I must start this spoiler-free review by saying: I refuse to grow old and die watching Star Wars. Disney, you WILL NOT do that to me, I’ve seen the first gen fans go through it and I have learned from their journey.
With that said, I must note that The Last Jedi exceeds expectations and should be watched in your finest pair of stretchy pants because it’s a physical, emotional and mental workout. I didn’t bother to confirm who directed or who wrote the script (my husband did all of film sleuthing) because I don’t care, and I still don’t except to say: GIVE THEM ALL THE AWARDS!
You will leave the theater feeling like it was entertainment money and time well spent, whether you closely and passionately followed the Star Wars franchise or you were like myself, a casual watcher and a shady Trekkie that partook because her unquenchable thirst for good scifi drove her to. Someone put their foot in this film. Its good, its damn good.
Character Development and Closure
The secrets you shall glean from this film are abundant. Old favorites will have you all in your emotions. New favorites will have you all in new emotions. I don’t know how to talk about it without spoiling it so I will leave it at that.
Sweet Baby Jesus in a Manger, The FIGHT SCENES
I literally scooted to the edge of my seat and physically fought the urge to stand and shout like I was at a heavy weight fight. Out of respect for my fellow film goers and because I was in a really small theater at Disney Studios in Burbank and I didn’t want to loose the privilege of coming back to special screenings. (I also remembered the feeling of wanting to face punch all the chronic opening scene clappers, like you ain’t never seen yellow letters scrolling on a screen.)
The fight scenes are epic. The use of the force whilst fighting is epic. You shan’t be disappointed.
(I can’t wait until the internet creates gifs of these fight scenes, I will use all of them!)
The Force Explained
I mean I know what the force is. Like… I’ve seen all the films, some multiple times. The force is complex, it’s powerful, it’s a religion and so much more. But the The Last Jedi is, in many ways, a through and detailed education of what the force truly is, how people have contorted its meaning in the past to fit their needs and what it must become in the future.
Prepare to be schooled.
Feminist as F*%k
I can’t wait until feminism doesn’t have to be a thing, we don’t have to go around saying it and proclaiming it. The star wars have been raging for how many generations now? And The Force, (unlike some) doesn’t discriminate. Women have long had to take up arms to protect a future free republic or to help uphold a regime run by “the bad guys”. So Star Wars is no stranger to fairly well developed female leads. To say that The Last Jedi takes it to a whole other “feminist” level is an understatement. The female leads are diverse in narrative, aren’t hyper-sexualized, and own their stories. I am here for all of it! (Imma need more black women though…)
The Trajectory of the Franchise
This is where my Star Wars journey ends. Disney tried to set me up at the end of this film. But, for me, and in many ways, the entire franchise comes full circle in The Last Jedi. Let me say it again: The ENTIRE FRANCHISE COMES FULL CIRCLE in The Last Jedi!
mic drop
Post Scriptum (picks mic back up):
- The movie is funny as hell.
- Ben Solo has the emotional maturity of my 6 year old son when you take away his video games and even has his toddler tantrum wail perfected.
- May the Force be with you, always (bursts into tears)
drops mic again
What did you say?