Look, I don't have a lot of credibility as a Star Wars fan, simply because my familiarity is reduced to the films. I never read the books, I have no knowledge of literary backstories that may or may not accompany the films, and my only preconceptions of what might unfold in The Last Jedi arose from Episodes I - VII. I will say, however, that this "lack" of context for the larger Star Wars Universe might make my feelings about the film all that more objective.
Firstly, I will acknowledge that the Rose thing was really disappointing for several reasons. It's my only gripe about the film, but it's a big one. Let's put aside the horrible casting/overacting and terrible dialogue that plagued her whole character, and just focus on her plotline. I'm not of the camp that her entire journey was without a payoff; in fact, the accidental discovery and involvement of Benicio Del Toro's character is precisely what most of this post will reference. (Additionally... the small boy at the end of the film, already harvesting those seeds of liberation and resistance as he looks at the sky, is crucial to any future for the small Resistance that remains, and further reinforces the significance of Rey's humble beginnings - but I'll get to that later.) Even though the whole scene fits right into the film's didactic, anti-capitalist vibe (and no, I will NOT say agenda, because we're all aware of the intentional fallacy, right?) - it fell flat for me. As an animal rights activist I cried to watch those creatures released from their hellish realities, but there was just something about that whole thing that didn't quite fit into the rest of the film. Was it just a lack of continuity that bothered me? Perhaps it was too on-the-nose, and perhaps I was displeased with the involvement of Finn's character there, and the implications of his burgeoning friendship with Rose that seem to detract from his dedication to Rey. But if I've learned anything from Rian Johnson, it's that my own expectations mean nothing.
All that Rose stuff aside, though (eyeroll as I envision her cringe-worthy kiss), this film climbed its way into my very soul and became the best movie I've ever seen. I know how subjective that is, but I'd still like to say it. Let's start with Rey and Kylo. I'll be honest; I never, EVER thought I'd want to see Rey connect with anyone besides Finn. Their bond was the most brilliant thing about The Force Awakens aside from Rey's actual awakening. But the transmuted consciousness that played out between Rey and Kylo during their telepathic connections was so seductive in its simplicity - in its most minute, sensory details - that the power of the force was palpable... just DRIPPING off the screen. Long gone are the days of dramatically - timed facial expressions to soundtracks; the strange duality of the human condition, illustrated through these two curious, powerful beings, was simply displayed in all its stream-of-consciousness glory; I can't think of a better way to describe it than a colloquialism with which I hope you're familiar - "You already know." Isolation and connection - no man is an island... I could go on. But I'd like to move on to the throne room.
Yes, I've heard from die-hard fans that the coolest part was watching the red dudes finally fight. I've also heard that Snoke's lack of a backstory is one of the main reasons fans are literally petitioning to have the movie stricken from the record. Did it ever occur to anyone that his lack of a backstory is its own story? That the clear, resonant message there might be the fact that it doesn't matter? That one's origins have no bearing on the present? (If that's not painfully clear when Rey, seeking her own origins, sees her reflection and finds comfort in it instead of crippling anxiety, I don't know what to tell you.) It's clear that in the Star Wars universe, entirely contrary to what we've all been conditioned to expect, fate doesn't exist; reality is comprised of the individual choices of all who remain present, and is subject to change course at any moment. Snoke's rise to power is of no importance. Whatever that plotline would entail, it would not be original or extraordinary. It would be the same as any other evil world-leader, both on- and off-screen; a purely sinister control-freak, either borne of childhood trauma or just plain greed, seeks to manipulate the galaxy for his own gain. How is that different than other world leaders who've instigated conflict in their favor? It's not important, because we already know. Snoke chose the dark side. There's your story.
Anyway, I digress. The throne room. Yes, the visuals were crazy. Yes, the sound of the heat combusting in each stroke of a light saber was full of sheer magnetism, and raised every hair on my body. But the fight... my GOD the fight... that moment when Rey and Kylo stand back-to-back, wielding the force... I have goosebumps writing about it just now. But even in that moment, Johnson maintained what is undoubtedly my favorite part about Rey and Kylo; they are STILL the couple on the Grecian Urn. If you're not familiar with Keats' well-known "Ode to a Grecian Urn," here's its premise in a nutshell. There are two lovers painted on this urn, and for all their intricacy and beauty, they will never be able to touch. They are forever glazed in that moment JUST before embrace; that tension that draws two lovers together, that quivers lips and legs - it is forever preserved on that urn. And we are not to feel sorry for them; we are to envy them, because once they touch - once that moment is over - it can never be returned. That tension is preserved, even in the throne room, even in that climactic orgy of emotion that ruled the scene from the locked-eyes as Kylo moves the saber to the battle itself. I'm still not yet sure if I want their connection to be a romantic one, but their connection is undeniable. I do think the film preys on Rey's naivety in a way that rings true to the Star Wars we've all come to know, and I don't think that's a bad thing.
Rey's training was refreshing, simply because in those moments, the film finally held out some small amount of predictability for us. But COME ON... Yoda? The burning of the temple?! The symbolic nod to entropy? The doing away with cumbersome and futile tradition? HOW IS ANYONE UPSET ABOUT THIS? DJ may be the most powerful character in the ENTIRE franchise. His exposure of the long-standing war - the very thing around which this franchise has been built - is a mind-blowing one that approaches the fourth wall. I half-expected Del Toro to look straight at the camera when he addresses that fact that one day, it's the First Order blowing dudes up, and the next day... it's the Resistance. They're buying the same weapons. They're trapped - ALL of them - in the same exact system that demands blood and is driven by commodity, even if that commodity is something as intangible as mind control. But the whole thing reminded me of Baudrillard's theories about reality and the aesthetics of war; it addresses the fact that our reality is one in which even war is commercialized and turned into art (*cough* the entire saga *cough*). The irony is that there will never be anything more aesthetic in film (for me) than those silent ten seconds in which Admiral Holdo makes the ultimate sacrifice, lighting up the screen in the most brilliant display of visual effects I've ever witnessed. There were people in the audience LITERALLY gasping for air. Victory, carnage, loss, the culmination of suffering... all of it was captured in ten seconds and explains, without word or sound, why humanity finds a sad aesthetic in the very nature of war. (If you'd like to read more about Baudrillard's work, peep this article. It's a great comprehensive overview: https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/in-theory-baudrillard-9/)
Long story short, when Johnson calls all of us out for romanticizing war in the same way we have for millennia - from richly-painted portraits of the crusades to the American revolution to modern-day films like Zero Dark Thirty, I wanted to cry out. We are ALL the bad guys, right? The casualties that ensue.... and yet here we are, in real life, capitalizing on conflicts that inevitably stem from the competition for capitalization of whatever resource (or, in the case of some extremists, the fight against this way of life). The aesthetics of war, beautifully portrayed AND criticized in one amazing film. I also think that his unspoken criticism of the midi-chlorian thing and its implications for enabling racism to have a foothold in the universe is equally powerful.
I don't know if Kylo is lying. None of us do. I think we all wanted Rey to have some crazy backstory... and the fallout from her truth (if it is truth) is likely the most enraging part of this film for all of the fans who are going mad, even if they claim it's the plot-holes with Snoke or the space-bombs or the floating Leia. But it's SO strong. Johnson thwarts the myth that the Force is only accessible to those genetically pre-disposed to its power, and among the ashes in this complete destruction of old-school ways of viewing power and ingenuity and strength emerges this character who came from nothing. (Yet another near-broach of the fourth wall is Kylo's speech about how she "isn't part of this story.") But she can feel it; the Force is in every living thing, surrounds every living thing, and connects every living thing - and it does not "belong" to the Jedi or the Empire. The force is the ONE thing that can never be a commodity; it breaks every rule and crosses every boundary. That's the best part of this whole film - the acknowledgement that despite all this senseless violence surrounding us, all this blood shed over territory or intellectual property or whatever the newest commodity is - there is one thing that ties us all together, and it cannot be bought or sold. It compels us to speak for those creatures who cannot have a voice (ahem, the beasts in captivity) and it has the power to release us from our material reality and into one with real meaning. And although the effects were incredible and BB8 was the best thing ever and the salt-planet was cool and Luke's Astral projection was a badass way to go (yeah yeah, I know everyone hated it... I'm entitled to my opinion), this truth - that we are ALL Rey - is the most powerful thing I've ever seen on the screen.
Judge me.
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