Thread for those who loved the movie

So, is it just me or when Luke dies did they make it look like his robes were "walking"? For lack of a better word. Is that supposed to represent he's become one with the force? I enjoyed it the first time around and still do. However, for some reason the Canto Bite stuff it isn't as annoying the second time around.

 

Man, I know there's a certain segment of this fan base that despises Luke in TLJ - from the character arc to the projection to ultimately, his death. I've read "I'll never get to see Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in all his glory" and similar statements all over the web. Well, all I can say to those people, is that I'm sorry...because the moment Luke arrived on Crait until he became one with the Force was everything I dreamed of.

For starters, they nailed the look. No stupid haircut like the EU illustrations, the costume was the perfect evolution of his ROTJ one, and the original blue lightsaber was the icing on the cake. As far as the actual depiction, where do I begin? The Leia reunion, the walk onto the battlefield while the Resistance watches in awe, staring down the whole First Order, the shoulder brush, etc. However, there's one quote that sends chills down my spine every time I watch the scene:

"The rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi."

I know a lot of folks claimed there was a character assassination, but I feel that's definitely the Luke Skywalker we all know and love. Staring down the enemy, looking him dead in the eye, and essentially saying hope will never die. It reminds me of ROTJ when he told Palpatine, "I'll never turn to the dark side. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." I'm not sure if it's the line itself, Mark's delivery, the cuts to the new generation as he says it, etc...but that was "the moment" I witnessed Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, in all his glory.

Of course, you have the awesome stuff that follows, capped off by a glorious, epic, poetic death as he gazes into the twin suns. It was perfect. Out of all the stuff I loved from this film, and there's A LOT, I think that final Luke sequence tops it all.

 

I’m loving and appreciating the ending more and more with Luke on each repeat viewing. It’s very symbolic of himself in the OT as he always does things his way. He essentially ‘fools’ Kylo Ren and does it in a non violent way, the same way he threw his saber down against The Emperor in ROTJ. And he dies on his terms as that works much better then having him die against Kylo Ren or Snoke in some awkward scene.

 

Man, so good to see the real Yoda again.

 

Yeah, Luke...we needed that.

Also good to read of more people joining the love-fest after home viewings.

 

Oh yeah. He's great in TLJ. Like the old times. Hard to believe that Yoda changed so much in the prequels. He doesnt looks like the same character from the OT and TLJ.



Weird.

 

i want to give this all the positive ratings.
this movie saved Yoda for me in a big way. : D

 

Han was an obstacle in his full envelopment in the dark side. Snoke may have told him to do it given the chance, but it's pretty clear based on Kylo Ren's face after killing Han and with what Luke said to him in TLJ that it haunts him, though he considered it what he had to do to succeed in his endeavor to be all-powerful in the dark side. That backfired and we see him unable to take out Leia's ship when he had a clear shot in TLJ.

 

Yoda was so... Yoda in the TLJ. I don't get why some people say he's out of character. He was perfect. Yoda's depiction was one of the few things which Rian got right and I'm very happy about it.

 

Listen what he says about him disagreeing "initially......"

 

I love that Mark has been honest about how he felt. It also shows how little Disney really cares about the inflated backlash of the film. If Disney/Lucasfilm were paying people off and desperate to squash negativity they would have allowed the documentary to be released.

 

There was one conspiracy theorist (on another forum) that he claimed Disney was paying off Angry Joe, because he counted all the times he cleared his throat. This was after he "hated" the movie.

 

OK here is my review (if anyone is interested )

My favorite parts are the Rey/Luke scenes, and Rey/Kylo scenes. I have always said that the PT and ST have to make the OT better by fleshing out some part of the mythology. I think the PT did in that in a macro sense of giving us story elements regarding the politics (Republic, Jedi Order, Palpatine, Rise of the Empire) so that is what I really like about them. What I really like about the ST and TLJ per say is it is delving deeper into the mythology of the Force. I love the conversations between Rey/Luke regarding the Force, as it really goes to the heart of the Saga. I love the Rey/Kylo interactions because they are a different type of protagonist/antagonist so you really have to follow Kylo Ren and his actions. He is a tortured soul, but it is different then Vader, and I think we will get more about him in Episode 9. I liked the Yoda/Luke scene, but didn't love it as much as others.

The Whole First Order vs Resistance Light Speed Chase worked well for me on repeat viewings. I liked the dissention within the Resistance, as I think Poe's character really shines in this movie. I know many fans complained about tracking light speed, but I never get hung up on stuff like that. If you are watching a SW movie for details like this, then you're watching it for the wrong reasons.

The Canto scenes with Rose/Finn did not bother me as much on repeat viewings as I actually don't think they are that bad now. I think Rose sort of gets a bad deal from the fans as there seems to be one scapegoat in every movie. The only character that sort of annoyed me in TLJ was Holdo as Laura Dern just seemed like the wrong actress for the role. It was the same with Sam Jackson, as Star Wars doesn't need big name actors because I'm thinking about Jurassic Park and T-Rex when Holdo is talking, the same way I'm thinking about Royale with Cheese in Pulp Fiction when Mace Windu is talking.

I'm fine with the death of Snoke after repeat viewings, but it is a shame he was even introduced because he will just be known as that cheesy character from TFA who died in TLJ. I get why RJ killed him as it gives Kylo Ren all of Episode 9 to tell his story as the villain or whever they want to take his character. As for Snoke, I was never a huge fan of his in TFA, but the handling of him by JJ and RJ will come off as clumsy when we look back at the ST. The Rey/Kylo Throne Room Scenes are really good and I really don't have a problem now with Rey being a nobody.

The ending with Luke was the clincher for me that I really liked this movie on repeat viewings compared to the first viewing. His reunion with Leia brought a tear to my eyes (it is even more dramatic that Carrie Fisher passed away). It could rank up there with any top scene of mine for the Saga, it's that touching. I love Luke totally playing Kylo Ren like a violin on Crate and doing it in a non-violent way (mirrors ROTJ). I think fans forget Luke is always thinking outside the box in every movie and never does things the conventional way that we see heroes do in movies.

All in all, I will need a few more viewings to really rank TLJ, but I would say I like TFA alittle bit more, but they both compliment each other and that is all that matters.

 

He actually reverted on his intial mixed reception and loves it now

 

What your not allowed to change your mind?

 

Thanks for the review. I'm kind of a amazed your opinion shifted so much, but the have been others who said the movie improved after seeing it again. Luke is such a personal character for many people I can understand some people having mixed feeling about seeing their hero in such a mindset. In the end, Luke comes back and what a send off!

 

I think the reason for my total 180 is that I never really had a chance to digest/enjoy TLJ in December when I saw it opening weekend, because I was shocked/mad in the first 15 minutes after he threw the lightsaber. This is the good and bad of being a SW fan is that you get so invested in the buildup of these films. Then when something like this happens, it falls like a house of cards when you first watch it. After Leia flying, Luke being a cranky old man, and the death of Snoke, I pretty much checked out of the movie by the midpoint as I didn't remember many plot points in the 2nd half when I watched it again.

When you watch it a 2nd time and you are ready for those jarring plot developments, then I was able to focus on the narrative and enjoy the movie. I was able to digest why Luke did what he did and what he was trying to get Rey to understand about the Jedi. I was able to enjoy the Rey/Kylo Ren force conversations that Snoke set them up with. I was able to enjoy the whole Resistance/First Order Light Speed Subplot, and realized the outrage of Rose/Finn subplot was over the top by many fans, including me. And the ending with Luke/Leia and Luke totally playing Kylo Ren just worked for me the 2nd time and I really appreciated that Luke (and now Leia after Carrie Fisher's death) went out on their own terms in this movie.

What's interesting is each Disney SW movie has gotten better on 2nd viewing for me. I was on the fence with TFA and then loved it a 2nd time. I was meh on R1, and really enjoyed it a 2nd time. I did not like TLJ, and really liked it a 2nd time. The opposite happened to me with the PT movies as I enjoyed them all the first time in the theaters, and then started to notice the flaws when they came to DVD back in the day. I still have some problems with TLJ (I'm not a fan of the Lightsaber Flip as I feel RJ could have done something different to hammer his point about Luke), but overall I really like the movie and look forward to watching it as part of my Saga Marathons during the year with the OT/PT and R1.

 

I don't think we can be sure it was only because Han was an obstacle that he needed to get rid of. In the interrogation scene with Rey his line to her about Han is, "You feel like he's the father you never had. He would have disappointed you." Additionally, Kylo later says to Han, "Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father, so I destroyed him."

Both of those statements make me feel like Han might have done something to create the distance between the two of them.

 

That could be, but he also says in TLJ that he didn't hate Han, so that makes me believe he thought of him as a weak point for himself and thought that getting rid of him would be one less barrier for Kylo Ren to realize his potential. In saying that, it obviously didn't work the way he planned, because we see him choosing not to fire towards Leia in TLJ when he had a clear shot.

 

He keeps repeating this mantra that he has to kill the past, but he failed that task when he didn't kill his mother.