It’s without a doubt the most interesting Star Wars film conceptually. Most of these films are aiming to be pure fastfood, so it’s nice to see an auteur come in and try to do something that has layers, broad ideas and subtext, though one could question what the point of that is when the general takeaway of the average, illiterate film goer seems to be to simply forget about the past. Now, Rian Johnson makes some obvious mistakes with this film. Yes, his insistence on subverting the viewer’s expectations left and right lead to some unsatisfying moments, but there are also more than a few of those moments that I’m fine with. He’s also never been that great with the balancing of tone, and some of the comedy here is so silly (not to mention just poorly executed) that it conflicts with the darker, more dramatic stuff it’s trying to do simultaneously. I like the arcs that he gives to the previously established characters (yes, including Luke, I thought this was a great direction for the character), but the new characters don’t leave as much of an impression, or they’re just given really weird conclusions (Rose’s final speech is a bit cringe). There are some brilliant visual moments, but there are also lots of scenes that don’t pop, particularly the ones set inside spaceships. I think Star Wars films require a bit more flash than just bland grey and white backgrounds. He does bring it occasionally, such as during the action scenes, and all of those are excellent if you ask me. Sure, a lot has been written about the supposed bad choreography during the Kylo and Rey team up fight, but it’s the kind of stuff I don’t notice because there’s a lot going on visually and the shots are so well composed. Furthermore, I love the opening scene and climax, truly fantastic sequences. However, I’m not as much a fan of the Canto Bight and Benicio Del Toro subplot, that never went to an interesting place. In fact, you could take that stuff out and you wouldn’t lose much. All in all, kinda saved by the acting, main character arcs, bigger ideas and decent filmmaking for me, but simultaneously far from great. That being said, the amount of hate directed at people like Rian Johnson and Kelly Marie Tran because of this film is downright embarrassing, Star Wars should truly be ashamed of its toxic fanbase of emotionally immature manchildren. In that regard I’m kinda glad that we have a filmmaker at the helm here who’s willing to be as creatively bold as this ended up being, even with it being as imperfect as it is.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2018-01-13T19:26:41Z— updated 2023-11-04T20:22:43Z
It’s without a doubt the most interesting Star Wars film conceptually. Most of these films are aiming to be pure fastfood, so it’s nice to see an auteur come in and try to do something that has layers, broad ideas and subtext, though one could question what the point of that is when the general takeaway of the average, illiterate film goer seems to be to simply forget about the past. Now, Rian Johnson makes some obvious mistakes with this film. Yes, his insistence on subverting the viewer’s expectations left and right lead to some unsatisfying moments, but there are also more than a few of those moments that I’m fine with. He’s also never been that great with the balancing of tone, and some of the comedy here is so silly (not to mention just poorly executed) that it conflicts with the darker, more dramatic stuff it’s trying to do simultaneously. I like the arcs that he gives to the previously established characters (yes, including Luke, I thought this was a great direction for the character), but the new characters don’t leave as much of an impression, or they’re just given really weird conclusions (Rose’s final speech is a bit cringe). There are some brilliant visual moments, but there are also lots of scenes that don’t pop, particularly the ones set inside spaceships. I think Star Wars films require a bit more flash than just bland grey and white backgrounds. He does bring it occasionally, such as during the action scenes, and all of those are excellent if you ask me. Sure, a lot has been written about the supposed bad choreography during the Kylo and Rey team up fight, but it’s the kind of stuff I don’t notice because there’s a lot going on visually and the shots are so well composed. Furthermore, I love the opening scene and climax, truly fantastic sequences. However, I’m not as much a fan of the Canto Bight and Benicio Del Toro subplot, that never went to an interesting place. In fact, you could take that stuff out and you wouldn’t lose much. All in all, kinda saved by the acting, main character arcs, bigger ideas and decent filmmaking for me, but simultaneously far from great. That being said, the amount of hate directed at people like Rian Johnson and Kelly Marie Tran because of this film is downright embarrassing, Star Wars should truly be ashamed of its toxic fanbase of emotionally immature manchildren. In that regard I’m kinda glad that we have a filmmaker at the helm here who’s willing to be as creatively bold as this ended up being, even with it being as imperfect as it is.
6/10