Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review - The Force Is In Good Hands

Director Rian Johnson probably had a grand vision going into Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Yet, an overbloated, stretched narrative threatens to devour the entire film as a whole. The film is set through three storylines – The Resistance’s ship, led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Finn and newcomer Rose trying to save the ship by going to an alternate universe and Rey’s search for Luke Skywalker, which then turns into her fight with Kylo Ren. These are not spoilers, you knew this was going to happen.

So my question is, why did Johnson make a 2 and a half hour long film that didn’t pack much content into 2.5 hours, had flimsy narratives and didn’t do TOO much of a great job keeping audiences engaged. The story is divided into 3 acts. The first one being the problem arising, the second one being trying to find a solution, and the third being conclusion. The first and third acts are the best. Packed with action and crackling humor from the likes of Leia, C3PO, BB-8, Luke, Rey and even Rose, a newcomer to Star Wars, Johnson keeps the storyline alive.

But the second act is where the criticism pours in. The film leaves so many loose ends, that it ends up unraveling in a monotonous, repetitive second half where I was waiting for the film to get over. The Last Jedi’s title is rubbed into our faces, many a time, unlike in the previous one, where The Force Awakens was implied slowly but surely. The performances, especially late Carrie Fisher, Mark Hammil, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega all impress. But it’s Adam Driver’s descent into madness as the most harrowing villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Batman series, that packs the most punch in the least time.

He has the most impact because Johnson knows that he’s setting his film in this dystopian world where not much makes sense but it’s so technical, yet for the first time, he humanizes these characters. Rey is shown as stubborn, Luke Skywalker as a victim of his own legacy, Princess Leia feeling so unsure yet so determined and Kylo Ren as a conflicted man not sure which side of the spectrum he’s on. Rian weaves these fantastic tales in such a way that he gives us a sense that we could know these people he’s written about. We could be friends with them and we could hate them.

That’s the biggest triumph of the Last Jedi. George Lucas’ space opera has always been visually stunning (it is this time, too. The VFX is fantastically done and had I not known that Carrie Fisher was dead during the shooting of the film, I wouldn’t have known that they had computerized her entire being, her entire body and her entire speech. That’s how well done it is.), but it has lacked that relatability than the director injects into the new narrative, which is very well done and I need to give him props for that.

In the end, the film is overstretched, long, but it’s magnificent, it’s a space opera, and yes, it is an instant epic. This is Bahubali. This is Mughal-E-Azam. This is Bajirao Mastani in all its glory. I suggest you go for this film. But, pencil in a little longer because you’re going to get impatient. You’re going to check your phone. But, wait. Submit yourself to the director’s vision. Submerge yourself in his skillful narrative. I’m going with 4 out 5 stars for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. A few kinks that could’ve been smoothened out, but it’s a fabulous film, all in all.