The Last Jedi Review
The Last Jedi is a blockbuster film that released on December 16 and brought in over two hundred million dollars in revenue. Rian Johnson directed this film unlike its predecessor, (The Force Awakens) which was directed by J.J. Abrams. It explores the Star Wars universe as it follow different perspectives of the Rebel Alliance and the Empire as they battle for control of the galaxy.
In the beginning of the film, it opens with the Rebellion trapped by the Empire in a battle they cannot escape. While the Rebels are able to take down a dreadnought, they are still left being followed by the Empire through hyperspace, which is a new concept in this film. While this is happening, Rey, the main protagonist from The Force Awakens, is on the island with Luke Skywalker. They begin almost as a set of enemies that soon become a student and teacher as Luke begins teaching her the ways of the Force and leaving the ways of the Jedi behind. Rey also talks in secret with Kylo Ren through the powers of Snoke. Rey begins to think that she can turn Kylo Ren, but when she arrives on his ship he shows her to Snoke to prove his loyalty to the dark side. Although, right before Kylo kills Rey he instead kills Snoke and together Kylo and Rey defeat the Praetorian Guard. Kylo then proposes the idea of them ruling the galaxy together and forgetting about the Resistance and First Order, but Rey quickly retaliates and she escapes when the ship gets nearly destroyed. Towards the end of the movie there is also an appearance from Yoda. He lights the tree holding the original Jedi texts on fire, showing the end of the Jedi (hence the title The Last Jedi) and the beginning of something new.
The film also shows as the former stormtrooper, Finn, finds an alliance technician, Rose. They work together to disable the tracker the First Order has that can track the Rebellion’s ship as they go through hyperspace. (This tracker will make the ship eventually run out of fuel and get destroyed, marking the end of a New Republic.) These two travel through the galaxy on a secret adventure of their own to help disable this tracker. They do this through the help of Poe Dameron and other rebel officials.
While other major characters are out and about trying to escape the First Order from the outside, fighter pilot Poe Dameron is working from the inside. After a TIE fighter destroys the main bridge on the rebel ship, Commander Leia Organa uses the Force to pull herself back to the main ship and then receives medical help when she is in critical condition. Admiral Holdo then takes Leia’s position and attempts to make an escape possible for all of the Resistance– except herself. Poe does not know of this sacrifice until the end of the movie and in the meantime is trying to sneak around to shut down the Empire’s tracker and keep people from escaping the ship.
Most of the action is in the last part of the movie when several large events take place. For example, after the rest of the Resistance has left on the escape ships, Admiral Holdo takes the cruiser and uses the last of the fuel to go through hyperspace through the main dreadnought that contains Emperor Snoke and Kylo Ren. This creates an explosion so large that the movie is completely silent. The rest of the Resistance is now on the mineral planet Crait that used to be a Rebel headquarters. Soon after they arrive the First Order is there with the new AT-M6 ready to destroy the door to the mine the Resistance is hiding in. The rebels fight back out of old ships, towers, and trenches which give an almost WWI type feel. Eventually Luke shows up and faces Kylo Ren alone and survives though the fact that he wasn’t there at all. He only showed himself through the Force. The rebels then successfully escape through the help of Rey and Chewbacca bringing the Millennium Falcon and moving the rocks from the cave exit. The movie ends with Luke ceasing to exist on the island and his cloak flying away in the end and a small boy from earlier in the film sweeping. The child claims he part of the Resistance and tells stories of Luke to other children. Many people think that he may know how to control the Force from the way he picked up the broom. Many questions were answered, others persist, and new ones were revealed, but overall, the movie was a blockbuster and rated number one in the galaxy.
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