The single most significant problem with The Last Jedi is the writing. From the messy plot to the egregious oversights and contradictions to the absurd, repetitive dialogue ("Godspeed" and "page-turner" is all I'll say); the script of The Last Jedi stymies the movie to such a degree that even if everything else about it were great, it still wouldn't be a good movie.
But everything else isn't great. The lead actors are wooden and uninspired (except for Mr. Driver, a lone bright spot. Fisher, Serkis, and Hamill were fine too, but this isn't their movie), though, to be fair, they aren't given much to work with. There's a plethora of 'jokes,' which isn't inherently problematic until you realize they're only there to keep you from falling asleep. With every change of scenery, there's a new "animal" to meet, and the movie takes extra care to ensure we get a lengthy, zoomed-in shot of each one's cute, pouting face (Don't worry if you didn't see them all, numerous toy versions will be available at your nearest retailer).
Some of the scenes are carbon copies of those found in previous Star Wars iterations (Hoth "Salt Edition"), and others look like they were plucked right out of an anime strip (Snoke's Big Send-Off). On the flip side, we do get to meet some new characters. There's Benicio Del Toro's DJ, a hacker/thief who is perpetually on the verge of having a seizure, Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico (A play to overseas audiences in Asia? Or a sneaky way to marginalize Finn's character further? We'll never know), and finally Laura Dern's dear Admiral Holdo, a stoic, purple-haired rebel commander who barely manages to lose out on the coveted "Worst Battle Tactician of 2017 Award" to General Hux and the entirety of the First Order military command (Self-sacrifice isn't heartfelt unless you let half of your forces die needlessly beforehand. And where are the TIE fighters?)
In fairness, Rian Johnson moves the franchise forward quite a bit. We learn that there's much more to the Force than previously thought: 1. You can facetime your frenemies.
2. Force ghosts are a thing (those silly Jedi in the past only used Holograms) 3. Remote light-sabre activation (makes you wonder why we keep seeing all of this 'duelling' nonsense) 4. Out of oxygen? Never fear; the force float is here!
We learn there are Space casinos where everyone dresses...wait for it... precisely like they do on Earth casinos! And apparently, fuel is now a big deal, although sending out smaller ships to collect some isn't allowed for some reason. Animal cruelty is BAD (but the planetary genocides committed by the First Order in The Force Awakens have become a thing of the past. After all, a week is a long time to remember such trivialities).
The movie lacks continuity from the Force Awakens, even though they take place moments apart. Why was a map left to find Luke? Why was the Resistance completely wiped out why? Why didn't Hux return to Snoke? How are Finn and his jacket okay when he just had his spine sliced by Kylo Ren? Plot ideas and interesting characters that Force Awakens created are abandoned with total disinterest (Snoke, Knights of Ren, Phasma). The three new hero characters are robbed of significant hero moments and isolated throughout the movie. The movie wastes time with two secondary plots that accomplish nothing but an incredible explosion and a long prequel-Esque escapade to a Casino planet. A good storyteller would've at least had Leia pilot that ship into Snoke like a badass and time it, so the explosion stuns Snoke and saves Rey, allowing Kylo to kill Snoke. The way they wrote this movie, both the good and bad guys looked weak and stupid when both should be impressive. Despite her humble upbringing, Rey's competence in combat against much more experienced fighters and odds remained an ongoing mystery that might result from awful storytelling.
So yeah, that's the gist. Some people may complain about things like Luke's behavioural changes, Snoke's unspoken backstory, or Rey's 'grounded' parents, but those things aren't necessary. What's important is you go into this movie without clearly formed expectations or a functioning brain. I recommend copious amounts of your favourite drug or intoxicant of choice, so you can watch the stunning special effects without wondering why the First Order ships don't use hyperspeed to overtake the fleeing rebel fleet or why the rebel fighters are lining up to face the oncoming AT-ATs in trenches a la WWI and not hiding behind their blast-proof door.
If you don't, you may start wishing for everyone to kamikaze each other.
But everything else isn't great. The lead actors are wooden and uninspired (except for Mr. Driver, a lone bright spot. Fisher, Serkis, and Hamill were fine too, but this isn't their movie), though, to be fair, they aren't given much to work with. There's a plethora of 'jokes,' which isn't inherently problematic until you realize they're only there to keep you from falling asleep. With every change of scenery, there's a new "animal" to meet, and the movie takes extra care to ensure we get a lengthy, zoomed-in shot of each one's cute, pouting face (Don't worry if you didn't see them all, numerous toy versions will be available at your nearest retailer).
Some of the scenes are carbon copies of those found in previous Star Wars iterations (Hoth "Salt Edition"), and others look like they were plucked right out of an anime strip (Snoke's Big Send-Off). On the flip side, we do get to meet some new characters. There's Benicio Del Toro's DJ, a hacker/thief who is perpetually on the verge of having a seizure, Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico (A play to overseas audiences in Asia? Or a sneaky way to marginalize Finn's character further? We'll never know), and finally Laura Dern's dear Admiral Holdo, a stoic, purple-haired rebel commander who barely manages to lose out on the coveted "Worst Battle Tactician of 2017 Award" to General Hux and the entirety of the First Order military command (Self-sacrifice isn't heartfelt unless you let half of your forces die needlessly beforehand. And where are the TIE fighters?)
In fairness, Rian Johnson moves the franchise forward quite a bit. We learn that there's much more to the Force than previously thought: 1. You can facetime your frenemies.
2. Force ghosts are a thing (those silly Jedi in the past only used Holograms) 3. Remote light-sabre activation (makes you wonder why we keep seeing all of this 'duelling' nonsense) 4. Out of oxygen? Never fear; the force float is here!
We learn there are Space casinos where everyone dresses...wait for it... precisely like they do on Earth casinos! And apparently, fuel is now a big deal, although sending out smaller ships to collect some isn't allowed for some reason. Animal cruelty is BAD (but the planetary genocides committed by the First Order in The Force Awakens have become a thing of the past. After all, a week is a long time to remember such trivialities).
The movie lacks continuity from the Force Awakens, even though they take place moments apart. Why was a map left to find Luke? Why was the Resistance completely wiped out why? Why didn't Hux return to Snoke? How are Finn and his jacket okay when he just had his spine sliced by Kylo Ren? Plot ideas and interesting characters that Force Awakens created are abandoned with total disinterest (Snoke, Knights of Ren, Phasma). The three new hero characters are robbed of significant hero moments and isolated throughout the movie. The movie wastes time with two secondary plots that accomplish nothing but an incredible explosion and a long prequel-Esque escapade to a Casino planet. A good storyteller would've at least had Leia pilot that ship into Snoke like a badass and time it, so the explosion stuns Snoke and saves Rey, allowing Kylo to kill Snoke. The way they wrote this movie, both the good and bad guys looked weak and stupid when both should be impressive. Despite her humble upbringing, Rey's competence in combat against much more experienced fighters and odds remained an ongoing mystery that might result from awful storytelling.
So yeah, that's the gist. Some people may complain about things like Luke's behavioural changes, Snoke's unspoken backstory, or Rey's 'grounded' parents, but those things aren't necessary. What's important is you go into this movie without clearly formed expectations or a functioning brain. I recommend copious amounts of your favourite drug or intoxicant of choice, so you can watch the stunning special effects without wondering why the First Order ships don't use hyperspeed to overtake the fleeing rebel fleet or why the rebel fighters are lining up to face the oncoming AT-ATs in trenches a la WWI and not hiding behind their blast-proof door.
If you don't, you may start wishing for everyone to kamikaze each other.
