Before I begin this review from the perspective of a geeky dad, the 46 year old huge Star Wars fan in me would like to say a few words about...
If you are an adult who is a huge Star Wars fan, please repeat these words before seeing this movie:
This movie was not created for me. It was created for kids and new Star Wars fans. (Edit 12/16: I just saw it for a second time and had a much more enjoyable experience. I turned off my brain and just enjoyed. You can read about it here.)
I truly believe that if adult Star Wars fans keep this in mind and lower their expectations quite a bit, they will have a better chance of enjoying this movie. Sadly, the huge Star Wars fan that lives in me did not know to do this before viewing the movie. He is now crying.*
Maybe it would have been better if I were expecting this...
Everything is awesome! Everything is awesome when you make a movie for kids and new fans!
But the geeky dad is smiling. Why? Because my 12 year old son LOVED this movie. Not only did he excitedly (but quietly) tell me a few things during the movie, he could not stop talking about it on the way home. He was amazed at how much was tied to the books and video games he loves. He frantically explained details about how certain villains got their armor and why weapons were so special. Basically, he loved it enough for both of us.
I am not just a crotchety old Star Wars fan who likes his X-Wings to look like models and his Yoda to look like a puppet (of course I am those things but there is much more). I loved The Force Awakens and I enjoyed Rogue One. If I were to rank the Star Wars movies in order it would be:
- Empire Strikes Back
- A New Hope
- Force Awakens
- Return of the Jedi
- Rogue One
- The Last Jedi
I won't even rank the prequels because they suck so much I want to forget they exist. But as you can see, I actually enjoyed The Force Awakens more than one of the original trilogy.
After seeing, The Force Awakens, I felt that it was a farewell love letter not only to Han Solo, but to fans like me as well. Rather than being a true sequel, I thought it was a reboot of the series aimed at building a bridge between old fans like me and their children. (For me it was only my daughter because my son was already a true fan).
After seeing The Last Jedi I am now convinced. The Force Awakens was definitely a message to Fans who grew up in the 70s and 80s. That message:
"OK old men. You had your fun. Here's one last movie for you... but then it is time to give a new generation what you had for the past 40 years. Thanks for your loyalty and for raising kids with excellent taste. Now go sit in the back and watch your kids have fun."*
See ya middle-aged fans. It's been a hell of a ride! May the Force Be With You.
That is what I did tonight while watching The Last Jedi. Personally I did not enjoy very much of this film. There were a couple of cool shout outs to the original trilogy (but I refuse to spoil them). There were also a few exciting (but short) battles, and many of the jokes were funny. But aside from that, there wasn't much for me.*
The plot has some very serious holes. They "yada-yada-yada" over some very important details, they include characters and creatures for no discernible reason and the end is incredibly unsatisfying. In the future, after everyone has seen the movie, I will post a rant about all these issues as well as all the times I asked "Why did that happen?" There were many. (Not quite as many as Batman v Superman but more than any non-prequel Star Wars movie). I honestly don't think the intended audience is there for the plot. They are there for fun and action... even if it is fairly mindless according to the huge Star Wars fan in me.*
I missed Han so much I thought I should add as much of him here as possible.
I think the casting is excellent. There isn't much that you can do to make Mark Hammill a better actor but the writers and director did not put him in very many difficult situations. They kept it easy for him and he did fine. It was wonderful to see Carrie Fisher get to play one of my favorite female characters one last time. She will be missed. I think the producers hit a home run with Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, and John Boyega. Heck I even like Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. The acting is not the problem.
The special effects are absolutely stunning. The space battles look amazing. The CGI characters look very real. No complaints there either.
Although the movie was long (almost 2 1/2 hours long) there is quite a bit of action. While my family enjoyed the action, I felt it was tainted by the fact that so much of the setup made very little sense. Yes the action was cool... but was most of it necessary? Would the characters really be in the position to have to carry out the action sequences? Were all of the combat moves plausible? I was thinking too much about these questions to truly enjoy. Because of this, I was actually bored during many scenes.*
This looked really cool. Just don't ask me why it took place.
The writers attempted to work in a significant amount of humor. I'd say 2/3 of it worked. Some jokes were just too hokey for an adult... but my kids laughed at every joke. Far too many made me face-palm and shake my head. Once again, it was obvious that I was not the intended audience for the humor.*
The same was true of the "cute" creatures including the now famous penguin-like porgs. I have no idea why they were in the movie (neither does my computer because it won't let me type it!) Actually that is a lie. I know exactly why they are in the movie. Some focus group of little girls must have loved them. My 10 year old daughter sure did.
My wife and daughter loved these turtle faced things dressed like nuns. The Star Wars fan in me died a little bit just writing that.*
Actually the entire movie seems like it was many scenes patched together to satisfy many different focus groups. Sadly the "Middle-aged hardcore Star Wars fan" focus group only had scraps tossed to us. The meat clearly went to the little kids and their non-initiated parents focus group.
All of this may make it seem like I hated this experience. Nothing could be further form the truth. Although I did not enjoy the movie, I cherished the experience. My kids had enough fun for all of us. The fact that my wife liked it was an added bonus. The cherry on top was that my 10 year old daughter was so excited that she actually stayed awake for the entire movie even though it ended 90 minutes after her bedtime.
Although my kids are a little bit older than these two, they shared the same facial expression during the entire movie.
If I had to choose between me loving it or my kids loving it, I would pick them every single time.
I had a childhood filled with awesome Star Wars memories. Now it is their turn.
I'm taking them to see it in IMAX on Saturday. Maybe it will grow on me... (12/16 edit: It did!)
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 6 (Plot holes, unexplained Jedi powers, and the feeling that this movie was made for a series of focus groups.)
Number of face palms: 4 (A couple of jokes were just too ridiculous plus they missed some huge opportunities)
Number of times my kid asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 2
Did my kids like it: They LOVED it!
Would I see it without my kids: Yes (But then again, I saw all the prequels in the theater... I'm an addict.)
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full Price (Based solely on watching my kids have fun)
*12/16 edit: I just returned from seeing it a second time. All of the flaws I pointed out were based on my perspective, not the movie. I still stand by my words but I have a much more positive opinion of the movie now. You can read about it here.