Director: Rian Johnson
Writers: Rian Johnson, George Lucas
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill
Rating - 9/10
The first question you want to ask is – is it good? Yes. In fact, it is very good. As Skywalker Saga films go, I’d put it a beat behind IV, V and VII – which is high praise indeed. Is it perfect? Certainly not. But I will tell you this – it doesn’t give you a minute. I came out of the cinema shattered and emotionally drained with a boat load of new questions.
Firstly, this review is SPOLIER-FREE! I may stray into a few plot points but none of the twists (naturally there are a few – hey its Star Wars!) will be revealed.
Let’s get into the meat of it. There are roughly three main storylines running through this film - 1) Rey 2) Fin and 3) the Resistance. And Rey’s storyline is a belter. The character arcs for Rey and Kylo Ren are superb and the acting by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver is up there with some of the best I have seen this year.
Adam Driver will pull most of the plaudits (and rightly so) because his is a testosterone-filled, adolescent rage-fest with a dash of unpredictability. Previously I wasn’t much sold on Kylo Ren. He was a cheap version of Darth Vader with added daddy issues. Yet here, Driver moves the character from wannabe bit-player to predatorial figurehead with real complexity and a brooding style. You can genuinely feel his inner conflict of the dark side and the light entwined with the continuing pain of killing Han. I can’t wait to see where he takes him in Episode IX.
However, we must not overlook the contrasting subtlety of Daisy Ridley’s portrayal of Rey. There is so much going on within her and you are never 100% sure what she’s going to do next. Rey’s journey and internal battles are just as complex as Ren’s but are delivered in a much more understated way. There is also humour. She lightens up even the most intense scenes. My only criticism here is there isn’t enough Rey and Fin screen time because that is what gave The Force Awakens its real charm.
Whilst I have strayed into the negatives I will point out a few more. 1) *whispers*…. it’s a bit too long. I never thought I would say that I want less Star Wars for my money. But there are a few times where it sags a bit and there is a slight ‘Return of the King-esque’ false ending. 2) Fin’s storyline is the weakest of the three. It’s not poor – not by a long shot – but it doesn’t carry the same weight, energy or excitement as the others. And this is coming from someone who was wearing a FN-2187 t-shirt whilst watching the film. This leads to the third criticism – the film is a bit disjointed and, ironically, unbalanced. Rey’s storyline holds much more weight than the others and even though Fin was trying to help both Rey and the Resistance it didn’t feel as important. Saying that there’s a lovely chemistry between Fin and Rose.
Ok, let’s move away from the negativity. This has all those wonderful things you love about Star Wars – Leia (oh Carrie how we love and miss you dearly – and the tribute to her will make you shed a tear), Luke, Chewie, fantastic droids, great characters and creatures (old and new), warm nostalgic touches and a score to end all scores. It isn’t quite as funny as other Star Wars films, and that is because there is a Han shaped hole in the film.
Also, if you are hoping Episode VIII will answer your gajillion questions from VII then you’d be about half right. It answers some, but then throws up a tonne more and even leaves you wondering who to believe. Luke? Ren?
Oh and Porgs are quite cute – but not as cute as BB-8 and my new favourite creatures are the Caretakers of Ach-To. I love those guys. And one last word for General Hux. Just the baddie we always hoped for and now have. Perfection!
To summarise - Last Jedi is a rip-roaring, emotionally fuelled, full-throttle space race battle which could be described as Mad Max: Fury Road in space (with Leia as the original Furiosa). It certainly doesn’t disappoint and you may need a lie down afterwards.
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