The Last Jedi

[Mirror Image]

I finally watched The Last Jedi today as it seemed like as good of a day as any. I watched it around 1PM so there were no kids or really hardly anyone in the theater. Let me say, first of all, that I enjoyed it immensely. In fact, when I left the theater, it took me about an hour to shake off some of the shock value the film had as I was kind of walking around in a daze. Anyone who said this doesn't feel like a Star Wars needs to go ahead and take a hike right now. This is as much of a Star Wars film as The Enforcer was a part of the Dirty Harry series. Rian Johnson made a difficult film and not difficult as in hard to follow, but he nailed the essence of this series and, yes, I do feel he brought something new to it in terms of the development of plots and the general story. He added layers and layers of character conflict and threw in several monkey wrenches to hook you. This, my fellow GMGers, is what a good Star Wars should be. I could definitely see it again and look forward to it since there's still so much to dissect within The Last Jedi. This is the first time since The Return of the Jedi where I was left thinking about all the events that had just transpired and, for me, this is a good thing. Popcorn munching entertainment? Yes, but, IMHO, Star Wars can be much more than that, which Johnson brilliantly demonstrated.

[kyjo]

I finally watched The Last Jedi today as it seemed like as good of a day as any. I watched it around 1PM so there were no kids or really hardly anyone in the theater. Let me say, first of all, that I enjoyed it immensely. In fact, when I left the theater, it took me about an hour to shake off some of the shock value the film had as I was kind of walking around in a daze. Anyone who said this doesn't feel like a Star Wars needs to go ahead and take a hike right now. This is as much of a Star Wars film as The Enforcer was a part of the Dirty Harry series. Rian Johnson made a difficult film and not difficult as in hard to follow, but he nailed the essence of this series and, yes, I do feel he brought something new to it in terms of the development of plots and the general story. He added layers and layers of character conflict and threw in several monkey wrenches to hook you. This, my fellow GMGers, is what a good Star Wars should be. I could definitely see it again and look forward to it since there's still so much to dissect within The Last Jedi. This is the first time since The Return of the Jedi where I was left thinking about all the events that had just transpired and, for me, this is a good thing. Popcorn munching entertainment? Yes, but, IMHO, Star Wars can be much more than that, which Johnson brilliantly demonstrated.

So glad you enjoyed it, John, and I totally agree. Johnson managed to create a film that is both immensely entertaining and thought-provoking. I, too, felt shaken and dazed after seeing it for the first time - an effect which is surely the mark of a great film.

[Alek Hidell]

The reveal of Rey's ancestry was a significant departure for a franchise that had previously been largely about the Destiny of the Chosen One. A welcome departure, for me, but apparently not for everyone.

The tendency for Plan That Is So Crazy It Just Might Work to not actually work was a similarly welcome, for me, departure.

The film is not perfect — it probably should have been trimmed a bit, and some of the jokes were really obvious — but overall, count me as a fan on one viewing.

I agree with you completely, Pat B. I was glad to learn that Rey's parents were (ostensibly) "nobodies." It would have been so easy to have her be Kylo Ren's long-lost sister, or the daughter Luke never knew he had, or something.

I was pleased by the Plan So Crazy part, too. I only realized after the movie was over that the plan with the "codebreaker" never came to fruition and that things worked out another way. A refreshing change from the usual movie cliché. (Speaking of which, Benicio del Toro's performance is one of the film's highlights.)

The only thing I'll say about the directing is that anyone is better than George Lucas. I don't care if he's associated with the franchise or not, just don't let him sit in the director's chair.

[Mirror Image]

So glad you enjoyed it, John, and I totally agree. Johnson managed to create a film that is both immensely entertaining and thought-provoking. I, too, felt shaken and dazed after seeing it for the first time - an effect which is surely the mark of a great film.

Thanks, Kyle. It's good to know that I wasn't the only one who was shaken up or 'rattled' by the film. I actually liked how the character of Luke Skywalker had been developed. I mean in the beginning of the The Last Jedi it felt like he was out of his mind (kind of like a human Yoda in this particular regard). The twists were ones that I didn't really expect and what I loved was how everything kind of rested on Skywalker in the end. Quite powerful and, as you said, thought-provoking. There were moments where I actually shed a tear as I'm just so thrilled to see Star Wars finally going somewhere and continue to be amazed at what Disney has done with the franchise so far. Of course, there's always going to be the naysayers who think that Lucas is some sort of god-like figure and that everything that doesn't have his involvement is junk. I say let them talk! They'll run out of air eventually.

[kyjo]

Thanks, Kyle. It's good to know that I wasn't the only one who was shaken up or 'rattled' by the film. I actually liked how the character of Luke Skywalker had been developed. I mean in the beginning of the The Last Jedi it felt like he was out of his mind (kind of like a human Yoda in this particular regard). The twists were ones that I didn't really expect and what I loved was how everything kind of rested on Skywalker in the end. Quite powerful and, as you said, thought-provoking. There were moments where I actually shed a tear as I'm just so thrilled to see Star Wars finally going somewhere and continue to be amazed at what Disney has done with the franchise so far. Of course, there's always going to be the naysayers who think that Lucas is some sort of god-like figure and that everything that doesn't have his involvement is junk. I say let them talk! They'll run out of air eventually.

I, too, shed a tear or two over the course of the film I completely agree and I think that Disney has not only breathed new life into the Star Wars franchise, but has elevated it to a whole new level. There, I said it!