Utterly magical 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' inspires hope, awe

(Lucasfilm)

Star Wars is bigger than us all.

There has never been a franchise so widespread, so universal, and so everlasting. The film series is so legendary that even those who haven’t seen a single one still know Star Wars.

Unfortunately, in our present age of Internet toxicity, it seems impossible for a new Star Wars film to be treated fairly, especially by fans (many of whom should perhaps be referred to as “fanatics” and hold an internalized idea of what these films are, but seem to have no grasp on what actually made them great in the first place).

It was inevitable that some viewers would turn against the series’ latest installment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, like they did with The Force Awakens and Rogue One before it. However, I could have never expected that the backlash would be so extreme and instantaneous.

I can’t help but vehemently disagree.

Like Wonder Woman earlier this year, The Last Jedi is a film whose triumphs so completely overwhelm its stumbles that to fixate on the latter is to miss the point entirely.

The Last Jedi is some impossible amalgamation of previous themes, story beats, influences, and aspirations mixed with modern sensibilities, significance, and precision. Writer and director Rian Johnson has assembled a wonderful film that understands what Star Wars should be, needs to be, and can be.

To divulge anything too specific is to tarnish the experience, so I will only speak in very broad terms. All that you need to know going in is that the Resistance is on the run from the totalitarian First Order, and Rey (Daisy Ridley) must convince a broken Jedi master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, at his very best) to help return hope to the galaxy.

(Lucasfilm)

Much like The Empire Strikes Back (which many consider to be the greatest Star Wars film, although I believe this one may give it a run for its money), The Last Jedi keeps its many characters apart for a majority of the film. The resulting structure allows Johnson to cover considerable ground and explore a great many different topics and tones.

Everything that made Star Wars special in the past is present here: lighthearted adventure, pulpy sci-fi scenarios, operatic familial drama, generational myth, and political commentary (more overt than ever before). The Last Jedi tries to be so many different things and it succeeds across the board.

At the center of all of it is a tremendous set of characters played by an equally tremendous ensemble cast. Old favorites Luke Skywalker and General Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher) make big impressions and get some of the most memorable moments. Hamill’s Skywalker is a damaged shell of the legendary hero he used to be, and the character’s journey here is bold but feels thematically right. Fisher’s scenes come with the added weight of knowing that they are her last. However, even if that were not the case, she’s terrific.

Generation-defining heroine Rey continues to be a compelling lead for this new trilogy, simultaneously vulnerable and confident, while counterpart Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is as complex and conflicted as ever, his many nuances putting him above Darth Vader as the most compelling villain in the series.

Ex-Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) is still struggling with his place in the galaxy-wide conflict. Boyega has great comedic timing and charm here. His storyline also introduces us to plucky newcomer Kellie Marie Tran’s Rose, a Resistance maintenance worker who helps the film’s most resonant message land close to home.

Finally, there’s the sharp-witted, suave, and hotshot pilot Poe Dameron (Hollywood’s sexiest, and immensely talented, Oscar Isaac). Of all the trilogy’s new heroes, Poe was given the least to do in The Force Awakens, but now that competing space scoundrel Han Solo is out of the picture, the character is given more time in the spotlight, growing in a natural and mature way.

(Lucasfilm)

With The Last Jedi, Johnson and longtime cinematographer Steve Yedlin leave an indelible visual 

footprint on the Star Wars series—one that will not be soon forgotten. The film features a striking palate of colors, a balance of both reflective and matte surfaces, and effective uses of light and dark. The clash of crimson and white on the new planet Crait is visually breathtaking, as previously proved in Crimson Peak, but used to greater—and more explosive—effect here. In fact, the film uses red exceptionally well throughout, with the uniform backdrop of Supreme Leader Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) throne room and his Samurai-inspired Praetorian Guards providing a colorful splash for what ends up being one of the most thrilling moments in the film, as well as the entire franchise.

Johnson also puts a visual emphasis on faces. He wisely trusts his actors to carry shots, and even entire scenes, by only emoting through their facial expressions. Johnson also knows when to pull the camera back, giving the series some wonderfully composed shots with astonishing scope. Other visual accomplishments include several ethereal and transcendental uses of the Force.

I’m hesitant to use this phrase, as I feel it is almost a cliché now (and I just used it in my review of The Shape of Water), but The Last Jedi feels like a film for our time. Star Wars has always been about resisting authoritarian control, and this latest episode expands upon this theme to acknowledge a very important lesson: never give up hope, but there is honor to be found in living to fight another day. With astounding levels of progressive casting on display—there has never been a blockbuster with such an equality of genders—this resistance is well aware of the fact that as long as there are people oppressed and disenfranchised, there will be people looking to the horizon, ready to push back.

But more than anything else, The Last Jedi succeeds at bringing out the child inside us all. There are so many moments in this film where you cannot help but stare at the screen with a twinkle in your eye, in awe at the genuine movie magic on display. Scenes are utterly transformative, dazzling with pure imagination and touching the heart, the spirit, and the soul in a way only Star Wars can.

In this sense, The Last Jedi is a monumental success. Sure, parts of the story end up becoming inconsequential if you think about them hard enough, but if you’re going into a Star Wars movie demanding consistent rational, why are you going at all? These are not movies about logic, they are about experiencing and feeling. To that end, The Last Jedi excels. This is a film that both takes risks and delivers what you have loved before. The result is a Star Wars film that completely understands what a Star Wars film needs to be.

I’ve been worried that annual Star Wars releases would quickly make these films feel less special. But so long as they can continue to make us look to the horizon with wonder, it would seem that they’re still worth celebrating.