Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

[K1stpierre]

2 hours ago, lilmac said:

Above ROTJ. Interesting. I have it at #4

I have it above ROTJ as well.

[RandomCat]

I have this below ROTJ,

 

Spoiler

at #2

 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Props to Rian Johnson for giving us a genuine and humanist spin on the franchise - I'm not sure how much I can add to the discussion, but it subverts expectation in a way that feels honest but takes the franchise in a unique spin - heroes don't need to be Skywalkers or royalty, they can come from anywhere - they don't need to even be Jedi warriors, but mechanics and pilots, even foxes! In this regard, it could be one of the most heartfelt entries in the saga.

 

I loved it.

[mcclaine]

I really need to see it again asap, cos since the moment i finished watching the film on Thursday, i can't think of anything else. I keep replaying scenes in my head over and over.

I think this movie is very unique to the Universe, but i still can't rank it among the other films.

 

Also, i realize i can rate this movie four different ways, regarding if i see it as:

 

1) Just a film. If i haven't seen any SW film in my life, and just saw this one, i would give it an 8. Very entertaining, awesome cinematography, acting, etc. etc. 8/10

 

2) A sequel to TFA: this way i wouldn't like it that much. I would think that lots of questions remains to be answered, i would have expected a lot more screen time for Rey, but still would rate it good, a solid 7/10

 

3) Part of a Whole Saga/Universe: this is tricky, cos even considering some disappointments and some missed opportunities  I think this movie, seen from a distant future, would be very appreciated. We'll watch it as just another chapter, but a different one. And in that regards, it gives the saga a lot of depth and gravitas. 9/10

 

4) The Last Chance: If by any mean, this would be the last chance i have to see a new Star Wars, if this would be the last chance a have to see something related to the Skywalker dynasty, i would dislike this movie so much. I would give a generous 4/10

 

So i need to see this again soon, or my brain will fry.

[Webslinger]

After setting up many intriguing possibilities in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi delivers in supremely satisfying – and at times, even surprising – ways. As massively enjoyable as the previous film was, the approach of echoing the tropes of the beloved original trilogy wasn’t going to work as well the second time around. To that end, writer-director Rian Johnson injects more than enough plot twists, solid character-building moments, and even some metacommentary on the saga’s challenge of paying homage to older characters while ushering in the newer ones; the result of all this work is the franchise’s best installment since The Empire Strikes Back. I was genuinely pleased and surprised with many of the film’s developments, and the fact that the film’s climax carries real weight and uncertainty is a very welcome choice that indicates that the filmmakers are interested in exploring new possibilities for this universe rather than mining its greatest hits ad nauseum. In front of the screen, Mark Hamill steals the show with his jaded, world-weary take on Luke Skywalker; he brings a deep understanding of the character’s place in this universe to the table and delivers a moving performance that closes the door on the original film’s hero perfectly. I was also quite impressed with Daisy Ridley’s work; Rey faces significantly greater hurdles in this film than she did in Force Awakens, and Ridley responds to these increased stakes with a more intense and impassioned performance that indicates that she’s plenty ready to take the baton as the new leader of the saga. The rest of the ensemble is also solid across the board, making for a broad expanse of intriguing characters whose next steps I look forward to seeing in the next installment. Behind the camera, the sound and visual effects teams are again on their A-game in creating a universe that is increasingly taking on more of its own identity after beginning in its predecessors’ shadow. I was already extremely excited for more Star Wars after Force Awakens, but Last Jedi increases my anticipation for this saga’s future even further. Rather than giving us The Empire Strikes Back 2.0, it’s a rousing space opera that reminds us that the universe this saga occupies is massive, and the possibilities for the future are numerous. Here’s to hoping that we get another ride in this series with Rian Johnson.

 

A-

 

Stray Thoughts:

- I was pleasantly surprised by how humorous it ended up being. Perhaps it's because I associate Johnson with the darker sci-fi of Looper and the serious tone he brought to Brick and his episodes of Breaking Bad, but I really wasn't expecting to laugh as often as I did. 

 

- Honestly, I love that it flew in the face of fan theories and speculation. Rey's story is more powerful if she's not a descendant of any of the original characters; along with the powers of the unnamed boy in the final scene, the lack of anything special in Rey's parentage emphasizes a powerful idea that the force can be present in the unlikeliest of people, as opposed to being a hereditary trait (did we really want to hear any more about midichlorians?). It also suggests that as these films progress, they're not going to be slaves to the rhythm of tying everything back to the original films, as many of us had suspected they would be after The Force Awakens.

 

- Like many other viewers, I really didn't expect to see Snoke killed here. That being said, there's no real reason to keep him around; Kylo Ren is clearly powerful enough to dispatch him, and I got the feeling that Snoke was just someone for him to step over, so I'm glad the filmmakers didn't drag out the inevitable.

 

- The filmmakers did a solid job of honoring Carrie Fisher's legacy without going overboard. It was nice to not see her killed off despite a number of moments in which they could have done so.

Edited December 18, 2017 by Webslinger

[Lordmandeep]

The film has flaws but it has some epic moments and the highlight to me is Mark Hamil's performance. 

 

He gave it all in this film, and shows the respect he has for the role considering it likely defines his whole life. 

[The Panda]

I haven't seen Chalamet and Franco yet, but right now Hamill is the frontrunner for Best Actor at the Bamboo Awards

[Lordmandeep]

2 hours ago, The Last Panda said:

I haven't seen Chalamet and Franco yet, but right now Hamill is the frontrunner for Best Actor at the Bamboo Awards

 

 

I am gonna bitchslap anyone who says Mark Hamil is a washed-up actor after watching this film. 

[Rorschach]

It's a good film that is unfortunately brought down by an overlong running time, a pointless subplot, and a few unsatisfying character moments. I'd put it somewhere in the middle of all the Star Wars films.

B

[Rorschach]

On 12/15/2017 at 5:15 PM, lilmac said:

Will need to see it a few more times but first impressions were good. The most visually striking of all Star Wars films. I'd place it 5th among them all.

 

1. ESB
2. ANH
3. ROTJ
4. TFA
5. TLJ
6. Rogue One
7. ROTS
8. TPM
9. ANH

Hey, same 

Edited December 18, 2017 by Rorschach

[Fancyarcher]

My review of The Last Jedi.

 

https://dailyuv.com/feed/936356?location=norwich-vt

[Deja23]

I loved this movie! Loved it! Loved it! I had so much fun with this movie! I was a bit worried I would hate certain parts, but it all mostly worked for me. There were some on the nose stuff, but I really liked the little messages the movie had. Loved Rey, Rose! Fing Kylo...I actually bought that he was turning good... I felt more with this movie than any other Star Wars movie, so many highs and some sad lows. Teared up when Laura Dern’s character died. And Luke too. Cheered when Snoke died though. I can see why some Star Wars fans were upset though. I have more attachment to the prequel characters than those from the OT, so I didn’t find Luke’s arc super jarring and it was actually in line with what I suspected. Why would Kylo be so angry and single minded in his desire to kill Luke, beyond reason or logic? If killing Luke was only about ending the Jedi, Kylo wouldn’t be the way he is. It’s like he can barely function having Luke alive, like it’s eating at him. It made sense that he felt such betrayal that has stayed him this long. And so happy Rey’s parents are nobodies. Also in line with what I suspected after TFA. Couldn’t be Luke’s daughter, because that means he abandoned his own child and not for a better life. It was the most logical solution. I have this tied with TFA now at the top of my list. Still have TFA up there partly because it was my introduction to these characters I now love. A+

[TheMovieman]

After watching this, a line from '10 Things I Hate About You' came to mind: "I know you can be underwhelmed, and you can be overwhelmed, but can you ever just be, like, whelmed?"

That's how I felt about The Last Jedi. It's not bad, it's not great, it just is. It kept me engaged enough through the 130-minute duration (sans credits) but not sure I'll ever really think about it again until it comes out on home video.

***/*****, (C+, 6.0/10, 2.5/4)

[mcclaine]

-

 

 

Edited December 20, 2019 by mcclaine

[baumer]

Seen it three times now.

 

6.5 or 7. Still have problems with some of it.

[mcclaine]

Yes, it has its problems, but what can i say, i love the Star Wars Universe more than anything in film....

[somebody85]

Saw it again in Dolby 5.1 on Tuesday and staying at a B+ or B. Wrote my full thoughts in the spoiler thread. Too long to copy and paste here.
 

Still thinking about it a week later which has not happened for me with any major blockbuster since IT though.

Like that, this is one of those movies where I have to let go of what I wanted it to be and accept it for what it is. IT improved on rewatch though (and I'm looking forward to seeing that again probably tonight now that it's out).

[Jeriosnal]

One of the most shockingly stupid movies I have ever seen.  And the dialogue?  So bad it makes the prequels' look like Billy Wilder's work. 

 

F

[The Dark Alfred]

Thought after the first watch that it was overlong and painfully bad. A lot to digest and some films get better on second watch, so gave it another go. 

 

I am all in for blockbusters and I normally destroy fans who start nitpicking films (how did Batman got back into Gotham in Rises etc.) but the plot holes are in this are beyond ridiculous and the script should be up for a Razzie.

 

How did Rey get back to Falcon? Teleporting? Why isn't lightspeed ramming done before? Why on Earth would Snoke allow Rey to have her weapon? Is he THAT stupid? Jedi makes the rewatch of TFA impossible, Snoke is portrayed as a big baddie in TFA and here he is a pathetic stupid villain. I don't mind that too much though because Kylo is frikkin' great villian even though his actions in TFA make little sense now. How did Leia and Kylo able to pick up the illusory dice? A projection is a projection. If Yoda has powers as a ghost, where are the other Jedi ghosts to help? If you rewatch the original trilogy, these awesome characters feel like children dropped into a Disney SW theme park here. Standind around repeating what just happened in the previous scene and what they are going to do in the next. 

Luke Skywalker's character was raped in this film. No wonder Mark had a fallout with the director. Throwing away THAT lightsaber which meant so much for the franchise is one thing but it makes the uplifting ending of TFA pointless at rewatch. And how's Luke consider to kill Kylo in his sleep not against what this character represents? The best part of the film is Kylo and Rey talking in their mind and every scene is distrupted with a joky comment. Too many unfunny jokes just like in Marvel films where there can be zero tension as characters joke even in critical situations. The film is filled with timeline inconsistancies. Rose "saving" Finn made zero sense, Finn's character arc is done, would have been a beautiful sacrifice, but no, let's not have him get the job done, does her crush on him more important then turn the tide of the war? The casino chase was pointless, felt like a different movie and took a large chunk of screen time that is one of the worst sequence in SW history. Captain Phasma, such a cool character underused again.

Jedi had third of good cinema with Kylo-Luke-Rey, that was SW surrounded by badly written sub plots. I want more of that in IX otherwise I'm off this Disney ride. 

[incognitoo]

27 minutes ago, The Dark Alfred said:

Why on Earth would Snoke allow Rey to have her weapon? Is he THAT stupid? ... How did Leia and Kylo able to pick up the illusory dice? A projection is a projection

As for Snoke, he's, pardon me, WAS just the typical overconfident, self-righteous antagonist who thought he would be untouchable. Also he was busy reading Kylo's mind atm. What pisses me off much more is that he has,... HAD this dozen of elite-elite-sentries around him and not one of them notices the movement of the lightsaber. Elite-guards my ass.

 

As for the illusory dice: I think he really gave it to her. Remember, when Kylo made contact with Rey, his hands were wet from the rain in one scene, which should likewise be impossible. The force really does work in mysterious ways. ;o)

Edited December 21, 2017 by incognitoo