Directed by:
Rian JohnsonScreenplay:
Rian JohnsonCinematography:
Steve YedlinComposer:
John WilliamsCast:
Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Domhnall Gleeson, Benicio Del Toro, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern (more)VOD (4)
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In Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past. (Walt Disney US)
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Well, it was good, but probably not essential. Rian Johnson goes in a slightly different direction than Episode VII and so far I like it. It's darker, more personal, and it's not nearly as easy to determine who's good and who's bad. It's a shame though that only a few characters get this interesting treatment, because then it's all the more obvious that there are a lot of other kinda extra characters. Their charisma and even their own little backstories aren't very interesting or important, and even this time around I didn't feel the same way about Star Wars that I did with the original trilogy. On the other hand, the effort to go a different route and the courage to be grittier and meaner towards the heroes pays off, because it shows that Star Wars could offer more than just spectacular and perfectly done blockbuster entertainment in the future. But it's probably still going to be a while.
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A few spoiler-ish remarks on the facts contributing to my opinion that The Last Jedi is the best episode of the Star Wars series (a hair better than The Empire Strikes Back, which this film – like other parts of the saga – in many ways mirrors or even boldly revises): 1) Both films interweave three central conflicts – intergenerational, class and between the light and dark sides of the force (all dialogue scenes between Kylo and Rey as well as the dialogue Rey carries on with herself). Eager young heroes make rash decisions, which generally end badly for them. If they had listened to their older and more experienced masters, they could have avoided some complications. However, generational change is unavoidable. Therefore, it is a matter of whether the young rebels entirely reject or take inspiration from the teachings of their predecessors. The ability to be an inspiration to the younger generation is decisive for the storyline with enslaved children on the planet Canto Bight. In order for the bourgeoisie to enjoy themselves, someone has to work. The final scene indicates that this exploitation may be the impetus for a class revolution. 2) Luke explains to his apprentice that the force does not come only from inside a Jedi, but is founded on balance with the world around him. An example of a person who has achieved harmony with nature is Luke himself, who can get by with the gifts that the island offers him (there is a good reason for the maligned milking scene; it serves as more than just a comical aside). Later, we twice witness how listening to nature saves the heroes’ lives – Finn and Rose escape from Canto Bight thanks to ungulates resembling a horse-llama hybrid, the last insurgents find their way out of the cave thanks to arctic (crystalline) foxes. 3) The film repeatedly and intentionally does not fulfil our expectations and does not build myths, but instead casts doubt on and demolishes them; it does not play according to the rules that the previous episodes followed, thanks to which it is a very stimulating viewing experience. The film does not allow us only to passively watch it and tick off “mandatory items”. Jedi training is terminated prematurely; the expedition to Canto Bight ends in fiasco (though the gifting of the ring to the boy will probably play out in a significant way in the next episode); the main nemesis dies much sooner than you would expect; with the exception of the initial action sequence, the good guys find themselves on the defensive, almost constantly running away from someone and trying to save lives, which is fully in accordance with the motto of the eighth episode – it does not make sense to fight what we hate, but to save what we love. 4) The whole thing looks incredibly good. It is obvious that the filmmakers cared deeply about the compositions, and put a lot of thought into the choice of lenses, the size of the shots and the colour contrasts (how they play with red and white at the end is breathtaking). In short, compared to other franchise genre movies, the camera work here not only fulfils a practical function, but it lays claim to an Oscar nomination with almost every shot. 5) The Last Jedi is truly funny and truly sombre (where neither aspect outweighs the other and the transitions between them are very natural) and, especially in the second half, one wonderful scene follows another, making the film an incredible emotional ride. 90%
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Johnson delivers on the premise for which he was hired at Disney, bombarding the saga from all sides, letting the rich history and modern hi-tech gadgetry take charge. It establishes its order right from the start in a monstrous action sequence, turning away from Abrams' dissolute geekiness to let the protagonists rather rant for nearly two hours, and tugs the threads of fatality to the edge of tolerability. Then, when the characters are sufficiently in control (Rey is more mysterious and Ben even more emotionally volatile), an action orgy breaks out that still makes it worth going to the movie theater to see big Hollywood blockbusters. This production treatment is far beyond what many other franchises can only dream of. It's no longer the primal feast for the eye that it was last time, but Johnson and Yedlin are more visually modest in order to then plant visual highlights exactly when their story, and especially their characters, demand it. Silent destruction and red salt are the cosmic symphonies of the image last brought to us by Interstellar. The only thing missing to complete perfection is the original 3-hour runtime. I really felt at times that there were a few moments that slipped through my fingers unnecessarily. Regardless, by the time the closing credits rolled I felt real physical exhaustion. An emotional experience like a festival indie soc-drama. PS: In the days ahead, nothing will be more entertaining than reading the words of conservatives over the age of 30 barking about the new generation of heroes and pining for the good old days.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is good or even excellent in its constituent elements, very progressive in its concepts and ambitions in the context of the saga, but unbalanced, rushed and half-baked as a whole. If episode five illustrated how jumping between plans should look while building a single overarching atmosphere, it is in this respect that episode eight, which vehemently plunders the fifth instalment in terms of style and motifs, fails the most. And that’s a shame, because its storylines demystifying heroism and the canon of the series itself, with Jedi knights at the fore, have tremendous power. But the film never lets them fully develop, as it has to abruptly return to some other storyline or recall that, as Disney’s cash cow, it has to quickly lighten the atmosphere with a wisecrack. Added to that, there are paradoxically a number of needless underdeveloped elements that detract from the viewer’s immersion in the film and encourage doubt and ridicule, so rather than a coherent work, they make a great breeding ground for parodies and fanfiction (though that can be a means of working with the audience and the brand). While the preceding The Force Awakens was a well-oiled rollercoaster, The Last Jedi is a larger colossus, but it wobbles and rattles that much more and the wheels come off. Paradoxically, the new characters had much more space and more effectively got under the viewers’ skin in the preceding episode, whereas the eighth film, though in many ways fleshing out those characters and letting them go in their own, new direction, ends up putting them in an even greater shadow of the iconic characters of the series. Despite all of the positives and new things found in the eighth episode, nothing remains other than to keep an eye out for the ninth one, where, for example, the series could finally go in an utterly new direction, as the eighth film has already cleared out the motifs and iconic sets of the fifth and sixth episodes combined.
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It’s the night after I saw it and I actually don’t know whether Disney’s shift of the saga is good or not. The first part of the new trilogy was great, there’s no denying that. The characters were interesting and the reference to the original story was obvious. Here, things are no different. The entire premise is actually centered around Luke Skywalker and it’s flawless. Also, the introduction of new worlds worked out perfect. At times, I was really enjoying the film’s cuteness when a new animal that hasn’t been seen yet made an appearance on the scene. Pretty much all those animals’ eyes were like Puss in Boots’ eyes in Shrek, so you can imagine how soft I was getting during every scene involving animals. On the other hand, I kept telling myself that it seemed a bit too childish. The reviews mentioned that this episode is much darker than the previous parts, but for me, darkness looks a bit different than this. I think I would liken it to episode 2. This episode is sort of cute, a little childish, full of action and war. All in all, it’s actually quite good, but for me to give it a five-star review, the film would need to be more epic in relation to the entire Star Wars universe.
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