RE: New Star Wars movie is well received by the critics.
December 16, 2017 at 11:43 am
(This post was last modified: December 16, 2017 at 11:51 am by Aroura.)
Ok, if anyone wants to see a more detailed review, I've put it in spoiler tags below.
But first a gripe about certain kinds of movie goers. Which has a minor spoiler.
The Force Awakens: Full of nostalgia and a call backs to the OT.
Certain fans: OMg, they just remade a New Hope. And we don't want to be pandered to with all that nostalgia!
The Last Jedi: Treats many items and ideas with utter irreverence, throws nostalgia on a bonfire and throws it away and/or burns it (literally at more than one point!). Goes it's own way, not a remake of Empire or anything else.
Certain fans: OMG, it's not even Star Wars anymore!
Me: facepalm. There is a certain group of "fans" that are, at this point, completely impossible to please. I actually feel sorry for them, its like all the joy has been wrung from their hearts, and they are unable to enjoy things that aren't up to their expectations, that don't fit into a neat little mold they have created in their minds. Poor things. It's like they don't understand the morals in Star Wars at all.
Ok, now for a completely spoilery movie review. Warning, don't read this unless A. You've seen the movie, or B. You don't ever intend to (in which case, why do you care?).
I think Jedi was overall a very good movie, all by itself, independent from Star Wars. As a Star Wars movie, I can see why it gets more mixed reviews, because it requires a very open mind, and for people to let go their attachments to the past.
More specifically
The Pros: Acting was top notch. Every person put in an amazing performance. Mark Hamill was at the very, very top of his game. Daisey Ridley is going to be a big name for a long time to come, she can really act, and Adam Driver gave a gut wrenching performance that surpassed the simply tempers of the first movie and really deepened the character of Kylo Ren. And their story, the main story, is amazing. The relationship between Luke, Rey and Kylo Ren was developed extremely well. It has a lot of emotional impact, and plenty of surprises. Luke's amazing baddassery and sacrifice at the end was extremely satisfying. I am sad he is gone in this universe now, but they actually somehow made me feel at peace with it as well (unlike Hans death, which hurt). Kylo's near turn to the light, but ultimately clinging to the darkness and the power was also so well done. Rey's openness to both the light and the dark are going to play important roles in the final movie, I'm sure, and her compassion and raw emotion make her an outstanding character. I really felt their pull towards each other, and so it hurt to watch that ultimately fail (for now, at least).
I was actually pleased at the irreverence with which things were treated. The first scene where Luke tosses the lightsaber off the cliff, I loved it. It sets the tone for the whole movie. Nothing is sacred anymore. Not even that item which was so important for so many movies.
The good guys can make their plans, do their very best, then fail spectacularly (sometimes through bad luck, sometimes through poor planning or poor choices) and get nearly wiped out. The force isn't reserved for a few special chosen ones of special bloodlines, and though there is light and dark, they aren't GOOD and EVIL, they are simply 2 necessary ends of a spectrum. Death and decay brings new life. From the cold and dark, warmth and light rises. It was a beautiful interpretation of the Force, and one I personally really connect with. Leia has a scene that some find beautiful and others silly. I'll just roll with it and be glad that Leia is finally shown to be more than a person sensor with her force ability. Carrie Fischer has a pretty large role in this movie, much larger than I expected, and she nails Leia, just nails it. I loved every moment she was on screen.
I also liked the new character, Rose, and she has some great dialog, too. Though I hope they don't add any more new people in the 3rd installment, there just isn't room.
The Cons: I think it added probably one too many sidestories, or perhaps just focused on those side stories a bit too much. It had a bit of the same issue (though not nearly as strongly) as Batman V. Superman in that too much was going on and it messes up the pacing of the main story line.
Too many Porgs! Chewie felt like he was shoe horned in most of the time he was on the screen (not always though, his meeting with Luke was well done). The Finn and Rose story line with the code cracker was too long, and should have been halved (IMO). Don't Join/DelToro had an important thing to say, but I feel like we could have gotten that message without 30 to 45 minutes of wheel spinning to get there.
Phasma turned out to be underwhelming, which is disappointing to me as a Gwendolyn Christie fan. Not her fault, she just wasn't given much to work with, though the fight scene WAS quite good.
In the end, TLJ has a certain irreverent sense of humor that I loved, but that will probably really bother some people. The main story was top notch, 100% fantastic. Luke was developed into such a nuanced, deep, flawed but ultimately great character. I wouldn't change a damned thing about that main story, and I can't wait to see what happens to both Rey and Kylo/Ben. I hope Finn, Rose and Poe don't take up too much time in the next movie (sorry guys, love you both, but you are not the main characters!). Finn maybe, but they need to tie him back into the main story a bit more.
It is, as a stand alone move, quite good, and as a Star Wars movie, mostly excellent. I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10.
But first a gripe about certain kinds of movie goers. Which has a minor spoiler.
The Force Awakens: Full of nostalgia and a call backs to the OT.
Certain fans: OMg, they just remade a New Hope. And we don't want to be pandered to with all that nostalgia!
The Last Jedi: Treats many items and ideas with utter irreverence, throws nostalgia on a bonfire and throws it away and/or burns it (literally at more than one point!). Goes it's own way, not a remake of Empire or anything else.
Certain fans: OMG, it's not even Star Wars anymore!
Me: facepalm. There is a certain group of "fans" that are, at this point, completely impossible to please. I actually feel sorry for them, its like all the joy has been wrung from their hearts, and they are unable to enjoy things that aren't up to their expectations, that don't fit into a neat little mold they have created in their minds. Poor things. It's like they don't understand the morals in Star Wars at all.
Ok, now for a completely spoilery movie review. Warning, don't read this unless A. You've seen the movie, or B. You don't ever intend to (in which case, why do you care?).
I think Jedi was overall a very good movie, all by itself, independent from Star Wars. As a Star Wars movie, I can see why it gets more mixed reviews, because it requires a very open mind, and for people to let go their attachments to the past.
More specifically
The Pros: Acting was top notch. Every person put in an amazing performance. Mark Hamill was at the very, very top of his game. Daisey Ridley is going to be a big name for a long time to come, she can really act, and Adam Driver gave a gut wrenching performance that surpassed the simply tempers of the first movie and really deepened the character of Kylo Ren. And their story, the main story, is amazing. The relationship between Luke, Rey and Kylo Ren was developed extremely well. It has a lot of emotional impact, and plenty of surprises. Luke's amazing baddassery and sacrifice at the end was extremely satisfying. I am sad he is gone in this universe now, but they actually somehow made me feel at peace with it as well (unlike Hans death, which hurt). Kylo's near turn to the light, but ultimately clinging to the darkness and the power was also so well done. Rey's openness to both the light and the dark are going to play important roles in the final movie, I'm sure, and her compassion and raw emotion make her an outstanding character. I really felt their pull towards each other, and so it hurt to watch that ultimately fail (for now, at least).
I was actually pleased at the irreverence with which things were treated. The first scene where Luke tosses the lightsaber off the cliff, I loved it. It sets the tone for the whole movie. Nothing is sacred anymore. Not even that item which was so important for so many movies.
The good guys can make their plans, do their very best, then fail spectacularly (sometimes through bad luck, sometimes through poor planning or poor choices) and get nearly wiped out. The force isn't reserved for a few special chosen ones of special bloodlines, and though there is light and dark, they aren't GOOD and EVIL, they are simply 2 necessary ends of a spectrum. Death and decay brings new life. From the cold and dark, warmth and light rises. It was a beautiful interpretation of the Force, and one I personally really connect with. Leia has a scene that some find beautiful and others silly. I'll just roll with it and be glad that Leia is finally shown to be more than a person sensor with her force ability. Carrie Fischer has a pretty large role in this movie, much larger than I expected, and she nails Leia, just nails it. I loved every moment she was on screen.
I also liked the new character, Rose, and she has some great dialog, too. Though I hope they don't add any more new people in the 3rd installment, there just isn't room.
The Cons: I think it added probably one too many sidestories, or perhaps just focused on those side stories a bit too much. It had a bit of the same issue (though not nearly as strongly) as Batman V. Superman in that too much was going on and it messes up the pacing of the main story line.
Too many Porgs! Chewie felt like he was shoe horned in most of the time he was on the screen (not always though, his meeting with Luke was well done). The Finn and Rose story line with the code cracker was too long, and should have been halved (IMO). Don't Join/DelToro had an important thing to say, but I feel like we could have gotten that message without 30 to 45 minutes of wheel spinning to get there.
Phasma turned out to be underwhelming, which is disappointing to me as a Gwendolyn Christie fan. Not her fault, she just wasn't given much to work with, though the fight scene WAS quite good.
In the end, TLJ has a certain irreverent sense of humor that I loved, but that will probably really bother some people. The main story was top notch, 100% fantastic. Luke was developed into such a nuanced, deep, flawed but ultimately great character. I wouldn't change a damned thing about that main story, and I can't wait to see what happens to both Rey and Kylo/Ben. I hope Finn, Rose and Poe don't take up too much time in the next movie (sorry guys, love you both, but you are not the main characters!). Finn maybe, but they need to tie him back into the main story a bit more.
It is, as a stand alone move, quite good, and as a Star Wars movie, mostly excellent. I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10.
“Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end?”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead