Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) by Nick J — 26 Dec 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi isn't the movie fans wanted to see, but maybe it's the movie we needed to see? To say that this movie is polarizing would be the understatement of the year, but that doesn't mean it's bad as so many fans claim. The Last Jedi deviates from the norm, our hero's become flawed, our beloved Jedi mythology is burned down and shown to be a sham, and in the end our Universe that we've grown to love takes a sharp left turn into a direction we didn't expect.

With that said, out of all the Star Wars movies I've seen, this one still speaks to me days later. Rather than simple, cardboard cutouts of good vs evil space opera fare, we're given an incredibly human movie full of shades of grey. What does it mean to be a hero, do our traditions that we cling to as perfect simply continue the status quo of evil men and women oppressing the less powerful, and how do we truly make the world (Or in this case, the galaxy) a better place.

There's no simple answers given here, there's no perfect heroes, but in the end we get a movie that gives Star Wars the kick in the pants it needs to truly dig deeper into how this world truly works. I'm still not certain if I like that, part of me still wants my simple heroes and villains and the beautiful mystery of the Jedi; but I think more than anything else, I needed this.

To dig deep into what it means to be human and fight for a better world is a lot more than many want in a Star Wars movie, but I'm glad I got it even if it's not what I truly wanted to begin with.