dir. and written by Rian Johnson
Star Wars has been successful for 40 years. It's a testament to the strength of this franchise that it's never fallen from the popular consciousness, but it's also a testament to the sheer force of marketing which has always surrounded these films. Any franchise as successful as this risks falling victim to complacency, delivering exactly what its fans expect for fear of alienating them, and while The Force Awakens gloriously tip-toed the line between paying tribute to all that came before it while still providing a new, exciting future for this universe, its deviations from series formula were related to theme and character, whereas its plot structure remained similar to the the original film from 1977, albeit purposefully so.
The Last Jedi matches its predecessor for thematic impact, fascinating characters, and astonishing action scenes, but it adds an almost total refusal to give in to fan expectations, and this is what makes it a more challenging and ultimately superior movie. There's nothing predictable about this latest Star Wars, which renders it ultimately more mysterious than this franchise has been in ages, and it benefits further from the considerable skill of director Rian Johnson, who is among the greatest visual stylists to ever operate on this universe. It's a long, often grim, at times even surprisingly talky, and yet it's also relentlessly gripping, punctured by strong comedic beats and some of the greatest action scenes the series has ever seen. Despite all of its idiosyncrasy, this is unmistakably Star Wars at its very finest.
Like The Empire Strikes Back, The Last Jedi is a film about survival. The Resistance, increasingly isolated in its fight against the First Order, is being chased. They have no way of hiding from the Order's unfathomable technology, and their only hope lies in seemingly desperate gambits. Rey (Daisy Ridley), for instance, is attempting to win over Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last survivor of the Jedi Order, who wants nothing to do with the Force. Meanwhile, Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and new character Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) struggle to come up with ways to counter the First Order's technology, especially in the absence of communication from commander Holdo (Laura Dern), who has become the Resistance's interim leader in the absence of Leia Organa (the late, great Carrie Fisher). Also meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) strives to destroy the Resistance, and Rey in particular, desperate to prove himself after his failure in the previous film.
That's a lot to take in, and there's more characters on top of that, but it's a testament to The Last Jedi's storytelling that it's never confusing. Ultimately, it all comes down to four different stories, which further intersect into two parallel narratives. Rey and Luke take up one storyline, and another is taken up by Finn and Rose enacting their desperate plan, and to a lesser extent Poe back on the Resistance's main cruiser. Kylo Ren occasionally has scenes separate from those narratives, but more commonly intersects them, eventually taking up an unusual corner in the Rey/Luke storyline. These two storylines never entirely merge until the very end, but there are consistent thematic threads which tie them all together.
So many plot points in The Last Jedi attempt to engage with an idea of "the past." The Force Awakens was concerned with how old myths inspire new ones, whereas this new film wishes to discard those old myths entirely and wash them out in favour of something new. The original trilogy's sober reverence for history is here replaced with a thoughtful engagement of it, dismantling the mythical imagery the series has built up and instead attempting to find an answer for how to move forward. That's not to say that the film is painfully on-the-nose, as its sprawling 2.5 hour running time is used to explore a variety of fresh concepts and compelling ideas, but rather that The Last Jedi actively grapples with the mythic stature of its own history, and things which have so often worked in Star Wars past are freshly upended here, up to and including desperate acts of heroism.
All of the characters whom were so fascinating in the previous film are presented in new detail here, most notably Rey, whose fixation on her past is deepened and darkened, and Kylo Ren, who early on has his entire thematic significance inverted. Joining the crew is Rose, who has her own hints of fascinating backstory, and while she's not the most complex member of the Star Wars ensemble, she easily matches the more established characters for charisma, and brings unique experiences and personality traits to the table. Best of all is Luke Skywalker, who's brought to life with an impressively melancholic performance from Hamill, and who provides the film's most nuanced and fascinating perspectives on the subject of history and myth.
For much of its second act, The Last Jedi is surprisingly conversation-heavy, and yet due both to those endearing characters and a strong sense of narrative focus, it never drags. Interspersed throughout are fight scenes which are among the franchise's best, culminating in a gorgeous, intense, and altogether terrific sequence which is as thrilling and visually dynamic as anything these movies have ever done. Rian Johnson, who previously established a reputation with films like 2012's brilliant Looper, piles on one fresh visual idea after another, combining George Lucas's restless imagination with J.J. Abrams's dignified craftsmanship. This is easily among the grimmest films in the entire Star Wars saga, potentially even outstripping the prestigious Empire Strikes Back in that regard, and yet it's still a blast, cutting through its heavy tone with consistently inventive one-liners and sight gags, alongside all of those brilliant action scenes.
Most importantly, The Last Jedi rejects the plot-before-all approach of the modern blockbuster, where films are constructed from hooks to sell other films and puzzles for its audience to solve. This new film's story doesn't reward speculation and theorizing. Instead, it rewards interpretation. It invites its audience to identify with characters, recognize themes, and contemplate meaning. And in the process, it's excitingly unpredictable, grimly neglecting the lingering questions of the previous film when it doesn't outright discard them. None of this is to say that the film isn't recognizably Star Wars, as it's filled with rousing spectacle, overwhelming scale, thrilling adventure, and an ever-growing, always-inspiring world. But, after The Force Awakens populated these worlds with new faces, what The Last Jedi does is follow that trend and infuse that glorious world with yet more novelty.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is one of the boldest franchise blockbusters in recent memory, at once thoughtful and exciting, expanding on everything which made its predecessor so great while providing the next step in the series's ongoing journey of change and reinvention. This is a Star Wars film not content to reward its fans just for sticking around, and which instead attempts to engage them with its themes and challenge them with its subversive, unpredictable narrative. As one of the few franchises which can actually justify engaging with itself as myth, what's great about this new Star Wars isn't just that it keeps finding such fascinating ways to do so, but also that it can still be such rousing, exhilarating entertainment in the process, embodying so much of what makes this series great while providing a wholly new twist on its core themes and ideas. Star Wars has been around for a long time, but these new entries excel not just by reflecting on themselves, but also by providing an appealing future all their own.
10/10
+ Thrilling insistence on subverting expectations.
+ Fascinatingly expands on its predecessor's self-reflection, and contains captivating themes all its own.
+ Several of the franchise's all-time best action scenes.
+ Appealing, charismatic new characters, and brilliant new perspectives from old ones.
+ Achieves a sublime balance between some of the grimmest plot points in Star Wars history and the trademark optimism which defines so much of the franchise.
- Climax is slightly prolonged.
Thank you to my Patreon supporters:
Todd Throndson
VioletWisp
Support me on Patreon!
No comments:
Post a Comment