5300th Review!!!!!! Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) – Encore Review 2

“This is not going to go the way you think!” – Luke Skywalker

Number of Times Seen – 3 (13 Dec 2017, 14 Mar 2018 and 21 May 2019)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – As Rey tries to convince Luke Skywalker to teach her the ways of the Force, the First Order tracks down the last remnants of the Resistance in order to destroy them.

My Take on it – This is the final film (so far in the series) and it is the film which I have seen the least amount of times of any of them.

As a Star wars purist, I didn’t quite know what to truly think of it after seeing it for the first time and have had trouble getting myself to rewatch and reevaluate what I think of it.

I’m quite glad that I had the opportunity to see this film again, especially after more than a year hiatus because it allows me to once again see it with fresh new eyes and appreciate it more for what they do here even if it’s quite different from what they did previously.

In order to fully appreciate this film, we will have to see what the newest chapter does with the flow of the storyline, so a real decision on the impact of the elements of this story will only be available fr us to decide upon once we all get to see the Rise of Skywalker (2019) this coming December.

They take things in this film to the very extreme and even scoff at much of what has been done in the previous films yet at the same time, pave a way for the story to find its own voice as it expands on things even more.

The return of the new trio of heroes; Rey, Poe and Finn is great to watch because we get a chance to see each of these three characters develop along with the storyline that takes things in directions one could never expect.

The balance between good vs evil is expanded on even more via the story lines of Kylo Ren and Rey as we get to see things constantly converging along the way because nothing is clear cut either way.

The fact that they allow Leia to survive in space and float back to safety is a bit absurd, yet when dealing with the powers of the Force, there is a possibility that this might truly work.

The message of hope for the future that is cultivated by the destruction of the past is an interesting analogy to the way that this film laughs at what has been done previously and it still remains to be seen as to what JJ Abrams will do with the next chapter with regard to all that.

The political jabs in this film about the rich financing wars as a sport is an interesting way to look at things, but that also helps create such a fun environment to use for part of this story since a casino is a perfect location for this.

The new creatures and species introduced here work really well and I loved the way they create the battle on Crait is superb especially due to the use of red as a color that works on numerous levels.

The appearance of Yoda once again works well here in establishing a further connection with the past before finding a way to move on.

can’t wait to see what the next chapter has in store for us in December.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – After reading the script for the film, Mark Hamill told director Rian Johnson, “I pretty much fundamentally disagree with every choice you’ve made for this character [Luke Skywalker]. Now, having said that, I have gotten it off my chest, and my job now is to take what you’ve created and do my best to realize your vision.” Despite the ultimately divisive response among fans following the film’s release, Hamill later stated that he had the utmost respect for Johnson and Episode VII and Episode IX director J.J. Abrams, and is pleased with how both films have turned out. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10) (no change from original review)