Yes...seen "The Last Jedi" we have and loved it we did! We are all big "Star Wars" fans here at Conmose Central and we were more than excited to go see "The Last Jedi" (you might say that excited is an understatement). We are also more than happy to share our thoughts with you. Now if you haven't seen the movie yet, you might want to go to the movie theatre closest to you and watch it and most certainly don't read on, because this article will contain SPOILERS! As always I (Liv) will write in the italic font and Carola will write in the normal font.We went to the Pathé Cinema in Maastricht (The Netherlands) and decided to go to the 2D version, it's not that I don't want to see the 3D version, but I just think that 2D is movie like it's intended to be. I'm so glad we went to see the Last Jedi quickly. I was so curious and it didn't let me down at all! Well we already revealed that we liked it, but now we will tell you more about it. So sit back and relax and let us tell you our thoughts about "The Last Jedi"
About the Movie
"The Last Jedi" is episode eight in the great Star Wars-saga. The movie was written and directed by Rian Johnson and hit the worldwide cinemas on December 13th, 2017. It is produced by Lucas Films and distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. J.J. Abrams (director of "The Force Awakens") acted as executive producer. According to various channels the movie already grossed half a billion dollars in the first week. The movie marks the last performance of Carrie Fisher. She died in December 2016, just after finishing filming for it. It will be no surprise that this eighth installment of the Star Wars-saga has been dedicated in her memory. "The Last Jedi" stars some other familiar 'faces' from the last decades like: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Anthony Daniels as C3PO and Frank Oz as Master Yoda. Besides these old school actors, we also see the return of the new generation: Adam Driver (as Kylo) Ren, Daisy Ridley (as Rey), John Boyega (as Finn), Gwendoline Christie (as Captain Phasma and Oscar Isaac (as Poe Dameron); as well as some new faces, like: Laura Dern (as Vice Admiral Holdo, Benicio del Toro (as DJ) and Kelly Marie Tran (as Rose Tico). "The Last Jedi" picks up where "The Force Awakens ended". The Rebel Resistance led by Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) suffered a lot of losses and finds itself being cornered by The First Order. Meanwhile Rey arrives at the island Ahch-To to persuade Luke Skywalker to join the Resistance in their fight against the Dark Side and ignite the spark of hope they desperately need.
Our thoughts
What I especially loved about "The Last Jedi" is that it really gave me the "Star Wars" feeling, I don't really know how to express this feeling in words. I mean the old trilogy (IV, V & VI) is legendary, the new trilogy was, well how will I put this mildly: not what we expected it to be. And although I am a fan of Disney, I didn't really know what to think when Disney decided to take over the whole franchise. Well they do a great job! Where "The Force Awakens", was a very cool new beginning, it also relied on the return of some old faces and essentially was a new "New Hope". Not that there is anything wrong with that, because I really enjoyed the movie! "Rogue One" on the other hand was a completely different story. I mean it did take place in the "Star Wars"universe, but it didn't revolve around the Skywalker-clan. The story of "Rogue One" is set between "Episode III" and "Episode IV" and it tells the story of how Leia acquired the plans for the "Death Star". I was quite afraid when I heard that Disney would be taking over the franchise. In contrast to Liv I'm not a Disney fan at all. So I was worried about what "they" would do to Star Wars. But up until now, I haven't been disappointed. For me, the strongest aspects of the movie were the unpredictability and indeed, the 'Star Wars feeling' Liv described. That was something I missed a bit in Rogue One. If you want to see our first reaction after watching the Last Jedi, check out this video below.
When I first saw "The Force Awakens" in the cinema, I was pretty impressed by Daisy Ridley as Rey. And after seeing "The Last Jedi" I like the character even more. I think Ridley does an amazing job and she has a great on screen chemistry with Mark Hamill. It can't be easy for a young actress (or actor) to play the leading role in the return of a franchise with this cult status and she does great. What about the rest of the actors and actresses? Well Carrie Fisher IS Leia Organa and I can't imagine anyone else in that role, so I hope they find a fitting solution for this in the next movie. Mark Hamill is great in his comeback as the iconic Luke Skywalker. Supreme Leader Snoke of The First Order is played by Andy Serkis and he is solid as ever. I think it is a pity that Snoke dies, because I think they could have done a lot more with this character. The new Supreme Leader is Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver. I think Driver is a good actor, but I just think he is not fit fr the role of villain, although he impressed me more than in "The Force Awakens". What I do like about him, is that he is very intense. I haven't given up yet, I think my love for this character can grow, but he is no Darth Vader. Frank OZ returns as the voice of Yoda, which is magnificent and Anthony Daniels is back as C3PO. I think the main cast does agreat job. I also want to point out Christie as Phasma, I love that character. But hey I also love her in "Game of Thrones" as Brienne of Tarth.
Visually "The Last Jedi" was excellent as are all the Star Wars movies.. The last part of the movie depicting the Battle for Crait is just magnificent. Crait is a planet containing an old Rebel outpost and its red mineral surface is covered with salt. The Rebel Resistance takes refuge in this abandoned outpost and when the First Order (now led by Kylo Ren) arrives, the fight continues. The contrast between the white salt and the red underground results in breathtaking images. Yes, visually is was great! Awesome scenes to look at. It was so beautiful. So much eye for detail. Oh, and I really liked the Porgs! They're great. I especially liked the interaction between Chewie and the Porgs.
What did you think by the way of *MAJOR SPOILER* Luke's death? I read many people hated it. I didn't actually. It's a pity to see him go, especially knowing that Han Solo has passed and Carrie Fischer won't be playing Leia anymore: it feels like the "old generation" is disappearing. I would loved to hold on a bit longer. Again visually I thought it was an amazing scene, with Luke watching the sun set once more. I agree that it is a pity that another old school character passed away, but I also think that it is time for a new generation. They can't keep leaning and relying on the old characters. However I don't think we have seen the last of Luke. I definitely think Luke will return as a Force ghost, to help Rey train to use the Force.
I also really loved the humour in the movie. I really laughed out loud with the two "caretaker" scenes with Rey. And like I said the whole interaction between Chewie and the Porgs was just hilarious. Talking about interaction: I also loved the way Luke interacted with Rey and Leia's interaction with Poe.
There is another moment that I thought was pretty cool and that was the return of Yoda. I just got a warm feeling when the little green guy we all love made his appearance, to have a talk with Luke. I thought the dialogue between them was one of the best scenes of the movie. We all know Yoda is dead and appears as a Force ghost, but his appearance is different from the appearances of Obi Wan for example. Yoda does have a shiny green glow around him, but the rest of his body seems pretty normal. He even summons lightning to strike on the Jedi hut. Is this an indication for a possible return of Luke in Episode IX and will Luke also be able to interact with things as a Force Ghost? I mean their deaths are kind of similar. Unlike other characters in the movies, when Yoda dies his body disappears in thin air, pointing out that Yoda is pretty special. When Luke dies his body dissapears in thin air leaving only his cloak to be taken by the wind. Coincidence? I think not!
Things we didn't like(that much)
Well let's talk about some of the little things I did not like that much. First of all the whole Leia-lost-in-space thingy. Sure it's cool to see Leia use the Force in some kind of a survival mode, but it kind of felt unnecessary to me. We all know Leia can tap into the Force, because she always has a sort of connection with her son and her brother. When Leia floated into space, my first thoughts were that they were going to let Leia die at that moment. I expected that as well! Like I already mentioned; Carrie Fisher passed away just after they finished filming. She was on her way back from a European tour promoting her book, when she suddenly stopped breathing shortly before the plane landed. She was rushed to the hospital. Four days later Carrie passed away at the age of 60. Fortunately the space floating scene was not Carrie's last scene in "The Last Jedi". I thought it was kind of strange scene. Not a very strong one. The way she came back, looked just a bit weird. I would have made the whole scene completely different. The second point of critic involves Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. I agree already! I can't say that I think Driver is a bad actor, but I just can't get used to his face. He doesn't look like a bad guy at all, I think he looks to childish. I must say that the scar made the whole thing a little bit better. I was so happy when it was literally said to him in in the movie: "Your just a kid with a mask". I almost jumped out of my chair to yell "I agree!". I just don't think Kylo Ren is a strong villain/ character in these movies. He does not scare me enough. The last thing I would have liked to see different, was the way they handled the whole mystery around the identity of Rey's parents. Kylo's remark about Rey's parents just being drunks that sold her for the money just seems kind of an anti climax. Because of the big emphasis on the secret identity of Rey's parents throughout the whole movie; I kind of expected Rey to be of Kenobi or Skywalker descent. Well maybe Kylo just lied and we get to know the Rey's real identity in "Episode IX". I actually just assumed Kylo Ren was messing with her. It didn't even cross my mind up until reading your opinion here that it could be true. I choose to believe that it's a lie haha. Otherwise, indeed, it would be really bad.
Conclusion
Well I loved it! Thank you Disney for making "Star Wars" feel like "Star Wars" again. I honestly think "The Last Jedi" is the best "Star Wars" movie since "The Empire strikes Back". Although I have always had a very soft spot for "Return of the Jedi". I loved the three movies that have been made since Disney took over the franchise and I can't wait for "Episode IX" to hit the cinemas. But first it's time for "Solo: a Star Wars Story", scheduled to be released December 2018. The movie tells the story of the young Han Solo (and Chewbacca), before they joined the Resistance. This movie will be directed by Ron Howard, which makes me very optimistic about the whole thing. For now: "May the Force be with You".
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