Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi - Review

"Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters" – A review of Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. 

Oh, Star Wars, my beloved, what have they done to you? I had so much hope in my heart when new films were released, but alas, I just didn't love The Force Awakens. Surely, The Last Jedi would be better…?

Oh, if only.

Luke Skywalker has been living a solitary, peaceful existence on the ocean planet Ahch-To – until his peace is disturbed by a young woman who is clearly strong in the Force, Rey. Determined to learn the ways of the Jedi, a reluctant Luke begins her training, whilst the Resistance, led by once Princess now General Leia, are under attack by Kylo Ren, General Hux and the First Order as a whole. The stakes are high – would the Galaxy fall to the First Order and darkness?

I so, so badly wanted to love this film. I mean, we had Luke for more than a single scene! The legendary Mark Hamill back in a legendary role, surely this would be brilliant! Oh, how wrong I was. Gone was the optimistic Jedi from the original trilogy, replaced with a Luke who came across as bitter, disillusioned and isolated, a hermit who had walked away from being a Jedi and from his original, hopeful nature. Even Hamill himself wasn't sure of the character initially, and I must admit I found this change to be truly sad – what's the opposite of character development? This was not the Luke I was looking for.

Pacing is an issue too; the central plot centres on a chase scene, with the First Order very slowly chasing the Resistance through space. The First Order has managed to track the Resistance at every turn, including in hyperspace, so the Resistance can't just warp to safety – and this causes some major issues in my opinion. Could the First Order not have had some of its Star Destroyers warp ahead of the Resistance fleet to surround them? Could the Resistance fleet not have split up, with some warping ahead, leaving the First Order to track the flagship but ultimately getting the rest of the Resistance to safety? On top of these issues, though, is a bigger one – I just didn't find it fun to watch. It was slow, and I would go as far as to say it was in fact dull.

This isn't the only pacing issue though; the Canto Bight subplot was slow, and it simply distracted from the main plot. It didn't add anything, it didn't enhance the film, it just felt like filler, which is such a shame. On top of this, I had some major issues with the writing; I love the sarcastic, witty dialogue of the original films, and seeing some of the original cast return had me hoping for more of this, yet what we got was jarring, Marvel-Esque humour which just doesn't sit right in the franchise. I love a witty one liner – what I don't want, in my high stake's science fiction, is comedy which borders on, or crosses the line into, slapstick.

Visually, the film was stunning. I can't complain at how it looked – lightsaber battles were fast paced and fun, locations were stunning, and the cinematography as a whole was excellent. The performances were strong too – my issues didn't lie with the actors, but with the characters, with a specific focus on Luke – although I must recognise the dynamic between Rey, played by Daisy Ridley and Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, which was excellent. This is what makes me so sad, I think; there are aspects of this film which are excellent, but a slow plot and weird character development really let the film down. Sadly, this film had me swiftly losing faith in the Force.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

Share Article: