Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - Spoiler Review
Easily my favourite moment in the entire film is...probably not actually a moment. It's more like a whole sequence. That being said, easily my favourite...bit in the film is when Luke finally appears in the film's climax. His goodbye to Leia is a real tear-jerker ("I'm glad you're here for the end), his wink to Threepio is lovely, and then he steps out to confront Kylo Ren and the entire First Order. There's a variety of things to love here: Mark Hamill's subdued performance, the look of sheer joy on Carrie Fisher's face as she sees him once more, the shots of the Resistance members all staring in wonder at the legendary Luke Skywalker, and the way John Williams' score works in some many different motifs through the sequence without even breaking a sweat. It's a beautifully scored moment, and my favourite track from the soundtrack album. Not to mention the cinematography: the shots when Luke steps out onto the surface of Crait, with the huge First Order walkers looming above him and the sun behind them just looks like something straight out of a Western, or maybe some kind of big mythical event - because that's what it is. There's an amazing sense of tension to the scene, just waiting to see what Luke's going to do. Even Kylo Ren seems incredibly nervous, and his constant barrage of attacks remind us of how vulnerable he still feels - even though he's murdered Snoke.
As the sequence continues, we finally get to see the "badass" Luke Skywalker we'd all wanted to see after Return of the Jedi. He never clashes lightsabers with Kylo, but always manages to avoid his attacks. In fact, when the final reveal is presented by Rian Johnson, it makes the scene even more epic and amazing: Luke didn't cheat the laws of Physics to get there, he just used the Force, and that - to me at least - seems pretty badass. Ben Solo could never best his old master, not even when he was on his death bed. Meanwhile, of course, Chewie and Rey rescue the Resistance survivors aboard the Falcon, but not before Rey's own badass scene as she lifts all of the rocks keeping the Resistance trapped underground. The big wide angle of Rey using the force just looks amazing, and Daisy Ridley sells the hell out of it.
Did I mention that this is my favourite bit in the entire movie? I mean, it's not a short sequence, but its pretty darn amazing.
I also love the opening battle sequence, Rey's first lesson with Luke, Snoke's tearing down of Kylo Ren in the throne room, Leia's floating towards her command ship (yes, I still contend that it's a beautiful moment that lots of fanboys seem intent on ruining), all of the different variations of Ben Solo's backstory, all of the various "connection" scenes between Ben and Rey, Chewie trying to eat his dinner with the Porg's staring at him, Artoo and Luke's reunion scene, in fact the entire Poe Dameron arc (how often do you see characters like that actually get proven wrong?), the moment when Holdo (by no means my favourite character) light-speeds through the First Order cruisers, and of course Snoke's death and the big battle between Rey, Ben and all of the red guards - with the first moment all done in one shot (it's that amazing).
Is there anything I dislike about the film? Well, nothing too serious. There's some odd things I'm not a huge fan of, such DJ's character, the CG in some places looks a bit meh, the Canto Bight stuff works better for the characters and themes than it does for the narrative, the fact that Finn never actually gets to explain to Rose why he was leaving the Resistance freighter (I mean, its never brought up again after they first two scenes together), Holdo is a bit too irritatingly patronising at points (but again, nit-picking), and the way Rian Johnson lingers on the milk creature near the start is a bit...odd.
So...yeah, I still really like The Last Jedi, and I really don't understand the backlash against it. If you disagree with me, I get that - film is subjective after all - but I don't understand the passionate hatred some people feel towards the film. There's nothing worth hating, when all is said and done. The film isn't by any means bold enough to hate, but perhaps safe enough to not love. For me personally, the film struck a balance within the force, and while its structure is a little off, it works really well on both an emotional and narrative level. 9/10
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