Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

When I returned home from the midnight screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi at my local Cineworld,

I found myself wanting see what others thought of the film, to see if their views tallied with my own judgments.

So, I went straight to Google and searched ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review’ clicking on the first result,

and what I read inspired me to write this. What angered me about the review I read relates to the trope

that the prequel Star Wars films are some sort of joke, a stain on the Star Wars legacy. I am a huge fan

off all of the Star Wars films, but I grew up with the prequels, I was introduced to Star Wars through the

prequel trilogy and personally I enjoy them. Yes, they may not be perfect, but I don't really understand

why it has become ‘cool’ to dislike them.  

In the review I read it stated that Star Wars: The Last Jedi makes huge strives to separate itself from the

prequel trilogy however from my viewing experience I disagree. For starters Luke Skywalker (Mark

Hamill) references the events of the prequels. It is a reflective statement on Luke's past and the past of

the Jedi order. If nothing more the prequels offer history to the original films adding depth to the Star

Wars universe. Furthermore, the statement also seems to be some sort of reasoning; Luke using the events of the prequels as a reason for

the Jedi Order to end. This line relies on the viewer having watched the prequels to fully understand Luke's

reasoning. But that's not all, I noticed a great deal of links, even mirroring between Star Wars: The Last Jedi

and Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith. In one sequence Kylo-Ren (Adam Driver) says to Rey

(Daisy Ridley) ‘We can rule the galaxy together’ this is incredibly similar to the line Anakin (Hayden

Christensen) says to Padme (Natalie Portman). ‘The Last Jedi’ also plays with mirroring between

Darth Vader and Kylo-Ren, they both destroy a Jedi temple for example. The shot of Kylo-Ren walking into the rebel

base at the end of the movie is almost the same as the scene when Anakin walks into the Jedi

temple in Revenge of the Sith. This is evidence, the film does not distance itself from the prequels rather it links itself to them, just as it

links itself to the Originals. Furthermore, Kylo-Ren says ‘Let the past die’ repeatedly, to me this line it's not

the films way of saying let's move on from the prequels like some would interpret. Rather it is a way

of saying this is the start of a new generation of Star Wars and we should move on from both the

prequels and the originals.   

The Film itself is split into two parts: absurd and absolutely awesome. The opening works

well, with the ever heroic Poe (Oscar Isaac) taking on more than he can handle. But after the opening

battle the film succumbs to clunky narrative, full of almost unnecessary plots. With the

introduction of far too many new characters and haphazard editing that jumps from one character to the

next at seemingly random moments. Finn (John Boyega) is largely part of this clunky narrative, which

does not allow his character to shine until the end. The introduction of Rose (Kelly Marie Tan) is a

welcome one, she is clever, witty and brave and a great addition to the film. Sadly other characters

such as R2-D2 are given an unsatisfactory amount of screen time which will be disappointing for most.

Luckily the clunky-ness is over within about 30 minutes, I am not saying that these 30 minutes are

unenjoyable, they are backed up by a great dose of Marvel Avengers style humour which is enjoyable

if a little out of place at times. Then the film becomes what I can only describe as AWESOME!

From lightsabre fights, narrative twist after narrative twist to stunning visuals. The Last Jedi finally comes

into its strive. The real surprise of this film is the relationship between Rey and Kylo-Ren, the film

focuses on the complexity of who they are in relation to one another. This relationship takes an

unexpected turn that leads to an unforgettable scene. We are given a look at the softer side of Kylo at points, which is refreshing.

I do not wish to spoil any more of the film all I will say is Luke was not wrong when he said ‘This will

not go the way you think’ in the trailer.  

Overall, I would give Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4 out of  5 stars, simply because I cannot ignore the in

part clunky narrative. However, I will be watching this film time and time again because it truly is

entertaining and a great sequel to The Force Awakens whilst being incredibly original. Hopefully others

will agree with my opinion that the film does not strive to separate itself from the prequels and some day

the stigma towards them may fade.

Please let me know what you think of the prequels and what you

thought of Star Wars The Last Jedi in the comments below.