Vlad's Diary - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (FULL SPOILERS REVIEW, Part I) (December 22nd 2017)

To many Star Wars fans including myself, "The Last Jedi" was a big disappointment and a serious stain on the legacy of the franchise. Sure, the Disney producers have done their best to create an enjoyable nostalgia trip with "the old meets the new" moments, but it just wasn't enough to turn the sophomore title of the new trilogy into a worthy entry.

In my previous non-spoiler review article, I've talked about the ambiguiszation of concepts, the drifting from the Joseph Campbell formula, and the killing of the spirit and atmosphere. These three elements are essential for a successful Star Wars film, but the new Lucasfilm producers have decided to take a more Marvel-esque approach with pointless slapstick, bad humor that ruins the tension of certain scenes, and a "two sides of the same coin" narrative that becomes questionable instead of raising thoughtful questions.

You may read my full non-spoiler review here: https://steemit.com/starwars/@vladcostea/vlad-s-blog-star-wars-the-last-jedi-non-spoiler-review-december-19th-2017

Thankfully, now I can finally talk about the film with a broader and more in-depth approach. It has been over a week since the premiere, the major critics and big fans alike have made their points, and right now the focus seems to be on how the series can go on after such a controversial ending.

The Narrative (BIG SPOILERS AHEAD!)

If we were to sum up the plot in one phrase, it would look like this: The rebels (led by General Leia Organa) are on the run, the First Order (aka new Galactic Empire) catches them and plans wipe them off the face of the galaxy, but the hopeful and generous intervention of Luke Skywalker buys everyone another day and the chance for retaliation.

It may sound a little depressing, but very few events in between are actually relevant for the progress of the storyline. Most scenes are there just to take up time, reveal certain sides of the characters' personalities, and present fast-paced action moments. But very few of them will really matter in the next movie.

Will we really care about the side adventure of Finn and Rose which results in the exploration of a Las Vegas-like planet called Canto Bight? Probably not. Will we inquire about Poe Dameron's political ranking among the rebellion and his leadership skills? Well, he's pretty one-sided and reckless in his actions, so it seems very unlikely that we would do so.

Rey herself is pretty useless in the story arc until the moment she decides to confront Kylo Ren and cause Han Solo's murderous son to focus his hatred on the assassination of his master - just to take his place. This is exactly why the first half of the film seems pretty dull and unsatisfactory for hardcore Star Wars fans.

The only two characters who truly change the dynamics of the story and make an influential and lasting impact are those who unexpectedly die, as both the rebels and the New Order have to restructure.

Supreme Leader Snoke and Luke Skywalker

The two fallen soldiers, Supreme Leader Snoke and Luke Skywalker, are extremely controversial for plenty of reasons. First of all, it seems like Disney-Lucasarts don't care about having a strong villain - unlike George Lucas who did his best to build the Darth Vader character and even created a prequel trilogy to detail his early life.

After creating an aura of mystery and controversy around Snoke and portraying him as an extremely powerful, wise and knowledgeable sith lord, the studio didn't even bother to give him a good lightsaber duel or the chance to prove his worthiness. Kylo Ren (or Ben Solo) kills him with a simple yet disappointing trick that every force trainee should have been able to counter.

Secondly, we still don't know anything about the origins of Snoke. Who is he? Where did he come from? How did the state of peace and harmony which we saw at the end of "Return of the Jedi" create the proper environment for yet another authoritarian space empire to be established? Who taught this sith lord the ways of the force and, more specifically, what are his motivations? These are all really legitimate questions that remain unanswered. The former intimidating figure from "The Force Awakens" is now a human-sized being who gets easily slain by his own disciple - and not even his fellow sith apprentices are able to put on a worthy lightsaber fight.

On the other hand, Luke Skywalker gets a better treatment in terms of explaining his life, activities, and daily routine: we even get to see him milk alien creatures to get his favorite organic energy drink. He also tells all about his failed jedi academy project, how he saw the evilness within Ben Solo and had attempted to kill him at the expense of the inevitable demise of his school.

Luke Skywalker becomes the first jedi master to fight a lightsaber duel as a projection, and the second one to die out of exhaustion/old age (Master Yoda himself visits him, so maybe that it was a sign). Therefore, he didn't really get to be like Obi Wan Kenobi for Rey and went out in a less messianic way. He must have overused the force and felt extreme fatigue. A legitimate reason to die, right? Talking about disappointments...

When the strongest of the sith lords and the last true jedi master die in the same film, you clearly make way for a fresh beginning. But who are those who get to carry the legacy of their masters and how much do they resemble their teachings? I'll write more about the rather nihilistic side of the force in the next article, that will be dedicated entirely to the vague antithesis between Rey and Kylo Ren. Hit the follow button so you can read it as soon as it comes out!