The Last Jedi Reactions Thread

I loved the movie. I had so many theories about what would happen, and was still surprised by a few things. In retrospect, Luke's moment of weakness and attempt to kill Ben makes so much sense. And I'm happy Snoke is dead. I want to see the type of First Order that is ruled by a corrupted Skywalker. I have no idea what JJ is going to do in episode 9, but I'm glad it doesn't involve an showdown with Snoke on a Death Dyson Sphere.

 

Just finished a second viewing with my 9 year old niece and have decided to throw a solid 8/10 rating out there.

Some more likes:

• Most of the gags - kids in my audience loved them. A few for the adults too - I somehow missed the "thinks with his cockpit" Poe joke the first time round.
• Rey's test at the cave.
  • Absurd and appropriate.
    
  • Her curiosity and attachment may be a weakness used against her. Cave says focus on herself, not shadows.
    
  • Did I also sense a message to us fans (you're not going to see her parents) and maybe a nod to Twin Peaks with the finger snap/reverse gated reverb combo?
• The droids.
  • BB8 was great.
    
  • R2 and Threepio were treated so well. (Rogue One felt a little forced to me - love your work though Gareth).
    
  • I liked how Luke's sacrifice was foreshadowed the moment R2 played the Obi-Wan appealogram (it's your turn now Master Luke.)
    
  • I also loved Luke's wink to Threepio. (I wonder what his sensors were reading?)
• Luke calling out the PT Jedi: "Failure, hypocrisy, hubris".
• Yoda calling out Master Luke: "The greatest teacher failure is".
  
• Leia saying she can't take another loss and Holdo reminds her she can and it's something her colleagues have learned from her.
• Possible foreshadowings:
  • Master Yoda to Master Luke: "We have what they go beyond".
    
  • Luke hinting Kylo hasn't heard the last from him.
    
  • After Leia says there's nothing of her son left, Luke saying "There is always something left".

I generally think less is more effective too. I sometimes have to remind myself the film is made for a broad audience. Sure, there's a hefty hollywood dose of unnecessary reiteration and exposition in the movie but I should probably note the repetition does come in handy for slightly inebriated adult audience members too! (Guilty as charged).

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 15, 2017, Original Post Date: Dec 15, 2017 ---

Agreed. It's got to be test all Jedi worth their salt must go through although likely a thought exercise for most.

I loved the poetic way Luke described it as a "briefest moment of pure instinct".

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 15, 2017 ---

And how about that symbology: his sacrifice takes place on an altar, his mind lingers on the horizon one last time, a twin son/sun disappears...

 

Another striking part was Rose saving Finn, and preventing him from stopping the first order assault by sacrificing himself. I think many thought that was tragic and had hoped Finn would stop the battering ram. She said something to the effect that we need to save the ones we love, not kill the ones we hate. DJ says that first order blows up resistance, resistance blows up first order in and endless cycle. Luke doesn't attack Kylo, he he distracts him while the survivors escape. Rey doesn't kill Kylo when he is passed out (Hux tried though!).

I think Rian did a fascinating job questioning the desire we have to see our hero's kill the villain. His having Kylo be the one to kill who we thought was the main villain fit that theme nicely.

 

“There are alternatives to fighting”.

Very well put sir!

 

I Maclunkey loved this.
It just opened the doors to new things in the greatest way possible.
I feel like it put the eyes of Star Wars forward.
The Force Awakens is the past.
The Last Jedi is us letting go.

 

Good evening Cantina!

First time post. Posted a bit on Jedi Council Forums. Anyway..enough of the formalities....

I have seen the last Jedi. It was an INCREDIBLE film. Amazing.

Much to process. So much, but I was genuinely blown away.

Any quibble or niggle is quickly swept aside when I remember the raw feeling I had during the countless eye popping scenes. Cannot wait for a re-watching.

Well done Rian. It's right there with Empire for me. I will resist scoring it tonight because it's impossible to stay impartial.

 

I've seen the movie last night, and I really don't know what to think.
Here are my points about the film:

GOOD:

1. THE best scene of the movie was Kylo/Rey vs. Red Guards, that was the only time in the movie that I got chills
2. I really started to like Snoke's character; He really looked and sounded good.
3. Porgs
4. Crait battle - visually stunning
5. Unexpected moments like rebels fighting among each other

BAD:

1. In the end of the movie we are left with too many characters that are pointless
2. Finn is definitely the most annoying character in the movie. I actually rooted for him to die in the Crait battle. That would actually do good to the character and it would immortalize him as a legend. But sadly we will have to watch him in EP IX.
3. At first I was glad that Snoke died, but when I left the theater I was disappointed that they killed of a character that had so much POTENTIAL.
4. It seems that writers cannot decide is Kylo Ren force strong badass or insecure and unstable guy. In one scene he is powerful like Darth Vader, in the other scene he cannot take the lightsaber from Rey
5. I expected much more from Luke/Rey training. Basically we have seen very little of that "training". Marketing is a Vhlor.
6. In every scene there's a bigger FO ship, and the bigger it gets, the easier the rebels destroy it.

In the end the FO is left with a few ships, the resistance also has no ships. And we're supposed to watch epic conclusion and epic finale in EP IX?

Overall, the movie is still sinking in. I will probably have to watch it again to digest everything.

 

There's actually a really quick shot on the Falcon earlier in the film where she has just finished putting the books in the drawer & you see them for literally half a second at most. The shot at the end, I think, is for anyone who didn't see it the first time.
That's what Yoda meant when he said that anything in that tree, Rey already had. It just went over Luke's head.

 

Metacritic does not change because all the critics reviews are in. Rottentomatoes score is even going up. I don't give a toss about audience reception.

 

Did anyone else feel aggrieved by the death of Admiral Ackbar? It felt like after the main attack where we saw Forcetranaut Leia during Holdo's speech it was just a footnote "Oh yeah, and Admiral Ackbar's dead." Still loved the whole thing though, now I've had 24hrs to process it all.

 

Out of all the angst this is far and away the best post I’ve seen, excellent summing up.

It was an emotional rollercoaster and I will need to see it again to process it all. It was a really good film but very different to anything Star Wars I’ve ever seen before. I came away from R1 feeling unsure about it first time round but that is currently hands down as my all time fave SW film so hopefully the omens are good for the 2nd viewing of TLJ and on.

The Leia scene was a bit Superman/guardians of the galaxy cheesy but it was a powerful scene and maybe seeing it again without the shock of seeing her ‘force active’ for the 1st time will make it make more sense?

Snoke dying was a massive shock, initially disappointing that he was seen off so easily but I get the ‘hubrus’ angle. Would have been good to see him use that purple force lightning more!

It has left me wondering how the trilogy will end? Especially as they killed off so many big characters and how they fit leia into the story now Carrie is gone? I’d imagine force ghost Luke is a must and it would be interesting if they had a big ‘in universe’ time gap of around 5/7 years to allow Rey to train properly, Kylo Ren’s evil to grow and perhaps that force sensitive slave child at the end to be found and become a Padawan.

 

Oh, my. What an amusing false equivalency you have there. You want to know the differences?

The Empire Strikes Back

• Only had to follow up one movie
• Was made by a group of fledgling filmmakers.
• There was no opportunity to make a continuous narrative from scratch because there was a lot of skepticism behind whether or not the first installment would have been viable enough to warrant a sequel

The Last Jedi

• Is in a trilogy that is beholden to two other trilogies spanning almost 40 total in-universe years of storytelling and continuity.
• Is part of a trilogy being made by Lucasfilm, a corporate giant, which is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co., an even larger corporate giant.
• The second point means that the resources and time needed in order to create a consistent continuous narrative are available which makes your comparison entirely invalid and only serves to excuse the empty speculation fodder and worthless hype-mongering that the sequel trilogy constantly peddles.

 

I gave it 8/10. Mind you, I'm being fair here... and... conflicted! (7,9 or even 7,7 would be a more accurate rating)

So, Rian Johnson did take risks like i wanted him to and I do thank him for that. The last thing I wanted to see was more of the same. But when it comes to risks, most of the times they fail and most of the times don't "win"... In the case of TLJ, the result for me is somewhere in the middle (maybe because I really didn't wanted them to fail and I'm being sympathetic). Let me say this: For months now I had the feeling that Luke might be the big villain behind Snoke but maybe this could have caused a lot of rage between old fans of the OT and they decided not to go this way. And let's face it, Disney would never go for an Evil Luke... Don't get me wrong, Mark Hammil did his best (you were really Realy great Mark, I mean it!), but for me it might have been more clever if he really had turned evil and not this conflicted... I guess they had to find a "redemption" for the character and that (kinda) worked. But this way, the whole movie felt a bit more Disney-esque and less Starwars-esque (especially the ending with the kid bla bla bla...). It seems to me that that was the main reason the Disney folks liked Johnson's ideas from the start. But it did miss the Lucas "feel" in many cases no matter how much they tried to keep their hearts close to his originals/prequels feel. Let us not forget, that there is no written story, and the film-makers write the next chapter(s) as we all move along with our daily lives. So I'm not really complaining here. Just thinking/wondering.

The beginning and the ending felt awkward for me. It started of really fast and ended really fast as well. Two more risks here. As for the plot twists, they were kind of OK but not as good as I expected them to be. The whole force-connection thing was not bad either, but it did felt "too much" in some particular moments (water in Kylo's hand etc). I liked the force vision/mirror effects with the multiple Rey(s). Now that was something new and interesting(!), but I expected more time with Luke and Rey on Ach-To.
Didn't really understood the death of Snoke. I feels like they did it just for the shake of giving Kylo Ren a more evil twist on his character.

On the good side:
Space Battles: At last! That was really missing from TFA. Impressive. Very impressive! And the battle of Crait was great, especially the scenes with the Falcon. The sacrifice of Holdo: Yes! Kylo Ren's spinning vehicle: YES! (I'm being really nerdy here!) Poe Dameron's X-wing speeding up! (also, I liked his character more in this one)
Jokes: For me they worked better than the ones in TFA and they didn't felt excessive.
Droids: Very Good. Every droid played their parts well. Maybe 3-PO felt a bit off but he was OK.
The movie didn't felt like 2:30 hours! Bravo for that! I never got bored! I wanted more!
Rey's parents: The movie suggests that they were nobodies and let's face it, no need to have a hero that's the daughter/son of someone important all the time. I'm all for that. Time for the hereos to "change".

On the bad side:
New characters: I felt like they needed a little bit more time to establish them (how? beats me!)
Canto Bight: Same. Too fast... I wanted to stare at all those magnificent new creatures more but the scenes were faster than a speeder bike...
Lightsaber fights: THAT WAS ALL? I really, really expected more lightsaber duels. At least one BIG one. Ok not like the ones in TPM or TCW but at least closely to TESB territory... Even the one in TFA seemed to last longer... So I guess we'll have a big duel between Rey and Kylo in ep9(?). (Sadly, I won't wait for ep9 with open hearts like i did for this one)

Conflicted:
Rose Tico: Was she there to take the romance idea out of Rey and Finn and have Rey be the lone Jedi she must be? OK, i get it: Every character is conflicted in TLJ... but why? It doesn't have to be that way all of the time...
Captain Phasma: Just a short duel? And what? Is she really dead now?
CGI Yoda or puppet? Or maybe a "Cguppet"?? Hahaha Could have been better. And strangely, too much laughter... Kind of enjoyed andfelt awkward until i realize his purpose... o...k...

That's all I can think of now. I'll come back with more when If I re-watch it or give it more thought.

As a whole, it strangely felt like an indie movie, but that's not always a good thing. Like another fellow fan said in here, maybe ep9 will change the way we see TLJ now. But then again... I was thinking the same about TFA and... not much has changed in my mind since yesterday about TFA...

It was a good movie (like TFA) but have to say that (for now) Rogue One IS the best new SW movie for me!

 

So I hope that this thread is the self-help group for traumatized TLJ viewers @Maximus, @FN-3263827 and I are looking for.

Seen it the other night for the first time, and gave it this moment a 9 out of 10. It’s getting better and better in my head as time passes.

It was hard for as the boy from the late seventies who always played Luke while the cousin was Han. I’m still mourning the blond boy from Tattooine. But Yoda’s appearance gives hope and advice in this phase, what fate has in store for Jedi Masters.

And I now that I’ve to let go. It’s not the OT, time has moved on and there is no way back into mommy’s womb, to a place where the big three live in harmony and save the galaxy every time from the bad guys. Now the era of Luke, Han and Leia has ended, which of course makes me sad. But the Star Wars universe continues.

"That is the way of things. The way of the Force."
"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. "

The only thing that I really disliked is how hollow the plot around Snoke ended, and how abrupt. Which really makes me wondering about the threat situation for part 9, I still cannot accept Kylo as an arch enemy for the final climax so far. I agree with Snoke, “A kid with a mask’.

Ah, and then there was the CGI Yoda… Not a quality execution in my eye, although I loved his role!

I’ve to see it again to come to terms with it I guess.

So then why 9 of 10? I was enjoying myself the whole time, and it felt like Star Wars for me, of the fresh and different kind. I even salute to how Snoke’s end was engineered.

And of course Porgs…

Edit: typos

 

This is the worst of the series, and by a far margin at that. I'm so utterly disappointed, I'm actually really upset about it. Rian Johnson was the worst possible choice to make this film, let alone a brand new trilogy. I'm gutted. At least the Phantom Menace had a lightsaber duel. From the moment Luke tosses the saber Rey hands him, it became clear this would be a tire fire. I wasn't wrong. Massive spit in the face to fans both old and new.

 

Did anyone else think it was cool how Yoda used the force to destroy the tree? To me that gives me hope that Luke will still play an important role in epi. 9 because if he is dead then he can still use the force (maybe).

 

A couple thoughts. Like many, unsure what I think. In many ways, this was an excellent film, in only one am I left wondering. I'm not sure I like Luke in this movie. I mean the performance is incredible, no doubt, I'm just not sure I like broken hopeless luke dying at the end.

That being said, the battle with Kylo was epic. A spectacular ruse by Luke, who used a skill that we had seen in the movie, only not expected out of him. Kylo is so blinded by anger that he can't think straight. If he did, the resistance would be dead.

I am not bothered by the death of Snoke at all, and here is why. I know Snoke is not a Sith, but this is a very, very Sith thing to do. It is also one of the reasons the Jedi beat them. The sith, before the rule of 2, now mostly legend stuff, were full of backstabbing and scheming. There is always a game, as there was with Vader and Sidious, how will the master kill the apprentice before the apprentice grows too powerful to kill the master. Like Sidious he dies because of his own arrogance.

mentioned in another forum. Why I don't think Snoke was a force projection. The force projection uses force lightening in the beginning of the film on Kylo. Since I don't think this is possible, I believe he is dead. Why?

This is setting up for the end of the Skywalker family. Rey will kill Kylo and end the Skywalkers.

I am unsettled about Lukes end, really thats all for me. The rest of the film I really liked.

 

The thing for me was that there were things I didn’t like but I was so happy with everything else and the fresh/brave direction that I embraced it all. Leia floating through space?! Normally I’d have flat out rejected that but because this film was a ride start to finish, I took it on board. I embraced it.

I get why TFA was played safe but I never got on board with it. I struggle to watch that film. I felt that way since the first viewing of it. TLJ has given me what I have wanted from the GFFA since the OT: entertainment, humour, emotion, intelligence, craziness, romance...and most of all ORIGINALITY.

Wonderful film.