“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Breaks Away From Its Past

In 2015, the Star Wars franchise received a continuation of its famous story with The Force Awakens, which was both critically acclaimed and heavily criticized.

Many complained that it was too similar to the original film, A New Hope, which led to controversy and worry within the fandom, leading many to worry that The Last Jedi would be a carbon copy of The Empire Strikes Back.

This couldn’t be any further from the case, as Star Wars: The Last Jedi creates its own interesting narrative that brings the long-loved saga to new heights.

The film takes place moments after The Force Awakens ends, with the Resistance evacuating their base planet following their successful attack on the First Order. Meanwhile, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) has tracked down the hidden Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill) and is trying to learn more about her newly-found connection to the force.

The entirety of the story takes place during the Resistance’s escape from the First Order. Familiar characters like Finn (played by John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac), as well as an unlikely new heroine, Rose Tico (played by Kelly Marie Tran), work to escape the grasp of the First Order and save the Resistance.

Overall, The Last Jedi brings a lot of new material to the Star Wars universe, and builds on the information in the previous film. It brings that amazing feeling of wonder that I get when watching the original trilogy, with beautiful scenes and moments throughout the entirety of the film.

However, not every viewer was pleased with the movie, with some claiming that the movie’s plot and style was too radical a departure from the series. In fact, massive criticism in the days following the release even led to a petition being made to remove the film from the main Star Wars canon.

I disagree with this view. To me, this is a great Star Wars film. Yes, it is different, but it accomplishes quite a bit, and was very entertaining. I was stuck to the screen the whole time, and didn’t want to miss a single moment.

The movie does have its problems. Now that the Star Wars franchise is owned by Disney, there’s a much more forced quality to the humor in the films, and the Marvel-like jokes sometimes seeming as if they are being crammed into an essentially serious story.

I also feel that the villains were really held back in The Last Jedi, with the evil Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) being the only one who really gets important screen time. Meanwhile, other important antagonists like Snoke (played by Andy Serkis), Captain Phasma (played by Gwendoline Christie), and General Hux (played by Domhnall Gleeson) are all relegated to bit parts.

The most important notion in the film is to “let the past die,” and I think that this Star Wars entry is a perfect way to do it. The Last Jedi was made to show that Star Wars will never be the same, and that’s probably for the best. It allows for more creativity, and the story can finally become something amazing.

All in all, Star Wars: The Last Jedi brings an interesting continuation to the new trilogy, while simultaneously lacking in some major areas and not fulling the promises of The Force Awakens.

I give Star Wars: The Last Jedi 7 out of 10 Sacred Texts destroyed.