What I witnessed on the screen was not at all what I was hoping for, and what I felt afterwards was an emptiness which had failed to be filled.
I sat in the theatre as the screen turned to black, the familiar music known to many started playing and the yellow text filled the screen. I had waited for this movie all year and was excited to see how the series would progress. However, the film had much to be gained when compared to previous movies.
I didn’t hate The Last Jedi, but I also didn’t love it. The sci-fi effects were amazing, the characters captivating, and the role development was much needed. Yet the movie seemed to try and cater to how many films seem to be developing their scenes now, serious but not serious. As well as continuing its construction on the same path as previous movies.
Throughout the film there were scenes where something very serious had taken place and you could feel the tension throughout the theatre. Then out of nowhere a character would do/say something funny and the tension would immediately disappear. Consistency is important to me in a film. If a writer spends the time to draw out the suspense in a scene it should stay around for at least a little while.
When Anakin had his legs and arm chopped off in Revenge of The Sith Obi-Wan didn’t make a crack, he cried and shared his disappointment in Anakin. There were no jokes made when Luke’s aunt and uncle were killed, when Vader chopped off his hand, or even when celebrating victory with the ewoks. Jokes can be made, but The Last Jedi didn’t space them properly.
There was a moment where Princess Leia could have died, it was appropriate, and made sense for how the series might have been going. However, the textbook definition of ‘invincible character’ emerged as Leia survived the vacuum of space and was able to force-pull herself back into her ship.
The last problem with the film was its close relation to The Empire Strikes Back. With The Force Awakens they made the film share similarities to A New Hope, which was refreshing since a film hadn’t been made since Revenge of The Sith. The Force Awakens was a nice start to the new trilogy, but The Last Jedi seemed to continue in the footsteps of the previous film. It was no longer refreshing, it seemed too specifically catered.
The most refreshing moments in the film were the times where Rey challenged what it meant to be a Jedi and showed how people shouldn’t be afraid to explore the dark side of the force. More than anything, the film did a great job at shattering the conventional image of a Jedi and displayed Luke’s blunders as a teacher by not looking beyond what he saw in front of him.
All things considered the film wasn’t bad, it just didn’t live up to what it could have been. I didn’t feel as satisfied as I did when I left The Force Awakens. It’s a must watch, but don’t blindly accept what’s on the screen without thinking about it first.
