Yes, I titled this post appropriately. The Force Awakens was a good refresher and setting things in motion, while The Rise of Skywalker was a cowardly, “Oops, fan boys angry; let’s bring it back to what’s comfortable” kind of movie. But The Last Jedi? It not only pushed the story in a different direction, but it was also meta.
Kylo Ren was already interesting, in his obsession with his grandfather’s reputation and wanting to live up to it. There was a tragic irony that Kylo wasn’t feared like Darth Vader, yet he clearly had his temper tantrums. Kylo was more like how his grandfather actually was, rather than the reputation he had across the galaxy.
Rey remained a person from a bloodline that wasn’t famous, and didn’t have the emotional baggage that Kylo has. She was a random person who is inherently force sensitive. It broadened the universe, rather than keeping Star Wars being Skywalker vs Palpatine — I think you can already see why I disregard Rise of Skywalker. Rey was well on her way of finding true balance of the force that was always talked about, but never actually done. And her not being royalty of any kind was a wonderful way of doing that.
Then there was Finn: the Stormtrooper who ran from war and found himself thrust back into war as a rebel. The flashes of leadership. The supposed coward who kept stepping up despite his fear. It felt like a great progression in Finn’s character to become a new leader in the resistance; someone who knows exactly what it’s like on the frontlines, someone who saw firsthand the horrors of the First Order, and his growing desire to see it dismantled.
And of course there was Poe: the dashing pilot and arm candy of Finn. Perfect. No notes.
The theme throughout the film was summed up best by Kylo: “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” It became his motivation the moment he ironically threw an Anakin sized fit destroying his own helmet and symbolically leaving his grandfather’s legacy behind. Kylo had already killed his own father, and later in The Last Jedi, he causes his uncle’s death during a fight. And here is where the meta comes into play: by killing them, Kylo was also killing fan favorites that have lived in pop culture for decades and decades. Hew as not only attacking his own legacy, he was also attacking Star Wars fans; he was the villain for everyone. His psychotic breakdown and his motivation to burn it all down felt dangerous.
If Kylo Ren’s descent into madness didn’t feel dangerous enough, there was General Hux also on a descent. The First Order was a remnant of the Empire, and rather than being a massive force bearing down on the heroes, it was a relatively small faction becoming a rabid dog lashing out. The danger felt more personal. It felt new. Kylo Ren and General Hux were angry and no longer cared about a dead empire; they wanted to either destroy or make things their own.
Then there was the undercurrent problem for the galaxy. The implication that the filthy rich are playing both sides. It was a side-pole that was clunky in execution, but it was very interesting — and to me, very George Lucas of the filmmakers. I mean, Lucas is very political in his art, and Star Wars was always that.
The other thing that I love about The Last Jedi is the cinematography. It’s gorgeously shot and visually striking.
I grew up on Star Wars, and I was excited with the direction The Last Jedi was taking things. There were signs for an uprising from how things are, and a promise of a brighter future brought not by the rich or by royalty, but by common people who empathize with others, who genuinely want to make things better. And to me, that was what The Last Jedi was ultimately about.
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