My Thoughts on The Last Jedi: Spoiler Free

It doesn’t take a genius to guess that I loved ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi.’ It wasn’t a perfect movie by any stretch.  But it is an ‘amazingly excellent’ entry into Star Wars film lore, as I described it to one friend who asked.

On Friday I was surprised at how many negative Tweets there were on #TheLastJedi hashtag. I was wondering if my excitement about the movie (and that of the many peeps in my 7pm showing at The Texas Theater on Thursday) was just me caught up in the hype of it all. I almost passed out by the time the opening scrawl got going.

And before I check the movie out for a second time in about an hour or so, I’d like to record my thoughts after my initial viewing.

Rian Johnson made a Star Wars movie, that’s not like any other Star Wars movie. There was comedy, lots of funny dialogue. And not that comedy is new to Star Wars, but it was a different type of comedy. Force Powers were used in ways that we hadn’t seen before on the large or small screen. Not just throwing stuff or jumping high. Johnson’s take on the Force was the best thing about The Last Jedi.

The next best thing was the acting. Daisy Ridley was as good as she was in ‘Awakens’ if not better. Adam Driver was strong as a somewhat weak version of a villain in ‘Awakes.” and in Last Jedi he was more convicted in his conflicted state. Adam Driver was compelling in every single scene he was in.

Mark Hamill…well…amazing. I can see why he wasn’t thrilled about Johnson’s take on Luke Skywalker. But it was fresh, and Hamill fully embraced every second of screen time.

Kelly Marie Tran…#LikedALot.  Her Funko Pop ‘Rose’ figure has already taken its place on my daughter’s shelf. Benicio Del Toro…#AlsoLiked. Domhnall Gleeson was evil and fun.

John Boyega…not given much to deal with this go around. Oscar Isaac, he had to more screen time and I could go either way on the character of Poe Dameron honestly, but I like what he’s throwing down.

And the third thing I’ll mention on the positive side was the action. Both the space battles and inevitable lightsaber battles were as good as any in the franchise.

My one critique….too long.  I thought it was a good thing when I learned ‘The Last Jedi’ would be the longest film in the history of the franchise. But 15-minutes could have easily been cut from the film.  It would have cost a couple of characters dearly, but the film as a whole would have benefited.

Anyway, I’d love to expand a bit more, but I’m off for a second viewing….so….