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I'd find it wrong to make a review of this movie. Unethical. And hypocritical. Don't misread the title.
I see this movie as a critique to humanity these days - well, about 3-4 years ago - it's hard to measure just how things improved in the meantime.
A critique in the same manner as Bill, before he was killed, pointed out that Clark Kent is Superman's critique of the society around him.
Except, this is Star Wars - not Superman.

Fundamentally different things. 

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The Last Jedi - A Critique

For Crissy.

Of some stories it's said "they don't judge their characters" - I think this movie tells very much that kind of story. 

Pretty much everyone in this movie should somehow or other suffer some punishment for their actions. By karma and shit. 
Fewest of them do. Sure Poe gets demoted - but he still does what he wants (aka jump into an X-wing and blow stuff up).

There's so, so much talking in this film. A good chunk of dialogue is them just yapping away. Not listening. Not participating in a conversation. 
And it's not just the talking, it's the doing that's as messed up.

Case in point: everyone's favourite sub-plot - it's fucking genius if you ask me:

I don't know how many people saw Canto Bight and thought "this place looks eerily like Earth". And what do our 2 friends, Rose & Finn, do there?
Let's see what they're supposed to do first (as part of their super-secret mission):
Objective 1 - Get the to planet and find The Codebreaker - asap. 
Objective 2 - There's no objective 2.

Objective 1 was put on hold right away by unlawful parking (as noticed by the cunt that's looking out the window all days - waiting for someone to give grief to).
Follow that up with a bunch of distraction by money & fame or purely personal/emotional decisions.
The end.

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Of course Rose & Finn just met by luck: she calls him a hero, a traitor and then stuns him within minutes of meeting each other. And just like that they're co-conspirators. What luck! 

Good thing they had more luck along the way:
They both thought the believed in rebelling inside the rebellion - Poe for once not being the instigator, only the executor of the initiative. 
Just managing affairs on not-Earth from the side-lines.
Did they ever let him down. And what did they take away from that? 
A kid with a with a nice ring and magic broom. 
That's more than most people took away from that 'really annoying chain of events'.

Moments before they get their lousy butts saved they both agree "completely failing the mission and instead running off to some 'cause' was absolutely worth it".
All that thanks to some shady dude, that's obviously less than untrustworthy, but that's a whole lot more than what they got going for them. 
He claims he's a codebreaker. He never gives his name.

Finn & Rose are having parallel conversations with DJ - independent from another (but supposedly on the same side):
Finn: "why don't you trust us? - bla bla bla" 
Rose: "here - I trust you"
Maz: "I only trust the the Master Codebreaker - no one else".

Who the fuck's Maz anyway... 

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As if any of that was accidental. I don't think. As if showing a boy - we've never seen in the last 2.5 hours of movie - in the closing shot - who force grabs a stick or something would have needed
that kind of setup. After it was a long time ago established that 'anyone' can be force-sensitive. 

And if it was indeed a setup? 

Hell of a setup if you ask me. 

Speaking of fun - the whole mono-ski thing was hilarious. With an all-star team, too. Nothing about it made any sense - like where the fuck did Rose come from? I mean literally from where?
And also space/time wise I would like to have an explanation that makes at least enough physical sense to fit into the setting. 
If someone said "oh, you know, it's a bunch of space ships or something, some "deep moments", a romantic twist, cool action with lasers and stuff... it's Star Wars - how hard can it be?"
and then went "hey - I am going to do that to lead into the grande finale". 

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But before we get to that - let's go back to the beginning:

When Luke went to look for Yoda - he knew why. Rey doesn't seem to have the first clue what she expects from Luke. And he in turn pokes fun at her:
"Do you expect me and my light sabre to stand in front of the First Order and stop them? Didn't think so either..."

All she thinks she knows is "we need Luke - Leia said so". 
Furthermore, she thinks Luke can't understand Chewy. And that he needs to be "careful!" when going about his daily business. 

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I do not know what kind of Jedi Grand Master she thought Luke would be, making these assumptions about him. And she only actually listens when he pretty much forces her to.

Like "if she gets bored enough of walking the hills behind me - maybe she'll listen to what the island is saying" or "I think Yoda had fun training me - I'll do the same."

"Why are you here?", "why are you here?", "why are you here?" It's not an easy question to answer - but ultimately she's honest about it. 
Once she was willing to listen. Willing to accept that Luke wants to listen.

He's old-school, by modern standards. And he's willing to help if you ask him nicely - but he telling you to fuck off you just arrive to list your demands. Good bloke. 

And what I think he hopes for - what he sacrifices himself for - is that with him being the final member of the old guard, there's finally room for a future. 
Something that also Kylo-Ren can't emphasise enough; kill the past if you have to. Destroy it. If that's the only way you can move forward. It seems like a small sacrifice. At least to him. 

Another sacrifice Luke thought was necessary was destroying the old temple and its scriptures. He hesitated. Yoda didn't. He failed at too many corners not to know any better. 

He knew his own limitations. And Luke's. And he knew that unless he kicked Luke in the butt, the kid would just look at the sky longing.
He also knew that follies are part of life. It's best to embrace them. 

And Luke - maybe he knew all along that the last thing he wants to do in life is look at the horizon. Maybe that's all he ever wanted. To watch in amazement at what a beautiful and strange place the universe is.
Maybe that's a level of wisdom and appreciation Yoda never learnt - and berated Luke for it. 
Maybe that's why Yoda felt it a burden that one Luke is bound to surpass him.
Maybe it was something he never understood. Not after 940-ish years. 
I don't fucking know. 

 

There are many examples of all these characters being deeply flawed, working off of half-baked assumptions, trying to figure shit out. What does that make them?
Good? Bad? Who gives a damn. 

It makes them normal. 

Human.

I'd be inclined to say "like you and me" - but I can't say that. 
I can assume nothing about you (person reading this). And I stick by that.
 
As for me - just like everyone else - I am working off assumptions and towards figuring shit out. But every now and again I stop and ask. Try to understand. 
And that's something I found often missing in the story, in the characters. 

Make no mistake - I do not believe that's a sign of 'bad writing' - much rather I come out and say that's 'good reflection'. 

A while back I asked myself: if someone's so visionary to come up with the original trilogy - and actually goes and does it - is there nothing more to its legacy than what's probably the most toxic fanbase in history.
Is there nothing underneath all that? No message nor meaning?

I can think of 1 'thing' that's gotten everybody upset for eternity - it's that word Luke uses to describe the Jedi. The R-word. 
It's probably what gave him the idea to torch part of his home island... 

My guess - there's plenty. Morals, values, believes - and mirrors. 

And, frankly put, there's many other tidbits I could throw in here - but none of them would really change this:
trust, faith, hope - these're fundamental parts of human existence - if we take all of that for granted we a) need luck, b) someone to save our asses and c) both and more.
And if we don't, we're just a bunch of whiny entitled little shits - and we go through life assured it's someone else's fault (which we essentially are and do).

Something Admiral Holdo said to Poe: there's a time for heroes, and there's other times - and if we mistake one for the other, we often put a lot more than ourselves at risk. 
Knowing one's place doesn't make one good or bad - it makes you aware of your surroundings. That's key. 
Having a kind old lady break it down for us, well, maybe that's just luck.

A lot of noise was made around the same about feminist agenda - and I can sorta see why:
The Asian chick is a fucking idiot. The black dude, kinda, too. The white chick is naïve and/or in denial. The white boy is kinda full of himself. 
The no-nonsense dyke is cool AF. It's the purple hair. Has to be.

An old friend once claimed "there's a bit of Cartman in all of us". 
I reckon most of us are simply better, or more willing to make the effort to not let that notion dominate us completely. 
And just like that there's some Rose, Finn, what have you, in all of us.

We are all the same. We're all Young Skywalkers - at times too pre-occupied with that's ahead & unknown to see what is and isn't in front of us. 

We're Reys looking for guidance and understanding, for someone to help us on the way - while making ludicrous statements about what we're owed. And by whom.

In the end I'm with DJ who says "good guys, bad guys, made up words ... live free - don't join..." supposedly that's what gave him his name. 
And his farewell to Finn: this isn't personal. 

 

Seeing this isn't a review - I am not putting a number on it. I'll say this, though: this film hits harder than Brick. 

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PS: You could argue that with TFA JJ carried the old torch - pressed all the right buttons. 
I'd argue Rian here carried the torch forward - and sure pushed some buttons. 
Big shoes. Big fucking shoes.