HUGE SPOILERS BELOW
I loved The Last Jedi even though it had some major problems. I'm under no illusion about that. One whole story strand was pretty much pointless. But what it did right was fantastic. And I won't lie, my right eye might even have had a moisture overload at one point. There was just so much goodness in it. So much of it hit the spot. Here's 10 things I loved.
(1) The fact that the opening scene is a film all of its own. A ridiculous plan coming together. A decision to bring down a huge piece of Imperial hardware. Hard choices being made. Desperate tension. Huge sacrifices. Rogue fighters going against direct orders and causing more death. More action and a bigger body count in 10 minutes than most films pack into their entire running time. All this and it manages to cram in a wicked bit of comedy involving General Hux.
(2) BB8 being a bad motherfucker. First off literally using his/her head to solve a problem for Poe in the opening scene and therefore saving the fleet. Then tying up prison guards to help rebels escape in a scene that's never explained and is all the funnier for it. And lastly commandeering and using an AT-ST to decimate a battalion of stormtroopers to rescue Finn and Rose. And then getting his belly tickled by Poe when they reunite. BB-8 is a true hero that never gets any credit.
(3) The lightsaber battle that was as brutal as anything in the saga so far. Snoke first getting bisected and then Rey and Kylo taking on his guards. Heads are lopped off. Throats are slashed. Faces are impaled. It's vicious stuff. After all the warnings about how grim Rogue One was going to be and it ended up being not a patch on this scene. A real FUCK YEAH!! moment for the bloodthirsty audience members.
(4) Kylo Ren telegraphing Luke's death. People are complaining about Luke's passing, that it came out of nowhere but Kylo clearly explains it earlier in the film. Kylo thinks Rey is projecting herself to him and then says the effort will kill her. Luke projects himself to Crait to face Kylo at the end of the film. The effort is immense. Luke is old. It sucks but it didn't come out of nowhere.
(5) The fact that Rey's strength is her own. People got angry about this one and I've no idea why. Kylo tells her that her parents were nothing. She somehow already knows the truth. Her mastery of the force comes from within. She didn't inherit it, no one passed it down to her. It's hers. Could she be the most powerful Jedi yet? Is she full of mega midichlorians? *runs away*
(6) Vice Admiral Holdo's self sacrifice to save the remaining rebels answered a question I've wondered for years. What exactly happens if there's a collision between ships at light speed? Destruction on a massive scale is the answer. Star Destroyers are cut through like a hot knife through butter. I'm disappointed Laura Dern won't be returning but goddamn what an exit.
(7) In 40 years of Star Wars we've never got to see where they get their grub from. This time we do. Graphically. Luke does a spot of death defying fishing and milks big lazy aliens, that look like the lovechild of a seal lion and Watto, for a hideous looking green fluid. Chewie though chooses to chow down on the inhabitants of Atch-To, the lovely little Porgs. And being the tactless fellow he is he kills, cooks and almost eats one in front of the others who watch sadly and ruin his wookiie appetite.
(8) Rey saving the Jedi texts. Yup, you might have missed it but Rey fleeced the sacred books before she left Luke. They are visible in a blink and you'll miss it moment onboard the Millennium Falcon near the end. People think she was looking at Finn and Rose wistfully but her knowing smile showed us she was looking at the books stored under them. Good woman Rey. She's not going to let the Jedi religion die out just yet.
(9) The reappearance of Yoda. Admit it. You did a little whoop and a fist pump when he appeared on Atch-To. He may be a ghost but the force is still strong with him. Thunderbolts of lightning, very very frightening etc. And he can still make Luke feel like a young trainee apprentice on Dagobah. It's a great scene. The last time we saw them together was 34 years ago. Oh man the nostalgia.
(10) People are whining that the ending was tacked on. No it wasn't. It was a pretty blunt hint what's to come. It's another ray of hope. Laying the seeds for another trilogy maybe? That young barn hand had the power of the force that I only copped on my second viewing. Watch what he does with his broom. And then there's the final scene of him looking up at two stars that look suspiciously like....
I can't wait for Episode IX.
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