Star Wars: The Last Jedi - A Confusing Plot

"I know only one truth. It's time for the Jedi... to end." - Luke Skywalker.

Yesterday, for my girlfriends birthday I had the privilege of seeing the latest Star Wars film with her and my family. It was a wonderful and joyous time, getting to celebrate her special day with family. And while The Last Jedi was visually a grand spectacle, in some ways it did things that mucked around with the story and left me wondering "What is going on?".

Before diving into the things that left me wanting, I do want to touch on some of the positive aspects.

Firstly, while Director Rian Johnson did do a lot that had me and no doubt other Star Wars scratching their heads, he did do a lot right. In many ways he honored the overall legacy of the Star Wars franchise through its casting, story (to an extent) and of course with utterly amazing visuals.

This cast was superb. Each time another chapter of Star Wars is released, its cast is always one of the things that helps make the movie great. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran etc. everybody did supreme on camera. Some of the best performances came from cast members sharing scenes with other people, whether it was Mark/Daisy, John/Oscar, Carrie/Oscar etc. Old faces returned, newish faces came back and other new people (like Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico), quickly won their way into audiences hearts. Whatever comes next with the sequel's cast, it will be just as great as this and previous films. 

Visually, as with all other Star Wars movies, The Last Jedi hit the nail on the head. While there is a great deal of visual action that take's place in space, there is other material down on various planets to satisfy audience's appetites. One such example is the final battle on the planet of Crait, because as seen in the trailers, there is great shots of speeders skimming along the surface kicking up red dust clouds. While yes it is the final showdown, there's a lot to be seen and said because of the speeders, the First Order's ground forces and a special surprise for fans as well. 

The biggest issue again is with the story itself. While the plot is solid, there are too many loose threads that don't really tie together. For example, its clear from the get-go that Luke will die/pass on in the movie, like Yoda and Anakin and Obi-Wan before him. With Han Solo already dead in The Force Awakens, how can Disney/Lucasfilm have another of its primary characters die, and leave General Leia alive, when Carrie Fisher is no longer with us? It just doesn't make any amount of sense. 

    

Another plot issue is that of Snoke and Kylo Ren. For those who haven't seen the movie it will become clear what is talked about here. So much about Snoke is unknown aside from his abilities/power with the Force and his clear influence over the First Order. He is clearly meant to be/set up as a sort of second Emperor, but even Emperor Palpatine had a more fleshed out backstory in the prequel trilogy. There are so many questions, like how did Snoke become a power figure? How did he meet/influence Kylo Ren? What is his true ultimate goal for Rey and Ren? None of these get answered or even remotely touched on. 

The Last Jedi was in all honesty, a fun watch. It set out to tell a Star Wars story and it accomplished that. Unfortunately it took a lot of jumps along the way and skipped over things story-wise that make Star Wars movies truly great examples of science-fiction cinema. Therefore, I am awarding The Last Jedi 3 out of 4 stars, mainly for missing the mark on plot. This however should not deter people from seeing this space-opera epic and enjoying themselves. It's Star Wars for gosh sakes, its fun no matter what is liked or disliked about it. So go, enjoy, and may the Force be with you.