Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I'm going to say this right off the bat, Disney needs to slow their roll with all these Star Wars films. We go over thirty years without a new Star Wars film (that's right, in my version of history, those prequels never happened) and now we are getting one every year. I think they are doing a disservice to these mainline stories that are supposed to continue the franchise. It is starting to not feel as special as it should.

With that off my chest, I can say that I enjoyed the Last Jedi. I don't fall into the trappings of a lot of the nerd rage out there for this film, but I had my own set of problems. Beware, there may be spoilers. I'm not perfect!

Following Rey on her journey in this new trilogy has been a breath of fresh air. I know many of us want to have the same old thing. We were especially starved thanks to those horrible prequels. That they chose to have that history as a backdrop, but to go in new directions has been great. I also like that Rey has been a beacon of hope for many young girls. I really like what she represents. To take it further, I'm glad that they have not sexualized her in any way. She is continuing to find out her place in the universe and that brings her back into direct conflict with Kylo Ren and to some extent, Luke Skywalker.

One of the main complaints about this movie is the reveal of Rey's parentage. I for one liked the reveal. It's a bold choice and I like that we don't get what we had theorized or really wanted. I have already said too much, so I will move on.

The other complaint has been about how Luke is portrayed in this movie. He is now the grumpy old man, who doesn't want a student. It's a trope we've seen in movies many times before. Kind of like what we saw with Han in the last movie, we see that here. Without going into too much detail, you learn the reason WHY he's secluded himself and that has turned into a, "That's not MY Luke Skywalker" movement.  This didn't really bother me here. The problem I do have is that we don't see him interact with really anyone other than Rey. He is totally separate from everything else going on in the movie. In that sense, not seeing some of your old favorites together is a missed opportunity. However, I understand that they are trying to build something new here, so I can put that nerd rage in a corner.

Let me talk about the other characters in this movie before I move on. We also get to see more of Finn and the arc that he is also going through. In this movie he is given something to do, which I'm glad to see. They pair him up with a new character named Rose on this side of the plot. I did not realize Rose was going to play such a big part because I avoided all trailers (except for the first two). I think she's a good addition to the universe. I know this will play into the rising nerd rage because guess what, she's Vietnamese. So more diversity! Get angry!

If there is one thing I don't like about Finn, it's how quippy he is. I would think a former stormtrooper wouldn't be delivering one liners with such an "Aw shucks" sheepishness. I personally would like it if he played it straight, not realizing that he is being funny.

Anyways, we get to see those two and then we get to see our favorite new flyboy, Poe Dameron. I think we could all use more Oscar Issacs in our lives and he gets stuff to do here too. He also gets an arc. I was going to complain that I thought he didn't get enough time, but as I think about it, he got as much time as everyone else. They had to juggle a lot in this movie, almost to it's detriment.

If there is one big loser in this movie, it's poor Gwendoline Christie, who plays Captain Phasma. This is a huge missed opportunity. I really wanted to really see her do something, anything. Instead, she gets what I can at best describe as a cameo.

I could go on and on about the cast, but let's move on to the story. Part of it felt like an extended Battlestar Galactica episode. Now before you get up in arms, I am referring to the earlier episodes where they have to constantly search for water for their ships while trying to avoid the cylons. Here, we have the rebel ships trying to get away with low reserves on their fuel. The situation is much more dire because the Empire, I'm sorry, First Order, is just going to wait them out. So there is definitely some tension in the main thrust of the story.

With that, we watch what is going on with Rey/Luke and then Finn/Rose. Before I said that I liked that Finn had more to do. What I didn't say and I'll say it now, is their stuff felt so superfluous. I don't need to see a gambling planet. It feels like trying to capture the magic of the cantina scenes from the first trilogy. We also have to introduce a bunch of cutesy animals (re: Rey/Luke scenes), cause merchandising. I know I am coming off like an old man that hates joy, but I'm too cynical to not think this is for the benefit of having more toys. I just didn't like this whole side plot of the movie.

All of this is forgiven when we get to the final act of this movie. You play some John Williams inspired music, show me the Millennium Falcon flying around and I'm done. I'm powerless. I sit in slack jawed wonderment and just enjoy the ride. So that last third is very action heavy and satisfying. All the threads come together. I don't want to say anymore than that and give anything away to those that have not seen it.

I didn't talk about the First Order side that much, but I do like seeing Hux and Kylo interact. We could easily have a sitcom about these too. These are two apple polishers that are looking to win over their teacher. After this movie though, I still have no idea who or what Snoke is supposed to really be. Maybe I'm just not paying attention enough.

I may have to see it again, but I don't know if I like this better than Force Awakens or not. I like seeing these new characters and I think they have been successful in establishing them. I didn't mention it before, but it is very sad to watch this movie knowing that Carrie Fisher passed away. I don't know what they will do with the next movie, so enjoy your time with her here.

I think this movie is definitely worth seeing and recommend that you go if you already haven't. May the force be with you. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself...