Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi

Written Review By : Adolph Vega

3D

Sadly the 3D element for this movie is wildly inconsistent. Many scenes the 3D was totally absent and not noticeable. Other scenes the 3D was very nice and added to the fun. One chase scene within a cave looked very nice in 3D. Another scene as people looked down a huge cliff the 3D depth was very helpful to make the height more menacing. Overall I am happy with the 3D visuals for this movie, but they are far from a necessity to enjoy the film. 

Final Verdict: Good 3D

Movie

‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’ is a dramatically different movie than I expected it to be. Many times it takes the lore from the previous films and discards or changes it. Where things were previously black and white, now many shades of gray are present. Many people complained that the previous movie in this franchise (Episode VII: The Force Awakens) was too safe and too familiar, so this movie boldly treks into a new direction and is a very different kind of ‘Star Wars’ film. It is very difficult to explain why this movie is so different without spoiling the movie, so I will try to keep this review brief and as spoiler free as I possibly can.

‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’ continues the story of Finn, Rey, Poe and more within the rebellion. The first order led by the Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren are trying to eradicate the rebellion and fully take over the galaxy. Rey seeks training and mentoring from the legendary Luke Skywalker, but is he interested in helping Rey? The movie is split up into three separate but interlinked plots. All of the plots eventually join together for an epic conclusion. This movie is very slow paced for a “Star Wars” movie. The slowness of this movie didn’t bother me because I was totally drawn into this story and the characters. The movie is beautiful to look at with stunning cinematography, fantastic special effects, excellent camera work, gorgeous locations and excellent creature design. This movie really develops the ‘Star Wars’ universe and makes for a more diverse a more complex narrative. Mark Hamill reprises his role as Luke Skywalker and I adore this older more jaded version of this character. This performance is both interesting and very different than what you might expect. I also love Carrie Fisher’s role of Leia. Leia is strong woman that has a commanding warm presence on screen. It saddens me that Carrie Fisher tragically died in 2016, and this will be her final performance in this iconic role. I really enjoyed the new character of Rose. Rose’s casino subplot may at first glance seem frivolous, but it adds more depth to the universe, and teaches a valuable lesson to several characters. Overall the story is nearly perfectly executed and I was captivated from beginning to end.

The movie is not perfect and I do have some minor problems with it. Some of the jokes and gags fall flat and at times the comedy feels forced. The pacing can be dramatically different depending on which subplot the movie focuses on and this can be jarring to the viewer. At times the movie purposefully teases the audience with hanging plot threads that are not fully resolved. I don’t care if all plot threads are never fully resolved, I enjoy the mysterious grandeur of it all. The issues I had with the movie are trivial and don’t dramatically hurt my enjoyment of this movie.  

In closing this movie is superb film making and this is my favorite “Star Wars” movie in the franchise. The movie has many fun twists and turns and at times purposely subverts the expectations of the viewer and I respect that. I can understand how some hardcore fans are exasperated by this movie, but I am wowed by it. New blood has been transfused into this long standing franchise, and future “Star Wars” movies will never be the same after this movie. ‘Last Jedi’ is more complex, more cerebral, and boldly goes where no “Star Wars” movie has gone before and I applaud it.

Final Verdict: 9 / 10, Editors Choice Movie Award

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