Director Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was indubitably one of the most highly anticipated films of 2017. With worldwide releases beginning Dec. 15, 2017, speculation arose about how it will hold up to the hype.
The next Star Wars movie was first announced in late January 2017 but was expected by fans after the release of “The Force Awakens” due to loose ends and cliffhangers (such as the Luke moment). It was also announced that there was going to be a new trilogy after Disney purchased Lucas Films.
The trailer for “The Last Jedi” was released early October 2017, and the marketing videos and ads quickly followed suit. Companies and shows such as Wired, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Jimmy Kimmel, Good Morning America, and MTV have published videos of interview/entertainment videos featuring the cast of “The Last Jedi.”
Interview videos range from “The Last Jedi Cast Reveal FUNNIEST Moments” to “The Last Jedi Cast Share Their Favorite Snoke Theories”. Most of the other videos feature some sort of gimmick or quirk such as “The Last Jedi Cast Touches Bearded Dragons & Other Weird Stuff” or “The Last Jedi Cast Answers the Web’s Most Searched Questions” or even “The Last Jedi Cast Competes in a Compliment Battle”. Every video begins with the cast introducing themselves and ends with them giving a brief advertisement for the movie or plugging in the release date. This all adds to the hype of the movie by leaking tiny details about the movie in each video.
These videos sell you personality. They demonstrate the different sides of the actors and try to convince you to see the movie. They serve to entertain the audience and promise further entertainment if you go see the movie. The videos also accentuate a contrast between who the actors are on screen and who they are in “real life”. It is an attempt to humanize the characters of a story. This makes them appear more lifelike and more relatable to the viewer. All these factors persuade the viewer into watching the movie. It works, after all, because I went to go see it.
This next portion of the article contains mild spoilers for “The Last Jedi” and “The Return of The Jedi”.
“The Last Jedi” brings a refreshing taste of Star Wars action and culture to the franchise. The movie is jam-packed full of new characters, locations, and creatures that our heroes interact with. Well thought-out creatures, like Porgs, not like Jar-Jar Binks from the Prequels. It is a humorous addition to an action franchise but does not disappoint when it comes to fight scenes and visuals, such as the fathier horse chase scene and the Battle of Crait.
The plot is rich and follows a similar narrative to that of “The Return of The Jedi”. The movie picks up after the events of “The Force Awakens”. The movie has a similar narrative to that of “The Return of The Jedi” in the sense that it follows many key points. A hero is saved, the jedi trains with a mentor, an Imperial ship is destroyed, there’s a tense battle between the good and the bad with an emotional conflict resolved.
Over on a nearby planet, the battle ensues until the heroes intervene and ensure victory. Both movies also feature multiple plot twists. There is a wide range of conflicts that occur between many characters, including a couple internal conflicts, notably those of Luke and Kylo. The story happens over a short amount of time as an Imperial fleet chases down the remaining Rebel forces. This makes the movie fast-paced and incredibly immersive. It is filled with emotional moments and beautifully shot action sequences. The amount of character development that occurs in characters such as Luke, Rey, and Kylo over such a short time is astounding. The humor is appropriately timed and well executed by the beautiful acting of the incredible cast. The movie looks great on the big screen, with beautiful colors and vibrant scenes. The special and visual effects are well executed and not super overused.
“The Last Jedi” most definitely held up to the hype. “The Last Jedi” was advertised as the best Star Wars yet, and to some, it is. Many consider it up there with other Star Wars movies such as “A New Hope” and “The Return of The Jedi” (definitely not on the lower level of the prequels). It’s chock full of emotion, action, humor, and, most importantly, memes. My favorite meme being the Ben Swolo meme, featuring Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo shirtless but wearing funky high-waisted pants covering his stomach. This movie is without a doubt worth a watch. If you still can, watch it in theaters. Watching it in theaters makes it that much better the sounds and visuals are so much better and much more immersive.. This movie is great for the avid Star Wars and even for the non-fan. It’s a beautiful combination of acting and cinematography. If you haven’t seen it yet, c’mon go see it.
Emre Tokpinar
