You are safe from spoilers.
But you’re not safe from the mix of familiar ideas and uninteresting additions that plague Star Wars: The Last Jedi. That feels harsh, especially since the movie has its charms and is as visually alluring as any Star Wars movie before. But that’s a bit of the problem. The Last Jedi spends more time following its predecessors than making a name for itself.
Which movie is this?
The heroes are split up! The force-newcomer sets off to train with the jedi master as everyone else continues to assist the struggling rebels in their pursuit.
Don’t be fooled. Empire Strikes Back, this is not. While Luke (Mark Hamill) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) have some memorable moments together, Finn (John Boyega) and the rest of our friends might as well be walking into a wall throughout the movie. They get about as much done as Han Solo and Princess Leia did when they were arguing in a giant worm monster. Except there was a story of two lovable characters growing closer together. Here is Benicio del Toro’s character and his awkward “charm” stuttering off of Finn.
The new cast of characters, played by the likes of Laura Dern, del Toro and Kelly Marie Tran, are missing the spirit that Ridley, Boyega and Oscar Isaac had to play with in their Force Awakens roles. Rey’s aggressive heroism played nicely off of Finn’s constant doubt and fear. It helped with that movie’s familiarity problem to the original Star Wars. Here, there isn’t much to help The Last Jedi and its Empire vibes.
Actually, now that a lot of Return of the Jedi has been exhausted too in this movie, it looks like we’re actually going to need to tread new territory in Episode IX. Unless they start borrowing from the prequels…
