Star Wars: The Last Jedi (SPOILERS)

This is not gonna go the way you think...

Where to begin? I love Star Wars! Easily one of my favorite franchises in all of media, it has been a huge part of my childhood, and I can't imagine my life without it at this point. I love the originals, and I am not afraid to admit that I do love the prequels as well. As of recent times, the head of executives who own Star Wars made a deal with the executives of Disney to join the two together. After that settlement was made, we have seen two stellar entries produced in The Force Awakens and Rogue One. The Last Jedi is the sequel to the former, and expectations were high, as we were finally seeing the full return of Luke Skywalker, Rey and Kylo Ren learning their places in the world, and how the producers were going to tackle the unexpected departure of Carrie Fisher. Now, if I am going to be completely honest, I was incredibly disappointed by this movie, and honestly it may be one of my least favorite Star Wars movies! And here is why:

UPS

1. Mark Hamill turned in one of his best performances as Luke. For all the many, many faults relating to the character (which I will get to,) I think Mark Hamill did great with what he was given and every moment he was on-screen was usually some of the best.
2. Everything about Kylo Ren! If this movie had one true MVP, it was definitely Kylo. I enjoyed him in The Force Awakens; I enjoy him even more here! His arc throughout the entire movie was deeply compelling, his bond with Rey was incredibly intriguing, and Adam Driver really sold all the moments that encapsulated his emotions, whether he be angry, conflicted, or downright mad. I am so grateful that he wasn't redeemed, and I hope he stays that way.
3. The visuals and action in this movie are spectacular. Certain standouts for the former include Vice Admiral Holdo's lightspeed sacrifice and the final battle on Crait, and the latter has to be that glorious duel between Rey and Kylo versus the Praetorian Guards. If anything else, this was the most visually impressive Star Wars movie by far!
4. BB-8 is still the same lovable little droid he was back in The Force Awakens. That is all!
5. The Yoda cameo was hands down the best scene in the whole movie. This scene brought about some real nostalgic feelings and was also the moment that played the hugest part in developing Luke's arc in the movie (even if its effectiveness was a little hit-or-miss.) It was touching and such a joy to see the little green man again :)

DOWNS

1. It's a good thing Mark Hamill was great for the most part, because I did not care for what they did with Luke in this movie. What I mean when I say that is that it was an interesting concept that went absolutely nowhere. He's mostly dour throughout the entire movie and I don't think his return to faith was developed as well as it should have been. His death ruined any chance of that being rectified, even though the Twin Suns callback was a beautiful touch. Overall, I wasn't a fan of the way Luke was portrayed, and his death only left an extra sour taste in my mouth.
2. SNOKE!!! Sure, he served the purpose of propelling Kylo's arc forward, but MY GOD did his character suck! There could've been so much more done with him; so much more, but in the end, he was just a decrepit, stuck-up asshole with Sith powers and nothing more! Really, the same can be said for any bad guy in this movie that isn’t Kylo Ren; General Hux has now been reduced to a sniveling loudmouth punching bag who is subjected to every form of punishment imaginable at every possible opportunity, and Captain Phasma...what the hell could be said about Captain fucking Phasma? Just a real shame in the end.
3. As much as I love the new lead trio, The Last Jedi has shown that once you take away a little something that makes them special, you realize how much substance they really lack. Case in point, Rey, who is easily my favorite, now really has nothing to make her stand out with the reveal of who her parents are, which I will admit was a very neat twist that was simply overshadowed by way too much buildup; in the case of Finn, you take away Rey and realize that he's, for all intents and purposes, just there; finally, Poe actually subverts the other two in the fact that he really is one-note and can only really work in small doses. As I said before, I love these characters and I think their actors are doing a spectacular job, but this movie didn't do much justice to any of them.
4. They are really, and I mean really, pushing the boundaries of what exactly entails in regards to the Force. The telepathic connection between Kylo and Rey was fine, but things such as Luke creating an astral projection of himself and Leia being able to fucking fly in outer space become too much. It's starting to become less mystical and more outlandish, even for a series like Star Wars!
5. Finally, and this is probably the movie's biggest offender for me, but it just didn't feel like Star Wars. When I think of a Star Wars movie, I usually find a sense of wonder and whimsy surrounding a plot that is equal parts light-hearted and equal parts darkly serious. For some odd, strange reason, this movie didn't have that feeling, almost like there was no soul or substance to speak of, which is pretty crushing to think about. 

OVERALL

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was the most disappointing movie of the year, hands down. My overall feelings on how I exactly feel on it are incredibly mixed, just as much as the fanbase as a whole! I wanted to like this movie more than I did, but unfortunately I don't think that is possible. 

And that's it for this blog, guys. Tune in for more on the way :)