Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) by Phil S — 05 Jan 2018

For better or for worse, Rian Johnson accomplishes what most were asking for out of the next Star Wars film: a new direction. It is both refreshing and problematic in that the new themes The Last Jedi explores are interesting, but it fumbles with pacing issues and plot holes.

An entire subplot involving a visit to an alien casino was wholly unnecessary and gobbled up too much screen time. A new hyperspace maneuver that the Resistance uses is a deus ex machina that calls into question why or how this was never used before in previous space battles.

The final confrontation is anticlimactic and skirts what could have been a potentially satisfying saber duel. In fact, there is not even a single true jedi-on-jedi lightsaber duel in this entire movie.

That could maybe be forgiven if this film still had a proper climax, but it doesn't, so what we're left with is a very uneven and lukewarm conclusion. When we said we wanted new directions, that doesn't mean neglecting one of Star Wars' most iconic weapons just for the sake of subverting fan expectations.

The Last Jedi is clearly a deconstructionist film; made specifically to take established tropes and smash them to bits. While it surprisingly works most of the time, there is a reason certain tropes became tropes: because they've been proven to be effective and satisfying storytelling techniques.

Like many deconstructions, TLJ tries to break conventions, but in doing so, it struggles to consistently replace the familiar with equally satisfying new story beats. Despite all of these problems, Rian Johnson has managed to craft a film that feels like a singular passionate vision; not a market-tested assembled-by-committee piece like its predecessor.

The Last Jedi poses big ideas and elevates the character drama like never before in a Star Wars film. It also brings back one other crucial component that has been often sidelined in recent iterations of Star Wars, and that would be the actual star wars.

Space battles. Ship-on-ship combat. Sure we got some of it in Rogue One, but none of it ever really took center stage in the plot like it does in this film. Here we see battle tactics and consequences at play, giving real weight to the conflicts that unfold.

Luke's fleshed out backstory is similarly nuanced in a brilliant way that shows the mark of a talented character writer. It's just disappointing that despite Johnson's gripping style of direction and his writing prowess with characters, he still flounders when it comes to pacing and plot consistency.