The time has come. Well, the time is finally here to watch “Star Wars” episode VIII.
Two years ago, a very anticipated film brought the Star Wars saga back to the big screen. Episode VII was great, but surely had its faults, and raised many questions. Mine were along these lines:
Why is Kylo Ren such a psycho?
Who are Rey’s parents? Why is the force so strong with her?
Why did Luke leave?
Would “The Last Jedi” be better than “The Force Awakens”? I’ll answer that one right now: yes.
In “The Last Jedi,” director Rian Johnson (“Looper”) gave me the answers I needed to fully appreciate Episode VII, especially when is came to Kylo Ren. Kylo’s behavior is erratic, separating him from both the Jedi and the Sith. We understand Anakin Skywalker’s craziness, because we follow his path to the Dark Side. We were prepared for it.
For Kylo, we had no background. Star Wars VII basically threw us into the story, starting with “You see that guy? Well, he’s super powerful, he’s super mean and he destroys computers in his ship when he’s mad.”
Maybe it took me two years to accept Kylo’s weird behavior, but “The Last Jedi” gave an expanded look at his past, offering us the opportunity to look at the character from a different perspective.
As always, John Williams’ music and the film’s sound design are beyond excellent. Most of the movie took place inside various spaceships, but I found those outside to be impeccably beautiful, full of creativity and aesthetic surprises.
I didn’t enjoy the humor in “The Force Awakens;” although it was well executed, I thought there were too many jokes that undermined the gravity of the Jedi and Star Wars culture. The humor was better measured in this new film. It was excellent and it didn’t give me an impression of sacrilege.
Luke Skywalker packed in a significant amount of humor, despite the depth Mark Hamill brought to his return. He takes on an Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque role in this movie, now becoming a mentor. The pleasure and surprise of seeing Hamill again on a big screen took me straight back to the first trilogy. Seeing him at the end of “The Force Awakens” is hardly comparable to his first lines in “The Last Jedi.” Luke was back.
We already saw his sister’s return in the last film. I wonder why we didn’t have more of Leia in “The Last Jedi”? She had some astonishing scenes, but in the role of a sort of grandma who held an all-mighty wisdom, not the galaxy-saving general I hoped to see.
Finn, played by SCAD Savannah Film Festival Vanguard Award recipient John Boyega, also took on more of a secondary role in this film, but I have hopes for his triumphant return in Episode IX.
“The Last Jedi” is a story centered on characters. All primary and secondary characters were busy dealing with their own conflicts, but worked toward the main plot and themes.
Finally, I am in love with Star Wars Episode VIII for all the surprises it offered me.
You guys have no idea.
I am still blown away. John Williams’ theme is going around and around in my mind. I still see Kylo Ren’s scar, the orange pilot’s uniform, Leia’s new haircut and I still laugh at Luke’s jokes.
Rian Johnson definitely took “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in a new direction, and it was amazing.
Written by Scarlett Ruggiero.
Scarlett is a writing major, wine lover and cheese enthusiast from Paris, France. When she isn’t busy writing, she likes to wander around District’s quarter in search of new articles to write.
