The most controversial entry of the Star Wars saga, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi deserved both praise and condemnation, but for all the wrong reasons.
"YODA: “The greatest teacher failure is. We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”"
Don’t hate me for saying this, but when I first saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), I liked it. I even went as far as to rank it as one of the top Star Wars movies of all time. As you can imagine, many of my friends thought I lost my ever-loving mind. What can I say? I was naïve. These days, I’m far more conflicted about the movie than I was two years ago. After subsequent rewatches, and without the benefit of wearing rose-colored 3D-glasses, it’s clear that the eighth chapter of the “Skywalker Saga” has serious narrative and structural problems.
Yet for as good as I thought the movie was, even I, when I first watched it, thought writer-director Rian Johnson trolled not only the entire Star Wars fan community but also the very mythology of Star Wars itself. Except “trolling” isn’t the right word for what Johnson actually did. Because Johnson wasn’t trying to intentionally anger his audience. He was, according to him, trying to start a “conversation.” He was trying to “subvert expectations” of those who went into The Last Jedi with their own version of the story already written, choreographed, and played out in their imaginations. And he was definitely trying to deconstruct and redefine Star Wars beyond those who grew up with the Original Trilogy and the prequels. In doing so, he also created the most audacious, provocative, and controversial Star Wars film to date.
Considering Johnson’s earlier work like the neo-noir Brick (2005) and his time-travel thriller Looper (2012), it’s amazing that Disney gave him so much free rein with such a beloved franchise as they did.
A simple internet search won’t take you very long to find a plethora of articles and YouTube videos under variations of the title “Top 10 reasons why The Last Jedi sucks” and “How The Last Jedi forever ruined Star Wars.” On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics score stands at 91%, while the audience score is a shocking 43%, one of the largest disparities between critics and fans on that site. One fan actually spent several months re-editing the entire film into a “better” version. That I even had to open this retrospective with a preëmptive apology shows just how contentious people still are over this movie.
At the same, however, much of the criticism towards The Last Jedi criticizes it for all the wrong things. For starters, if you really want to point fingers, look towards The Force Awakens. As outlined in the previous retrospective, Abrams deliberately left much of that movie open-ended. In turn, this gave Johnson the freedom to take the story of the new trilogy into virtually anywhere he wanted. Considering Johnson’s earlier work like the neo-noir Brick (2005) and his time travel thriller Looper (2012), it’s amazing that Disney gave him so much free rein with such a beloved franchise as they did.
A common complaint often brought up is Poe Dameron’s (Oscar Isaac) story. Granted, much of what happens could’ve easily been avoided if Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) told everyone, Poe included, the full details of her escape plan. But in the broader strokes, Poe’s evolution from a cocky, insubordinate, hotshot pilot to a thoughtful and capable leader makes complete sense. It’s also deconstruction done right. Because as Poe learns, while breaking the rules à la Han Solo can get things done, it often winds up getting people unnecessarily killed.
Another major complaint is the death of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) in the second act. After all the build-up The Force Awakens did in making him into the next Emperor Palpatine, to suddenly have him killed felt cheap. Then again, the very reason Snoke dies is because he thinks he’s the next Palpatine. Despite his mastery of the dark side, he’s nowhere near being the master manipulator the Emperor was. Besides, seeing Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) slice his former master in half and team up with Rey (Daisy Ridley) is the most satisfying moment of the entire movie. Plus, Kylo Ren becoming the new Supreme Leader of the First Order is a perfect inversion of Darth Vader’s redemption in Return of the Jedi.
Many assumed [Kylo Ren’s mantra of “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to”] summed up the goal of Disney’s Star Wars, that fans should toss aside the old and embrace the new. But even those who praised the movie got this completely wrong.
But this also creates two more gripes viewers have against the film, the first being the reveal of who Rey’s real parents are. Or rather who they’re not. Instead of being a Skywalker, a Solo, or a Kenobi, she’s the daughter of anonymous “junk traders” who “sold [her] for drinking money.” This so angered those who felt Rey had to be someone “special” that they missed one of the most crucial points The Last Jedi makes. A Jedi, like any hero, doesn’t always come from a specific bloodline or lineage. A Jedi, like Rey, like Luke, like Anakin–and like the stable boy at the movie’s end–can be anyone and come from anywhere.
The other is Kylo Ren’s mantra of “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” Many assumed this line summed up the goal of Disney’s Star Wars, that fans should toss aside the old and embrace the new. But even those who praised the movie got this completely wrong. Kylo Ren wants to destroy the past as a means of avoiding his own pain. Nor does he seek to actually learn from the past–much less his mistakes–like the other characters do. Little wonder, then, how his quest to “let everything die” is presented as villainous instead of virtuous.
Fans also complained about the various depictions of Force powers, ranging from the picayune (“How can Yoda’s Force Ghost summon lightning?”) to the justified (“Leia Poppins” does look rather silly). This included Rey and Kylo’s use of the Force like some sort of Skype chat. Never mind that this helps intensify and complicate Rey and Kylo’s relationship with some obvious romantic tension. Or how it provides a unique take on push-pull dynamic between light and dark. Or how it foreshadows what Luke ultimately does at the film’s climax.
Yet of all the controversies about The Last Jedi, none matches that what the movie does with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Even Hamill openly–and often–disagreed with where Johnson took the character. And how could he not? Seeing the guy who helped save the galaxy reduced to a “get off my lawn” grump, who chugs green milk freshly squeezed from quadruple-breasted sea cows, is heartbreaking. It’s also maddening since we never see how Luke ended up like this other than in flashbacks. At the same time, one can easily argue this is the best performance of Hamill’s entire career. And because of this, we still understand why Luke has become this way.
Take the three lessons (two in the theatrical cut) that he teaches Rey. Neither the Jedi or the Sith own the Force; even with both gone, the Force will still remain, “binding the galaxy together.” Remember when Luke tells Rey that the Jedi are partly responsible for the rise of the Empire and the creation of Darth Vader? Rewatch the prequels, and you’ll see that everything Luke said was 100% correct. Most significant of all is that the reason Luke blames himself for Ben Solo’s fall to the Dark Side is that he put too much stock into his reputation as a hero. Like Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his father, Luke thought to become a Jedi meant he was no longer fallible. He, like we did, assumed heroism equaled perfection with tragic consequences.
Yet of all the controversies about The Last Jedi, none matches that what the movie does with Luke Skywalker. Even [Mark] Hamill openly–and often–disagreed with where Johnson took the character. And how could he not? Seeing the guy who helped save the Galaxy reduced to a “get off my lawn” grump, who chugs green milk freshly squeezed from quadruple-breasted sea cows, is heartbreaking.
That, of course, leads to the most hotly debated moment of The Last Jedi: that Luke almost murdered his own nephew. To fans, this was a massive betrayal of everything Luke had ever stood for. After all, this was the same Luke Skywalker who still saw good in Darth Vader. Yet he could only see darkness in Han and Leia’s kid? This is also the same Luke Skywalker who, once upon a time, nearly killed his own father in a fit of rage. Because sometimes, even the best of us can fall prey to temptation.
Even the way in which Luke died angered fans. Instead of using bilocation through the Force, what fans really wanted was the very thing Luke ridiculed Rey about: for him to face down the First Order with nothing but a “laser sword.” Well he technically did, just not physically. Besides, this is another point of criticism of the film that completely misses the point. Instead of using the Force to kill Kylo Ren (as a Sith would do), Luke uses the Force solely for defending others just like Yoda taught him many years ago. Moreover, he finally embraces his role as a legend, one that no one can literally touch. And having the last thing Luke sees before “becoming one with the Force” be a twin sunset is appropriately poetic.
But if all these criticisms towards The Last Jedi are misplaced, then what are the real problems with it? How about after all his character growth in The Force Awakens, Finn (John Boyega) completely slides back to acting cowardly, just so he can go through the almost same character arc all over again?
Or how about Finn’s designated new love interest Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), who can’t help acting like an excitable fangirl even while chastising the evils of the intergalactic rich? Or how she saves Finn from sacrificing himself to stop the First Order by trying to sacrifice herself because they’ll win by “Not fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love” even though that’s exactly what Finn was trying to do? And never mind that pairing Finn and Rose up completely undermines the obvious chemistry that was brewing between Finn and Rey.
How about the entire Canto Bight/master codebreaker subplot which not only goes on way too long but is ultimately a complete waste of time? All this so Johnson can insert a clunky message about the evils of war profiteering (which could also be a dig at Lucasfilm over how they merchandise toys with the word Wars in it) and give the otherwise excellent Benicio del Toro as “DJ” something to do.
What about Admiral Holdo, in which the only things memorable about her character are that she’s played by Laura Dern, has purple hair, and that she does that jaw-dropping hyperspace Kamikaze? Or that, to make room for this character, Admiral Ackbar (Timothy D. Rose) had to die off-screen?
Or how about General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) who acts like even more of a stereotypical, over-the-top space-Nazi than he did in the last movie? Or how about how the return and death of Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) proves that she didn’t ultimately matter whatsoever?
What about that fight scene in Snoke’s throne room? Sure, it looks visually awesome, and seeing Rey and Kylo fight side-by-side gets the adrenaline pumping. And then it becomes increasingly obvious that all those élite guards are “waiting for their cues.” Or how, yet again, Rey seems to have almost complete mastery over the Force despite still never having proper training in how to use it?
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And of course, what about the longest and slowest outer space chase scene in the history of Star Wars, all because the Resistance ships are running out of fuel and the First Order somehow can’t move their ships in closer? Never mind that the First Order could easily have some of their Star Destroyers hyperspace in front of the Resistance fleet to cut off their escape. Oh no! We can’t have that, otherwise half of the movie’s plot is gone.
As for what everyone does like about The Last Jedi? Well, there’s no denying that it’s wonderfully shot and that the cinematography looks beautiful. The same goes with its editing, particularly in how Rey and Kylo’s communication via their Force bond is presented. Johnson’s use of the color red, be it in Snoke’s throne room or during the attack on the salt planet of Crait, is particularly striking. The scene between Luke and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), which uses the original puppet from The Empire Strikes Back, is especially moving. The same with Luke and Leia’s final scene, particularly as this was Carrie Fisher’s final performance before her tragic death. And yes, the Porgs are cute, dang it!
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that, for as much as critics praised The Last Jedi for its boldness, it still alienated and divided the audience. The blowback against the film was so severe it affected the entire franchise. Some believe it’s what contributed toe mediocre box office returns of Solo: A Star Wars Story the following spring. Plans to move ahead with a new Star Wars trilogy directed by Johnson are now up in the air. The backlash against The Last Jedi also may have resulted in J.J. Abrams deciding to take over as director for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker with rumors circulating about the movie “undoing” what Johnson did.
In what is, perhaps, the great irony about The Last Jedi, a film that speaks about the virtues of failure is itself considered by fans to be a failure. Not a financial failure, of course (at over $1 billion worldwide, it’s the second highest-grossing Star Wars movie behind The Force Awakens), but an artistic one. Yet whether you see The Last Jedi as a cinematic masterpiece on the level of The Empire Strikes Back or misfire on par with the worst of the Prequels, it will always be the one Star Wars movie we will talk and debate about for years to come. Hmm… maybe Rian Johnson got wanted he wanted after all.