THE LAST JEDI

STAR WARS EPISODE EIGHT: THE LAST JEDI

Film Review by FIORE

Those true STAR WARS fans; the ones who reveled in the original trilogy and made its storylines an iconic part of the culture, should collectively hang George Lucas in effigy for selling the modern-day fable to Disney.  Not since the Mouse took over, has the legend continued in any manner similar to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.  This latest tale, STAR WARS EPISODE EIGHT: THE LAST JEDI, is filled with lackluster characters, rehashed plots and enough political correctness to choke any American living in the heartland.

STAR WARS EPISODE EIGHT: THE LAST JEDI begins with an elaborate, well shot space battle.  It’s a red herring.  It allows you to think this is going to be an epic experience, ad then it falls off a cliff and sinks in the bog.  The next half-hour is so slow, I had problems staying awake, and the press screening was in the middle of the afternoon!

Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, are all back reprising their roles. It is a sad thing.  None of the new actors have any on screen chemistry.  Daisy attempts a hardened face and screams a lot, but no one is buying it.  Driver continues to be one of the worst villains in cinematic history.  His display of evil is like a cheap bottle of vinegar.  No one in this trilogy comes close to the charisma of Han, Luke and Leia.  

Speaking of which,Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher return as Luke and Leia, while Andy Serkis play Supreme Leader Snoke, Laura Dern shows up as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo and Benicio Del Toro plays DJ, a scamp who’s main goal is to show how Capitalism demands war. 

The story picks up where THE FORCE AWAKENS ends.  Luke is living in solitude on an island and cannot be convinced by Rei to return to the good fight.  As the last Jedi Master, he has an identity crisis which he cannot contain until the ghost of Yoda returns to basically tell him to get his shit together.  

Meanwhile, Rei is convinced there is still good in Kylo and is certain if she confronts him, he can be turned to the light side.  Doesn’t that sound familiar?  Will Rei become a Jedi?  Will Kylo switch to the good side of The Force?  Will the rebels overcome the better equipped Force One?  Who cares? 

The script takes no cutting or bleeding edge plot points. Just when it seems it will deviate from past stories and boldly go where no Star Wars film has gone before, Rian Johnson’s tale is squashed by the Mouse and we have a replay of RETURN OF THE JEDI.  There are even a host of fuzzy, cute creatures in this tale; probably the only element Disney adds that is worthwhile.

The special effects and cinematography, provided by Rick Heinrichs and Steve Yedlin are all stalwart.  STAR WARS EPISODE EIGHT: THE LAST JEDI is fun to watch, it simply has no substance.

 

A big part of the reason is the infusion of Disney’s political ideology.  The original trilogy concerned the Jedi, and the Jedi’s lifestyle was based on the Code of the Warrior.  The Jedi, who were basically intergalactic samurai, lived by the Bushido. Now, Bushido is replaced by Humanism, the most superficial and idiotic religion that dominates Hollywood, along with Scientology.  The Rebels are transformed into progressive liberals, as they intend to “help the poor and oppressed”.  Remember when they wanted to overthrow a dictatorial government?  Guess that can’t be used because it validates the Second Amendment.

See this in the theatres.  It will lose whatever little value it has on a smaller screen.  It is better than THE FORCE AWAKENS, but that’s not saying much.  This second trilogy is no where near the cinematic excellence of the first.  They are just lavishly visual space movies.  Lucas sold out to Disney, and now the Mouse rules the galaxy, far, far away.