Having rewatched TLJ, I’m fascinated by what a mixed experience it was. The film contains many great scenes, great acting and great action, but at the same time for each yin there’s a yang, that diminishes the overall enjoyment of the movie for me:
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While most of the story is definitely entertaining, and there’s a sense of the unexpected throughout most of the film, it’s all ultimately in the service of establishing the FO as the new Empire, and the Resistance as the spark of a new Rebellion. So, while the journey is not unsatisfying, the destination is way too familiar, and anti-climatic. Had Rey and Kylo actually joined forces, the saga could have really broken some new ground, but alas that was not to be.
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I enjoyed Luke’s arc much more this time round, and Mark Hamill’s performance together with the overall satisfying conclusion would have made for a good story, if not for the feeling I have, that it’s all fruit from the poisoness tree. What do I mean by this? Well, the entire premise of Luke’s arc is based on that one flashback in Ben Solo’s bedroom, where Luke very briefly contemplates killing his nephew. The problem here is, that RJ doesn’t provide sufficient motivation or make Luke seem sufficiently emotionally compromised for Luke’s actions to make sense. A moment of weakness just doesn’t cut it for me in the context of what came before. So, I think it’s a classic case of the story driving the characters, rather than the characters driving the story. The video I posted earlier perfectly encapsulates, why the basis of Luke’s arc is on very shaky ground:
“Brilliant or Senseless? Rian Johnson Explains The Last Jedi”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C95o0MRzBVs
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I don’t for the life of me understand why Rey was made so overpowered. Apart from the fact that TLJ’s depiction of the Force obviously conflicts with previous installments, I can’t shake the feeling what a bland character the deux ex machine nature of Rey’s Force powers make her. I believe many of Rey’s scenes would have been so much more powerful and satisfying, if she had really struggled without Luke’s guidance, particulary in her fight with Snoke’s guards, which should obviously have much more experience than her. The bond between Kylo and Rey would have been so much stronger, if she had been injured in the fight, and Kylo had saved her from the guards. It would also have raised Kylo’s profile as an experienced Force user, and genuine threat for Rey in future installments. The movie simply depicts them as equals, and combined with Rey’s victory in TFA doesn’t really raise the stakes for any future confrontation between Rey and Kylo.
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Why did RJ turn Hux into such a big joke? There was a nice rivalary dynamic in TFA, but that’s all been completely undermined by TLJ’s depiction of Hux as a baffoon. Considering that Kylo and Hux are now the only two faces of the FO, it doesn’t make the FO seem all that treatening.
So, overall TLJ is very much hit and miss for me. I can greatly enjoy the ST on its own terms, especially specific individual scenes, and performances, but as a story that is meant to both connect to the past, and move the story forward it seems a big missed opportunity for me.