[yasr_overall_rating]
Having taken her first steps into the Jedi world, Rey joins Luke Skywalker on an adventure with Leia, Finn, and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past.
Kudos to director Rian Johnson, the cult indie darling known for “Brick” and “Looper,” for both writing and directing another chapter of arguably THE most popular saga in cinematic history. The man is so nonchalant about it in interviews as if he were completely content with the end result. Good for him. While lacking J.J. Abrams’ assured pacing, brevity and robust character development, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” succeeds on other fronts: creative little detours, memorable imagery and plenty of easter egg moments targeted at the saga’s most ardent fans. The press screening I attended was filled with a raving crowd, clutching their stuffed Porgs, applauding at all the knowing nods to previous entries and acts of intergalactic heroism. Yet the film, at over two and a half hours, gets too bogged down in its own pomposity, without really going anywhere.
Under the threat of being exiled to Jakku, I’ll be brief and careful not to reveal major plot spoilers (I think I just glimpsed a pair of Mickey ears outside my window). Here’s “The Last Jedi” in a nutshell: while Luke (Mark Hamill) teaches Rey (Daisy Ridley) the Ways of the Jedi on his remote island planet, filled with the aforementioned owl-chipmunk hybrids called Porgs, Finn (John Boyega), with the help of admirer and potential love interest Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), embarks on a heist mission – to disable a device that would allow the Rebel Alliance to successfully escape The First Order.
Okay, I’ll stop there. As much as I’d like to reveal that Supreme Leader Snoke, played by green-screen master Andy Serkis, is finally seen in his full CGI glory, or that Laura Dern takes control of the Rebel ship – mostly thanks to her commanding lilac hairdo – I simply cannot spoil any more surprises. I will, however, praise Mark Hamill, who gives a touching, splendid central performance as the legendary Luke Skywalker, by far overshadowing Harrison Ford’s self-referential, phoned-in turn as Han Solo in “The Force Awakens.” An escape on a casino planet, involving Falkor-like horse aliens, bristles with imagination and intensity. There is a spectacular three-way lightsaber fight. The ending, with its stark contrast of red against white, almost straddles that fine line of art-meets-blockbuster.
Unfortunately, those are all bright glimpses in a patchy middle chapter. Daisy Ridley’s Rey, previously the protagonist of the story, gets sidelined, her youthful determination and character arc sorely missing this time. Her performance isn’t bad, she just doesn’t have much to do except share longing looks – if not the screen – with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, in “whiny teenager” mode). Her comatose island training sequences made me long for “Kill Bill”’s Pai Mei tutorials. The rest of the cast uniformly ham it up. Even Oscar Isaac, so perfect as Poe in J.J. Abram’s last entry, gets more screen time and loses the quirk here.
Johnson’s entry feels like a filler, a bridge between two more substantial chapters. Worst of all is “The Last Jedi”’s preposterous running time – at 152 minutes, it’s the longest film in the series, consequently coming off as self-indulgent and bloated. There’s so much exposition, so many flashbacks, countless prolonged sequences that go nowhere and endless, monotonous space battles, that one can’t help but consider how much better the film would have been, had 20 minutes or so been left for the Blu-Ray special features.
To a “Star Wars” fan, “The Last Jedi” may be a dream come true, for it has everything they could possibly want: the return of the saga’s most beloved character, lightsaber battles, lots of laser “piu-piu”’s, pseudo-Shakespearean soapy drama, grand special effects and introductions of new characters – both cute and evil – all bound to become this universe’s mainstays. For folks who don’t know or care much about the series, the film may provide a few colorful moments, but will most likely suck the… well, force out of them.
In theaters Friday, December 15th
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