Letting the Past Die: A Look Into What Really Works and What Really Doesn't in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

A fanboy's analysis of the very unique, yet very flawed Star Wars movie--MAJOR SPOILERS

By: Josh McCormack

With his father's own lightsaber threateningly raised above him, the once proud Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker, is broken. 

He lays in the pouring rain, looking up at the face of a young woman who, like most of us, had so much hope in him but now fears he may be nothing more than another disappointment. How can this pathetic old man who no longer finds solace in the teachings that turned him from farm boy on Tatooine to hero of the Rebellion be the same man who was once called "our last hope"?

"This is not going to go the way you think," says the grizzled Skywalker.  

For myself and fellow "Star Wars" fans we had no idea how right Luke would be. 

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In December of 2015, Walt Disney Studios and director J.J. Abrams released something I never thought I would live to see; a seventh episode of the "Star Wars" saga.

While the series' creator, George Lucas, was no longer involved, the reception was pretty warm overall and Disney was somewhat satisfied with how the film performed amongst fans and casual moviegoers.

Oh, who am I kidding? Disney was ecstatic! The film debuted with the largest opening weekend in  box-office history. It then wound up taking in nearly $940 million in the United States box office alone, knocking James Cameron's "Avatar" out of the top domestic spot by nearly $200 million. Statistically people of all ages, racial and ethnic groups had never been more enthusiastic about "Star Wars" in its nearly forty years of existence. For Bob Iger and the rest of the Disney executive team, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was their centerpiece of the $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. three years prior and the gamble had paid off. 

However, Disney soon learned the terrifying truth about us "Star Wars" fans; we're never satisfied.

"It's too familiar," cried some. 

"It asks too many questions and doesn't give answers," cried others. 

I'd be lying if I said I was wholly pleased myself. While I certainly liked the movie I felt it was constantly winking at itself too much, never taking itself seriously enough. It had a sort of laid back nature to the dialogue that was certainly better than the uptight nature of the prequels, but still felt too earthbound compared to the original trilogy. 

Still though, it was a fun movie that was accessible even to those who weren't fans of "Star Wars". Yet producer (and the franchise's current show runner) Kathleen Kennedy and Disney execs felt that perhaps it was time to give the fans something different.

Enter arthouse director, Rian Johnson. Hot off of his 2012 cult hit, "Looper" and his directing work on some of the best episodes of "Breaking Bad" (I also highly recommend his gang drama, "Brick"), Johnson had a vision for a "Star Wars" movie that was his own. One that he had in his head all the way back to when he was a child playing with action figures in the 1980s.

This was going to be a different "Star Wars" film. One that was the writing and directing vision of one man. It was going to be bold and strange. 

"Star Wars" fans were ready for something different. But were they ready for something THIS different?

Maybe not.

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Critics have lauded this film ever since the embargo was lifted on December 12th. Critics I love and respect such as The Guardian's Mark Kermode and "What the Flick?!"'s Christy Lemire have spoken and written endlessly about how near-perfect the film was to them. The latter of which said it's the best of the saga. Yes, seriously.

Fans on the other hand are incredibly divided. With the lowest audience score on Rotten Tomatoes for any 'Star Wars' movie (currently at 57% at the time I'm writing this), Rian Johnson's "Star Wars" film does not seem to be the ultimate fan experience that was promised by most of the promotional material. 

Upon my first viewing "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" left me more conflicted than any modern blockbuster I've ever seen 

The purist film buff in me really respects the fact that a director with a strong voice and vision was able to make the kind of movie he wanted to make, something that is becoming increasingly hard to do in the franchise film market. 

Yet, the "Star Wars" fan in me feels that Johnson's stylistic decisions range from bold and interesting to boring and long-winded to sometimes just purely baffling, all over the course of a (tad too long) two and a half hours. 

I'm left with a "Star Wars" movie that strangely features some of my favorite moments of the entire franchise, but simultaneously has sequences that really don't work and features what may be my least favorite "Star Wars" scene of all time. I'll get into what this scene is shortly. 

The elements of "The Last Jedi" that I loved, I REALLY loved. To me the meat of the film lies in the strange force triangle between Rey, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. You can tell from the minute we see Rey and Luke in their same positions that they were in at the end of the last film, this is the part of the story that Rian Johnson was most fascinated with.

I have to bring up the character of Luke Skywalker first and Mark Hamill's excellent portrayal of him throughout the film. 

A lot of fans are pissed off at what the story did with Luke, saying that it somehow betrays the character that we've come to know and love throughout the original trilogy. I don't agree with that. It stands to reason that a lot can happen in thirty years, and this character's demeanor and attitude depend entirely on how strong the backstory is. And to me it was incredibly strong. 

Luke was thought to be the one to bring balance to the force. He was in the process of starting a new Jedi order when all of a sudden he sensed darkness in his pupil and nephew, Ben Solo. Terrified of what this could mean, his fear led him to attempting to kill Ben. Ben fought back, revolted, left the Jedi order and found comfort at the training of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke. 

Hamill's performance is fantastic too. He sells that this iconic character is not the stable hero that we were left with at the end of "Return of the Jedi". Yet there are glimpses of the legendary Luke Skywalker in his eyes and in small moments where the light of the once hopeful farm boy shines through.

Alongside Hamill's Luke Skywalker are two wonderful performances from Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver as Rey and Kylo Ren. 

Their relationship is certainly one of the strangest and most engaging in "The Last Jedi". In the end, these two characters realize they are destined on two separate paths, one light and one dark. However, throughout the course of the film, the force connects them and allows them to understand things about one another that they couldn't by themselves. 

The sequence in which (Last warning: Not kidding about SPOILERS) Kylo kills Supreme Leader Snoke (sorry to anyone wanting answers on THAT character) allowing for a truly awesome battle wherein Rey and Kylo Ren work together with their lightsabers and battle Snoke's acrobatic Praetorian Guards is one of the film's greatest highlights.

For a quick moment we are led to believe that Kylo Ren may be turned back to Ben Solo, the Jedi padawan and son of Leia Organa that had been lost so long ago. But it is not to be. Something different is in the mind of the troubled Kylo.

"Let the past die, " he says, hand outstretched to Rey. "The Jedi. The Sith. Let it all die."

This moment as well as the sequence following, in which Rey and Kylo Ren destroy Luke's lightsaber, is the perfect thesis statement for "The Last Jedi".

With the film ending with the peaceful passing of Luke Skywalker and witnessing a rebirth of a new Rebellion with Rey, the titular last Jedi, at the forefront, this new "Star Wars" film respects the past, but understands that to keep this franchise going, you must look forward.

In this respect, "The Last Jedi" works splendidly.

I just wish I could say that rang true for a lot of other elements.

The majority of "The Last Jedi"'s focus is on the stories of Rey, Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker. Which is as it should be and when the film is at its best. 

However, whenever the film deviates from this course to focus on the ongoing adventures of Finn, Poe Dameron, and (I hate to say this) even Leia, the movie mostly falls flat. 

It's not that these characters can't be interesting on their own, I suppose. But Johnson's apparent lack of interest in these characters handed down from J.J. Abrams seems quite noticable. 

Finn was a character I had a big problem with in "The Force Awakens". It's not that John Boyega is a bad actor or seemed to have trouble bringing that character to life, but I felt Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams' evolution of the character from an intriguing, emotionally conflicted turncoat for the First Order into a bit of a jokester was not a smooth transition at all. In the end it made for a less intriguing character than I thought I was going to witness.

While Finn is less obnoxious with his tendency to make non-"Star Wars"y jokes, his character here is still kinda one note and boring. His mission to the casino planet of Canto Bight is also one of the film's weakest moments.

This whole casino sequence is built around looking for someone who knows how to open a door. When we get to the character of Benicio Del Toro's DJ (whose not even the character they're looking for in the first place) after about twenty minutes of wandering around a weird set with admittedly cool looking creatures, you stop and wonder what the whole point of this sequence was.  

Luckily, however,  Finn is joined by series newcomer Kelly Marie Tran as the spunky Rose Tico. Rose is the epitome of what I love about "Star Wars". A character who comes from loss and has always been looked down upon. It's the classic underdog story that "Star Wars" is all about, from Anakin Skywalker to Luke Skywalker.

Rose also delivers what may be my favorite line in the film. After laying her life on the line for Finn, she is battered and bloody when she gives Finn words of wisdom.

"We're not going to win this war by fighting those we hate," she says. "But saving the ones we love."

Rose is a great character and I hope she won't have to be to attached to Finn in Episode IX so that she can really make her own mark on the saga.

I wish I could say the same for the two other substantial newcomers. Benicio Del Toro's hacker DJ and Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo wound up being massive disappointments for me. 

Benicio Del Toro continues his losing streak from 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" as being woefully miscast in a science fiction blockbuster. He doesn't know whether to be incredibly over-the-top or silent and cool. It all amalgamates into a performance that winds up being more of a nuisance than anything.

I was also truly disappointed to see how uninteresting Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Holdo was. 

I'm a big fan of Laura Dern in all her work from "Blue Velvet" to "Jurassic Park" all the way to the latest season of "Twin Peaks", and was certainly interested to see what she brought to the "Star Wars" universe. 

Sadly, however, her thin plot line with Oscar Isaac's cocky Poe Dameron wasn't all too interesting. We're supposed to really understand how much they distrust each other's leadership, but we only get two or three short scenes of them together and we're never really able to form an opinion of her one way or the other. That weird mutiny subplot also felt like something more suited for "Star Trek". 

And while the scene in which she hyperdrives her ship into the oncoming star destroyers is an incredibly beautiful image, you can't help but wonder how much more emotionally satisfying her sacrifice might have been if we got to know her a little more. 

Alright, no more beating around the bush. Enough with the nitpicks and the quibbles I have with some of the subplots. Let's talk about the scene in "The Last Jedi" that I hate with the burning passion equivalent of twin suns outside Tatooine. 

Before I get into it I have to preface with the fact that the scene is one that focuses on Leia, and I have to make it absolutely clear that the loss of Carrie Fisher is incredibly devastating. It's a loss that is felt amongst all true "Star Wars" fans and when Leia tells Luke, "I'm glad you're here. At the end," I was nearly reduced to tears.

Her performance was lovely and strong. Even if I didn't completely invest in all the storylines she was involved in she gives it her all and it's a wonderful swan song for General Leia Organa.

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BUT LEIA SURVIVING THE VACUUM OF SPACE AND USING THE FORCE TO FLOAT BACK TO HER DAMAGED SHIP IS SO RIDICULOUS!

It's a ridiculous concept and the execution of it is ridiculously goofy with terrible looking CGI and all!

The embarrassing thing is that I think Rian Johnson thought this would be a truly crowd-pleasing moment. We've never seen Leia fully embrace the force. Sure she's been able to sense when people were in danger, but people were rightfully annoyed when they saw how little she had progressed in the ways of the force by the time we arrived at "The Force Awakens".

So I guess I understand why Johnson thought this scene would be a moment fans would be giving a standing ovation too. I guess.

In the end though it comes off truly silly and distracting. Aside from all the rules set up by the franchise that this throws out the window, what really bothers me is that now that the pandora's box is open, can any force-sensitive person survive being blown out into space? I guess Luke, Obi-Wan, Anakin, or any other Jedi in this universe really has nothing to fear when they are flying through space in a ship now, huh?

I'm sorry. I'm going too far. I'll leave it alone now. But it really bothered me watching it the first time and I think it was so distracting that it forced me to be extra cautious and nit picky while watching the rest of the movie. 

As the dust clears on everything that happened with "The Last Jedi", there's only one thing that matters to the very few people reading this; did I like the movie?

The answer is simple; yes. I liked the movie. I very nearly loved the movie. I'm still not sure where it ranks in the grand ranking with the rest of the saga, but I'm sure it'll be clearer once I give a couple more viewings.

I understand that this movie is controversial. I completely sympathize with those who love it and those who hate it. It's a strange movie, one that might mess with how a lot of fan's view the force and might not give them all the answers they want. I understand that.

I watched it a second time last night with an infinitely more enthusiastic audience than my initial viewing, and it certainly worked a lot better. It felt more like a "Star Wars" movie and the subplots and moments I didn't like probably only consisted of about 45-50 minutes of the movie. For a movie that's nearly two and a half hours long, that's not too bad. 

The stuff I loved in this movie, I loved so much.

The final act battle sequence, by the way, is wonderful. Easily ranking with the Battle of Yavin or Battle of Hoth as one of the best action set pieces of the franchise.

Lord knows it doesn't get everything right, but when it does it can be "Star Wars" at its best.

In the end it takes the franchise I love in a new direction and that is very exciting, indeed. 

Bring on Episode IX!

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Wait. What? First there's a Han Solo prequel movie?! OH, COME ON!!!!