Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) by Mojito — 03 Jan 2018

As a lifelong fan of the franchise, including The Force Awakens, this is simply an agonizing review to write. It's tempting to pour out my thoughts in bullet points. To angrily outline the list of the this film's failures. And it has so very many. But I will refrain. The movie catastrophically falls short on every level, in every facet. Yet I'll attempt to focus on why I feel this way, without cataloging and critiquing particular scenes and decisions.

Character development is nearly non-existent. Daisy Ridley's very-likeable Rey neither grows, learns, or changes in this film. The few conflicts or challenges she faces are fleeting. As with the previous film, the Force "awakens" in her, with little effort on her part, or any explanation. She's static. Her most profound and interesting scenes were her interaction with Adam Driver's character, Kylo Ren. There's a hint at just how intriguing and imaginative the plot *could* have taken with those two. I was briefly on the edge of my seat. Only to have a boring, predictable "Good vs. Evil" outcome. Wasted opportunity.

Jon Boyega's character goes nowhere, in an almost literal sense. He has an almost-meaningful scene near the end of the film. Almost. But he doesn't. He literally could have remained in his bacta healing-tank the whole film, and it would have made zero difference.

When there is character development, it's awful. Poe Dameron, our favorite hotshot fighter pilot from The Force Awakens? He quickly became my least favorite character. Oscar Isaac's acting was great. You'll just question why he was instructed to act that way.

Minus a scene or two, don't expect anything new from Leia, and you won't be disappointed. That's ditto for Supreme Leader Snoke, General Hux, R2-D2, Chewie, Threepio, The First Order, and so on. The movie simply doesn't have a lot of new information to share, least of all revelations.

Mark Hamill and Adam Driver did the best job they could, given the poor script, material, concepts, and erratic timing of the film. They did excellent, considering with the pittance they had to work with.

Oh yeah, there's an actress playing a mechanic. Seriously, I literally almost hit the "Submit" button for this review, before I remembered her, and added this sentence. That's how important this new character was.

The most frustrating fact about this film is that a lot *happens*. But not a lot *matters*. Certainly there is no shortage of action, scenes, adventure, parallel plots, characters running around doing things, saying things. Yet roughly 2.5 hours later, when it's all concluded, the movie has gone...? Nowhere. Everything is essentially right back where it started. You've got some powerful, evil First Order. And you've got some underdog Resistance. They still don't like each other.

Sure, there were some casualties along the way. But really...they don't matter. Their loss doesn't change anything, for better or worse. Our heroes and villains simply haven't accomplished very much, or learned anything, or made any revelations. "Hope you enjoyed another movie in the Star Wars universe!", they seem to shout. "We'll give you more of the same in Star Wars 9!". And given this movie's ending, the next film could literally be about *anything*. The Last Jedi leaves you wondering "Is there genuinely anything left to show or talk about?" It contains it's own built-in "reset button". By the conclusion of your time in the theater, you mentally and emotionally won't care anymore.

And that's the *worst* part of this film for me. It made me not care about Star Wars anymore. It's infuriating. I'm left with no desire, curiosity, motivation, or incentive to watch another movie. Who cares? To my shock and dismay...not me. I don't care what happens next. Even the prequels kept me coming back for more. This time, there's no new hope.

This ends my review, but wait! Some important news is coming in...

Last Jedi Public Service Announcement: Cute animals are important and should not be harmed! Don't worry if you miss the message. It's repeated using at least 3 new adorable species. At least they don't annihilate stormtroopers with rocks and spears, Ewok-style...

Did you like the subtle comedy from The Force Awakens? Me too! Prepare (once again), for too much of a good thing. It's not as bad as Jar Jar Binks, thankfully. But it's obviously out of place, and you'll feel it instantly.

The Last Jedi: Morality and Ethics Review!

1) Is it important to obey orders and follow leadership, or follow your heart and to hell with the rules? Prepare to be wrong, regardless of your answer.

2) Is a noble sacrifice, for the greater good, a correct and justifiable decision? Prepare to be wrong and confused, regardless of your answer.