Review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) by Oliver M — 24 Jan 2018

Not sure what to feel about this movie. At first, when walking out of the theater, I was numb from shock of what I had just seen. This numbness slowly gave way to sadness as I realized that the core of Star Wars that I understood as a kid, the concept of the Jedi as a ally of good and those that oppose the light were evil, the hero's journey to overcome adversity and face evil head on, is no longer alive or thriving. I was sad not just for me but for the new generation of people who will not enjoy sitting in a darkened theater to watch a story of awe and adventure unfold that would make you want to stand up and cheer. I was truly sad.

The more I thought about this movie the more I realized the writer/director and producer were working actively to systematically destroy the very heart of Star Wars and the more I examined the plot and the plot devices my sadness turned to anger. You could see the slow dismantling everywhere in the movie. Kylo tells Rey "Let the past die, kill it if you have to" -- this line resonates throughout the entire movie and, ultimately,is what the movie is actually about. Kylo destroys his mask (the symbolic linkage between him and Darth Vader) effectively killing off any memory of Vader in the process, Anikan's light saber explodes eliminating the link from the prequel, a New Hope, and Empire Strikes back and in doing so obliterates the any link that JJ Abrams had so cleverly setup in the Force Awakens, the Jedi temple burned to the ground, even the title the Last Jedi tries to rid the movie of the Jedi lore, Luke even says clearly it is time for the Jedi to die, and then there is Rey who, as Yoda so calmly exclaims -- already knows everything completely obliterating the lore that to become a Jedi and proficient with the force (especially the light side) requires rigorous training and investment of time and focus. Then there was the atrocity of what Rian Johnson did with Luke's character -- nothing about Luke, NOTHING, resembles the character as he was developed in the story arc that started it all. Star Wars would not be Star Wars without Luke Skywalker. I was expecting Luke, the character, to be laid to rest within this trilogy at some point and was actually expecting it to happen in this movie -- but not like this, not in the way he was so callously disposed of ... brushed aside, transformed into a premeditating child murdering coward, as a person who rejected everything he had all his life prior held so dear -- family, friends, seeking truth and good in the galaxy. Combing the internet and finding Mark Hamill's inputs via interviews and public statements then you could hear it in Hamill's voice, in the interviews you could see it in his face in the post premier video/shots. He was devastate as were many of the true Star Wars fans who thought of Luke as the example of good of a flawed farm-boy who rose to become a Jedi.

This movie was not only detrimental to Star Wars it is the dagger (light saber) in the heart of the mythos -- it effectively kills Star Wars as many of us know it. This movie wasn't just 'not a Star Wars movie' as many have stated in these comments and elsewhere, no, this movie is Anti-Star Wars. The underlying goal was to literally obliterate the world of Star Wars .... and for what? To make way for something new and different? Or was it to push some other message? It is truly sad as no other movie trilogy, in the history of Cinema, has become so central to American culture as what the original Star Wars trilogy had become, and I wonder if that was not the ultimately goal -- to bring down classic American culture or at least be a part of that movement.

Sadly, Kathleen Kennedy (and apparently) Rian Johnson will go on to continue this slaughter of a once iconic American franchise. Apparently, Kennedy loved what Johnson has created so much that she has granted him his own Star Wars trilogy -- even more sadly, the behemoth that Star Wars is in the minds of so many will generate revenue when it does not deserve it. My only solace is they will do it without my 15 bucks. I am done with it ... this is The Last Star Wars for me.