<DISCLAIMER: MASSIVE
PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD>
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last
Jedi came out last weekend, and it almost measured up to the hype. Beautiful
CGI work, and brilliant lightsaber fight choreography show this film series has
stood the test of time and stood its ground among a plethora of various other
sci-fi and superhero movie series. A beautiful final performance by Carrie
Fisher, Daisy Ridley as Rey, the future pallbearer of the Jedi religion, and
Adam Driver as the deeply conflicted Kylo Ren (whose mildly underfed
performance as the grandson of Darth Vader is still monumentally better than
that of Hayden Christensen) carry much of the film’s soul forward.
However, despite the credit where
its due, it is also a concern that The Last Jedi doesn’t eventually measure up
to the standard set by many other films that have come out of the majestic Star
Wars cannon. Plot holes, muddled character descriptions, misplaced distasteful
comedy and chronological conveniences overshadow much of this spectacle, some
key examples of which are as follows:
-
Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?
Other than in a plethora of fan
theories, this is the pertinent question filmmakers failed to address in both
Episode 7 and Episode 8. This is a character who is leading the First Order,
who has quite literally and quite single-handedly resurrected the Order populated
by followers of the Dark Side of the Force, and is the apparent mentor of Kylo
Ren a.k.a Ben Solo. Even Luke Skywalker mentioned that Snoke had been peering
into the conflicted soul of Ben even while he was under Luke’s wing at the Jedi
temple – how? Why? What is this guy’s history? Why did he look the way he did,
all scarred-like? Many fans found similarities between him and Mace Windu but
none of that is getting out of the realm of speculation any time soon.
-
Why is the film called 'The Last Jedi'?
Ever since the release of the
first trailer and ever since Luke said, “It is time for the Jedi to end,” there
was a buzz amongst fans that this would mean the birth of a new religion
through Rey – the Gray Jedi, a religion that would tread both the Dark and
Light side of the force and have significantly more ‘balance’ (This was one
word they threw around a lot throughout this film), without losing itself to
the cold depths of the Dark side of the Force, while not being completely
shackled in the monk-ish ways of the Jedi Order. There were further hopeful
clues in the film when we come to know that Ben Solo might not have been
completely seduced by the Dark Side and Luke’s intervention was what pushed him
over, and that Rey might fill in those shoes eventually. However, the title is
eventually revealed to be sort of a misnomer, with Rey taking sort of taking
over from Luke and adopting the Jedi religion.
I mean come on, anyone who is
even mildly familiar with the concept of cinematic continuity knew that if
nothing else, Rey the force sensitive character newly introduced in Episode 7,
was going to become a Jedi. Why did you have go putting ideas into our heads,
Rian Johnson??!!
So yeah, THAT was a
disappointment.
-
Why did Luke get killed off so
early? And HOW DID HE DIE, really?
So all those uneventful years
after Episode 6, they feature Luke for 5 seconds on some random island at the
end of Episode 7, to just retire him in Ep.8?? Luke vanishing into the air was
one of the most unsatisfactory parts of this movie. The basic premise was,
“Hey Rey, I am
not into training Jedis anymore, cause I like, fucked up bad with my incredibly
force sensitive last disciple who was also my nephew. But guess what, I’m gonna
train you, changed my mind. On second thought, you too goddamn strong girl, you
go on ahead and become a jedi. Imma fool ol’ Ben with a hologram and die. Peace
y’all!”
Additionally, dear old Carrie
Fisher’s no more. That means in the next episode the makers will have to come
up with a half-baked side explanation for retiring Princess Leia off-screen. So
there will be no more characters from Episodes 1-6 in the next Star Wars. Let
that sink in. Now, wouldn’t it have been better to let Luke stay on longer and
die a far more significant death than he did in Ep.8??!!
-
Yoda's confusing depiction
The inimitable Jedi master Yoda
is dead. He became one with the force and there is absolutely no question
regarding that. Maybe the Star Wars saga should write a thesis on the extent of
the power one can derive from the force, ESPECIALLY AFTER DEATH because we just
saw a dead ‘person’ burn the Holy tree of the Jedi Order. If dead
force-sensitive people are able to wield such powers, they should stop making
these movies already, because then it would be a never-ending battle between
light and dark, and more sooner than later, someone will feel bound to ask,
what was the point really?/
-
The bonkers casino sequence
This was probably one of the most
idiotic sequences written for any movie in this saga. Finn and Rose go to Canto
Bight to find some ‘master codebreaker’ who they’ll take along with them to the
Imperial Destroyer, and meddle around some machinery that would give the
Rebellion ship ...6 minutes to get away from them untracked. Like that made any
sense whatsoever. Then they are not able to find the ‘master codebreaker’ and
settle for some looney played by Benicio del Toro who says that he can. That’s
like going to buy a bespoke suit and returning with an off-the-rack item from
the Gap. It doesn’t take an Einstein-ian IQ to understand how weak and poorly
timed this plan was, but hey, whatever helps to pitch in del Toro’s speech on
war profiteering.
-
Why is Captain Phasma such an
insignificant side-show?
I understand how massive it must
feel to be a part of this amazing universe, even in the most miniscule
capacities, but I still wonder why a name such as Gwendoline Christie (Brienne
of Tarth in Game of Thrones) took on the role of Captain Phasma yet again for
this film. Her character held promise when it was introduced in Episode 7, but
even then it got a minimal amount of inconsequential screen time and that too
under that chrome helmet. She is ushered into the movie again, and we are left
waiting with the expectation of a grand fight between her and Finn with her
face eventually getting revealed. Instead we see a half-assed excuse for a
fight sequence, which ends in some minor damage to her helmet that just shows
one eye, before she falls to a fiery death. Such wasted potential.
Wait. They did something exactly similar to another character before. Remember this cool little guy called Boba Fett? Yeah, they had to give a nice, riveting backstory of a potentially badass character in a separate series of books. Wonder what's their spite against such characters in movies?
Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?
Other than in a plethora of fan
theories, this is the pertinent question filmmakers failed to address in both
Episode 7 and Episode 8. This is a character who is leading the First Order,
who has quite literally and quite single-handedly resurrected the Order populated
by followers of the Dark Side of the Force, and is the apparent mentor of Kylo
Ren a.k.a Ben Solo. Even Luke Skywalker mentioned that Snoke had been peering
into the conflicted soul of Ben even while he was under Luke’s wing at the Jedi
temple – how? Why? What is this guy’s history? Why did he look the way he did,
all scarred-like? Many fans found similarities between him and Mace Windu but
none of that is getting out of the realm of speculation any time soon.
Why is the film called 'The Last Jedi'?
Ever since the release of the
first trailer and ever since Luke said, “It is time for the Jedi to end,” there
was a buzz amongst fans that this would mean the birth of a new religion
through Rey – the Gray Jedi, a religion that would tread both the Dark and
Light side of the force and have significantly more ‘balance’ (This was one
word they threw around a lot throughout this film), without losing itself to
the cold depths of the Dark side of the Force, while not being completely
shackled in the monk-ish ways of the Jedi Order. There were further hopeful
clues in the film when we come to know that Ben Solo might not have been
completely seduced by the Dark Side and Luke’s intervention was what pushed him
over, and that Rey might fill in those shoes eventually. However, the title is
eventually revealed to be sort of a misnomer, with Rey taking sort of taking
over from Luke and adopting the Jedi religion.
I mean come on, anyone who is
even mildly familiar with the concept of cinematic continuity knew that if
nothing else, Rey the force sensitive character newly introduced in Episode 7,
was going to become a Jedi. Why did you have go putting ideas into our heads,
Rian Johnson??!!
So yeah, THAT was a
disappointment.
Why did Luke get killed off so
early? And HOW DID HE DIE, really?
So all those uneventful years
after Episode 6, they feature Luke for 5 seconds on some random island at the
end of Episode 7, to just retire him in Ep.8?? Luke vanishing into the air was
one of the most unsatisfactory parts of this movie. The basic premise was,
“Hey Rey, I am
not into training Jedis anymore, cause I like, fucked up bad with my incredibly
force sensitive last disciple who was also my nephew. But guess what, I’m gonna
train you, changed my mind. On second thought, you too goddamn strong girl, you
go on ahead and become a jedi. Imma fool ol’ Ben with a hologram and die. Peace
y’all!”
Additionally, dear old Carrie
Fisher’s no more. That means in the next episode the makers will have to come
up with a half-baked side explanation for retiring Princess Leia off-screen. So
there will be no more characters from Episodes 1-6 in the next Star Wars. Let
that sink in. Now, wouldn’t it have been better to let Luke stay on longer and
die a far more significant death than he did in Ep.8??!!
Yoda's confusing depiction
The inimitable Jedi master Yoda
is dead. He became one with the force and there is absolutely no question
regarding that. Maybe the Star Wars saga should write a thesis on the extent of
the power one can derive from the force, ESPECIALLY AFTER DEATH because we just
saw a dead ‘person’ burn the Holy tree of the Jedi Order. If dead
force-sensitive people are able to wield such powers, they should stop making
these movies already, because then it would be a never-ending battle between
light and dark, and more sooner than later, someone will feel bound to ask,
what was the point really?/
The bonkers casino sequence
This was probably one of the most
idiotic sequences written for any movie in this saga. Finn and Rose go to Canto
Bight to find some ‘master codebreaker’ who they’ll take along with them to the
Imperial Destroyer, and meddle around some machinery that would give the
Rebellion ship ...6 minutes to get away from them untracked. Like that made any
sense whatsoever. Then they are not able to find the ‘master codebreaker’ and
settle for some looney played by Benicio del Toro who says that he can. That’s
like going to buy a bespoke suit and returning with an off-the-rack item from
the Gap. It doesn’t take an Einstein-ian IQ to understand how weak and poorly
timed this plan was, but hey, whatever helps to pitch in del Toro’s speech on
war profiteering.
Why is Captain Phasma such an
insignificant side-show?
I understand how massive it must
feel to be a part of this amazing universe, even in the most miniscule
capacities, but I still wonder why a name such as Gwendoline Christie (Brienne
of Tarth in Game of Thrones) took on the role of Captain Phasma yet again for
this film. Her character held promise when it was introduced in Episode 7, but
even then it got a minimal amount of inconsequential screen time and that too
under that chrome helmet. She is ushered into the movie again, and we are left
waiting with the expectation of a grand fight between her and Finn with her
face eventually getting revealed. Instead we see a half-assed excuse for a
fight sequence, which ends in some minor damage to her helmet that just shows
one eye, before she falls to a fiery death. Such wasted potential.
Wait. They did something exactly similar to another character before. Remember this cool little guy called Boba Fett? Yeah, they had to give a nice, riveting backstory of a potentially badass character in a separate series of books. Wonder what's their spite against such characters in movies?
These points, and a variety of minor issues, such as the very limited utilisation of an actor such as Domhnall Gleeson in the role of General Hux (that too mostly for comic gags) are holes that are spread throughout the canvas on which the Last Jedi is painted. Nonetheless, the remaining picture is a more-than-decently constructed one. The film carries forward on the darker tone set by Rogue One, which is particularly why the comic gags seem sometimes weirdly out of place (the General Hugs sequence by Poe Dameron in the beginning), but undersells itself with a plot that doesn’t seem very ambitious for the name that it is carrying.
