The Last Jedi - spoilers and discussion?

[SouthWestmom]

If you've seen it, come here!

I m a bit sad about there being no more related characters. Dd thinks the kid at the end is a relative of Obi but I can't see how.

Loved the ending with Luke but I was surprised all the old guard have now gone.

Hated the hamster like creatures. It feels like R2D2 was 'cute' so they try to include 'cute' in the films.

Was obvious Kylo Ren and the killing of his enemy.

Good, there's a thread on this. I saw the film yesterday, and I have a lot to say!

Firstly I bet there will be more related characters... The Ben/Rey thing is clearly Pride and Prejudice in space. My theory is that Hux finds out he killed Snoke (he blamed it on Rey) and turns the First order against him. he flees with the Knights of Ren or joins up with them, there's some kind of showdown with the rebels and he saves Rey from one of them (as in her first vision) then they get together and make new Solo/Skywalkers for the continuing franchise! Some of my predictions came true this time so you never know... not that I'm biased

I did love the Ben and Rey force bond storyline. It's what I'd hoped for, and I was pleased that the film ended with him looking guilty for what he'd done (as he should, trying to kill someone who rejected you is really not on!) I always love Chewie and the droids, I didn't think there was Porg overkill (and I loved that bit of one of them jumping up and down on the light saber handle while another peered inside!) The scene with Rose's sister was amazing, so was the Rey/Ben guard fight, and I enjoyed the island scenes.

Obligatory moans - I got a bit bored with the Finn/Rose storyline. I love Finn, and the addition of Rose, but their storyline was blatant filler and that chase scene seemed to go on for ages, also the kiss looked awkward and I thought she died afterward! Also the Phasma/Finn fight scene was over so quickly it was disappointing. And the flying Leia bit looked odd.

General Holdo flying the cruiser at light speed through the First Order's ship was amazing, best bit of the film. But it wasn't touching, because we barely knew her as a character. I've seen people suggest Admiral Ackbar should have done it and I think that would have been perfect. Emotionally charged as well as impressive. It would also have been an epic way to end Leia's storyline, but no-one was to know...

I felt there was an aspect of "Ha! Fuck your theories!" with Rey's parents and Snoke. Two of the most speculated on points and they amounted to almost nothing, yet they had been focused on in TFA so I felt that was borderline disrespectful to fans.

My only other negative is Daisy Ridley's acting... Sorry to Daisy fans, she's very charming, she has great comic timing, and when she gets it right she gets it very right, but she just cannot say some lines in a natural way. The first I noticed was in the trailer for TFA; "The garbage ull do". It sounded like she didn't know how to say it. I thought "murderous snake" was delivered really badly. A good actor can make a line convincing even if it's something they would never say, because it's something the character would say. Also, I think her accent wanders. She delivers some lines in an attempt at an upper class accent then slips back into her normal accent. I can hear it anyway, maybe it's just me!

It is confirmed that Rey's parents were scavengers who sold her off. Kylo asks her if she already knew, and she tells him they were nobody before he confirms it. Rian Johnson also confirmed it. I hoped she was a Palpatine, but never mind.

And yes, Rey stole the Jedi texts. That's why Yoda had no problem burning down the tree "She has everything she needs..."

I really feel for poor JJ Abrams having to try and pull that mess together into something half decent for the next film.

JJ was involved with the making of this film, he was exec producer and worked with RJ on the script. He was torn apart after TFA, funny to see him being touted as potential saviour now! RJ had to deal with fans complaining that TFA was a soft copy of ANH, so took it in a new direction. And of course lots of people don't like that This one seemed like what it is, second act in a three act story. ESB is more of a stand-alone. This one is a bridging film. I think the success of this whole trilogy will come down to act three and how well the lingering questions are answered.

I think the film makers hamstrung themselves by making John Boyega one of the stars - particularly with the bait-and-switch TFA trailer which made him look like the main star. His fans would have been outraged if he'd been sidelined so they had to find him something to do - and sadly it wasn't executed well because that's exactly what it looks like.

I find it odd that Rotten Tomatoes critics have given it 93%, and yet the public have given it 57%

Unfortunately there is a strong online hate campaign against Kathleen Kennedy, and her "man hating" films. Occasionally I think they have a point (the whole thing with Holdo seemed to say "Oh now Leia's out of action you think a man will take over? No, there are two women in charge, deal with that!!") but only occasionally. I really think a lot of the worst hate is coming from men who haven't seen it and have no intention of seeing it. No film is perfect, but if you can't name a single positive about TLJ, you're not a Star Wars fan.

Lol Butchy, spot on dd thinks that the Last Jedi is going to be a source of many memes and have as much like/dislike as the prequels.

The unnecessary CGI stuff made me think of Lucas's remakes of the originals where he added CGI animals (for colour?) and it grated about as much in this movie as it did then.

At the end of the Force Awakens there was a feeling that Luke had gone off to do something important but in the Last Jedi it seems like he just decided to go no contact with his family and have a guilty extended sulk. What on earth was he doing for 20 years? At least Ob-Wan was keeping an eye out for Luke when he was hermiting on Tattoine.

GoReylo we are all Star Wars fans in our household and we spent the night after seeing the movie feeling very sad and disappointed. The morning after we are still disappointed. I'm not sure what there is to be positive about really. It was badly plotted and written and it wasted some great characters that we have a amount of fair investment in.

I don't care who Rey's parents were. She didn't care much in the Force Awakens either, what she cared is that they abandoned her. We were intrigued about her connection to Luke. If the film makers wanted her to be an 'anyone' (no issue with that, it would be the same as Anakin after all) then why create that mystique? Why have her have memories of Luke and Kylo in the Force Awakens or 'remember' the tree in the Last Jedi. It's all very bait and switch. Tedious. I'm not convinced that Kylo was telling her anything true in any case, looked like he was just out to hurt her in that scene.

I really liked the Force Awakened. I know there are criticisms that it was a bit too similar to the originals. I don't share those criticisms, I think he did a great job although I'd attribute much of that to Lawrence Kasdan for writing an authentic Star Wars film. I loved the characters they created and I think they were all wasted in the Last Jedi.

Not sure why having Finn as a star was an issue. No reason they couldn't have given him some meaningful story, and Poe too. If they couldn't that's a judgement on them for writing poorly.

I didn't think there was Porg overkill

OMG! YA soooooo BU. Those porgs all need to leap off the cliffs of Skywalker Island lemming-style. Die porgs, die!!!

Actually, forget what i said about the Star Wars fan bit, I found plenty to moan about myself! I always enjoy the experience of seeing a Star Wars film, in one sense I'd be happy to watch two hours of Chewie tinkering with the Falcon, I have a lot much affection for the franchise, but they do look to be making some baffling decisions with this trilogy.

The issue with Finn for me is that they built him up as a main lead, but give him little to do. They had to keep him away from Rey so that he wouldn't interfere with her Kylo/Luke storylines, but the Canto Bite plot slowed the film down and was downright boring at times. They also seemed to show him as a force sensitive in TFA (hearing the screams of people on planets way out of the range of human hearing) yet that seems to have come to nothing as well.

I want a Porg. I want a £59.99 interactive Porg. And a Porg onesie if I can find one. And I would watch a Porg movie...

A lot much affection... Guesss who has had too much mulled wine?

I thought it was shit.

I’d pay to go porg hunting. They could also line them up on a cliff top & I could whack them out to sea with Rey’s fighting stick baseball-style.

My family are probably the ideal target audience - we love Star Wars in a casual way but we’re not obsessed enough to nitpick (get me on the subject of the travesty that is the movie version of the Battle of Hogwarts OTOH…) we’ll just take it as it comes as long as it doesn’t feature Jar Jar Binks or Hayden Christensen trying to emote.

We enjoyed it. Loved the porgs, cheered Laura Dern’s hyperspace ramming jump, got a bit teary about Luke and Leia. Teenaged DD is highly resistant to the emo charms of Darth L’Oréal. I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. I, however, fell for all the Rey/Ben stuff hook line and sinker.

It is confirmed that Rey's parents were scavengers who sold her off. Kylo asks her if she already knew, and she tells him they were nobody before he confirms it. Rian Johnson also confirmed it

But if Kylo was lying to her, and the lie to be revealed in the next film, then Rian is hardly likely to admit that in an interview.

You were completely unaffected by those sad puppy Porg eyes husky? At least they don't look like rotting zombie teddy bears. If the Ewoks pop up in the last film God help whoever is sitting next to me in the cinema.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Hayden back next movie actually. Maybe to intervene with Kylo at a crucial moment? He seems to be back in the fold in some way, he was at Star Wars Celebrations which makes me think he may be in talks...

But if Kylo was lying to her, and the lie to be revealed in the next film, then Rian is hardly likely to admit that in an interview.

True. Daisy Ridley has been getting visibly exasperated by the parent question though, so I feel sorry for her if she's in for two more years of speculation! (And I feel slightly hopeful she may still be a Palpatine. Not a Kenobi - boring.)

You were completely unaffected by those sad puppy Porg eyes husky?

Yup. Chewie has the right idea spit roasting them over a BBQ. They looked quite tasty. 😛

I wasn't in it, so I had a bad feeling about this film...

Hmm. How could Hayden Christensen appear as a 'force ghost' when his avatar at the end of ROTJ was young? He'd have an old(er) face now, presumably?
DH wanted it to be ObiWan that appeared to Luke on Ahch-to, as it would have been more appropriate, but I'm glad they didn't muck around with the cgi and bring back Guinness, that would have been a step too far.

FWIW, I enjoyed the humour in this one. But urgh, yes- put a towel on or something!

Oh, and I had to explain to my (usually very perceptive) 8yo exactly what Chewie was roasting!

You know the people who kept house for Luke? Where do they live?
If Smote was controlling the contact between Kylo and Ray then how come they could still do it after he died?
Why would a massive ship not have any kind of auto pilot but need someone to stay behind?
Who was doing Leia’s hair, dresses etc while they were under siege in the disused base?
How does bombing something work in zero gravity?
Where did Chewie pop up from? If he was in the Falcon then why hide in there rather than going to see his friend?

In the scene when they had caught Rose and Finn and were about to chop off their heads, how come the hundreds of storm troopers all vanished after it was hit? But moreover the ones stood right by them were yards away.

If Smote was controlling the contact between Kylo and Ray then how come they could still do it after he died?

A potent combination of twue wuv and Rey's girly tears.

Leia's DD was doing her hair! (Did you not notice that she actually doesn't do much other than look at her mum?)

How could Hayden Christensen appear as a 'force ghost' when his avatar at the end of ROTJ was young? He'd have an old(er) face now, presumably?

No, he actually still looks young! Well young enough anyway. And they somehow managed to make Adam Driver look younger in the flashback scene, so I think they could make it work.

A potent combination of twue wuv and Rey's girly tears.

Or he lied and just exploited their connection. People speculated that the connection happened when they were staring each other down on the cliff edge at the end of TFA or even when Rey was in the torture chair and got into his head. It's one of those pesky things that could have been cleared up but wasn't. Not everyone wants to read the novelization to get plot points straightened out!

I've got a question too - in such a small group even before they were getting decimated, why did Poe need to ask who Holdo was? A striking looking individual and high up in rank, presumably she hadn't been hiding in a broom cupboard during Poe's entire time with the rebellion?

I don't think snoke did create the connection. I think he was aware of and manipulated it but not that he was responsible for it existing.

And if Poe hadn't asked about holdo how would WE have known? ! 😂

And if Poe hadn't asked about holdo how would WE have known?

Ah yes, “Basil Exposition” mode Poe.