Theatrical release poster
by Peter J. O'Connell
Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Released: Dec. 2017. Runtime: 152 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Episode VIII of the uber-popular sci-fi epic, an epic whose first appearance on movie screens was in 1977, has a central situation as old as that of The Iliad. In the ancient Greek epic, Achilles, the great heroic warrior, is in his tent refusing to rejoin the war against Troy. In The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the great Jedi knight, lives alone on a rugged island on an oceanic planet, absenting himself from the struggle of the Resistance fighters of the New Republic against the tyrannical First Order, which has arisen after the fall of the Galactic Empire.
Far from Luke's island, things look grim for the Resistance. Despite a gallant effort by Resistance craft, a First Order space fleet incapacitates General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and necessitates planning for an evacuation of the Resistance base, now under the command of Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Discontented with Holdo's passive strategy, fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) instigates a mutiny and travels with several companions to a casino on Canto Bight in order to acquire the help of DJ (Benicio del Toro), a hacker who can disable a tracking device used by the First Order to follow the Resistance in its moves.
In the meantime, Rey (Daisy Ridley), a spunky young warrior, arrives on Luke Skywalker's island and attempts to persuade him to aid the Resistance. Disillusioned by failures of the Jedi order and under a self-imposed exile from the magical, mystical The Force, Luke at first refuses but then agrees to teach Rey the ways of The Force. But unknown to Luke, Rey begins to communicate telepathically with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of the heroic Han Solo (now dead) and Leia Organa. Kylo has aligned himself with Snoke (Andy Serkis), Supreme Leader of the First Order. Believing that she can redeem Kylo, Rey leaves the island alone, but carrying Jedi books. The ghost of Jedi Grandmaster Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) then appears to Luke, declares that Rey has all that she needs to learn, and encourages Luke to reevaluate his outlook.
The long movie's complicated plot continues to get more complicated as Poe's group and Rey both infiltrate Snoke's ship. Poe's group is captured, but a rescue effort gets under way. Rey and Kylo become both allies and enemies. A mutiny ensues against Snoke, just as one did against Leia, but with much gore, which that earlier one did not have. Eventually, matters reach a spectacular climax on the salt flats of the planet Chait. First Order “Walker” war machines (a memorable feature of Star Wars' 1980 episode The Empire Strikes Back) and other First Order uber-high-tech weapons are deployed in battle against the Resistance. The First Order seems destined to prevail until . . . .
The Last Jedi has the expected noteworthy computer-generated imagery pioneered by the epic, particularly in battle scenes, and wonderful locations. (Luke's island is Skellig Michael off Ireland, and the planet Chait is in Bolivia.) All the performances are competent, and some more than that. Mark Hamill covers the range from jaded to intense, and Daisy Ridley is quite appealing. (But does anyone in Hollywood have a longer neck than Laura Dern in this movie?) The film has an appropriately mixed tone, both elegiac and forward-looking, and it's sprinkled with allusions to past Star Wars episodes and to classic films, particularly ones dealing with World War II. So, you might say, The Force is definitely with The Last Jedi.
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