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MrMallard wak Since: Oct, 2010
wak
12/17/2017 18:32:14 •••

I liked it. **spoilers**

As of the writing of this review, there are like eight or nine other Last Jedi reviews right at the top of the Review section. This is mine.

What I liked:

  • There's some much needed characterisation for Poe. I felt like he was just sort of there in The Force Awakens, and his character arc in this one was a pretty cool subversion of the cocky hero archetype.
  • I didn't mind the Finn/Rose subplot. I didn't like the romance out of nowhere, but I didn't mind their sideplot in theory. More info further down the list.
  • Luke is great. People seem to hate what Rian Johnson did with him ( Kylo's Start of Darkness, "but luke wouldn't do that! ruined forever!!"), but I thought it was a risk that paid off.
  • The movie takes place over a fairly short amount of time. I thought that was pretty cool.
  • This movie loves to subvert fan expectations, and I love that. For example, Poe being the swashbucking Han Solo type character - it gets hammered home time and time again that cowboy antics don't always win wars. Subversion is the name of the game, and I like most examples of it.

What I didn't like:

  • The movie was bloated. Too many money shots, too much Disneyfication. I feel like 30+ minutes of the movie could have been trimmed down to be more concise, and TLJ would be a much better movie for it.
    • The casino planet. That alien horse chase? I love that they set the horses free, but that grandiose running-of-the-bulls type chase was completely unnecessary.. I still think the subplot is worth keeping, but it's way too bloated for its own good.
    • The opening battle. The movie starts off with Disney blowing its load on this grand opening battle, and it almost felt dirty to watch rather than exciting or awesome (though there were other factors).
    • The entire last portion on the mine planet. Send the signal out, wrap up the plot, wait for 2019. Cut out that entire battle sequence, because it's ultimately like eating a Twinkie - it's kind of tasty, but there's nothing of value in its consumption.
  • Finn/Rose. They bond over the course of the movie, but any sort of romantic attraction is shoehorned in right at the end.
  • The forced humor. Chewie with the Porgs, the Poe/Hux bit right at the start, the slapstick with Rey and the caretakers etc. There were genuinely funny moments, but too much of the humor was grating and forced.

Controversial opinions?

  • I get the criticism over the Leia space walk thing - getting blown up like that should have killed her, sure. But I genuinely love how they revealed that she was a Force user..
  • Admiral Ackbar's death? I was sad, it bummed me out, but a shit-ton of the rebellion died over the course of the movie. People die, and Ackbar bit it. That's war - at least that's how I felt.

I'd love to elaborate on any of the above points in the comments. Let me know what you thought of the movie.

RAlexa21th Since: Oct, 2016
12/17/2017 00:00:00

I really like the pointlessness of the final battle. "Yeah it looks cool and totally heroic but you are better off doing something Boring But Practical" is a great message in a franchise full of War Is Glorious.

And they did send signals everywhere, but no one answered them.

Where there's life, there's hope.
MrMallard Since: Oct, 2010
12/17/2017 00:00:00

I mean the last battle looked great, it was very visually striking. My feelings are less that the final battle was pointless in itself, and more that it was just an added layer of bloat on an already 2+ hour movie. It\'s a detriment to the movie because of how much time it adds to the runtime - by the end, any victory seemed hollow because I just wanted to leave.

The bombing run at the start of the movie was purposely pointless in the context of the movie. It sets up Rose and kickstarts the main conflict, but Poe\'s cowboy antics get a bunch of people killed and shrinks the Resistance at a time where they need as many people on-board as they can get. Poe doesn\'t care because they took down a Dreadnought, but Leia calls it out as a pointless flyboy exercise in futility. In comparison, the last fight feels like it means something, but it comes after two other climactic fights with Rey and Kylo, then Finn and Phasma, and it stretches on for another half hour (after two whole hours of Star Wars already!) to little effect. It\'s Ending Fatigue, at least I think so, and cutting it short after Leia sends out the call (and/or cutting the ending down from around the point where the rebel ships are being shot down, and working it into a more concise package instead of adding another CGI Disney money-fest right at the end) would have been a better option in my opinion.

Come sail your ships around me, and burn your bridges down.

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