*Directed by Rian Johnson
*Starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwnedoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benico del Toro, Billie Lourd
NO SPOILERS! THIS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!
The Plot: So I want to really sum things up considering the trailers gave virtually nothing away and I feel I should be courteous and allow my fellow readers to go in as blind as possible. Taking place right after the events of The Force Awakens, the Resistance is facing the First Order's heavy forces with their unstoppable fleet and in the meantime Rey finds Luke on a planet where he's located on a deserted island, which is an ancient Jedi temple, and Luke needs to be persuaded by Rey in order to join their cause in this Rebellion.
I don't really need to get into all the details since there were a total of 9 posts discussing my love for this franchise, but to sum it all up I'm a massive Star Wars fan and have been for such a long time now. Of course, I was going to see this movie! Of course, I was pumped out of my mind to see it and buy my tickets opening night! I was ready and I only watched the two trailers and didn't bother to listen to a lot of speculation videos or podcasts or watch any of the TV spots. I just wanted to go in as blind as possible and have myself a spectacular time! I am now truly happy to say that this film was worth the wait because The Last Jedi was everything I could've ever wanted it to be not just as a Star Wars film, but a film in general. It was something that I wasn't expecting, but in the best possible ways.
I think it's easy to go into a film like this that you're just hyping up and thinking about what will bring YOU joy in the movie regarding how a plot point plays out or see what character arcs build into. I don't want to get into what happens and doesn't happen because I'll save that for my spoiler review, but for me I absolutely adored this movie because I accepted it for the movie it turned out to be and seeing the story that Rian Johnson wanted to tell. I'm not saying you have to accept the movie if you know there are glaring flaws in it that bother you, but if you truly love it for how it turned out, then embrace it. Love the movie because of how it brought you joy and what certain scenes and moments moved you.
I will say that without getting into spoilers is that the film has an excellent hold of its characters. I mean all the acting talents were tremendous and I don't need to break down every single actor and character. Universally, I'd say every single actor knocked it out of the park. But I will say that the relationships between all these characters works and you truly feel the chemistry between certain characters whether it was Finn, Poe, BB-8, and newcomer Rose formulating an enticing plan, Rey persuading Luke, Rey confronting Kylo, or Kylo confronting Snoke, I totally felt that these were actual characters working together as a team, having a true friendship bond, or there was believable tension.
I was also amazed by how certain character arcs were building and just going places that I didn't expect them to go. The Force Awakens did such an excellent job of setting up and building up these new characters, but in that regard The Last Jedi takes it a step further. We see these characters go to new places that we haven't seen before and have us look at this grand story with new eyes. Rian Johnson understood these characters and did a phenomenal job taking them in directions that I was not expecting them to go.
Also, not to mention that Rian Johnson's direction for this film from a pure filmmaking standpoint was utterly flawless. This may be the best looking Star Wars film to date. There was incredible cinematography work and so many shots in this movie that I will never forget for a very long time! They're completely embedded in my skull! The use of sound in some sequences was also really brilliant to go along with such stupendous visuals and I don't just mean CGI. The framing of these shots and the use of color made the images on screen incredibly eye-popping!
The film does have it's fair share of darker scenes, but it also has a fine balance of bringing in a great sense of humor, which adds another layer of strong personalities for these characters. And personality is what good characters need to make them believable on screen. They need motivations that make them relatable, where you can understand where they're coming from, and why the story has to go in a certain direction because of how these characters effect everything. Also, the movie is just so entertaining to watch that on top of the humor and believable characters it just makes the film so much fun and very compelling to watch.
I can't tell you how many times there were so many "YES" moments where I just wanted to fist pump in the air every time something awesome happened. What The Last Jedi had to accomplish in telling its story and taking characters in certain directions that form a whole new perspective in how I indulge in said story truly reminds me why I love film as an art-form!
Also, the film was just such an incredible blast to sit through with all the big moments that happened! As a Star Wars film it works in continuing it's story, but also shows us the amazing things of what film can do in telling its story and showcasing characters in directions we have not yet explored. It's definitely a thinking Star Wars movie, very complex, and was really character driven and because of that it transcended a lot of Star Wars films I've adored in my lifetime. For this movie expect the unexpected and you'll be pretty darn surprised by the outcome!
Verdict: A+
Yes, it's probably one of my shortest reviews on this blog because there are so many spoilers to talk about with this film, but seeing it three times now I really did go with my gut on this one and couldn't think of a single itty-bitty thing about it that took me out of the experience. As someone who loves and enjoys watching films I felt this movie succeeded in every capacity! I wasn't just going to give it a perfect grade because it was Star Wars because not all Star Wars movies are perfect! But I thought The Last Jedi had bold creative decisions and will always remain a classic to me.
Stay tuned this week because at some point I will post my spoiler-filled thoughts on this movie as well as some thoughts on the overall response this film's been getting. It's quite...interesting to say the least.
You guys are all absolutely wonderful and, if you want to, check out my other Star Wars reviews with a link to that page down below as well as links to my social media pages if you want to check back on other updates for my little blog here:
Twitter and Instagram: @alexjcorey
THANK YOU all so much for reading! I really mean it! As always see some great freakin' entertainment. Take care and May the Force be with you. Always. :-)
Comments