I’m not sure if there’s really any call for a discussion post on a blog these days (and I’m heading out to my second showing any minute now) but for those who want to start… Have at it! Spoilers ARE allowed, obviously.
17 Replies to “Discussion post: The Last Jedi”
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I like the new movies. But…Is it really necessary or a good idea to make the Heroes of arguably the most beloved movies of all time failures? Failures at learning the lessons taught by Yoda, and Obi-Wan, and even Vader, failures at establishing a new strong government after the worst tyranny in the Galaxy’s history, failures at Love and Marriage? It seriously makes one long for the Bantam Spectra Star Wars days…at least they get to keep their happy ending there…(We won’t talk about the horrible last 10years of Del Rey)
Agree completely. I like TLJ (and basically TFA) yet I”m sad to the bone that they made quitters out of Han and Luke. Particularly the last broke my heart. And now its too late to change their storyline. I cried when TLJ ended. / kataja
These films are heart breaking for Star Wars fans. They have such a grim, apocalyptic feel to them that neither the OT or PT ever had. The desperation that the new rebellion faces is so much greater than anything the first rebels faced. The first rebels always seemed to have large forces and were always at least one step ahead of the Empire, while these guys have been slaughtered to the point they can all fit on the Falcon :( That being said, I love the storytelling and twists and turns, especially when characters like Snoke are just red herrings to be unceremoniously done in, Leia’s “death” is just a set up for a crazy force power moment, and Ben’s redemption is twisted to his rise to supreme leader. I liked how Johnson wrote a script that did everything we weren’t expecting as fans, and I’ll be interested to see how J.J. butchers/builds the third act. My guess is we’re going to get much larger battles in act 3, as people across the galaxy turn on the First Order. I persnoally think there should be like 20 prototype death stars fighting each other :)
We do like our failures as a culture, I guess. It makes us feel equal.
But still the legend goes on as something to aspire to.
The ups and downs then finally balance during the moment of zen when Luke disappears at the end…
I really liked how they handled Rey’s parents. I feel like it really suits the character and the universe well. I also really like the message it sends; that you are responsible for who you become, not your family.
I totally called her parents being a red herring. That being said, Abrams can always make her parents important again in Ep 9 :/
I loved that too! I always wanted her to be a nobody and was trying to be okay with the idea of her being a Skywalker, since that’s what the masses were saying. So yay, sigh of relief. I agree on the message you stated… in that vein, also the message that you don’t HAVE to be from some famous bloodline to be special. And Rey didn’t need to be Luke’s daughter to form a meaningful relationship with him (would’ve liked to see more of that). I thought the very end reinforced the nobody theme so nicely, too. …although maybe that was supposed to be more about hope.
It’s a lot to process. I’m not sure where Rey goes from here. Yes, she stole the books, but after the saber explodes, her story got shifted to the side. The ending felt more like the conclusion of a trilogy than the middle part. Overall the acting was superb, and I haven’t laughed that hard at a SW movie.
Two of my favorite bits were Rose and Finn saving the space horses and Rose crashing into Finn to save him from his suicide mission. Of all the characters, their moments were the most fresh and surprising. I’ve already heard people complaining about their scenes being a waste of time but I totally disagree. More Finn and Rose please!
To the advancement of the plot – they were a waste. You could have cut all that out and nothing really would have changed in the story. But it was a fantastic relationship and story on its own….
And in Episode IX when Rey goes to the dark side and kills Rose for poaching her Finn, it will be awesome! >=o) (see, wherever IX goes, it won’t be as dark as that)
I believe The Last Jedi is perfectly set up for the final movie to be several years later. After a decade, the First Order has licked its wounds (Holdo singlehandedly trampled the fleet) and the Resistance has gathered forces from all corners of the galaxy. Rey has begun to teach students on her own, and maybe there are a few weddings. The Resistance, now brought together in secret like the original rebellion, lies in wait for its chance to strike at the now-galaxy-wide rule of the First Order.
Except Rey and Kylo still share a quite strong Force connection. Like Luke on the Endor mission, her presence around the Resistance could compromise their secrecy. Perhaps she finds her way to a remote temple to train a new set of students. Because if there isn’t a new budding Jedi order, I don’t foresee much use of the Force in the last installment, and I’m fairly sure that isn’t something JJ would give up lightly.
I don’t know. I feel like Star Wars creators generally like to go fast paced from film to film. I really doubt ep 9 will be an exception. For all we know the chase will keep going, with Kylo relentlessly persuing the falcon and it’s passengers. I see them going to lando for help, engaging in a big battle with a new group of rebels, and Kylo and Rey racing back to Luke’s island or Vader’s castle for some artifact. I also think DJ will be back with a change of heart. Knights of Ren will also def be in play, and I wouldn’t say no to Luke’s Force ghost guiding Rey or maybe even an old Jedi coming back to help?
I completely agree with the first couple of posts – why are the new movies turning our heroes into failures? Why so grim? To me that’s not the ‘spirit’ of STAR WARS which was about conquering almost insurmountable odds rather than being beaten down and slaughtered.
Luke, instead of being the hero we believed, ended up sulking worse than Obi-Wan did. (I mean, Obi-Wan thought himself responsible for Vader, whereas Luke had a moment of darkness in front of a punk kid. WTF?!)
I love the new characters. I loved what was done with the Force, and the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren (even though I wanted her to be a Skywalker, I guess if she marries a Skywalker she still gets into the family?) :p
I really, really wish this trilogy could have been set in the far future where Han, Luke and Leia were long-gone. Their legends could have remained, but seriously, seeing your childhood heroes killed on screen, after you’ve loved them for 30+ years?
Not fun.
Despite two years of rampant theories, turns out Rey is no relation to the doomed Organa-Skywalkers; she is not a child of the unwanted Mara Jade and a misconstrued Luke, not a long-lost sister to Kylo Ren/Ben, not a relation of devious Obi Wan and evil Palpatine. She is a wild card much as Anakin was all those years ago. Obscurity shields her; after all saviors and prophets are never recognized in their own country.
Rey’s parents were drunks, of no account; they were not worth waiting for, a tragedy, something that will afflict her for the rest of her life. This blow could, like the weak and angry Anakin, turn her to the Darkside. Perhaps, however, she is the last of the circle that closes the rift Anakin made when he fell, something beyond the capabilities of his damaged kith and kin. Rey is better than Anakin. She is light, the sum of all: hurting, angry Anakin/Darth Vader grieving for his lost mother, practical, heart of gold Han Solo, starry eyed Luke, steely Leia and indecisive Kylo Ren/Ben. She is fate, the true chosen one, appearing two generations after Qui Gon declared that the one who was to bring balance had finally appeared. Tragically, Qui Gon went to his grave, as it were, unaware that he was merely Isaiah, not John the Baptist.
In other words, this is Star Wars finally grown up. About time.
So…growing up is having childhood heroes go against established character, and making them quitters and failures. Because it makes a Space Fantasy more realistic? Sigh.
I appreciate the measured tone of criticism here – now that we’re almost a week in there is real analytical effort behind “exposing” the truth about the “backlash” in social and political terms. And yet, I’m a leftist, progressive, SW fan, pleased as can be with the diversity and political themes of the film, who nevertheless walked out of a first viewing feeling deflated, confused, and generally disappointed. And NOT because my expectations weren’t met, I didn’t have any. I can’t stand fan theories and don’t read them. I just sat watching the film in the theater wondering when the gas was going to run out, certain that an interesting moment or development was just around the corner, until the moment when Obviously-Not-There-Luke walked in with his dyed beard and I just thought…huh. I guess this is it. And it just left me cold. I don’t begrudge anyone who enjoyed it for one second, and I would answer a post-screening survey by saying I would see it again, because I am eager to see if I just missed something the first time around. I do think the online reaction tends towards the reactionary, but isn’t always fully indicative of how people might be reacting in general…