MOVIE REPORT CARD: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

DATE: 12/15/17
​TITLE: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
DIRECTOR: RIAN JOHNSON
STARRING: DAISY RIDLEY, MARK HAMILL, CARRIE FISHER, ADAM DRIVER, JOHN BOYEGA, OSCAR ISSAC

GRADES

ACTING: 80
DIRECTING: 75
SCREENPLAY: 65
EDITING: 65
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 90
SOUNDTRACK: 90

​FINAL: 78/B-

COMMENTS

The main problem with Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi, is in how much value it puts in itself. For every frame of self-importance it has, the film does nothing to pay it off. Almost every moment in The Last Jedi, has a feeling of something bigger. It oozes worth, but really all we get is the worth Disney has put on screen in special effects. I'm a little surprised at how poorly edited this movie is. Weird cuts, choppy editing and dismal pacing, do the film no favors either. The Last Jedi is the longest Star Wars movie to date, and you feel every moment of it. Mark Hamill, is the standout here. I daresay, it's probably the best he's ever been on screen. There's a few nice action pieces, and some great character moments. However, nothing in the film feels earned. A lot of it is forced and there's a sense that we are just being dragged from scene-to-scene, rather than anything feeling natural. I left the theater not really being particularly excited, about how this will all come to a close in Episode IX. I don't want to say too much more as to not spoil anything, so I'll leave it at this: it's OK.