Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) by Benjamin P — 16 Jan 2018

I LOVED THIS MOVIE.

I didn't love TFA, for reasons which I won't belabor again here. With this movie I felt more as if I'd seen a Star Wars movie- not as tight a story as the OT, but with the same genuine feeling of camaraderie and mystery that was missing from VII. I teared up several times during this movie. Maybe it was because I didn't know much about it and was genuinely surprised, who knows. I had no- actually low- expectations going in.

A few highlights, I'm sure I'll have more to say later after I've had time to see it a few more times;.

-Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me grin like seeing that classic SW logo and hearing the SW theme song play.

-Leia was magnificent. And clearly war-weary, but no one has suffered like she has and that's pretty clear. I'mill not sure if that moment of truth with Kylo's finger on the button was a blessing or a curse for her. It clearly gave me hope for him, but prolonged her suffering in several different ways. It may have been hokey but I did love seeing Leia defy the vacuum of space. Had a little training in the Force after all, I guess.

-Laura Dern as Admiral Holdo was superb. I remember seeing her in Jurassic Park and wishing I looked like that- &I had the same thoughts again!

-Kylo continues to fascinate me. He's still a boy but he's growing up. I can't figure him out, but I can see that there's more to him than the simple Dark Side bad seed.

-THe part in the cave where Rey asks to see her parents was genius. Not just the reflection back at herself- but the different Reys at slightly different points in time. It made me about time & perspective. Which is the real Rey? Did we just see time split? Which path will she choose? Is she really Rey Rando?

-Kylo & Rey fighting together- I don't know what to say except it seemed right. Despite the violence it was more like ballet. They're two of a matched set.

-I'm not normally much for battle scenes but there were some brilliant bits here with Poe, Holdo and Finn.

-Rose Tico "We fight to protect those we love, not just against those we hate." That just about sums up the difference between the Dark & Light sides of the force..

-When Luke walked out to meet Kylo. The look on the faces of the few remaining rebels was awe-struck, as it should be.

-The ending with the little proto-padawan and the broom that jumped the last inch or to into his hand- what a beautiful set-up for the next film. And a sweet little Easter egg, too. There were many great little moments like that in this film.

I could go on but these are the parts that come to mind right now. The story was a bit complicated but seemed to hold together very well. The characters hit all the right notes, the acting much improved and there was less perfect-Rey and more uncertain-Rey, especially in the beginning.