely some new ideas in this one, and it took a very different approach, giving new and unexpected directions to the Force, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker, and Leia, at the very least. At times, it felt almost like Rian Johnson was forcing the issue, trying to keep the viewer guessing.

There were ideas borrowed from the original trilogy. That salt planet, Crait, was eerily reminiscent of Hoth in "The Empire Strikes Back." The base was similar, although certain specifics were different. Also, when Luke makes his appearance on the planet, his silent, hooded entrance was also reminiscent of "Return of the Jedi," when he first appeared at Jabba's palace.

Some of the things that I really liked?

Kylo Ren's character development - There were some characters that I felt did not advance from the previous movie, but that definitely was not the case with Kylo Ren. He showed some of the light was still in him when he could not bring himself to kill his mother, Leia. The more delicate and revealing side that he showed of himself to Rey was also quite interesting. I liked when he killed Snoke, and it was one of the most emotional parts of the movie. Yet, he remained clearly on the Dark Side afterward, which meant that he was more interested in gaining more power, rather than in helping Rey. Very interesting, and new aspects to his character, which is starting to feel like less of a rip off of Darth Vader.

I have to say, Adam Driver is a hell of an actor! Admittedly, I was not familiar with his previous work prior to "The Force Awakens" (TFA), and for now, I have not seen him in anything except for these two movies, and one time that he hosted SNL. But whenever he was on, my full attention was captured. You felt the struggle within him, could understand his motivation. His angry outbursts were convincing, as was his power grabs. In short, he was really, really good, and his acting was one of the pleasures of this movie.

Mark Hamill's acting - speaking of some amazing acting, Hamill was incredible here! He publicly aired some differences in how he viewed the Luke Skywalker character versus Johnson's version, and he clearly was unhappy with the gap between these two versions of his iconic character. Yet, make no mistake: his acting was incredible! He was in a role somewhat similar to Han Solo's in TFA, and ultimately, he was yielding the new adventures to the new generation. I will get into my own thoughts on the Luke character a bit later, because there were some aspects that I liked, and some that I did not. But one thing that was an undeniable positive was Hamill's acting. Like with Driver, whenever he was on screen, I found my full attention was devoted to him, and I do not think that was just because he meant so much to me from my own childhood.

Little Easter eggs - Not sure that I know all of the Easter eggs put in this movie just yet, although there were some things. Seeing the puppet Yoda, for example, was very cool! And like Silent Bob's review (see below), I actually almost got choked up when he referred to Luke as "Young Skywalker," just like in the old days, even though Luke is actually an old man by now. I liked some of the reminders of previous Star Wars movies, such as the Hoth-like planet (at least in terms of appearances) and robed Luke walking through the Rebel base, in a manner that reminded me of him walking through Jabba's palace in "Return of the Jedi." It was also nice to see Luke and Leia together, albeit briefly (although it would have been nicer to have seen all three of the main Rebels from the original trilogy together one last time). Seeing other reminders of the previous movies, such as the AT-AT Walkers, and of course, the Millennium Falcons, was cool as well.

Some of the new ideas - I really liked the idea of how Holdo went into hyperspace to destroy much of Snoke's fleet, although I agree with many people's general sentiments that it should probably have been Leia, as an admirable and dramatic swansong. But the special effects, and the dramatic value, was strong for that. I liked the ancient Jedi temple, and the ancient texts, which seemed to have been preserved, even if Luke was unaware. Of course, there were some new aspects of the Force, and this did not bother me quite as much as it seemed to bother so many devout Star Wars fans. Hell, there was even a petition to try and remove the new movie altogether from the Star Wars canon, although personally, that seems to be taking things way too seriously! Luke Force projecting himself? I was okay with that. I liked the Luke projection (not exactly a hologram, I don't think). Cool idea, and definitely broadens our understanding of the Force, and what we know about it. It seemed to have exerted so much energy, that it killed him in the end. Similar to this, the connection through galaxies between Kylo and Rey did not bother me, and added some humor at times, as well.

Some things about this movie that bothered me:

The non-death of Leia - Leia coming back to life really bothered me. It almost ruined the movie, frankly. She was blasted out to space, was out there long enough that her skin started to freeze. She can't breathe, everyone else on that bridge was killed. Yet, she suddenly twitches, then opens her eyes, and somehow floats back to the ship. She's in space, and yet, they apparently open the door for her, just let her in. None of that was even remotely realistic. I know, Star Wars is fantasy, but part of what we can appreciate about it is that it remains at least somewhat grounded in reality. This did not feel realistic to me at all, and was too much of a distraction. It felt like cheating, frankly.

Luke's changes - This bothered me a bit when I first saw the movie. Not as much the second time around, and when I got to thinking about it, it admittedly bothered me less and less. My initial reaction was that this was not the Luke Skywalker that I remembered. But a lot of time has passed, and circumstances have greatly changed. He has contributed to a strong rise in the dark side of the force, and has come to understand the reality that this, too, is a Jedi tradition. So, we can understand how he comes to feel that the Jedi need to end, even though he hesitates. Also, he had a moment of weakness and almost killed Ben Solo, an act that turned Ben into Kylo Ren. He has pushed someone to the Dark Side, which is a reversal of "Return of the Jedi." Maybe it is understandable that he then cannot trust himself to make things better. Plus, his isolation, becoming a hermit, is actually somewhat in keeping with other Jedi in past movies, particularly Obi Wan and Yoda. So, although I was not initially a fan, and still feel that it perhaps went too far, I can live with it as a Star Wars fan.

Some other thoughts:

Luke's death - I don't think he will be completely out. He likely will be back, much like Obi Wan and Yoda kept making appearances after they were gone.

Laser sword - Luke used this word to describe lightsabers, which caight me by surprise. Silent Bob (Kevin Smith, sorry) talks a bit about this in his video review of the movie, and I am on board with what he is saying.

The Last Jedi editor Bob Ducsay spoke about that moment in a new interview with Collider, describing how the moment came to be:

"The thing to me that’s the most interesting is that the way that the actual impact works was storyboarded. And when you watched it with storyboards, it was very, very, hard to understand. And we got the first iterations of the digital effects back from ILM, and it really didn’t work. We sort of revamped how it was going to work, and when that happened, it suddenly went from, ‘I’m not sure how this is going to work,’ to ‘This is obviously fantastic.’ Then the whole rest of the way, bringing it into finished digital effects was very quick, and surprised—I mean, I’d say it’s easy for us. We’re not the ones executing the visual effects, but the design of the scene, we basically had a breakthrough at one point in post-production. This was not something that was all figured out in production or prep, and it just came together and turned into just incredible."