Last night my girlfriend and I trudged through the snowy cold to see Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. We were lucky enough to score tickets on opening day, which is no small feat as I’m sure you must know by now.
How was it? It was…OK. I wasn’t blown away by The Force Awakens, so my expectations were set pretty low for this new one. I’m still mulling it over, but I may like The Force Awakens more than The Last Jedi for three reasons:
- There was far too much comedy in The Last Jedi. I’m all for having some jokes peppered through a Star Wars film; some of the best gags in movie history are from the original trilogy. But The Last Jedi can’t go 10 minutes without a gag, many of which could have easily been played straight instead and achieved the same emotional gravitas.
- In the middle of the film, a subplot begins where Finn and his new cohort Rose venture off to a remote casino planet. The entire subplot – from the moment they leave to the moment they return – could have been cut from the film and the main narrative would not have been affected. It was a useless romp that didn’t make me like the characters any more or less and didn’t advance the Star Wars saga in any capacity. And the reason that they go to this casino planet ends up being a narrative dead end; without spoiling it, the whole adventure becomes a clear waste of time when it’s all said and done.
- A major character dies in the film, one whom we as the audience barely got to know. I have no idea where this character came from, what their motivation was, or why they were even introduced in the first place if they were just going to get snuffed out. To be honest, there are actually more than a few characters in this new saga that I simply don’t know enough about to care about them or what they’re doing. I know there’s an expanded universe where their backstories might be fleshed out a bit more, but come on: I shouldn’t have to read the comics or play the games to know the very basics of who a character is and the role they play in the story.
So there you have it: my take on The Last Jedi. As far as I’m concerned, Rogue One is where my heart lies when it comes to the new branch of Star Wars films. That movie rocked!
In writing news, I’ve been working more with the unnamed tech site I mentioned last week. There are talks about me joining the ranks and thus being able to publicly disclose my involvement…but nothing’s been set in stone yet. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to wait before I can divulge more info on the whole situation. But I promise I’ll have something for you soon!
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