This review contains blatant spoilers. If you haven't yet seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi, do not read this. It will ruin your experience.
As of this writing, I've only seen the movie once. It was fast paced and hard to keep up with all the details on the first viewing, so these are my first impressions.
As a charter fan of the Star Wars movies and a formerly voracious EU reader, I'm pretty picky when it comes to the franchise. Episodes I, II, and III sorely tested my loyalty. Because of that, I was hesitant when Abrams ignored the original third trilogy and SW canon and released Force Awakens. As I quickly learned, my trepidation was on spot. Having seen New Hope more times than I care to admit, I instantly recognized the similarities between the two stories. Force was nothing more than a repackaged version of the original.
I did like Rogue One—after I read the book, which fills in the gaps I noticed in the movie. The story is far more poignant than what was portrayed on the screen, and it’s now one of my favorites.
Still, I met the release of Last Jedi with far less enthusiasm than I should have as a now-quasi fan. Conflicting reviews from friends ranging from, “I loved it,” to “It was awful. I just go for a sense of completion,” didn’t help. But I went because I, too, go for a sense of completion.
As it turns out, I loved it. Last Jedi is now my favorite behind Empire Strikes Back. Yes, at times it took too much from the original trilogy. There was a fancy version of Mos Eisley complete with a bit of cantina music; the heroes having to disengage a threat located on the enemy ship; the dark side of the Force residing on the planet and Rey (instead of Luke) ultimately facing it and herself in a cave; a young Anakin-type child slave with Force powers, and even the word-for-word use of, "I feel the conflict within you.”
And yes, they’re repeating the whole Empire-Rebellion storyline with the First Order vs the Resistance, but I've read enough medieval history over the past six months to recognize that was a common occurrence among kings and king wanna-be's in the fight for ultimate power. So the latter didn’t bother me as much as it would have in the past.
But I did like the fact that they dug deeper into the characters lives' as well as the overall story, fleshing out both instead of relying on spectacular effects and battle scenes. (And those scenes were spectacular. It was quintessential Star Wars, which is one reason people love this movie. And that red on white on the Hoth-looking planet was a great choice.)
Adam Driver did a fantastic job with his character. The subtleties in his movements and facial tics at times spoke volumes, and I absolutely loved the chemistry between Kylo and Rey. Chemistry that was blatantly lacking in episodes I-III. I understood Kylo more and why he did what he ultimately did (note: it wasn't for Rey's sake. The director played that out well.) Overall, the tension and conflict ran high throughout in both action and characterization. There were so many black moments, I didn't see how the story could possibly have anything but a depressing ending
I also now understand why Luke vanished and lived at the site of the first Jedi temple. I’d read that Mark Hamill didn’t like the way Luke was portrayed, saying something to the effect that Jedis didn’t hide. I walked into the theater thinking the same after having seen Force Awakens.
But Luke wasn’t a Jedi on that island. That’s the point he was trying to make to Rey. He’d failed, causing death and destruction. Having suffered the consequences of his “hubris,” he shrank back from the beating his ego had taken, read the Jedi texts, and struggled to put the Jedi religion into its proper perspective in the universe. He came to the conclusion that the Force wasn’t theirs to play with. They were just one part of it and they’d wielded it like a child with a weapon. He understood the damage the Jedi had caused despite all their well intentions, and he didn’t care to be a part of that any more. I got that and liked how the entire storyline unfolded.
I also appreciated the wisdom in that scene. As was said, failure is a good teacher. I know from experience it can redirect us to a better, more sensible direction.
There were some poignant scenes in the movie as well. If I were the crying type, tears would have filled my eyes at Luke and Leia’s last encounter. Oh, and that sunset scene. That brought the entire series full circle. My thanks to whoever did that.
When it was over, perhaps to my husband's dismay, I gave a quiet, slow clap of approval. Star Wars had returned in all its glory. I can't wait to see it a second time and experience it all over again.