Entry posted by Voltex
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So, a week after my first viewing of the film (which I've seen twice now), I think my thoughts on The Last Jedi have settled enough that I can write them out.
I thought I would do something a bit different with this one; as a storyteller myself, I thought it might be interesting if, with my complaints about the movie (and there are several), I could challenge myself to propose fixes to said complaints using only the tools that the film itself provides.
So without further ado, here we go - spoilers ahead.
- Rey's Training. The Rey & Luke plot was the one I was most worried about heading into the film. Despite the trailers, I felt like there was a strong chance it would simply rehash Luke's experiences on Dagobah in Empire - or the same old tired 'reluctant mentor' tropes. Thankfully, this wasn't the case. Luke is reluctant, yes, and he does mentor Rey - but in a unique twist, he does so with the explicit intention of convincing her that he is correct, and that the Jedi must die. Rey is also active in both intentionally and unintentionally furthering her training; we witness her practicing with the lightsaber on her own, and her trip to the cave is done of her own accord.
- Luke. Expanding on my previous point a bit, I really enjoyed Luke's arc in this film. Mark Hamill's performance is stellar, and I'm extremely impressed that they managed to make a tired, weary and regretful Luke feel like such a natural evolution from the more optimistic Luke that we last saw in Return. His reappearance on Crait was touching, and his confrontation with Kylo Ren epic (I particularly enjoyed how easily he got under Kylo's skin, and how Luke clearly knows this). His death at the end of the film was a perfect send off, although I fully expect to see him show up at least once in Episode IX as a force ghost to help guide Rey (or, perhaps in a bit of a twist, to again confront Kylo).
- The Force Connection. The connection between Rey and Kylo could have so easily been the worst part of the film, but thanks to the solid performances of Ridley and Driver, these scenes are some of the film's best. We see Rey slowly shift from hating Kylo to seeing him as a companion as she learns his past, someone she wants to save; and we see that despite their fight on Starkiller Base, Kylo lacks any vindictive feelings towards her. The way he also comes to see Rey as a companion is interesting, and I like that they both ultimately fail to turn the other.
- Rey. Once again, Daisy Ridley puts in a solid performance as Rey. Her arc in this film was very neat, from her flirtation with the dark side to her attempt to redeem Kylo Ren (and its ultimate failure, which I'll come back to in a bit). I like that we see her struggle in this film; we see her struggle with the Force, struggle with her attachment to her parents and how they were nobody, and we see her struggle with a loneliness so crippling that she turns to Kylo Ren for a human connection, because connecting with anybody is better than being alone. Her fighting style continues to interest me; when she battles the guards, it's clear that she's struggling more than Kylo Ren, but at the same time, we see her make a few unexpected moves that show off her ability to look at situations from another angle. I'm excited to see where she'll go in Episode IX, and I hope we get to see the process of building a lightsaber with her (please give us a double bladed saber... or a green one).
- Kylo Ren. Again, Adam Driver makes Kylo Ren the most relatable Star Wars villain in the films. I was glad that we received an onscreen confirmation that him killing his father in The Force Awakens broke him rather than strengthened him, and how that led to his defeat at Rey's hands. It was a fact already canon, but it needed to be brought up in the films themselves. His admittance that he didn't hate his father - and his inability to kill his mother - makes him more interesting to me, and really hammers home that Luke's moment of weakness was what ultimately turned him. I appreciated how he ultimately rejected Rey's offer, and instead continued his spiral into the dark side - and his betrayal of Snoke is easily one of the best moments in the film. Speaking of which....
- The Throne Room scene. The confrontation between Snoke, Rey, and Kylo Ren, and the fight with the Praetorian Guards that follows, is my favorite part of the film, no question. We see a hint of Snoke's true power, but as this film takes pride in showing us, his reliance on using the force to 'know the future' turns out to be his undoing.The moment of betrayal is well-done; the way that Kylo and Rey then work together, the light side and the dark side allied together against the guards is one of the coolest fights I've ever seen. Forcing your hero and villain to work together against a common threat always has potential to be a great moment, but it's made more powerful here because both Rey & Kylo believe that they have succeeded (or will succeed) in turning the other to their cause. The two of them ultimately refusing to alter their paths makes the scene even more powerful, as they each are forced to accept failure, and that what they saw in the force wasn't entirely true.
- Failure. This movie is all about failure - and, more importantly, the impact our failures have. There's a moment in the film where Luke, trying to convince Rey that the Jedi needs to end, points out to her how the Jedi allowed Darth Sidious to take power and destroy them right under their noses. This hadn't really been properly dealt with in earlier films, so it was nice to see it pointed out by a character in the film. I liked that the movie was all about failure and how it can impact or drive us; the only real success in this film is Luke's attempt to distract Kylo at the end, and that success costs him his life. I'll touch more on Finn and Poe later, but I did enjoy how they failed, and how it drove both of them.
- Yoda. My second favorite scene. Not really much to say here; Yoday was awesome.
- Finn and Rose. This whole plot felt very drawn out, and the entire sequence on the Casino planet is just boring. The whole 'animal rights' plot kinda came out of left field and I don't think it fit very well with the rest of the movie (particularly since it's used to have Rose explain her backstory... as a slave miner?? Why not have her be like the kids forced to care for the creatures on the casino planet?). The DJ character is okay, as is their ultimate failure on the Supremacy, but then they get to Crait, and ugh. That kiss feels shoehorned in and has no purpose; there was no buildup to it, not hints, and no romantic tension between them. Finn was doing just fine without a romantic subplot, and I'm suspicious that it was thrown in there just so that the Disney Corporation can assure all the homophobes out there that "Finn is definitely straight guys, see?! SEE?!". Also, Rose saving Finn, I think, hurts his character; while it might have been a waste to let him sacrifice himself, him doing so would have saved the Resistance. She very nearly doomed them just for a kiss? Ugh.
- Poe. Honestly, I liked Poe's plot in this movie, and how he developed as a character. I just feel like it didn't need to take the entire movie. When I go over my suggested fix for the Finn & Rose plot, I'll go into more detail.
- Leia surviving. This is probably an odd complaint to have, but let's be real - Carrie Fisher died a year ago now, which means they had plenty of time to work in a solid death for Leia, with a sendoff fitting for both character and actor. What really bothers me is that there are at least two moments in the film that could have been altered to suit this scenario, instead of what we're now likely to get - some disappointing offscreen death or CGI cameo in Episode IX. While Leia dying would have prevented us from getting the heartwarming Luke/Leia reunion, it could have been used to further drive Rey & Luke in their growth.
- Phasma. I'm okay with her fate. I'm not too bothered if she died, although I feel pretty certain that she'll be coming back in Episode IX with some burn scars and wanting vengeance on Finn, with it having become personal. What I don't like is how little she was in the film to begin with; again, I'll go into more detail with this in my suggested fix for the Finn & Rose plot.
- The death of Captain Canady. For those unaware, this guy commanded the Dreadnought destroyed early on in the film. Would have been nice to have him around as a bit of a foil for Hux and Kylo later on, though I won' suggest a fix because it's not like he needed to survive.
So, how to fix my major gripes with the movie? My suggestion is simple at first glance - merge them altogether.
Of course, it's far more complicated than that.
- Start by shrinking Poe's coup plot. Rather than taking place across the first two acts, contain it entirely to the first act. How does this look?
>For reasons you'll understand later, Leia dies in the bridge bombing. This leaves the Resistance entirely without any command; when Vice Admiral Holdo steps up, it's truly a sort of "take it or leave it" situation. She and Poe clash immediately, much like in the film, and Poe is dismissed, although he manages to retrieve the beacon meant to guide Rey back to them (through some quick hijinks with BB-8) and gives it to Finn.
Finn meets Rose the same way he does in the film, with one exception - she doesn't have the same necklace as her sister. She does mention that her sister was close with Poe, and that she just died destroying the dreadnought. From there she tasers Finn and tries to take him to the brig. Like in the film, Finn eventually convinces her to take him to Poe instead.
They meet Poe in his quarters. Poe agrees with them, but first wants to learn Holdo's plan, and so together they go to confront her. Holdo is understandably not impressed, and Poe attempts his coup (which almost immediately fails). Poe is still angry and antsy, and so he now agrees to Finn's plan. Here, however, we learn that Poe has the same necklace as Paige, when Rose confronts him about getting her sister killed. After their conversation with Maz, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 leave for Canto Bight. They leave behind Rose at Poe's orders; she's able to use her skills to prevent Holdo from realizing when they leave, but isn't considered ready "for the field".
The First Order notices the single shuttle; perhaps Kylo senses Finn. Phasma is sent to hunt them down.
- What do we have now?
- Leia is dead. Rey, Luke, Snoke, and Kylo have all felt it; it makes Rey more determined to get Luke's help, makes Luke more reluctant, makes Snoke more confident in his inevitable success, and makes Kylo more conflicted. This will make the decisions of all four more impactful later on. It also has a significant impact on Poe, who is now angrier, and being driven by his emotions more than his reasoning.
- Rose is better established, with both her and her sister having a history with Poe (her sister either romantically or just as a very close friend, but Rose less positively). Since I personally feel that Rose was one of the lower points of the film, she has also been left behind, meaning her role will be smaller.
- Poe now joins Finn on his adventure. This allows us to see them work together again and expand on the chemistry of the characters/actors that was present in The Force Awakens. Let me assure you, however, that this will not be without conflict.
- Phasma is now hunting Finn & Poe, which will give her a larger role.
- Let's continue.
>On Canto Bight, not all is fun and games with Finn & Poe. The two are currently arguing different viewpoints; while Poe believes that the only option is to move forward and fight no matter what, Finn believes that the Resistance currently stands no chance, and they should retreat instead. This will come back later. Phasma arrives on Canto Bight, and begins her hunt.
On the Resistance ship, Holdo discovers that Finn and Poe are MIA. Rose is detained, and reluctantly gives them up. Here, Holdo can seem somewhat suspicious, or we can establish that she's impressed with Poe's tenacity; either works.
Back on Canto Bight, Finn & Poe find their "master codebreaker", but spot Phasma at the same time. As they try to sneak away, they are arrested by the authorities; once they realize that the authorities are working separately from Phasma, they allow themselves to be thrown into the prison. There, they meet DJ, and are forced to accept his aid when Phasma finds them (having spoken with the authorities). They make their getaway onto DJ's stolen ship while fleeing from Phasma, managing to blow up her ship as well; this delays Phasma, giving them a small window to get onto the Supremacy and disable its tracking.
On the Resistance ship, Holdo is now loading the shuttles. She intends to sacrifice herself by staying behind - but Rose tells her to go, deciding to sacrifice herself instead. In Rose's words, the Resistance will need their leader more than they'll need a mechanic.
Heading to the Supremacy, Poe trades his necklace to get DJ's help. From here, everything occurs the same as in the film, with the exception that Phasma arrives in time to catch them. DJ betrays the Resistance and points out their shuttles to the First Order. In order to save the rest, Rose performs the hyperspace kamikaze move, destroying the First Order's ships. This allows Finn and Poe to fight Phasma, defeat her, and flee aboard a First Order shuttle with BB-8.
When they return to Crait, Finn and Poe now get to witness the direct consequences of their actions. Rose is dead, having sacrificed herself to save the remnants of the Resistance, and their little detour to Canto Bight is what ultimately allowed the First Order to begin destroying the escape shuttles as well. This informs the same change that both characters undergo in the film; after Holdo sends Poe out with the speeders, he calls for a retreat when it becomes clear that remaining outside is suicide, while Finn wants to push forward, even if it'll mean they die - until Poe reminds him that sometimes, retreat is the best option, and tells him that he doesn't want to watch another friend die.
From there, the film plays out the same.
- What does this fix?
- It streamlines the plot. By keeping Finn & Poe together throughout the film, there's less that the movie needs to be jumping in between.
- It better connects one of my least favorite characters in the film - Rose - to the main cast, while also reducing her role. Rose's sacrifice also helps Poe to grow more as a character and as a leader.
- It gives Phasma something to do, and keeps the Canto Bight sequence more relevant to the main plot of the film.
- It allows the relationship between Finn & Poe to continue growing and expanding from The Force Awakens, and having the two of them together for most of the movie will be a nice little gleam of familiarity in a film that otherwise takes great pride in shattering the status quo (and in a good way, usually).
- It prevents the Leia situation from becoming an issue for Episode IX, and also leaves us with just our new protagonists heading into the final film. Which, for a movie that is also about letting the past die and looking to the future, would make sense.
- Holdo survives, as a new character that I did like. Her evolving relationship with Poe (and Finn?) can then be explored in Episode IX.
- About Leia - She could still survive the bridge bombing how she did in the film, and then be the one to sacrifice herself in the kamikaze move; I decided against this mainly because it would feel cheap to have a death fake-out, only to later kill her off. It's also more impactful for Finn & Poe if Rose does the kamikaze, as they chose not to take her with them.
So those are the changes I'd have made. Feel free to disagree. 
So those are my overall thoughts on the film. Personally, I think it does a lot of things well; when it does something right, it soars. But it also makes a lot of mistakes, and when those mistakes are made, it plummets.
Despite this, I think The Last Jedi is one of my favorite Star Wars films, and I would definitely recommend that you see it. I appreciate just how far it was willing to go, and I hope that they continue to push forward with Episode IX.
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